This show is probably the best action anime around. Good animation, really cool characters, funny when it tries to be, this is an EXTREMELY popular show. It's also pretty informative about Japanese history, at least it is to unlearned heathen westerners like myself. It takes place 10 years after Bakumatsu, a time af war that marked the end of the feudal sysem. (you know, local lords, samurai, and all of that.) It is about one of those that brought about this change, a man famous for being the most powerful swordsman alive, the Hitokiri Battousai. However, he is now trying to serve penance for all those he killed by wandering Japan as a Rurouni, and wielding a "Sakabatou", a sword with the sharp and blunt edges reversed, so he can use his sword techniques without killing. It also has a great cast of supporting characters and villains, including Saitoh, my favorite character. Aku, Soku, Zan. Much thanks to the shinsen gumi for fansubbing this one.

This is another good anime that doesn't really get as much attention as it deserves. You see Ranma, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Kenshin merchanidse all over the place, but I can't remember ever seeing anything for Yuu Yuu Hakusho. Dammit! I want to buy stuff! why! Ahem. Anyway, this has a good mix of humor and action, interesting characters, and so on. One thing that I especially like about it is that the fighting techniques they use tend to be pretty unusual, rather than the standard rapid punch attack and ki blast. Also the names of the techniques are pretty cool, if a bit cumbersome for something to be shouting out in the middle of a battle. My favorite is Hiei's "En-satsu-koku-ryu-ha!", where he summons a black dragon, then eats it to gain all of it's power for a while.