September 1, 2010

Princess Mononoke, Akira, and Cowboy Bebop may not be household names here. But in the world of anime, or Japanese animation, they’re among the top 10 films ever made.
You’ve seen it—colorful cartoon characters with big eyes, spiky hair, and small mouths. And you’ve probably heard about it—Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, Ponyo, was the ninth highest-grossing film in this country on its opening weekend last summer.

With its complex plots and moral messages, anime is as intelligent as some of the best feature films. Take Grave of the Fireflies, written and directed by Isao Takahata. According to film critic Roger Ebert, it’s one of the most powerful anti-war movies of all time. Or Paprika, directed by Satoshi Kon and animated by Madhouse Studios, a visual masterpiece where reality and dreams collide. From the epic fantasy Ninja Scroll and the cyberpunk Ghost in the Shell to the sci-fi romance The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, anime has something for everyone, whether it’s romance, action, fantasy, adventure, or mystery. No wonder its gone mainstream, with thousands of young fans flocking to anime conventions across the country and teens from all socioeconomic and racial backgrounds trading cards, collecting art, and, of course, watching it on TV, DVDs, and the big screen every chance they can get.

Anime dates back to the closing days of World War II, with fans here developing a cult following for the Astroboy and Speed Racer TV series of the ’50s and ’60s. But many say it really started gaining mainstream acceptance with the American release of Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke in 1999. It’s safe to say that within the last five years, anime’s become fully entrenched in tween and teen pop culture.

Even Hollywood studios are getting into the act. A live-action adaptation of Battle Angel Alita, directed by James Cameron, is in the works, and Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks has secured the rights to adapt Ghost in the Shell into a 3-D live-action feature film.

If you think manga attracts teens, wait to see what anime can do. I witnessed it myself when I started an anime club more than 10 years ago with the sole purpose of reviewing the genre for our teen video collection. Dozens of older kids—many we’d never seen before—started walking through our doors asking for cartoons from Japan.

Back then, there was almost no professional information about anime available for librarians. Luckily, things have changed. Librarians today can find tons of resources—even OCLC records—that make it easier to find great anime. So, if you don’t already have a collection of anime, now’s the time to start. And if you already do, it’s a perfect time to beef it up.

Start with My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo, blockbuster releases from Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, which also created the breathtaking world of spirits and monsters in Spirited Away, winner of the 2002 Oscar for best animated feature film. Both are suitable for family viewing and appeal to teens, which make up the bulk of the anime fan base.

Nickelodeon, the Cartoon Network, and the Action, Disney, and Syfy channels all show anime, so you can bet kids will be clamoring for copies of those series. Keep in mind that distributors sell the unedited, rather than edited TV versions, so depending on the film, there might be some violence, profanity, or nudity. Another word of advice: since the standard anime television series takes up five to seven discs, buying a bunch of them will rack up a huge bill. I suggest stocking a few popular series like Fullmetal Alchemist, Naruto, and Cowboy Bebop, and purchasing feature-length films to round out your collection and keep costs down. Then pick and choose from the list of must-have classics and newer releases on the following pages. Don’t be surprised if your collection is heavy on Miyazaki’s works. He’s one of Japan’s greatest animation directors and considered the country’s equivalent to Walt Disney.

And make sure to save a spot on your shelves for Tales From Earthsea, Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki’s, tale of a powerful wizard that’s loosely based on Ursula K. Le Guin’s "Earthsea" series. Aimed at older kids and young adults, the film, which opened here last month, will have a brief theatrical run prior to debuting on DVD.

From Akira to Roujin-Z, Don’t Miss DVDs

Classic Anime Movies

Akira. DVD. Studio: Geneon. 2001. R.
Thirty years after World War III destroys Tokyo, government-backed scientists give a wild biker gang member special powers—and then find that they can’t control him. Violence and a complicated plot make this more suitable for older teens and adults.

Blood: The Last Vampire. DVD. Studio: Manga Video. 2001. NR.
A young girl, Saya, is secretly hunting demons on an American military base in 1960s Japan when a doctor becomes suspicious and discovers that she’s no ordinary student.

Ghost in the Shell.* Alternate Title: Kôkaku kidôtai. DVD. Studio: Palm Pictures. 1996. NR. For older teens, adults.
Set in a future world, cyborg intelligence officer Major Motoko Kusanagi runs up against the evil computer criminal the Puppet Master. Complex, visually arresting, and one of the best anime movies ever made.

Grave of the Fireflies. Alternate title: Hotaru no haka. DVD. Studio: Central Park Media. 1998. NR. For teens, adults due to subject matter.
Teenage Seita must care for his young sister Setsuko when bombs destroy their hometown of Kobe, Japan. A powerful anti-war film.

Howl’s Moving Castle. Alternate title: Hauru no ugoko shiro. DVD. Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2005. PG.
A young woman, cursed by the Witch of the Waste, turns into an old woman and is unable to tell anyone of her plight. This excellent Studio Ghibli film is based on Diana Wynne Jones’s fantasy novel of the same name.

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. Alternate title: Rupan sansei: Kariosutoro no shiro. DVD. Studio: Manga Video. 2000. NR. For older teens, adults.
Lupin III, grandson of famous thief Arsene Lupin, and his two partners go after the source of counterfeit money and discover much more evil taking place. There are additional Lupin III titles. Since these videos were made in the 1980s, the animation is not what fans of contemporary anime expect, but they’re still classics that stand the test of time.

My Neighbor Totoro. Alternate title: Tonari no Totoro. DVD. Studio: 20th Century Fox. 2002; re-release: Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2006. G.
Hayao Miyazaki’s wonderful story is about two young sisters who move to the country because their mother is ill and make friends with a Forest Spirit. A delightful family movie that celebrates the world of children.

Perfect Blue. DVD. Studio: Manga Video. 2000. R. For older teens, adults.
When Mina, a member of a pop idol singing group, leaves the trio to pursue an acting career, bizarre things begin to happen to her.

Ponyo. Alternate title: Gake no ue no Ponyo. DVD. Studio: Disney Presents Studio Ghibli. 2009. G.
Five-year-old Sosuke befriends Ponyo, a goldfish trapped in a jar, who becomes human when she licks a cut on Sosuke’s finger and tastes human blood. Hayao Miyazaki’s latest instant classic is an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, and the stunning animation puts this tale at the head of the list of fairytale-based films.

Princess Mononoke. Alternate title: Mononoke Hime. DVD. Studio: Miramax. 2000. PG-13.
Cursed warrior Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a conflict between the Forest Spirits defended by Princess Mononoke, a human girl raised by wolves, and a mining colony. With a screenplay by Neil Gaiman for the dubbed version, this Hayao Miyazaki fantasy is one the best-known anime films in the U.S.

Roujin-Z. Alternate title: Rôjin Z. DVD. Studio: US Manga Corps Video. 1996. PG-13.
In an alternative world, a large older population leads to thedevelopment of a hospital bed that takes care of all patients’ needs with disastrous and hilarious results.

Spirited Away. Alternate title: Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi. DVD. Studio Walt Disney Video. 2003. PG.
In order to save her parents, who are magically transformed into pigs, a young girl joins a mad wonderland in a bathhouse in rural Japan. The weird characters and an even weirder plot make this film a better bet for older children.

Vampire Hunter D. DVD. Studio: Urban Vision. 2000. R.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. DVD. Studio: Urban Vision. 2002. R.
These violent but stylishly animated films are set in an Earth overrun by vampires in 12,090 A.D., and the remaining human’s only savior is a Vampire hunter named "D."

Recommended Anime Movies

Ah! My Goddess.* Alternate Title: Aa! Megamisama! DVD. Studio: Pioneer Entertainment 2001. PG-13.
Nerd Keichi wishes for a date and gets the girl goddess of his dreams to fall for him. But things go wrong when Belldandy’s old tutor shows up. Based on Kousuke Fujishima’s manga.

Appleseed. Alternate title: Appurushido. DVD. Studio: Manga Video. 2002. R.
Appleseed ex Machina. DVD. Studio: Warner Home Video. 2008. PG-13.
Based on the manga series by Masamune Shirow, these futuristic sci-fi movies are set in an experimental city called Olympus, where a computer named Gaia controls everything. Soldiers sent to protect the city are human, cyborgs, and bioroids. The sequel can stand alone and is the better of the two.

Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody.* DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2006. T.
Bleach the Movie 2: Diamond Dust Rebellion.* DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2008. T.
While trying to deal with unidentifiable spirits in Karakura Town, Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki meet Senna, a mysterious shinigami who wipes out most of them. Based on a popular manga series, Bleach is a long-running television series with more than 250 episodes. These movies are best for fans.

Castle in the Sky. Alternate title: Tenku no shiro Rapyuta. DVD. Studio: Walt Disney Video. 2003. NR. For younger viewers and up.
When pirates chase her, Sheeta falls from the sky wearing a special stone around her neck, which allows her to float down. She meets Pazu, a boy who has spent his whole life trying to get up and out of his mining town to find the floating city of Laputa. But soon people try to take the stone—and the adventure begins.

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.* DVD. Studio: Sony Pictures. 2003. R
Set in 2071, the series follows a group of bounty hunters, or cowboys, traveling in their spaceship, the Bebop. The movie is a sequel that takes place between episodes 22 and 23 of the popular anime series. It’s stylish, funny, and has a great soundtrack.

Digimon Digital Monsters. DVD. Studio: 20th Century Fox. 2000. PG. For younger viewers.
Narrated by Kari, this movie contains three different stories about digital creatures. The first involves an encounter with a digimon of the third kind. The second involves a computer virus that sweeps the Internet. And the third segment finds Kari and T.K. with new powers.

Escaflowne the Movie.* DVD. Studio: Bandai. 2002. PG-13.
Depressed 15-year-old high school student Hitomi is transported to Gaea in this fantasy/action film based on the long-running Escaflowne TV series.

5 Centimeters Per Second. Alternate title: Byosoku 5 senchimetoru. Studio: ADV Films. DVD. 2008. PG.
Five centimeters per second describes the rate at which cherry blossoms fall. These are wonderful, beautifully animated, thoughtful stories.

Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: The Conqueror of Shamballa. Alternate title: Hagane no renkinjutsushi: Shanbara wo yuku mono. DVD. Studio: Funimation. 2002. PG.
Set in a fictional universe in which alchemy is one of the most advanced scientific techniques known to man, the story follows brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to restore their bodies after a disastrous failed attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy. Recommended for fans of the anime series, this film attempts to wrap up the storyline.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Alternate title: Toki o Kakeru Shōjo. DVD. Studio: Bandai. 2008. PG-13.
High school student Makoto Konno discovers that she can travel back in time. When she uses her gift to fix past mistakes, she makes things worse. Based on the 1965 novel by Tsutsui Yasutaka.

InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time.* Alternate title: Inuyasha – Jidai wo koeru omoi. DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2004. NR.
Anime fans will appreciate this movie, along with The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (2002), Swords of an Honorable Ruler (2003), and Fire on the Mystic Island (2006). All are useful for determining if there’s an audience for this long-running anime series.

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. DVD. Studio: Bandai. 2002. R.
Two young soldiers struggle to stay alive in an alternative totalitarian Japan where terrorists fight the police. Based on Oshii Mamoru’s manga, this film is violent and complex.

Kiki’s Delivery Service. Alternative title: Majo no takkyubin. DVD. Studio: Walt Disney Video. 2003. G.
As ordered in her training, 13-year-old apprentice witch Kiki sets off to live alone for one year. She settles in a town and soon becomes a delivery service for the baker who befriends her.

Metropolis. Alternate title: Metoroporisu. DVD. Studio: Sony Pictures. 2002. PG-13.
Based on Fritz Lang’s silent film classic of the same name and Osamu Tezuka’s manga version of the story, this film is a study of what the future of mankind and its machines may look like.

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Crash in the Land of Snow. DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2007. PG-13.
Naruto and three friends are escorting film star Yukie Fujikaze to the Land of the Snow, but she doesn’t want to go because she was once a real princess there. Other movies are Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2008) and Legend of the Stone of Gelel (2008).

Naruto Shippuden the Movie.* DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2009. NR. For ages 16 and up.
Hero Uzumaki Naruto fights to become the warrior he’s meant to be and saves his friend, Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto and its sequel Naruto Shippuden are extremely popular, long-running TV series, with more than 300 episodes.

Patlabor: The Movie. Alternate title: Kido keisatsu patoreba:Gekijo-ban. DVD. Studio: Image Entertainment. 2006. NR. For ages 13 and up.
In a futuristic Toyko, where the entire landscape is being destroyed and rebuilt by "labors," or man-operated robots, things begin to get dangerous when the robots start to go "rogue" even when they are turned off. The sequel is Patlabor: The Movie 2 (2006).

The Place Promised in Our Early Days. Alternate title: Kumo no muko, yakusoku no basho. DVD. Studio: Section 23. 2005. NR. For ages 13 and up.
In an alternate world, Japan is divided into two parts. Three middle school friends decide to build a plane to fly to a mysterious Tower.

Pokemon: The Movie 2000.* DVD. Studio: Warner Home Video. 2000. PG.
Ash, Misty, and Tracy enter Shamouti Island and discover the three legendary Pokémon: Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno.

Porco Rosso. DVD. Alternate title: Kurenai no buta. DVD. Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2005. PG.
An airplane pilot has been turned into a pig by means of a curse and becomes a bounty hunter tracking down pirates. With an all-star voice cast, including Michael Keaton in the English-subtitled version, this is an eccentric and funny Hayao Miyazaki fantasy.

Ranma ½ the Movie: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China. Alternate title: Ranma Nibun-no-Ichi. DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 1998. NR. For ages 13 and up.
A teen male martial arts expert, Ranma Saotome, turns into a boy when splashed with cold water and returns to a teen when splashed with hot water. This funny and popular series is best for older teens who can appreciate the humor.

Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.* DVD. Studio: Funimation. 2007. PG.
After a battleship crashes on Earth in 1999 Japan, the world must create a force to fight the aliens. This sequel takes place after the end of the 85th episode of the science-fiction TV series and might create some new fans.

Steamboy. Alternate title: Suchimuboi. DVD. Studio: Sony Pictures. 2005. PG-13.
In 1866 Manchester, England, student Ray Steam receives a parcel from his missing and presumed dead father containing a "steamball," an instrument of great power. When men from the mysterious O’Hara Foundation show up wanting the ball, Ray is caught in a deadly game. Steamboy is an example of the "steampunk" genre, an alternate Victorian world where the major source of power is steam.

Tekkonkinreet. Alternate title: Tekkon kinkurito. DVD. Studio: Sony Pictures. 2007. R.
A visually intriguing fantasy film about two orphan friends, Black and White, street kids who fight to protect their city. Based on the manga series "Black and White" by Taiyo Matsumoto.

Whisper of the Heart. Alternate title: Mimi wo sumaseba. DVD. Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2006. G.
A young female teen, Shizuku Tsukishima, discovers that all of the books that she’s read at the local library have been read by a male teen, Seiji Amasawa. A lovely, tender, and lyrical love story.

Yu-Gi-Oh the Movie: Pyramid of Light.* Alternate title: Ugio Duel Monsters: Kihari no pyramid. DVD. Studio: Warner Home Video. 2004. PG.
The events of Battle City and the Paradise arcs have just concluded, and Yugi now owns all three Egyptian God Cards. An anime movie based on the card game, this is for fans of the series and suitable for younger patrons.

Literature-based Anime

Blue Submarine No. 6. DVD. Studio: Bandai. 2000. NR.
In a passing nod to Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, rogue scientist Zorndyke is responsible for the Earth’s oceans rising and flooding, which has killed billions.

The Borrower Arrietty. Alternate title: Karigurashi no Arrietty. DVD. Studio: Bandai. 2010. NR
Based on Mary Norton’s "The Borrowers" series, the movie revolves around a group of people who are 10 cm tall and live under the floorboards of a human household.

Gankutsuou. DVD. Studio: Geneon. 2004. NR.
Loosely based on Alexander Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo, Gankutsuou’s unusual visual style layers Photoshop textures into digital animation, with backgrounds often rendered in 3-D.

Romeo X Juliet.* DVD. Studio: Funimation. 2007. NR.
A 24-episode anime TV series very loosley based on Shakespeare’s classic.

Tales from Earthsea. DVD. Studio: Inter Continental Studio. 2010. NR.
The tale of a powerful wizard, based on Ursula K. Le Guin’s "Earthsea" trilogy.

Live-Action Adaptations of Anime and Manga Stories
Blood: The Last Vampire. Alternate title: Last Blood and Rasutoit Burraddo. DVD. Studio: Sony Pictures. 2009. R.
Based on the 2000 anime film by Production I.G. Aniplex; Vampire Saya is part of a covert government agency that hunts and destroys demons in post-World War II Japan.

Honey and Clover. Alternate title: Hachimitsu to kuroba. DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2006. NR.
Based on the popular coming-of-age manga by Chika Umino; five college-age students become close friends as they share common interests in the field of art.

Death Note.* DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2006. NR.
Death Note II; The Last Note.* DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2007. NR.
Death Note 3: L, Change the World.* DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2008. NR.
These live-action adaptations are based on the anime series. High schooler Light Yagami discovers a supernatural notebook, the Death Note, dropped on Earth by a death god named Ryuk. Death Note 3 is a prequel to Death Note and Death Note II.

Mushi Shi: The Movie.* Alternate title: Mushishi. DVD. Studio: Funimation. 2006. NR.
Based on the anime and manga series, the film revolves around a wandering healer who helps people with their problems.

Nana. DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2005. NR.
Nana 2. DVD. Studio: Viz Video. 2005. NR.
Two very different young women find friendship in this film, based on the manga series by Ai Yazawa.

*Movies associated with anime series.

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