Top 5 Movies for Anime Fans

We're watching the 68th Annual Golden Globes. Hey, Hollywood Foreign Press! Where's the Outstanding Anime Award? Aww, nevermind.

Until then, here's our list of

Top 5 Movies for Anime Fans.

These are all live-action motion pictures that, for some reason or another, fit with the quirky tastes of otaku everywhere.

#5 - Tie: Men in Black series and The Fifth Element

Both movies mix in anime standards of space alien adventure, bug-eyed characters, memorable villains, and end-of-the world climaxes. So both deserve every anime fan's attention. Who cares about logic? These shows are just plan fun--seminal science-fiction of the late 1990s.

#4 - Avatar

Yup, more sci-fi stuff here. James Cameron's 3-D blockbuster boasts some awesome tech--massive airships and . . . hey kids, it's MECHA--bonus!

Don't forget the story's blaring environmental message. It's impossible to miss, unless your brain got bludgeoned from a front-row IMAX viewing.

#3 - Never Been Kissed

This flick may raise a few eyebrows, but stick with us on this one. Drew Barrymore's romantic comedy is a perfect movie for anime fans: an adult woman poses undercover as a high school student. And the hilarious hijinks ensue (not to mention underlying ethical issues)--popularity wars, varsity sports, and unrequited love. Plus, David Arquette's triumphant return to high school is every fanboy's dream.

#2 - Inception

Mind-blowing visuals AND plot--that's what makes anime so nifty. Same thing with Christopher Nolan's masterpiece. The best part is that viewers love to debate the so-called confounding final scene. But really, Inception's ambiguous end is perfectly clear when you compare it to any number of anime.

#1 - The Matrix Trilogy

No surprise here. The Wachowski brothers mined some of the best sci-fi anime to create their series. Just watch one of the trilogy's legendary and revolutionary action sequences and you'll see what anime shows have been pulling off for years. The Matrix also digs into some obscure philosophy/religion mishmash, a key ingredient to making anime so gosh darn artsy fartsy.

And just like they do with anime, fans can lament the trilogy's content for years to come. Each movie faced escalated expectations with mixed results, providing plenty of fuel for forum flamers.

Naturally, new movies will always compete for a spot on this list, including director Zack (300, Watchmen) Snyder's latest film, Sucker Punch. (How's that for an anime title?)

Take a peek:

Talk about an anime perfect storm. We can hear the squeals of otaku all over the globe.

Top 5 Anime Dogs

If you're not a football or shopping fan, then chances are your Thanksgiving tradition is watching the National Dog Show (all 3 of you).

We listed our Top 5 Anime Cats a while back, so we'd better balance it out with our

Top 5 Anime Dogs

(Behave and you might get a treat.)

#5 - Blue (Wolf's Rain)

Loyal and lovely, Blue is actually part wolf. In Wolf's Rain that means she can appear in human form to other people. And in Blue's case, we'd say she looks much better walking on two legs.

#4 - Sesshomaru (InuYasha)

Another stretch in our list, as Sesshomaru is the son of a dog demon father. But when provoked, this uppity aristocrat transforms into his true dog demon form. And nothing irks Sesshomaru more than his snotty younger half-brother InuYasha. (Might have something to do with little bro cutting off big bro's arm.)

#3 - Mr. Tadakichi (Azumanga Daioh)

A Great Pyrenees nearly twice the size of his owner Chiyo, Tadakichi-san is cuddly like a teddy bear. He doesn't even snap at bite-bait Sakaki, as seen in this video. Even better, Tadakichi gives pony rides. Bonus!

#2 - Washington (Project Blue Earth SOS)

A faithful sidekick to the boy genius Penny Carter, even through an alien invasion. (He can climb ladders, too!) Extra kudos for not laughing at the name of costar Lotta Brest. (What is this - middle school?)

#1 - Ein (Cowboy Bebop)

Everyone's favorite "data dog," this Pembroke Welsh Corgi is smarter than your average canine. Plus, Ein and Edward are master mushroom hunters!

That's it for now - who's a good boy?!

Next Top 5 Openings

Time flies, and we just flew past our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

To celebrate, here's a sequel to our very FIRST Top 5 List. We're calling it the

NEXT Top 5 Anime Openings

There are so many excellent opening animation sequences and songs, we just gotta enjoy five more. (Review our list of #1-5 HERE.)

#10 - .Hack//SIGN

Step into "The World" with this anime's main characters, courtesy of composer Yuki Kajiura and her See-Saw J-Pop duo. We recommend keeping your clothes on.

#9 - Last Exile

Bagpipes and beautiful steampunk CGI animation. What else do you need?

#8 - Bleach (Opening #2)

Bleach boasts a bunch of coolness througout its openings (best episode # bumpers, too). We're partial to the second opening, with its rocking anthem featuring the Soul Society story arc.

#7 - The Vision of Escaflowne

This show beautifully blends elements of mecha and fantasy, and its Yoko Kanno-composed opening number encapsulates all this amalgam anime has to offer.

#6 - Ergo Proxy

Just how cathartic is goth? Check out this opening and enjoy the 360 degrees of anguish at the one-minute mark.

Top 5 Anime Titles

"What's in a name?

Go smell a rose, or check out http://www.whatsinaname.net/ if you're curious why your parents call you what they do.

As for us, we're talking about the

Top 5 Anime Titles.

We mean "titles" as the name of the anime, not the anime itself. We'll leave that for other lists.

As for THIS list, we're looking at the "anime-est" titles of all anime. Name on!

#5 - Bubblegum Crisis

Not an endorsement for Hubba Bubba. Instead, this cyberpunk show borrows from the likes of Blade Runner with more babes and bikes. The title is deeper than it sounds--it's a metaphor for a crisis-filled world, like gum being blown into a bubble about to pop! Okay, so maybe it's not that profound.

#4 - Cowboy Bebop

Another anime in a future world setting, this series features hero bounty hunters (a.k.a. "cowboys") flying around the solar system in their spaceship Bebop. One of the best shows ever, thanks to some cool characters and Yoko Kanno's musical genius.

#3 - Pumpkin Scissors

Another example of food-related anime titles, this show features an elite military squad called Imperial Army State Section III. Not very catchy, so they go by Pumpkin Scissors. Why? Apparently, their purpose is to "cut" through corrupt powers who hide "behind lies, power, and money like the rind of a pumpkin," according to officer Alice Malvin.

Hmmmm, maybe Imperial Army State Section III would be better after all. Call them "IASS III," for short.

#2 - GunXSword

Guns? Cool. Swords? Cooler.

So combine those two cool weapons with the coolest letter of all--X--in between them. That gets you one coooooool title for an anime.

Saying it becomes a problem, though. The X is silent, so don' t call the show "Gunekksssword."

#1 - Full Metal Panic!

It's not just a panic, it's a full metal panic! With an exclamation point. The title alone should clue you in on the melodramatic qualities of this anime--whether it's giant mecha battles or teenage romance. Plus, it's got an exclamation point. An exclamation point! (Another standard for anime titles.)

That gives us an idea. Wanna name an anime show? Just follow our handy-dandy anime name-maker below. Give it a try!

Pick one word out of each group--along with a punctuation mark for that final polish--and you've got one perfectly named anime show!

Word 1: (select one)

a. Armored

b. Fuzzy

c. Blue

d. Spike

e. Death

Word 2: (select one)

a. Banana

b. Gundam

c. Pancake

d. Stardust

e. Sushi

Word 3: (select one or skip)

a. Ninja

b. Robot

c. Samurai

d. Sister

e. Vampire

Punctuation: (select one or three)

a. !

b. !!

c. !?!

d. :)

e. $*&@~^%!

Watch out otaku. Here comes Blue Sushi Samurai!?!

Top 5 Anime-ish Shows

"I see dead people."

No wait, that's just M. Night Shyamalan's career. Here's hopin' for a comeback.

So the live-action Last Airbender movie didn't fare that well. Oh well. It's still based on a pretty keen cartoon, known for its anime influence. Airbender's not alone. Here's our

Top 5 Anime-ish Shows

#5 - Dexter's Laboratory

It's no secret that Cartoon Network/Cartoon Cartoon creators Craig McCracken and Genndy Tartakovsky are huge anime fans. You don't see as many anime tropes in Dexter's Lab as you do in other shows (see below!), but you do get some of the best anime spoofs of all time, including homages to Speed Racer and Voltron, among others.

#4 - Avatar: The Last Airbender

Before it got lost in the summer movie sludge, The Last Airbender was known as Nickelodeon's serious cartoon series with an epic storyline at an epic scale (61 episodes). Check out this Emmy-winning series about the four element nations and its lovable bald hero.

#3 - Powerpuff Girls

We're not even talking about the Powerpuff Girls Z actual ANIME spin-off show. McCracken's cute super-hero girl show arose from mixing Chemical X with "sugar, spice, and everything nice." Its also a blend of both anime and old Hanna-Barbera 'toons (Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Flintstones), as seen in the show's opening . . .

#2 - Teen Titans

This DC Comics show goes in a different direction to the near adult-ish Batman and related Bruce Timm-produced series. Rather than brooding, atmospheric episodes, we get hyperkinetic shows complete with super-deformed faces. And the opening comes in both Japanese and English versions, both sung by Japanese rock duo Puffy AmiYumi.

#1 - Samurai Jack

Perhaps the purest love story to Japan cinema from Genndy Tartakovsky. Samurai Jack is a sci-fi samurai futuristic fantasy that oozes mood-setting and action sequences from various martial arts and samurai films, including some anime methods.

This here is a quality list of shows for ya. Add them to your DVD collection if you call yourself an animation fan of any kind.

Here's hoping the new manga-inspired Scott Pilgrim film can fare much better at the box office!

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.