This list features famous action classic anime movies, like Akira and Ninja Scroll, as well as new and popular anime movies, like A Letter to Momo and Ponyo (although that movie is almost 8 years old now). Vote up the best anime movies ever, and see if your favorites are ranked in the top 10.

An action/adventure show with an upbeat tone, amazing action scenes, excellent world-building and characters you can easily fall in love with, it’s easy to see why Fullmetal Alchemist is considered one of the best anime series of the 2000s. As upbeat as it is, the story has loss and grief as a central theme. The series follows two brothers who venture out to look for the legendary Philosopher’s Stone and regain the bodies they lost after trying to resurrect their dead mother using alchemy. Also worth noting is the equally fantastic Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which was a more faithful adaptation of the original manga, whereas Fullmetal Alchemist took many liberties with the source material.How often do you see a female character who’s basically perfect, rich, beautiful, intelligent… I could go on. Gurren Lagann is a 2007 anime produced by Gainax. This mech anime is initially about a young man named Simon and his older brother figure Kamina as they fight in the titular Lagann against the oppressive Spiral King and his army of Beastmen. Not content to redefine the mecha anime genre once with Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gainax did it again with Gurren Lagann, and the result is just so over-the-top that it's hard not to love. If stereotypically Dragon Ball Z captured the attention of boys, then Sailor Moon did the same for girls. A pioneer in national broadcast syndication like DBZ, Sailor Moon brought anime to the masses. It was an after-school, afternoon delight to daily unite with Usagi (or Serena, in the original English dub) and her intergalactic planetary squad of friends, as they navigate adolescent life, mysterious boyfriends, and their own secret identities as magically-endowed defenders of the planet. Series director Kunihiko Ikuhara would go to direct another shojo classic series, Revolutionary Girl Utena.

The feature debut of Masahiro Ando, whose career was distinguished solely by being a episode director and key animator for such series as Wolf’s Rain and Witch Hunter Robin, Sword of the Stranger possesses all the key pieces and players that make up a prototypical, though otherwise satisfying chanbara action film—a nameless ronin who abstains from bloodshed in a quiet bid for atonement, a youth cast at the heart of a fanatical plot, and a ruthless foreign adversary who yearns solely for a worthy opponent to face in battle. What really distinguishes the film apart from its ilk are the sparse yet impressive action sequences choreographed by legendary key animator Yutaka Nakamura, culminating in what is arguably one of the most stunningly animated sword fight showdowns between “No Name” and the European Ming commander Luo-Lang. If you’re looking for a solid samurai action film with sword fights that are a cut above the rest, Sword of the Stranger is that film.— Toussaint EganThe show also brilliantly breaks the 4th wall and uses meta humor, with characters complaining how they haven’t been in any episodes recently. Or the crew watching the trailer for their own movie. Working on this list allowed me to examine my own taste and the sort of aesthetic that guides me. I’ve long enjoyed shoujo for its florid style and high melodrama, but when I thought of anime that deserved to be on a list of the best ever, only shows with male protagonists came to mind. Prestige anime is often centered around a man and his struggles, themes that often disclude varied viewers and create an echo chamber of impenetrable, inarguable taste for fans to discuss. These anime are great, and you’ll find many of the expected takes on this list, but in compiling this, I tried to consider every genre’s most exemplary offerings. Shows both young and old are represented, with at least one show for everyone, no matter their age, gender, or sexuality. In these anime, almost everyone can be seen in some way, whether it be in the rosy meditations of a slice-of-life show or There's no question about whether the story of the Elric brothers belongs on any list of the best anime of all time. The more contentious issue is whether to choose Fullmetal Alchemist or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Endless Waltz was originally produced as a three-part OVA wrapping up the story of the Gundam Wing TV series, which takes place outside the normal continuity of the Gundam “Universal Century” timeline. The movie cut is the superior viewing experience, however. Endless Waltz takes place one year after the events that wrapped up Gundam Wing, and involves the Gundam pilots, and their enemy Zechs Merquise, coming out of retirement to battle one last threat—and in some cases, each other. Where the Gundam Wing TV series had a plot that tended to meander, and sometimes used cheap animation or repeated cels, Endless Waltz is a feast for the eyes—filled with gorgeous, fluid battle scenes that any fan of giant robots will appreciate. Add to that the very smart decision to have the great Katoki Hajime ( Short Peace, Gundam 0083) redesign the Gundams into their “evolved” forms, and this becomes much more than a simple end of series cash-in. For this film version, several shots from the OVA were retouched, and there are some mild adjustments to the original animation. As a payoff to the TV series, it’s a great way to visit with the Gundam pilots one last time, and as a stand alone, it works well enough that even if one is not familiar with the source material, it’s a fun ride. The usual questions about the cost of war, the price of peace, and human determinism that run through virtually all Gundam series are on full display here. If you want a concise example of what Gundam does so well relative to other types of giant robot anime, this is a dance worth taking. —J.D.

Mushi-Shi is a supernatural anime series by Artland that ran from 2005 to 2006 before getting a second season in 2014. The series follows a man named Ginko who helps people deal with mysterious spirits known as Mushi. Ginko makes for a suitably mellow protagonist and it's consistently delightful to watch his process for working with each Mushi. Ginko's respect for these mysterious creatures ultimately fits so well with the series' themes about man's relationship with nature that it's difficult to imagine anyone else filling his role.After wrapping production on Akira in 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo returned in 1995 to helm his third anthology collection of short films, titled Memories. Initially scripted around the theme of the collection’s namesake, the anthology eventually yielded a series of three shorts, each directed by one of three of the most acclaimed directors working at the time, Otomo included. The collection’s first segment, “Magnetic Rose,” is unanimously praised as the anthology’s best and for good reason. Directed by Koji Morimoto and scripted by Satoshi Kon, “Magnetic Rose” is emblematic of the themes of perception, identity and uncertainty, which exemplify Kon’s work at its best, depicting the terrifying story of a deep space salvage cruise’s ensnarement in the siren wiles of an aristocratic opera singer. The anthology’s other two installments, Tensai Okamura’s “Stink Bomb” and Otomo’s “Cannon Fodder,” are worth the price of admission as well, the former a crassly comedic take on an extinction-level crisis and the latter a wartime parable animated with a intriguing Terry Gilliam-esque art style in one long take. Whatever your palate as anime film-goer, Memories is not to be missed.— Toussaint Egan Think of watching YGO Abridged without ever having seen the original Yu-Gi-Oh! It may be funny, but a lot will go over your head. The final two episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion are notorious among fans of the series.Titled “Do you love me?” and “Take Care of Yourself,” the two-part finale infamously sidelined the climactic finale to the series’ central conflict, instead opting to take place entirely away from the action within the subconscious of the show’s protagonist, Shinji Ikari, as he wrestled to resolve the self-loathing and hatred which plagued him throughout the story’s duration. The unconventionality and unsatisfying nature of this conclusion prompted disgruntled fans to issue death threats on Anno’s life and Gainax’s building to be defaced with graffiti. In response, Anno set to work on an alternative ending to the series to be produced in two parts and aired in theaters. If you were looking for a light, campy and celebratory conclusion, End of Evangelion is not that movie. Instead, what fans were treated to was perhaps one of the most fatalistic, avant garde, and oddly enough, life-affirming endings to an anime series ever produced. In short, it is the best and worst of everything that is Evangelion combined to create a film that is unlike anything that had come before it. Despite its unrelenting darkness, End of Evangelion remains true to the ethos of its subtitle, that the joy of death is in the act of rebirth.— Toussaint Egan The deceased victims were all involved in the dispute over easements, Smith said. An easement is a portion of a person's property that is legally granted to others to use. Smith said an easement on the suspect's property allowing his neighbors to drive through his property was a "source of irritation for him." We’ve been to this suspect’s house several times," Smith said, adding there was "absolutely no indication that it would lead to this."