Top 5 Anime for Harry Potter Fans

The end of Harry Potter is near! Part Two of the last movie of the last book--Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--is just days away.

While some Potter-philes will be prone to weeping, we'd like to lumos their gloomy moods and give them our

Top 5 Anime for Harry Potter Fans

These shows lend themselves to some of the familiar themes and archetypes of J.K. Rowling's wizard world, courtesy of Japan.

#5 - Vision of Escaflowne

Instead of a special boy stumbling upon a wizarding world, Escaflowne features a schoolgirl sprinting (literally) into a fantasy world with dragons, wizards, and castles. Instead of broomsticks, though, this world boasts mystical mecha for all your transportation needs. We'd like to see one of those giant armors play a round of Quidditch.

#4 - Witch Hunter Robin

What if witches were all around us? That's what this show asks, and in most cases, the answer is not a good one. Not for the witches, especially the naughty ones.

Fortunately, Robin Sena is a witch fighting on the side of good along with the rest of the STN-J. Ditching wands, this team of witches and non-witches packs heat--courtesy of their Orbo guns. (Who wouldn't want to pop a cap in Lord Voldemort's heiny?)

#3 - Kiki's Delivery Service

One of the best Studio Ghibli movies, Kiki's asks the same question as above, and the answer is much more pleasant. Young witch-in-training Kiki doesn't have to worry about witch hunters, but rather must overcome the challenges of coming of age. At least she has her talking cat Jiji with her.

As a bonus, check out this movie for some of the best animated broomstick flying ever.

#2 - Soul Eater

We all know the best part of Harry Potter isn't the spells or magical creatures. It's Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling (and the movies) depicts the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with precision that echoes school life known by all of us muggles.

So be true to your school now . . . like you would to your girl or guy . . .

In Soul Eater, the kiddos all attend Death Weapon Meister Academy in Death City to learn how to protect the world from evil Kishins and witches. If you thought Dumbledore was the coolest head schoolmaster, check out DWMA's founder: death god Shinigami. Both are cheery, but only one can wield the Direct Noggin Shinigami Chop.

And Meister Maka Albarn has got to be the lost twin of everyone's favorite overachiever Hermoine Granger. She even has the school uniform.

#1 - Naruto/Naruto Shippuden

Another anime made special by a special school. Instead of wizards, Naruto features a school for ninjas.

So what makes Naruto land on top of Soul Eater for Harry Potter fans? It has to be the tight-knit trio of heroes and their misadventures, combined with an enormous cast of memorable and unique characters, each one deserving their own chance in the spotlight. (Sound familiar?)

And at over 200 episodes (twice that counting its Shippuden sequel), Naruto rivals the 4,176 pages of J.K. Rowling's forest-killer of a series.

That's right, trees. You can breathe a sigh of relief now.

Mischief managed!

Top 5 Anime Cats

We've talked swords and guns. Now it's on to that other lethal weapon . . .

Top 5 Anime Cats

#5 - Kuroneko Sama (Trigun)

Maybe one of the most famous anime feline, Kuroneko Sama ("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 Makoto Shinkai. (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 (Azumanga Daioh)

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 Rei Sakuma, 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.

Talk about a dangerous weapon . . .