Anime worth watching

"Princess Mononoke" — "Princess Mononoke" is a moving depiction of the struggle of man against nature around the time that gunpowder first came into popular use. It focuses on the journey of a young prince named Ashitaka as he seeks to find the cause of a curse he received when a raging beast attacked his village. In his travels, he comes across an iron-smelting village in constant battle against the surrounding forest for control of the land. Recently dubbed with famous voices including Billy Crudup, Claire Danes and Billy Bob Thornton, this film is a beautifully scenic story of the startling change from old ways to new.

"Akira" — Probably the most famous of all anime movies, "Akira" tells the story of a young boy named Tetsuo who is abducted by the military and used in experiments developing his psychic abilities. When he discovers the depth of his powers, he goes on a rampage attacking all those who oppressed him as a child. The story takes place in war-torn Neo-Tokyo, an urban wasteland where motorcycle gangs vie for power and the government strives to prevent another full-scale war.

"Vampire Hunter D" — Chillingly crafted, "Vampire Hunter D" takes place in a town enslaved under the feudal rule of a centuries-old vampire in the distant future. When a mysterious and powerful warrior named D appears, all hell literally breaks loose. A dark horror story coupled with extremely gory fighting, "Vampire Hunter D" definitely is not meant for children. Created in 1985, the animation is still attractively done, even if it is quite gruesome.

"Dragonball Z" — Suited for children and adults alike, "Dragonball Z" follows a few martial arts champions who protect planet Earth and the universe from being conquered by various villains. The main character Goku is an innocent and noble member of a powerful race of beings who become more powerful the more often they fight. As the show progresses, the characters grow older and become more and more powerful as they face each new threatening menace. One of the longest running anime series ever, "Dragonball Z" is made up of several sagas, each of which focuses on a fight against the latest all-powerful foe. "Dragonball Z" currently plays on the Cartoon Network at 6 p.m. every weekday. Its predecessor, "Dragonball," currently airs at 5:30 p.m. every weekday on the Cartoon Network.

"Cowboy Bebop" — A more mature approach to anime, "Cowboy Bebop" is the story of space-age bounty hunters Spike and Jet as they seek to make a living out of capturing wanted criminals. Spike, the main character, constantly is striving to escape the past he fled from even as that past continues to stalk him mercilessly. As the short series progresses, the team of bounty hunters grows to include a woman who can't remember her past, a whimsically genius child hacker and a clever dog. A combination of film noir-esque storylines, beautifully animated settings, well-integrated computer graphics, brilliantly executed character development and fantastic jazz music makes the shortness of the series its only downside.

"Record of Lodoss War" — Pure fantasy from the heroic young warrior Parn to the elven wizardess Deedlit, "Record of Lodoss War" follows a party of adventurers as they fight the ultimate battle to save their land from evil. Reminiscent of "Dungeons and Dragons," everything about this series is wholly fantastic and filled with full-scale battles of magic and swordplay, comically inept background characters and dedicated warriors and healers. With less than 15 episodes, this series is more like a mini-series or an extended movie and perfectly suitable for viewing in one long marathon. An older series, the animation isn't as high-quality as it could be, but it's still one of the best fantasy animated series of all time. This series can be viewed online at www.toonami.com/reactor/.