In 2016 there is no question but that the medium of anime is about as mainstream as it is going to get in the West, although Anglo countries lag behind its popular acceptance in France. Sill, films that would have once been unlicensed now find themselves with festival screenings and streaming or DVD releases afterwards, while their creators attend, able to offer masterclasses to aspiring animators; a far cry from the 1980s indeed! Many of our choices have yet to be licensed for Western release, so consider this a handy guide to those features ‘worth leaving the house lo see in 2016 if they land at a festival near you