Every New Anime Streaming on HBO Max in December 2025

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announced its December 2025 lineup, giving anime fans a sneak peek at what’s coming to the service. They’re adding four well-known films by acclaimed directors Satoshi Kon and Mamoru Hosoda, just in time for the holidays.

Starting December 1, 2025, Max subscribers will be able to stream the acclaimed psychological thriller Perfect Blue (1997), thanks to Max’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Also becoming available that day are three films by director Mamoru Hosoda – The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), Summer Wars (2009), and Wolf Children (2012). With these additions, and Max already offering content to U.S. viewers, the streaming service is solidifying its position as a leading platform for Japanese animation and film.

HBO Max Has the Perfect December Streaming Update for Anime Movie Fans

Satoshi Kon was a highly praised filmmaker known for his distinctive and often surreal storytelling, which deeply explored the inner lives of his characters. His film Perfect Blue, adapted from a novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, follows Mima Kirigoe, a popular J-pop singer who transitions to acting. When Mima receives a disturbing letter from a fan and discovers a website mirroring her personal diary, coupled with being stalked, she begins to lose her grip on reality. Kon continued his successful career after Perfect Blue, directing acclaimed films like Paprika and Millennium Actress.

Mamoru Hosoda, known for his early work on popular series like One Piece and Digimon, excels at creating realistic, everyday stories with imaginative fantasy twists. His film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, adapted from Yasutaka Tsutsui’s novel, centers on Makoto Konno, a 17-year-old student who suddenly discovers she can travel through time. Initially, she enjoys using this power to fix small problems, but she soon learns that constantly changing the past can have significant and unintended repercussions.

Hosoda’s Summer Wars is an original anime film about Kenji Koiso, a 17-year-old math prodigy who helps manage a huge online world called OZ. During summer break, he’s invited by his classmate and crush, Natsuki Shinohara, to pretend to be her boyfriend at a big family gathering. While meeting Natsuki’s family, Kenji unexpectedly gets caught up in a crime involving a group of skilled hackers known as “Love Machine.” They take control of his online character to break into the most secure parts of OZ, causing widespread disruption to internet traffic and even threatening Japan’s power supply. Determined to fix the situation, Kenji sets out to stop them.

The story centers on Hana, a woman who falls in love with a man capable of turning into a wolf. After he tragically dies in a car accident, Hana is left to raise their two children, Yuki and Ame, on her own. But parenting is complicated – Yuki and Ame unpredictably shift between their human and wolf forms. Hana, wanting to give them the best life possible, moves the family to a large home in the countryside, hoping to allow her children the freedom to be themselves. The film, narrated by an adult Yuki, is a touching story about growing up and the strength of a mother’s love.

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2025-11-28 01:40