84% (3)  Ghost in the Shell  83 min,  Not Rated,  [Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller]  [Mamoru Oshii]  [29 Mar 1996]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 80%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 96%,   Metacritic: 76%,   External Reviews
Awards:  5 wins & 2 nominations.
Actors:  Akio Ôtsuka, Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Kôichi Yamadera, Yutaka Nakano
Writer:  Shirow Masamune (based on the manga by), Kazunori Itô (screenplay)
External Links:  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  Japanese    Country:  Japan, UK
Plot:  It is the year 2029. Technology has advanced so far that cyborgs are commonplace. In addition, human brains can direct to the internet directly. Major Motoko Kasunagi is an officer in Section 9, an elite, secretive police division that deals with special operations, including counter terrorism and cyber crime. She is currently on the trail of the Puppet Master, a cyber criminal who hacks into the brains of cyborgs in order to obtain information and to commit other crimes.
Rotten Tomatoes:   In the year 2029, the world has become interconnected by a vast electronic network that permeates every aspect of life. That same network also becomes a battlefield for Tokyo's Section Nine security force, which has been charged with apprehending the master hacker known only as the Puppet Master. Spearheading the investigation is Major Motoko Kusanagi, who -- like many in her department -- is a cyborg officer, far more powerful than her human appearance would suggest. And yet as the Puppet Master, who is even capable of hacking human minds, leaves a trail of victims robbed of their memories, Kusanagi ponders the very nature of her existence: is she purely an artificial construct, or is there more? What, exactly, is the "ghost" -- her essence -- in her cybernetic "shell"? When Section Six gets involved in the case, she is forced to confront the fact that there is more here than meets the eye, and that the Puppet Master may hold some of the answers she seeks. But little does she know that he has been seeking her as well. ~ Emru Townsend, Rovi
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80% (3)  Paprika  90 min,  R,  [Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller]  [Satoshi Kon]  [22 Jun 2007]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 77%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 84%,   Metacritic: 81%,   External Reviews
Awards:  6 wins & 5 nominations.
Actors:  Katsunosuke Hori, Kôichi Yamadera, Megumi Hayashibara, Tôru Emori, Tôru Furuya
Writer:  Yasutaka Tsutsui (novel), Seishi Minakami (screenplay), Satoshi Kon (screenplay)
External Links:  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb  Website     Language:  Japanese, English    Country:  Japan
Plot:  Three scientists at the Foundation for Psychiatric Research fail to secure a device they've invented, the D.C. Mini, which allows people to record and watch their dreams. A thief uses the device to enter people's minds, when awake, and distract them with their own dreams and those of others. Chaos ensues. The trio - Chiba, Tokita, and Shima - assisted by a police inspector and by a sprite named Paprika must try to identify the thief as they ward off the thief's attacks on their own psyches. Dreams, reality, and the movies merge, while characters question the limits of science and the wisdom of Big Brother.
Rotten Tomatoes:   A machine allows therapists to enter patients' dreams. When it's stolen, all hell breaks loose, and only a woman therapist (nicknamed "Paprika") seems able to stop it.
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68% (3)  Cowboy Bebop: The Movie  115 min,  R,  [Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller]  [Shin'ichirô Watanabe, Tensai Okamura, Hiroyuki Okiura, Yoshiyuki Takei]  [16 May 2003]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 79%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 65%,   Metacritic: 61%,   External Reviews
Awards:  2 nominations.
Actors:  Aoi Tada, Beau Billingslea, Kôichi Yamadera, Megumi Hayashibara, Melissa Fahn, Nicholas Guest, Unshô Ishizuka
Writer:  Keiko Nobumoto (screenplay), Hajime Yatate (based on the story by)
External Links:  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb  Website     Language:  Japanese, English    Country:  Japan, USA
Plot:  The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued a 300 million woo-long reward, the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him. The original creators of the virus have dispatched Electra to deal with Vincent and take out anyone who may stumble on the truth behind him. As the hunt for the man with no past and no future continues to escalate, they begin to question what about the world is reality and what is a dream as the line between sanity and insanity becomes more apparent.
Rotten Tomatoes:   The popular animé series Cowboy Bebop gets its own feature-length film with the aptly named Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Set in the late 21st century, it jumps into the series' story line just prior to its conclusion, with the bounty hunting crew of the interstellar craft Bebop chasing a hacker aboard a tanker into a major city on Mars. As crew member Faye Valentine closes in on the tanker, she witnesses its catastrophic explosion, which soon appears to be a viral terrorist attack as the death toll continues to mount in the days following. Furthermore, Faye caught a glimpse of the person responsible for the blast and is thus the only surviving witness of the crime. After the government puts out a large bounty for the perpetrator's capture, the Bebop gang -- slacker Spike Spiegel, former policeman Jet Black, and hacker girl genius Edward -- begin their own hunt for the mass murderer, who is eventually revealed to be one Vincent Volaju. Vincent, it turns out, was the lone survivor of a governmental medical test and now seeks revenge by unleashing the same microscopic robotic virus used in the tanker explosion on the unsuspecting city. The Bebop crew must scramble to prevent Vincent from carrying out his plan, as well as try to locate an anti-virus to counterattack the effects of Vincent's virus. Released in both dubbed and subtitled cuts in the United States in 2003, Cowboy Bebop - The Movie premiered in Japan in 2001.
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86% (2)  Ninja Scroll  94 min,  Not Rated,  [Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller]  [Yoshiaki Kawajiri]  [05 Jun 1993]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 79%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 93%,   External Reviews
Awards:  1 win.
Actors:  Emi Shinohara, Kôichi Yamadera, Osamu Saka, Takeshi Aono
Writer:  Yoshiaki Kawajiri (original story and screenplay)
External Links:  Wikipedia  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb  Website     Language:  Japanese    Country:  Japan
Plot:  A Journeyman ninja by name of Jubei stumbles upon a plague, an evil clan of demons, a national crisis, and a beautiful ninja girl.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Removed from the typical futuristic element of most Japanese animated adventures, this 1994 feature takes place in more of a sword-and-sorcery epic set in feudal Japan. Jubei Kipagami, a ninja mercenary, wanders the countryside in search of work. On his travels, he encounters Kagero, a female ninja whose poisoned blood causes her pale skin to be lethal to the touch. Jubei rescues the woman from Tessai, a creature made of rock. They later find that Tessai is one of the Eight Devils of Kimon, who are involved in a plot to overthrow the Shogun. A story of impossible love between Jubei and Kagero is somewhat interesting, but the true draw of Ninja Scroll is its action sequences. The dazzling swordplay of Japanese live-action samurai movies is not often seen in the animated genre, which tends more towards science fiction; however, this animated work has fight scenes in abundance. Although its content is too strong for children, adult fans of Japanese animation, samurai films, and fantasy should find it enjoyable. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi
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68% (2)  Batman Ninja  85 min,  PG-13,  [Animation, Action]  [Junpei Mizusaki]  [24 Apr 2018]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 56%,   Rotten Tomatoes: 80%,   External Reviews
Actors:  Kôichi Yamadera, Wataru Takagi, Ai Kakuma, Rie Kugimiya
Writer:  Kazuki Nakashima (screenplay), Leo Chu (English screenplay), Eric Garcia (English screenplay), Bob Kane (character created by: Batman), Bill Finger (character created by: Batman), Marv Wolfman (Deathstroke and Nightwing created by), George Pérez (Deathstroke and Nightwing created by), Paul Dini (character created by: Harley Quinn), Bruce Timm (character created by: Harley Quinn), Chuck Dixon (character created by: Bane), Doug Moench (character created by: Bane), Graham Nolan (character created by: Bane)
External Links:  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb     Language:  Japanese, English    Country:  Japan, USA
Plot:  Batman, along with a number of his allies and adversaries, finds himself transplanted from modern Gotham City to feudal Japan.
Rotten Tomatoes:   In this groundbreaking anime adaptation of the legendary Batman franchise, Gotham City is swapped out for feudal Japan, where Batman fights his infamous foes as an armored ninja. With Catwoman, Two-Face and the Joker all showing up to battle the Bat, will Bruce Wayne be able to save the day?
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78% (1)  Sword of the Stranger  103 min,  Not Rated,  [Animation, Action, Adventure]  [Masahiro Andô]  [05 Feb 2009]
Ratings & Reviews:  IMDb Reviews: 78%,   External Reviews
Awards:  1 nomination.
Actors:  Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera, Tomoya Nagase, Yuri Chinen
Writer:  Fumihiko Takayama
External Links:  Rotten Tomatoes  IMDb  Website     Language:  Japanese, Mandarin    Country:  Japan
Plot:  A young boy and his dog find themselves the target of the Ming: a foreign dynasty that will stop at nothing. One day, a quiet and solemn warrior crosses their path, and becomes irrevocably connected with the two. A deal is struck and the warrior agrees to take the boy to a remote, Buddhist temple, where a kind monk is waiting to care for him and the dog. Unfortunately, the Ming have sent their elite, and they will test their strength, courage, and quality every step of the way.
Rotten Tomatoes:   Set in the turbulent period of Japanese history known as the Sengoku period - or the era of Warring states - this feature length anime tells the story of a nameless ronin, robbed of identity and title when the second shogunate falls into chaos. Wandering the beligered countryside of his war torn nation, the former samurai happens across a boy named Kataro, who's become the target of Chinese assassins, who seem to want the boy for use in some kind of mystical ritual. The nameless ronin can't let them take an innocent child's life, and soon finds himself on the most important mission of his career - and that his life as a warrior is far from over. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
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