Millennial THEM Anime Awards Runners-Up: Movies and Theatrical Features

Almost our favorite movies, but not quite. These films finished strongly in the vote, so take a gander at these THEM picks!

Tied for 22nd Place: Transformers the Movie. Though in actuality an American concept and therefore not technically anime, this film was popular in both the US and Japan and belongs here due to the inclusion of Japanese Transformers anime series in the overall continuity. It's also got fun music, and a storyline that, when you replace the giant robots with humans, makes a whole lot of sense as an anime.

Tied for 22nd Place: They Were 11. This sci-fi mystery is notable for many things, probably the least of which is a long-standing THEM in-joke involving restaurant seating, and there always being exactly eleven THEM members at club dinners. The actual movie, while somewhat cheesy, is actually decent enough to have a solid presence in the vote standings.

Tied for 22rd Place: Lupin III Dark Order of Assassination. The first of several Lupin III movies in the survey, this currently fansub-only title is one of many yearly features starring the popular super-thief Arsene Lupin III, a roguish, lecherous, and rather silly version of the James Bond archetype. He's also a lot of fun.

Tied for 22nd Place: Digimon the Movie. Actually two OAVs chopped up and spliced into a theatrical feature, it's quite a lot of fun, and though it had not been reviewed as of the original survey, a few THEMers were willing to go against our less-than-supportive preliminary review of the series to vote for this movie. A fun watch, but much better in Japanese.

Tied for 20st Place: Only Yesterday. This slice-of-life movie, the first Studio Ghibli film in the list, may not have the action or fantasy plotlines that make other films from this studio universally revered by THEMers, but it has its following here.

Tied for 20th Place: Mahoujin GuruGuru the Movie. Featuring some of the gosh-darn-cutest characters ever the grace the screen, this fantasy parody is funny, entertaining, and worthy to be in our list of favorites.

19th Place: Lupin III The Fuma Conspiracy. One of the earlier Lupin III films, this film was released in the US as "Rupan III" by AnimEigo. Another well-loved Lupin film.

Tied for 17th Place: Ninja Scroll. Perhaps superseded as one of the edgiest and most shocking anime made, it's still a worthwhile title due to well-animated action scenes and ... well, more well-animated action scenes.

Tied for 17th Place: Angel's Egg. An early 80's art film which combines the talents of artist Amano Yoshitaka and director Oshii Mamoru, this movie can't be accused of being loud and talky by any means. Cerebral and puzzling, it's a movie that relies heavily on audience interpretation, and while maybe not a movie for the average viewer, it's worthwhile for the astute moviehound who wants something different on their menu.

16th Place: Kimagure Orange Road I Want to Return to that Day. Criticized perhaps unfairly for its heartrending portrayal of the messy ending of a love traingle, this feature ditches the psychic bells and whistles of the TV series and concentrates on the heart and soul of this series. As such, it's a very well-done movie, though it does require extensive knowledge of the TV series to succeed.

Tied for 14th Place: Slayers the Movie (Slayers Perfect). The first installment of the Lina-Nahga cycle, this movie features overblown explosions, overblown comedy, and overblown body parts. Anyone who enjoys over-the-top fantasy will like this. Anyone else can talk to Lina over there. In the meantime, it looks like I've found myself a handy bomb shelter. Whadda ya know.

Tied 14th Place: Akira. When it was released, this Otomo Katsuhiro film about a post-apocalyptic bike gang tangling with psychics and the military was considered a breakthrough in animation. However, many viewers complained about the muddled plot and unsympathetic characters. Still, it remains an influential and well-known title, and will continue to do so for years to come.

Tied for 12th Place: Ranma 1/2 Movie 3 (released in North America as One Flew Over the Kuno's Nest). This short film about the hapless Kunou Tatewaki and the phoenix that decides to stay on his head, though hardly a classic, manages to succeed by not repeating the plot of the first two Ranma 1/2 movies. A surprise entry into the list of favorite features, given its length and depth.

Tied for 12th Place: Memories. A three-segment film headed by Otomo Katsuhiro, this movie has variable quality, but some memorable segments and dazzling animation propel this one near the top of the list. A thinking man's movie, quite unlike its partner at 12th place.

11th Place: Detective Conan Timed Skyscraper. One of several movies based on the popular Detective Conan mystery TV series, which features the charismatic, intelligent child investigator Edogawa Conan as he solves various crimes. We figure someone (ahem, Teresa) has been sneaking this series behind the reviewers' backs. Highly regarded, and entertaining.

And now, continue on to the Millennial THEM Anime Awards Top 10 Movies!

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