Anime
Anime is the Japanese word for Animation. In Japan, the animation industry is more in the forefront than in the US, and animated shows covering virtually every genre can be found in the form of television shows, Original Animation Videos and feature films.
Much like any other entertainment medium, anime can range from the very silly to the very serious, and is not necessarily intended for children or any specific age group. Below is a hand-picked selection of titles that Alice's mavens consider the best of the genre on offer.
Right: 'Ghost In The Shell'
Neon Genesis Evangelion 0:1 (1997)
Director: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Animation
Episodes 1-4. The year is 2015. As the remnants of the human race cower in subterranean cities, a deadly war is being waged for what is left of the pl... Read more
The Cat Returns (2002)
7.3/10
Director: Hiroyuki Morita
From Japan's Studio Ghibli comes this magical animated adventure that will delight and inspire both the young and the young at heart. After saving a... Read more
Cowboy Bebop: Volume 1 (1998)
8.9/10
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Starring: Animation
Volume 1 of 6. The year 2071 A.D. That future is now. Driven out of their terrestrial eden, humanity chose the stars as the final frontier. With the s... Read more
Cowboy Bebop: Volume 2 (1998)
8.9/10
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Starring: Animation
Volume 2 of 6. Spike and Vicious' deadly duel is concluded and Spike has survived to live another day - and to resume attempts at actually making a li... Read more
Akira (1988)
8.1/10
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Starring: Voices Of, Lewis Lemay, Jimmy Flanders, Drew Thomas
Groundbreaking Japanese animated epic set in the post-WWIII metropolis of Neo-Tokyo. The labyrinthine plot revolves around a battle between oppressive... Read more
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
8/10
Director: Mamoru Oshii
In early 21st century Japan, the search for a criminal computer genius known as 'The Puppet Master' sends a cyborg policewoman on a dangerous search,... Read more
The Wind Rises (2013)
7.8/10
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
The great Japanese animator Miyazaki Hayao has announced his retirement at the age of 72. If he sticks to his word he will have gone out on a sublime... Read more
Spirited Away (2002)
8.6/10
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
From Hayao Miyazaki ('Princess Mononoke') comes this magical animated adventure about 10-year-old Chihiro, who, along with her parents, is trapped by... Read more
Spriggan (2000)
6.6/10
Director: Hirotsugu Kawasaki
Katsuhiro Otomo, the animator of the ground-breaking anime classic 'Akira', was the executive producer of this amazing mixture of visionary sci-fi and... Read more
Neon Genesis Evangelion 0:2 (1997)
Director: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Animation
Episodes 5-8. The Evangelion is the most powerful combat weapon ever conceived of by man, but at the core of each Eva is a single young human pilot. A... Read more