We've talked swords and guns. Now it's on to that other lethal weapon . . .
Top 5 Anime Cats
#5 - KuronekoSama (Trigun)
Maybe one of the most famous anime feline, KuronekoSama ("Lady Black Cat") appears in every episode of Trigun and even makes a cameo in the Wild ARMs: 2nd Ignition video game.
As famous as she is, Kuroneko sometimes gets mistaken for protagonist Vash the Stampede. We don't see the resemblance.
#4 - The Cat (She and Her Cat)
We're going obscure here. This little kitty is the narrator of a short film made by Voices of a Distant Star creator MakotoShinkai. (You'll find the short as an extra on the Voices DVD.)
Check out this emotional tale to hear about the people/pet relationship from the pet's point of view.
#3 - Maya (AzumangaDaioh)
Poor Sakaki could never find a cat to return her affection. Case in point:
But finally Sakaki finds a lovable orphan mountain cat who follows her home to Tokyo.
Not only is Maya a fine furry companion; he also can emit a "battle aura" to scare off any mean cat who even thinks about biting his surrogate mother.
#2 - Pero (Big O)
Poor little Pero. Got stuck in a mad scientist's lab and finds brief peace in the tender arms of android R. Dorothy Wayneright.
It's a short respite. Then it's back to the monster factory where Pero transforms into its giant-sized manufactured form.
But the heart of a fuzzy feline still remains in Pero's soul, and the ending of this episode will break your heart, too.
#1 - Jiji (Kiki's Delivery Service)
Also known as ReiSakuma, but Americans are probably more familiar with Jiji courtesy of the late, great Phil Hartman's voice acting on the Walt Disney dub.
Jiji is witch-in-training Kiki's talking black cat, and his voice sheds light on a cat's personality--sarcastic and self-protective.
Now we know what our cat is thinking when she glares at us.
Last time was swords. This time we crank it up a notch and pack some heat.
Time for the
Top 5 Anime Gunslingers
#5 - Beyond the Grave (Gungrave)
Any man--dead or undead--who can shoot straight by crossing his arms gets his due from us. The late Brandon Heat--resurrected as "Beyond the Grave" can do just that on his quest for revenge.
Our vote for best gun battle in this zombie gangster shoot-em-up is Grave's duel with Bunji in episode 24--"Last Bullet." That poor kitty at the end still makes us teary eyed.
#4 - Revy (Black Lagoon)
Revy may be the prettiest mercenary of the Black Lagoon crew, but she's also the most homicidal. (We blame it on a bad childhood.)
Miss "Two Hands" is just as ambidextrous as Mr. Grave above, but she looks better in a tank top.
#3 - YusukeUrameshi (YuYuHakusho)
Yusuke's "gun" is actually his special Reigun attack, in which he points his right index finger and shoots focused spirit aura at underworld criminals.
We wish we could get the same results. But usually all we get is funny looks and other fingers pointed back at us.
#2 - Gene Starwind (Outlaw Star)
Gene is basically the anime Han Solo who pals around with a spazcatgirl, assassin, and babe bio-android instead of a wookie.
Like Captain Solo, Gene is deadly with his pistol--a magic Caster gun that blows away Tao priests and other supernatural baddies. If Han Solo had that kind of blaster, Empire Strikes Back would have ended much better--no more Vader going all "talk to the hand" over the banquet table at Cloud City. Do some more tinkering, George Lucas!
#1 - Vash the Stampede (Trigun)
Was there any doubt?
Also known as "The Humanoid Typhoon," and "The $60,000,000,000 Man" for the bounty on his head, Vash usually makes his entrance as a hapless donut hogging goof.
But when trouble fires up, our spiky haired hero dives in head first with aim that cannot miss (unless he wants to) and a back-up cybernetic hand/machine gun to boot.
Of course, all Vash really wants is "love and peace!" Too bad every place he goes winds up a pile of rubble.
We're betting poor Ed never watched himself a good anime show, or he'd be rethinking them words.
Here's our
Top 5 Anime Swordsmen
#5 - Saya (Blood+ TV Series)
Okay, SwordsWOMEN, too.
Don't let that cute schoolgirl outfit throw ya. Saya's a vampire-killing machine, along with her cello chuggin' bodyguard Hagi.
Musical instruments don't really keep the monsters down, unfortunately. And that's why every time Saya uses her sword, she cuts her hand and stains the blade with her own blood, which is lethal to monsters and such.
And to think, we almost faint after a paper cut.
#4 - InuYasha (InuYasha)
Sure, maybe everyone's favorite half-demon hero isn't the swiftest sword swinger out there. But we still have to give credit for InuYasha's honkin' huge sword Tetsusaiga--which used to be his wolf demon daddy's fang tooth.
That's a family heirloom we'd keep on the mantle. (Grandpa's false teeth just don't cut it.)
#3 - Goemon Ishikawa XIII (Lupin III)
Goemon's katana named Zantetsuken means "iron-cutting sword," but actually it can cut through pretty much anything--cars, bridges, helicopters, you name it.
Alas, these stupendous slicing feats always fall short in Goemon's eyes, given by his token phrase: "Once again I have cut a worthless object." Dude's gotta set some realistic expectations.
#2 - TIE: Jin and Mugen (Samurai Champloo)
Different methods; same results. Even though their sword styles couldn't be more different, the quiet elegant Jin (top) and brash breakdancing Mugen (bottom) always fight each other to a draw.
As long as Fuu (left) keeps getting kidnapped, they'll put aside their differences. But their final battle is both savage and hilarious.
#1 - Zoro (One Piece)
This guy's got a trio of swords and swings all three at once--the third with his mouth. Can't get more anime than that. And that's why Zoro is top of the A-list anime swashbucklers.
Give that swordsman a GPS and he'll be force to be reckoned with.
The Oscars are coming soon, now double-sized with 10 Best Picture Nominees. That's inflation for ya.
We're sticking to our guns here and giving you the
Top 5 Anime Movies.
[Our criteria: Has to be an original motion picture typically well over an hour in length; no OAVs, OVAs, or whatever folks like to call them.]
#5 - Cowboy Bebop: The Movie--Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Now THIS is how you make a movie based on a hit anime series. Rather than cramming dozens of episodes into two hours, celebrate the show by creating what is essentially an extra-long episode with all its goodies.
With Cowboy Bebop, we get to enjoy our favorite bounty hunters--Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein--in yet another cool and quirky adventure. For good measure, toss in a few cameos and nods to elements that make Bebop one of the best series ever. Add some of the finest martial arts fighting and aerial combat sequences--accompanied by the matchless musical styles of Yoko Kanno--and you've got the greatest example of a series-based anime movie.
#4 - The End of Evangelion
And THIS is how you make a movie to finish a 26-plus episode anime series. (Take note, Fullmetal Alchemist.)
End of Evangelion may not wrap up the plot with a tight bow--more like an explosion of silly string--but this movie does provide the absolute, ultimate anime ending of mind-melting apocalyptic ambiguity.
#3 - Interstella 5555
And then there was space opera--literally. This entire movie tells a story through music videos based on music by French technopop duo Daft Punk and animation by Leiji Matsumoto (Space Battleship Yamato, Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999).
Not only is the music superb (rock, pop, soulfoul, and more), but the story told through animation alone--no dialogue--is riveting and endearing as we follow the adventures of a kidnapped intergalactic rock band.
#2 - Millennium Actress
Don't let the subtitles scare you. This movie is a love story for filmmaking and anyone in pursuit of a lost longing. If that's not enough, the reality blending sequences are sometimes heart-breaking and other times hilarious.
#1 - (Nearly) Every Studio Ghibli Ever Made
Sure, call it a copout. Or call it a sell-out. We can take it. But we just couldn't figure out which Ghibli film was the best--they're all great*. So to honor Miyazaki and Co.'s masterworks, we're throwing them out here with full honors.
(*Almost all. We're still not overwhelmed with Pom Poko and Porco Rosso--although the latter may just be due to Michael Keaton's dull voice acting dub.)
We're not alone, of course. The Academy awarded Spirited Away with the Oscar for Best Animated Film in 2002:
And here's the trailer for perhaps the best Miyazaki film out there--Princess Mononoke:
The Razzie Award Nominations are out for "Dis-honoring Hollywood's Worst" in movies of 2009 and the past decade. Check them out at HERE.
Until the winners (losers?) are announced, let's share our
NOT the Top 5 Anime Movies
We're not saying these are the worst Anime movies out there; just NOT the Top 5. (Nowhere close)
#5 - Tie--Escaflowne: The Movie
and
Rahxephon: Pluralitas Concentio
These two movies tie because they both take excellent TV series and leave us with a bad taste in our mouth.
Escaflowne's movie drops the chivalrous European fantasy flavor of the TV show and dons a more Asian/Eastern feel. The movie makers also overhauled character designs--making some almost unrecognizable--on its mission to make it more of an action flick rather than the fantasy mecha romance drama that made the series unique.
RahXephon's movie DOES provide additional exposition and explanation for some of the key character relationships and events. For that, we give it props. But it also tries to adult up the story by including an unnecessary sex scene. Even worse, the film creators commit the cardinal sin of anime movies based on television series--cramming 26 episodes of a show into 2 measly hours.
The creators call it an encore. But if that's what we get for applauding a series, then we should've just stayed in our seats.
#4 - Pom Poko
Far be it from us to criticize any production from Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service), but we just can't stomach shape-shifting tanuki ("raccoon dogs") with their--ahem--"pouches" bouncing along while the hijinks abound.
There are much better movies by Ghibli (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa) that entertain and inspire us to protect the environment. All Pom Poko does is beckon us to the garbage can.
#3 - Robotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech: Macross was a masterpiece of Americanized anime for 36 episodes. And in the mid-1980s, Harmony Gold tried to capitalize on the first Robotech series to make a brand new sequel series. The project lasted long enough to finish only 3 episodes, though, so the creators worked their mixmaster magic and out popped a feature-length film.
The movie is rather forgettable, as it shows an impending danger that never gets resolved in a couple of hours. But Sentinels does show us the wedding of star-crossed lovers Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes, so for that we won't rank it worse. (You'll always have your music career, Lynn Minmei.)
#2 - Akira
We can hear the "boos" from otaku everywhere. Suck on your inhaler, boys. And rewatch the film and you'll notice that despite it's revolutionary impact on anime, Akira is not that great a movie.
Sure, it's got post-apocalyptic sci-fi action and a sweet motorcycle. But it's also got some hints of misogyny and tired techno-Rambo warfare. Plus, it's guilty of the cardinal sin for anime movies, this time by cramming 2,182 pages of manga into one movie. Out go several subplots and most of the manga's second half. And out goes any second viewing for us, unless Leonardo DiCaprio can ever get the live-action Akira off the ground. (Leo's just that dreamy.)
#1 - M.D. Geist
No controversy here. Every anime viewer knows this movie blows. M.D. Geist is an ultraviolent, poorly animated blend of Mad Max and Universal Soldier without the morality.
Somehow this movie inspired a sequel, which defied all laws of physics and sucked more than the original. The end result was an Akira-like black hole somewhere over Midtown Manhattan.
(Oh wait. That was licensor Central Park Media's bankruptcy.)
Time for a brain cleansing.
And next time we'll look at the Top 5 BEST Anime movies!
Didja hear the news? Cartoon Network's Adult Swim may be showing THREE new anime shows in the near future! Whee!
(Our guess is the same as everyone else: 1) Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, 2) InuYasha: Final Act, and 3) Who knows?)
We'll find out soon enough, probably through those snarky bumper messages. But just for fun's sake, here are our
Top 5 Anime That Should Air on Cartoon Network/Adult Swim
Everyone can dream, right?
#5 - Gun Sword
It looks like Cowboy Bebop crossed with Trigun. And most episodes follow the Big O model of finish the show via giant robot fight. Plus, Gun Sword's creators are the same folks who did Code Geass. Cartoon Network aired all of those shows to death, so why not bring in this one, too?
#4 - Patlabor--The Mobile Police
It's like NYPD Blue with giant robots. And no Dennis Franz.
If you're shooting for quantity, you can't go wrong with Patlabor. Not only is the TV series over 45 episodes long, you also get two OAV series and three movies to fill up the time. Ghost in the Shell's Mamoru Oshii is one of the creators, too, so you know you're getting quality as well.
#3 - Azumanga Daioh
This show fits in with all of the dry goofiness of Adult Swim's American-made shows. And it's not that adult-y, either, so CN could even air it in Prime Time. Not too early, though, since you've gotta watch out for that creepy Mr. Kimura. But we're sure some male fans could relate.
#2 - His and Her Circumstances
Like Azumanga, but more serious and melancholy at times, and more zany and insane at other times (if that's possible). This show by Studio Gainax (FLCL, Evangelion) is the kind of anime that drives some viewers bonkers, which we're saying is a good thing. Teenage love has the same effect.
#1 - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
The perfect prescription for anime newbie and jaded otaku alike, this show packs a punch in a small series, much like phenom FLCL. But Haruhi Suzumiya has more heart, more episodes, more seasons, and a movie to keep fans happy.
What would make US happy is seeing these shows on TV. Sure, these anime are available on DVD and such, but they deserve a wider audience.
C'mon CN/AS, give us some love.
And do us a favor by showing the entire end credits for Haruhi Suzumiya. Youtube is just not enough. Well . . . it's good for our weekly fix . . .
Happy New Year, everyone!Out with the old and in with the new.Or in the anime world, out with the old and in with the reset.
To honor the beginning of a fresh new year, we celebrate the
Top 5 Anime Resets.
Resets are those anime series-ending cataclysms that turn out to be . . . maybe not the ultimate demise of the world after all.Instead, the story culminates in a reboot, rewind, and/or revolutionary sort of resolution.It’s not over; it’s just begun.So let’s begin!
[Caution, newbies: Show spoilers ahead!]
#5 - Neon Genesis Evangelion/End of Evangelion
Probably the first show that comes to otaku minds when they think of reset endings.We’re talking about the extended “End of Evangelion” ending.
And talk about an ending.We don’t understand it, of course, but basically everyone explodes into orange marmalade while a giant Rei does her impression of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.One psychedelic trip later, we wake up with Shinji and Asuka (the latter with hints of Rei and Misato), in a bloody newborn world.
Our interpretation?The two teens are the next Adam and Eve, chosen to begin a new world—as long as they don’t kill each other.
#4 - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Season 1)
This show’s version of a reset is different than what you typically expect.The last episode follows Togusa as he comes to terms with his colleagues’ apparent deaths and arrests following Section 9’s betrayal and blacklisting by corrupt officials.The most human and relatable of all Section 9 agents, Togusa decides he must continue to fight the good fight on his own.
But the next thing we know, Togusa finds the entire Section 9 team alive and well and back in “kick butt” commission.After revealing the top-secret plan to fake Section 9’s demise and appease the big wigs, the squad welcomes Togusa back and returns to their business of cyber anti-terrorism.
No universe-shattering conclusion here, but just as resolvingly jolting as the best of any anime reset.
#3 - Wolf’s Rain
In this unique apocalyptic fairytale, we witness the band of heroes fall one-by-one on their quest to “paradise.”Finally, lone survivor Kiba collapses on top of a snowy frozen lake.
Just when you think all hope is lost, springtime comes double-time:snow melts, Kiba’s body plunges into thawed water, and flowers sprout up everywhere.Then we see a new world with all the heroes alive and well, if not quite what they used to be.
Makes you think the next time you see a wolf.
#2 - Rahxephon
This show by Studio Bones (Cowboy Bebop, Fullmetal Alchemist) follows the Evangelion model and makes it better.That includes the ending, too.We get a more definitive vision of the reset world.Fallen heroes are back and alive again, and better off for it too.Joyful families, marriages, kids, and world peace after a freaky wrestling match between mecha-merged Ayato and Quon.
The latter we could have done without, but if that’s what gets us to a happy world free of attacking blue-skinned atonal aliens, we’ll take it.Oh yeah, and we finally get the whole story behind that painting.
#1 - The Big O
The show must go on.And that’s exactly what happens after Roger’s final negotiation with the reality-controlling Angel. After the screen goes all white, we witness a familiar scene and narration as Roger drives his Griffon to another negotiation.In fact, it’s the same sequence as the very beginning of the show’s first episode.
But not exactly identical. Two changes:Roger no longer wears his wristwatch that calls Big O; and Angel and R. Dorothy smile as they watch their hero drive by.What’s next?That’s up to the viewer (and many discussion board forums).And the ambiguousness is one of the best parts of anime.
Can’t handle ambiguousness?
Then click on the following links for different viewers’ interpretations of the show endings.More importantly, decide for yourself!
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Season 1)--Actually, it’s not that complex.So check out the first Ghost in the Shell movie—if you’re older than 17—then review trivia and the summary here.
Find your favorite anime titles and genres by using the blog SEARCH at the top. Type in key words you're looking for and see what you get! And if you don't find it, tell us what you want. We'll do our best--or at least, our top five!
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