Tied for 24^th Place: Dirty Pair. The release of this classic '80s gals-with-guns OAV series prompted our older members to storm the video stores. Fun action with the original Kei and Yuri.

Tied for 21^st Place: Urusei Yatsura. Though badly underexposed and aging, this series features some of anime's classic episodes, like Raging Sherbet and Attack of the Girly Eyes Measles. Should not be missed by fans of the TV series.

Tied for 21^st Place: Saber Marionette J Again. Though perhaps not quite up to the level of the TV series in characterization, this series has its fans among those who love Saber Marionette J.

Tied for 21^st Place: Photon. Frenetic, funny, and more than a bit perverted, this sci-fi junket features beautiful girls, lecherous villains, and a nigh-indestructible, incredibly lucky, and totally jaded hero. Enjoy!

20^th Place: Black Jack: Clinical Chart. There's few anime quite like this intense medical drama featuring doctor-turned-manga legend Tezuka Osamu's tortured, obsessive, yet charismatic and commanding anti-hero Dr. Black Jack. Themes of morality, love, and the meaning of life itself swirl around him as each case he takes brings him a step further in the game of life.

19^th Place: Blue Submarine no. 6: One of the first fully realized series that meshes 3D computer graphics and traditional cel-style animation, this near-future series features some swift submarine combat sequences and quite possibly the only storyline that has ever done justice to the Island of Dr. Moreau. Has aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block.

18^th Place: Vampire Princess Miyu. Who says horror has to be all camp and gore? This classy, beautifully atmospheric series features the mysterious eternal teenage Miyu, who walks the thin line between life and death in her fight against the undead Shinma.

17^th Place: Ranma 1/2. Featuring stories not told in the original manga, this continuation of the Ranma 1/2 TV series is popular due to its over-the-top characters and off-the-wall antics.

Tied for 15^th Place: Sakura Wars. Not known for its cerebral content, this series, based on a dating simulation/role-playing video game, focuses on a gaggle of cute girls using their powers to defeat demons in an alternate-history 1919 Japan. Of course, the REAL plot is about the guy who gets to date, er, I mean, command the whole lot.

Tied for 15^th Place: Rurouni Kenshin (aka Samurai X. Not to be confused with the overseas Sony dub of the TV series, this is a gorgeously animated, yet incredibly violent OAV series about the past of Himura Kenshin, or as he was known, the Hitokiri Battousai. A prequel to the highly popular (and much more lighthearted) TV series, the OAVs are a powerful and thought-provoking look at the struggle for Kenshin's salvation, as well as his romance with the ethereal Tomoe. A strong candidate for next year's Top 10.

14^th Place: Video Girl Ai. A romance story about a young man who walks into a video store and encounters a girl who magically flies out of his TV set to console him over his unrequited love. However, things never go as planned, and Youta finds himself with a supposedly "perfect" girl with a complete lack of tact or modesty, bad cooking skills, and (gasp!) not much in the way of endowment. Aside from a bit of low-minded behavior, this is actually very sweet and features some very unconventional and sympathetic characters.

13^th Place: Suddenly Princess. Fun, silly nonsense about a magical princess whose sole power (the nullification of magic) wreaks havoc upon the land in the name of life, liberty and the pursuit of pudding. Not classic, but certainly enjoyable.

12^th Place: Phantom Quest Corp. Though overshadowed in Japan by its inferior TV contemporary GS Mikami, this show, about a brassy redhead and her dealings with all things supernatural, is exciting, entertaining, and surprisingly smart. Too bad she can't balance her budget! Highly recommended viewing - we only wish there were more of it.

11^th Place: Shinesman. If you've ever seen Power Rangers, VR Troopers, or the scads of sentai hero-team shows that plagued our airwaves in the 1990s, this is the cure for you. Meet the Special Duty Combat Unit Shineman - fighting crime on their overtime so the corporate world can breathe easy. Salarymen (and one office lady) fight off a hostile takeover - by the aliens of the planet Voice. Watch for bad puns, zingy one-liners, and really really stupid power suit colors! (Yes, this is a parody.)

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