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Five anime to watch in preparation for AnimeFest

AnimeFest is back in Dallas this weekend, and that means thousands of people decking out in wigs, makeup and homemade costumes to celebrate Japanese animated series and films.

Never quite got into anime or don’t know where to start? Here’s an introductory list of five of the best anime that’ll show you what’s causing the hype. (Tip: In most cases I’d recommend that you watch anime with English subtitles, not English dubs.)

Spirited Away/virtually any Hayao Miyazaki film

It’s not a series, but you can’t say you know anime without having watched a Hayao Miyazaki film. His films, often characterized by themes of youth, love and nostalgia, possess a kind of gentle grace that has been difficult to match. Spirited Away is arguably his masterpiece: beneath the imaginative world of spirits and magic Miyazaki creates is a story of an apathetic young girl who learns how to be brave.

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Viewing tip: The Angelika Film Center is now showing several of Miyazaki's films as part of its Studio Ghibli festival. The next one is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, another goodie.

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Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Highly addictive, this series gets harder to leave as you get closer to the end of the series. Think Harry Potter, but replace magic with alchemy and add hours of thrilling fight scenes. At times funny, sweet and dark, the series starts with the desperate failed attempt of two brothers to bring their mother back from the dead and culminates in a nation-wide war between good and evil forces.

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Viewing tip: Most of the series is available on Netflix and Hulu.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Look up any list of suggested anime and you’ll likely find Evangelion at the top. This 1990s mecha anime series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where teenagers pilot giant robots to battle supernatural beings. But it’s not all just sci-fi action: the series takes care to develop its characters and explores lasting themes of loneliness and the need to find something to live for.

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Attack on Titan

This one has been getting more popular recently, and there are now two live-action movies. Be warned, there’s a lot of titans gobbling up people and a lot of deaths, but the cliffhanger plots will be so enticing you’ll want to watch the next episode anyway.

Viewing tip: It's all on Netflix.

Samurai Champloo

A lighter anime, Champloo sets up an interesting blend between Edo-era Japan and hip-hop culture (listen for the killer soundtrack). In this series, the emphasis is on the three ragtag, flawed but amusing main characters - a vagabond, a lordless samurai and a 15-year-old girl - with nothing in common and their quest to find the samurai who smells of sunflowers.

Viewing tip: It's all on Netflix.

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By Kristen Taketa, Special Contributor