1. “Summer Wars”: In this imaginative science fiction tale, director Mamoru Hosoda juxtaposes the brightly colored CG cyber-realm of Oz with the drawn world of everyday reality. High school math ace Kenji must defeat a renegade AI program in the former and deal with his classmate Natsuki’s quarrelsome clan family in the latter. (Anaheim International Film Festival)
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2. “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Parts 4 and 5″: Director Yasuhiro Irie and his crew pull out all the stops to bring the re-imagined “Fullmetal Alchemist” to a slam-bang conclusion. (Funimation)
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3. “Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance”: In the second installment in the four-feature reworking of his watershed series “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” Hideaki Anno diverges further from the original story line–and pushes the visual boundaries. (Screen capture from "Evangelion 2.22" trailer / Funimation)
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4. “Eden of the East: The King of Eden” and “Eden of the East: Paradise Lost”: The two “Eden of the East” features continue the story of the hit TV series. “Eden of the East” focuses on the need for young people to revitalize the faltering spirit and economy of Japan, which seems prescient: Record numbers of students have volunteered to assist in the cleanup of the earthquake and tsunami. Director Kenji Kamiyama ends the saga on an appropriately ambiguous note. (Screen capture from "Eden of the East: The King of Eden" trailer / Funimation)
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5. “Fairy Tail: Part 1″: Director Shinji Ishihara and his crew give the slapstick adventure series “Fairy Tail” a freewheeling insanity that’s hard to resist. When young celestial wizard Lucy joins the eccentric guild Fairy Tail, she’s paired with three of its zaniest members. The outré quartet battles demons and evil wizards, but they inflict so much damage on the surrounding villages, they get into hot water with the Council of Elders. (Funimation)
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6. “Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black”: The supernatural adventure “Bleach” has enjoyed a loyal following since it debuted in 2004. “Fade to Black” is the most engaging of the theatrical features based on the series. (Screen capture from "Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black" trailer / Viz Media)
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7. “Trigun: Badlands Rumble”: “Badlands Rumble” marks the long-awaited return of Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon, more than a decade after the “Trigun” broadcast series concluded. (Screen capture from "Trigun: Badlands Rumble" trailer / Funimation)
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8. “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya”: This theatrical feature reunites the characters, crew and vocal cast of the popular series “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.” Directors Tatsuya Ishihara and Yasuhiro Takemoto build the suspense skillfully, playing on uncertainties of the long suffering narrator Kyon–and the viewer. (Bandai)
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9. “Transformers Japanese Collection: Headmasters”: In 1987, the toy company Takara and the Toei studio created an alternate version of “Transformers,” with characters and story lines geared to the Japanese market, that has never been released in America. The familiar Autobots and Decepticons are replaced by a new cadre of transforming robots. “Headmasters” offers “Transformers” fans a special mixture of nostalgia and new adventures. (Screen grab from "Transformers Japanese Collection: Headmasters" trailer / Shout! Factory)
LinkJust as 2011 was the year of the sequel in American animation, many of the year’s best anime releases were sequels, continuations or reworkings of familiar properties. But the reimagined versions often improved on the original. The characters and story lines in many of the year’s top anime may be familiar, but the filmmakers have taken it up a notch—and in some cases, several notches.
1. “Summer Wars”: In this imaginative science fiction tale, director Mamoru Hosoda juxtaposes the brightly colored CG cyber-realm of Oz with the drawn world of everyday reality. High school math ace Kenji must defeat a renegade AI program in the former and deal with his classmate Natsuki’s quarrelsome clan family in the latter. Hosoda’s deft blending of romance, comedy, action and distinctive visual imagery confirms his place as one of the most interesting directors working in Japan. Although it had a brief theatrical release here in 2010, “Summer Wars” made its video debut in 2011. (Read more)
2. “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Parts 4 and 5″: Director Yasuhiro Irie and his crew pull out all the stops to bring the re-imagined “Fullmetal Alchemist” to a slam-bang conclusion. The Elric Brothers and their allies must defeat the “Father” of the Homunculi and four of his soulless creations to prevent the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The climactic battle scenes boast spectacular effects, but the emotional impact eclipses them. Edward and Alphonse Elric demonstrate the depth of their commitment to each other in the dramatic and moving conclusion. (Read more)
3. “Neon Genesis Evangelion 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance”: In the second installment in the four-feature reworking of his watershed series “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” Hideaki Anno diverges further from the original story line–and pushes the visual boundaries. The cinematography is more dynamic, the animation more polished and special effects more imaginative. The final battle, with its rainbow colors, titanic explosions and strange lighting will be influencing artists on both sides of the Pacific for years to come. (Read more)
4. “Eden of the East: The King of Eden” and “Eden of the East: Paradise Lost”: The two “Eden of the East” features continue the story of the hit TV series. Takizawa vanished in New York at the end of the program; Saki must find him and bring him back to Japan to end the elaborate political game he’s a part of. “Eden of the East” focuses on the need for young people to revitalize the faltering spirit and economy of Japan, which seems prescient: Record numbers of students have volunteered to assist in the cleanup of the earthquake and tsunami. Director Kenji Kamiyama ends the saga on an appropriately ambiguous note.
5. “Fairy Tail: Part 1″: Director Shinji Ishihara and his crew give the slapstick adventure series “Fairy Tail” a freewheeling insanity that’s hard to resist. When young celestial wizard Lucy joins the eccentric guild Fairy Tail, she’s paired with three of its zaniest members. Fire wizard Natsu is subject to violent motion sickness; ice wizard Gary keeps losing his clothes and fighting enemies in his boxers. Hot-tempered Erza is no saner than the other two. The outré quartet battles demons and evil wizards, but they inflict so much damage on the surrounding villages, they get into hot water with the Council of Elders.
6. “Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black”: The supernatural adventure “Bleach” has enjoyed a loyal following since it debuted in 2004. “Fade to Black” is the most engaging of the theatrical features based on the series. It packs more of an emotional punch than “Memories of Nobody” and presents flashier battle sequences than “Diamond Dust Rebellion.” This energetic yet moving film is sure to delight fans of the long-running “Bleach” series–and Tite Kubo’s original manga.
7. “Trigun: Badlands Rumble”: “Badlands Rumble” marks the long-awaited return of Vash the Stampede, the Humanoid Typhoon, more than a decade after the “Trigun” broadcast series concluded. Not surprisingly, he meets up with his old friend, gun-totin’ preacher Nicholas D. Wolfwood, and Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson of the Bernardelli Insurance Society. Some good deeds do go unpunished, and Vash learns that an apparently simple roll of the dice can have far-reaching consequences. (Read more)
8. “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya”: This theatrical feature reunites the characters, crew and vocal cast of the popular series “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.” Directors Tatsuya Ishihara and Yasuhiro Takemoto build the suspense skillfully, playing on uncertainties of the long suffering narrator Kyon–and the viewer. “Disappearance” has a darker tone than the knockabout TV series, and it’s about 15 minutes too long. It’s a good film, but with some tightening, it could have been a great one.
9. “Transformers Japanese Collection: Headmasters”: In 1987, the toy company Takara and the Toei studio created an alternate version of “Transformers,” with characters and story lines geared to the Japanese market, that has never been released in America. The familiar Autobots and Decepticons are replaced by a new cadre of transforming robots. As in the earlier series, friendships are forged, battles are fought, and good robots triumph over evil ones. The animation is extremely limited and the Japanese voice cast overacts shamelessly, but “Headmasters” offers “Transformers” fans a special mixture of nostalgia and new adventures.
10. “Rurouni Kenshin: The Movie”: This theatrical feature bridges the popular broadcast series “Rurouni Kenshin” and its more violent prequel, “Samurai X.” Skinny, red-haired Kenshin Himura was the greatest assassin of the Meiji restoration; the scars on his soul mark him more decisively than the X on his right cheek. Kenshin abandons killing and strives for peace, with some help from a mismatched trio of friends. Director Hatsuki Tsuji builds subtle patterns from falling tears, fluttering bamboo leaves and the deadly stroke of Kenshin’s sword to create a striking film with an unusually satisfying resolution.
In addition, three reissues warrant mentioning:
The first "Gundam." (Sotsu / Sunrise / Bandai Entertainment)
1. “Mobile Suit Gundam: Complete Collection 1: Anime Legends”: Yoshiyuki Tomino’s landmark “Mobile Suit Gundam” (1979) revolutionized the mecha genre and launched a continuity that’s lasted for more than 30 years. It’s the classic giant robot saga, with pitched battles (under water, on land and in space) that cheerfully defy the laws of gravity and physics. Although this initial adventure has an old-fashioned feel, it remains a landmark series; this reissue includes the original Japanese dialogue for the first time. (Read more)
2. “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo): Hayao Miyazaki attracted widespread attention in Japan for his complex manga, ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (1982), which he adapted to the screen two years later. In it, he began exploring elements he would develop more fully in his later films: daring heroines, exciting flying sequences, intriguing side characters and a plea for an ecologically sustainable way of life. Although “Nausicaä” was only his second feature, Miyazaki was already an assured and powerful filmmaker. (Read more)
3. “Robotech: The Complete Series”: “Robotech” (1985) is an anomaly: an anime series that never existed in Japan. Carl Macek and the crew at Harmony Gold edited together three similar-looking series to form a sprawling 85-episode space opera with a completely new plot. “Robotech” helped to create an audience for anime in America, and the toys, role-playing games, novelizations and frequent reissues have kept it alive in the hearts of its fans.
– Charles Solomon
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Our legion of super contributors is led by Hero Complex editor Gina McIntyre and 
excellent!
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya needs to be MUCH higher. I don't think you give that film enough kudos.