Top 5 Anime Girls Who Kick Butt

So Angelina Jolie is the next summer action movie star in Salt. (Tread lightly, Brad.)

Here is our list of

Top 5 Anime Girls Who Kick Butt

#5 - Balsa (Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit)

Good thing spear-woman Balsa has sworn to save lives. Unfortunately, that whiny prince Chagum filled her last spot for "life saver." Talk about late to the party!

#4 - Sango (InuYasha)

Don't let this demon slayer's pretty teenage looks throw you for a loop. She can decapitate you with her ginormous boomerang "Hiraikotsu." If you hear that name called out, duck. And that weapon is not Sango's only big accessory. Her cute cuddly Kirara is actually a stallion-sized demon cat.

Awwwww . . . .

Ahhhghghgh!!!

#3 - Nancy Makuhari (Read or Die)

"Miss Deep" here is not only a super-powered spy with master handgun and hand-to-hand combat skills; she's also a clone of Mata Hari, vicious enough to choke herself to death. Stay away.

#2 - Marlene Angel (Blue Gender)

Marlene is an orphaned soldier bent on killing giant mutant bugs, so she doesn't have much time for niceties. That's okay, we'll stand back and let her do the dirty work. (It worked for her boy toy Yuji)

#1 - Major Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell)

She may be the sexiest major we've ever seen, but this cyborg can also break our necks with a pair of chopsticks. Lucky for us we love her for her brain.

That's right, ladies. We're the sensitive type. (Just don't hurt us. Much.)

Top 5 Anime Eyeglasses

To counter the sudden surge in coolness by last time's topic--sunglasses--let's crank the dial to the opposite side and examine characters with

Top 5 Anime Eyeglasses

These aren't the top 5 anime characters who wear glasses (sorry, Yomiko Readman).

No, these are characters whose eyeglasses play a pivotal role in the story, or at least make you pull off your own glasses, chew on the end, and go, "Hmmmm . . ."

#5 - Lady Une (Gundam Wing)

With glasses, Lady Une is a treacherous, murderous witch. Without her glasses, she becomes a lovelorn peacemaker. If you're sniffing out a split personality disorder, you may be the next candidate for piloting Gundam Wing Zero--or filling in for Dr. Oz.

#4 - Gendo Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

These tinted eyeglasses worn by Nerv's commander are the perfect shade with which to gaze down at your son with perpetual disapproval.

#3 - Eri Ninamori (FLCL)

Ninamori is the mayor's daughter, class president, and lead role in the school play. But her uppity actions are mostly a mask of her frustrated life, something main character Naota finds out when she stays at his house. Her eyeglasses are just one secret she keeps.

#2 - Yukino Miyazawa (His and Her Circumstances)

Out in public, Yukino is a perfect student without blemish. Inside her house, though Yukino is an eyeglasses wearing slob with self-esteem issues. Rival classmate Arima Soichiro finds out Yukino's private identity, and the hi-jinks ensue.

His and Her Circumstances takes the Eri Ninamori-studied episode of FLCL and gives it a full series treatment--with teenage melodrama.

#1 - Robin Sena (Witch Hunter Robin)

Robin is a pyrokinetic hunter of evil witches--not bad work if you can get it. Unfortunately, Robin's powers interfere with her eyesight. Before she can burn her teammates to a crisp, Robin goes to the eye doctor and returns wearing Dumbledore half-moon spectacles. Those granny glasses go perfect with her Pippy Longstocking pigtails.

Top 5 Anime That Should Be Longer

Last time we talked about anime that needed to be shorter. But sometimes, you can't have too much of a good thing.

Here's our list of

Top 5 Anime That Should Be Longer

#5 - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

This Production I.G title built its own world based on the original Ghost in the Shell manga and anime movie. In fact, Stand Alone Complex took Shiro Masamune's creation and made it better.

Check out the opening song of the GitS: 2nd Gig season to see quality animation and music:

What we'd add: With two 26-episode series, one could wonder why we'd need more. But we think the whole Stand Alone/Complex arrangement works pretty well. Add another season with episodic "stand alone" stories mixed among a much larger "complex" mystery/conspiracy plot bound up with cybertech coolness. (And more Yoko Kanno music to boot!)

#4 - Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

Another fine show produced by Production I.G, this series takes the strong female lead with strong supporting cast and throws it into feudal Japan.

What we'd add: With such an elegant world, more episodes and exploration of fantasy elements would add to the epic feel of Moribito. Plus, the anime is based on only one novel of the TEN volume Guardian series by Nakoko Uehashi. There's gotta be more material to milk!

#3 - Samurai Champloo

Another series set in feudal Japan, with less fantasy and more hip hop. The last trio of episodes features a three-part finale to Mugen, Jin, and Fuu's journey in search of "the samurai who smells of sunflowers." The climatic battles and revelations create a riveting, agonizing, and hilarious mishmash conclusion that encapsulates the show's style.

So why not just end there?

What we'd add: Even with one of the best ending arcs in all anime, Samurai Champloo still has room for more. Several characters and subplots introduced throughout the series are worth revisiting. Even more, start the "second season" by featuring our three hapless heroes in solo adventures, building up anticipation for the trio to finally meet again, diving into another grand odyssey. And more record scratch cut scenes, please!

#2 - Read or Die: OAV

You may be thinking, "Didn't this three episode OAV already have a sequel?"

Well . . . sorta . . . but the less attention we give to the Charlie's Angels-inspired R.O.D: TV series, the better.

R.O.D. the OAV = Literary anime masterpiece. (With babes.)

R.O.D. the TV = Not so much. (Still more babes.)

What we'd add: Ditch the TV chicks and show more literary-based adventures with Agent Paper, the surviving Miss Deep, Drake and the rest of the original crew. We especially would like to explore Joker and Wendy at the British Library as they had been initially portrayed in the OAV. Plus, there's gotta be more I-Jin historical figures resurrected and running around.

#1 - Trinity Blood

Based on light novels by Sunao Yoshida, the Trinity Blood anime suffers from a rushed, blunt ending--partly due to Yoshida's death before completing his story. Trinity Blood's tale of humans (Terrans), vampires (The Methuselah), and vampires that feed on vampires (Crusniks, there will be a test) is prime for a revival in this current craze for vampires.

What we'd add: Go back to the source material and beef up the stories. Add more episodes featuring the diverse cast of heroes of the cloth. With so many divinely cool priests and nuns with assorted abilities and backstories, Trinity Blood is primed for a resurrection.

(As long as they bring plenty of hairspray.)

Top 5 Anime Openings

For our first Top 5 list, why not begin with beginnings? Sure, okay! We hear that the beginning is a very good place to start . . .

Openings are critical to draw the viewer in and make him or her want to see more. An outstanding opening has the perfect combination of catchy music, clever credits, and awesome animation to keep us from skipping over it during our DVD viewing-marathons.

Here are our top five favorite anime openings with comments and courtesies of YouTube (no ownership or copyright claims here, just showing what's available):

#5 - Baccano!

A relatively new anime with a cast list longer than the show's death toll (poor gangster thugs), this show's opening gives a deftly woven roll call of the main players accompanied by a stylish jazz tune called "Gun's & Roses." (That's how it's spelled, too. Even so, Axl called; he wants five bucks for royalties and an apology from Slash.)

#4 - Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight

We dare you to watch this opening and not get chills. Who knew flower petals in the wind could be so invigorating? Unfortunately, this magnificent opening only sets you up for major disappointment when you watch the actual show. The episodes are so stiff and sappy that it makes the 1980s Saturday morning cartoon Dungeons & Dragons look like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings.

#3 - His and Her Circumstances

File this one under "fun." The zany opening encapsulates this teen romantic comedy/dramedy with some of Studio Gainax(Neon Genesis Evangelion)'s unconventional animation techniques.

#2 - Cowboy Bebop

"Tank!" = the classic opening that exudes cool. Everyone remembers where they were when they saw this opening late Thursday nights at the dawn of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. As a testament to maestro Yoko Kanno's utter greatness, she composed both this toe-tapper AND the epic opening to Lodoss War: Heroic Knight (#4 above).

#1 - Read or Die: OAV

You only have three chances to enjoy this opening during the OAV's trio of episodes, but it's worth it! The animation is top-quality with some of the best cityscapes in any anime. No cheap shortcuts here. We get to see the main characters in original action sequences, enticing you with more story beyond this all-too-brief mini-series. (And the =ahem= shapely silhouettes displaying the credits do some enticing too.) Top it off with some funky/classy spy music and you've got a winner!

So what are your thoughts? What openings do you love? Share below!