In 2023, the teenage delinquent Kaneda and his motorbike gang ride through the streets of Neo-Tokyo. Kaneda's unstable friend, Tetsuo, is the subject of a secret military experiment which continues the work of the Akira project - a project which accidentally started WWIII years before. Tetsuo's new psychic powers lead to the revival of Akira, and Akira destroys Neo-Tokyo in a moment of fury. While Tetsuo carves an empire out of the ensuing chaos, his enemies - Kaneda, other psychics, and the US military - prepare to take him out. But Tetsuo's powers are increasing, and his ability to control them is decreasing...
The plot is somewhat confusing, but this is one of the most technically impressive anime movies to date.

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Ghost In the Shell

by Shirow Masamune
cast: Motoko, Bato, Aramaki, Togusa, Puppet Master

Set in the near future, where information networks and direct neural interfaces are revolutionizing society. But the divisions of nations and races remain, and keeping the peace is the Shell mobile strike force. Major Kusanagi Motoko is an officer of the Shell's 9th division; she has a full cyborg body, which houses her living brain. Together with team leader Aramaki and fellow part-cyborg Bato, the 9th division takes on the terrorists of the information age.

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Tenchi Muyo

by Hayashi Hiroki
cast: Tenchi, Ryouko, Ryo-oh-ki, Aeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, Washuu, Tsunami, Kagato,Yosho

After tricking his grandfather, Tenchi gets the keys to an old shrine. Family legend says that a hero defeated a horrific demon long ago, and the demon was imprisoned here. The hero's sword was placed next to the demon to guard it. Tenchi finds the old sword...and a mummy. Since Tenchi broke the seals, the mummy rises. Frantically, Tenchi tries to reseal the shrine and escapes. Later, Tenchi is back at school. He is startled by a girl who appears out of nowhere. This is Ryouko, space pirate, former mummy, and a VERY annoyed demon. She decides to kill Tenchi, 'cause she has to take it out on someone. Tenchi escapes from the destroyed school...to find that Ryouko has decided to move in with him. Things get REALLY interesting when Aeka, Princess of the Jurai, comes to Earth looking for her brother...the long-dead hero who sealed Ryouko up the first time.
This is a very funny, fast-moving action comedy with lots of unique elements...including spaceships grown from trees and a pirate ship that becomes a cute bunny...

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Neon Genesis Evangelion

by: Hideaki Anno
cast: Shinji, Rei, Asuka, Misato, Ritsuko, Shigeru, Kensuke, Hikari

Shinji Ikari arrives in Tokyo-3 to find an empty city. The 14 year old boy doesn't have much time to ponder this before he finds himself in the middle of a battle between the Self Defense Forces and an "Angel". In the middle of this, his ride arrives in the form of Misato (the girl that Shinji was told to wait for). Shinji is here because he was summoned by his father..the commander of NERV. Shinji is the chosen pilot for a great robot called Evangelion. Thrust into the middle of the battle, the unprepared and frightened Shinji will have to use EVA-01 to defeat the Angel. This is a series which pulls together such diverse elements as giant robots, secret experiments, child psychology, great monster battles, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, among other things, to create an extraordinarily complex and involving epic story. Shinji is the "3rd Child", one of a very special group of 14 year olds who are the ONLY ones who can pilot Evangelion. This aspect is only part of the mystery and helps to illustrate the complexity present in this series. Besides, this series has Misato...a beautiful woman who is the NERV combat commander...*and* she owns a penguin! :-)

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Aa! Megami-sama (Ah! My Goddess!)

by: Kosuke Fujishima
cast: Keiichi, Belldandy, Skuld, Urd, Megumi, Sayoko, Sora

One day, Keiichi, a student at Nekomi Institute of Technology (or NIT) was in his dorm because his sempai told him to wait for a phone call. While waiting, he got hungry, so Keiichi called out for some food. He dialed the wrong number and got the "Goddess Helpers" office instead. A young cute goddess named Belldandy appeared out of the mirror and said "Our job is to help people who are in trouble, like you. I can grant you one wish, no matter what it is..." Keiichi said "I want you to stay forever". The wish was approved. Unfortunately, Keiichi lives in a men-only dorm, so he got thrown out when his sempai returned. Keiichi's friends didn't let him in either, so he and Belldandy finally settled in an old temple...

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Ranma 1/2

by: Rumiko Takahashi
cast: Ranma, Akane, Kasumi, Nabiki, Shampoo, Ukyo, Ryoga, Happosai, Tatewaki, Kodachi, Azusa, Genma, Soun

One day, Soun Tendo calls his 3 daughters in and tells them that one of them is going to be iinazuke (fiancee) to Ranma, the son of his best friend. Soun faints when Ranma arrives and turns out to be a *girl*. It soon turns out that Ranma is really a boy, but has a curse where he will turn into a girl when cold water is splashed on him. Hot water returns him to normal. Nabiki & Kasumi immediately elect Akane as the iinazuke because "she hates boys and Ranma is only half a boy". Ranma, for his part, doesn't like Akane because she's violent and "not cute". Akane is miffed at Ranma because he beat her in martial arts (Ranma was a girl then) and shows her feelings by crushing Ranma with a table. A wonderful start to a beautiful relationship :-)

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Fushigi Yuugi

by: Yuu Watase
cast: Miaka, Yui, Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Suboshi, Tasuki, Mitsukake, Chichiri, Chiriko, Nakago, Amiboshi.

Miaka and Yui go to the library to study. The two are separated when Miaka is distracted by food. Several times. Stopping by a food vending machine to think, Miaka doesn't see a red phoenix rise behind her. Turning, she sees stairs that weren't there before. They lead to a library where she's reunited with Yui. They find a book that tells of what happened in a great Kingdom long ago. Abruptly, the book glows and the girls find themselves in that Kingdom. Looking unbelieveably at the landscape, Miaka doesn't see Yui disappear. Left alone, the uncertain girl goes into a market where her school uniform draws a lot of stares. Miaka is soon attacked by some ruffians, but is saved by a young vagabond named Tamahome. With him, Miaka will soon learn that she is apparently destined to be the Southern Priestess. Her quest is to find her seven true warriors (of which Tamahome is one) to come into her true power. In present-day Japan, Yui is reading the book...which now chronicles Miaka's quest. This is a drama in a land quite like ancient China, which tends to add a classical feel to the series. Miaka is an innocent in a land where such innocence can be deadly. Because of who she is, Miaka will be faced with many threats, both physical and magical. Yui is the narrator, but her destiny will bring her back to Miaka. A complex and exciting series.

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Descriptions from:
Anime Pocket Guide by: Alan Takahashi