No shocker here: Both kids die. Not your regular fanfare from cuddly Studio Ghibli. But even though we know what happens to the kids from the very first sequence, it doesn’t ease the pain. Our hearts fall into pieces as we observe the slow, starving demise of this brother-sister pair in post-WW II Japan. We echo Roger Ebert in recommending this film for all war movie fans—and all film fans with a heart.
#4 - Wolf’s Rain (Episodes 27-30)
Fun fact #1: Wolf’s Rain was originally planned for a standard 26-episode run. That was before the Asian bird flu epidemic near the turn of the century interrupted production schedule. With deadlines looming, the folks at Studio Bones had to whip up a record four recap episodes to act as fillers throughout the show. Following the unresolved ending of episode 26, the creators eventually got things together to tie up the story with an additional quartet of shows.
But after watching them, your tear-stained eyes may regret it. As the heroes (wolf and human) near the sought-after “paradise,” they each fall one-by-one in assorted tragic ways, showing the coldness and cruelty of a dying world. Even the ultimate triumph is bittersweet, as the taint of evil remains in the reborn world. Yoko Kanno’s melodic score only adds to the melancholic tale.
#3 - Trigun (Episode 24, “Sin”)
No anime does a better job of steadily transitioning between goofy episodic adventures to a heart-wrenching odyssey for redemption. Vash the Stampede is more than a lucky humanoid typhoon. He’s a tortured sole who’s vowed to never take a life. But our hero must cross that line near the story’s end, when Vash must choose between letting his friends die or saving them by killing the sadistic Legato. Trust us, V. You made the right decision.
#2 - Cowboy Bebop (Episode 24, “Hard Luck Woman”)
We’ve seen hints of Faye’s past in previous episodes, but we (and she) learn much more about her complicated story in this one. After meeting an “old” friend in her childhood neighborhood, Faye runs to the top of a familiar hill longing to find her family home. But what she discovers leaves her (and viewers) breathless.
#1 - Voices of a Distant Star (OVA)
Master Chief Petty Officer Karen Joshua is the 08th MS Team’s second-in-command and one tough lady. Don’t tick her off on the battlefield. Karen used to be a medical student, though, so she can tend to your wounds after she punches your lights out.
A lot of attention goes to that other female Eva pilot—Rei Ayanami. But we’ll pick a feisty redhead over a waify albino girl any day. No Freudian mother issues to deal with, either.
In a show of strangely skinny and oblong character designs, mecha pilot Kallen never fails to be babe-iful. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the animators seem to put her in the most compromising positions whenever she plops into her Guren-Mk II’s cockpit.
Sure, Yoko bounces around in a bikini top and lugs a ginormous sniper rifle when she’s not piloting her Dayakkaiser mecha. But she’s just as skilled in a classroom full of elementary kids. Cue Van Halen, cuz we’re hot for teacher.
When we first meet Miriya, she’s the finest combat pilot in all the Zentraedi forces—and a giant alien. If that’s not cool enough, she tried to kill her future husband Max with a knife. And she can play video games. Bonus.
Miriya even takes her infant daughter Dana along in her Veritech cockpit when fighting the bad guys. Not exactly mother of the year material, but definitely proof that Miriya is a woman among girls in the Babe Mecha Pilot category.
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