Anime Movies in WideScreen.

Well, the best anime movie, in my opinion, is Akira. There are 3 versions available. There is a single-disc barebones edition, a 2-disc special edition, and a single disc barebones edition that includes a brand new Japanese DTS 5.1 audio track. I would honestly go for either the SE or the DTS edition. If you have any interest at all in watching it subtitled, then go for the DTS version.

You also might want to take a look at Hayao Miyazaki's movies (Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Castle In The Sky, and Kiki's Delivery Service). The 2 versions of Jin-Roh that you speak of are the single disc and the SE. I believe that the single disc is just the first disc from the SE. I have not heard more complaints over one version.

Check out the HTF Anime Recommendations list that is linked to in my sig. It has lots of suggestions on what to watch.

An *awesome* anime film that just came out last week is Patlabor WXIII (Wasted 13).

Stunning animation, stunning audio and a good script.

The Animatrix shorts are all in 2.35:1 (as far as I know) and look very nice!
they'll be out on June 6th, I think.

If you are going to watch it in English, why not just watch some American animation?

I would recommend Batman: Return of the Joker and Lilo and Stich (special note with Batman: only the unrated cut is in widescreen)

But really, since anime is such a niche market, most of the anime movies on DVD ARE widescreen with just a few exceptions (My Neighbor Totoro comes to mind).

Well, here are some of my anime movies which I own & are in Widescreen:

Ghost In The Shell
Perfect Blue
Princess Mononoke

There are 2 anime threads here on HTF:
Novice Anime Discussion:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=126664

Advanced Anime Discussion Part III
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=108150

Exactly, if you want English, watch things made in English.

Many anime are labeled "The Movie" but were never intended to go beyond 1.33:1, so typically it's not a reliable indicator of aspect ratio. In addition there are many movies (like Macross Plus) that were taken theatrical later

A good example is City Hunter: The Motion Picture aka City Hunter: Goodbye My Sweetheart. My DVD says City Hunter: The Motion Picture but this movie was made for TV.

*Puts on flame proof suit*

Don, don't let them dictate how you watch it. Watch it in what makes you comfortable. While subtitled is always better, the dub can SOMETIMES be a good alternative. If you aren't used to subtitles, like me, then go for the dub. But remember, dubs can go horribly wrong, like Lupin. I would like to remind everyone to be careful about debating subtitles vs dubs. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...79#post1466079

I can go either way. It makes no difference to me. But I usually wind up putting the dub on for the first time I watch something, and the next time I'll watch it subbed. That way I know the story, and if I miss a few words, it won't matter because I already know what happens.

You should check out The Animatrix when it comes out. The original language is English, so you don't have to worry about subtitles.

New R1 DVD releases of awesome series like .hack//Sign and Noir are anamorphic widescreen. I've never seen bigger, better looking anime series!
At least half of all current series airing in Japan that I get fansubs of are widescreen, like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Project, .hack//Luminality, .hack//Dusk, Haibane Renmei, LastEXILE, Licenced by Royal, etc, all are very popular and should eventualy, in 1-3 years come out on R1 DVDs.
I forgot if RahXephon series is widescreen or not.

If you really like anime, you have to watch a lot of 4:3 stuff. The fact is that most anime is 4:3, and a ton of great anime is 4:3, be it sourced from TV, OVA, or "movie".

This is changing and even some anime TV shows are now being produced in true widescreen. But writing off all of 4:3 anime is like a western film fan writing off all black-and-white movies. There is a huge legacy which should not be ignored.

I cannot understand this kind of thinking. Just because he wants to watch anime dubbed in English, he should stay away from it? You don't even know why he may want it in English.
He may be just getting an interest in anime and now he is being told "if you are going to watch dubs....get out". For all we know he may have difficulty keeping up with subs.

Lots of people I know just don't want to read a movie....they want to watch it. It is too bad they don't want to take advantage of subs, but it is their perogative if they want to miss out on some of the superior OSL work.

Don,

Here is the English Track section of the AnimeOnDVD forum. You'll find more people there who are tolerant of the optional english soundtrack found on most anime titles.

I'm sorry more people here aren't tolerant of people wanting to watch dubs, especially since their inclusion these days is almost always optional and not in place of the original language.

I watch all of my anime subbed, and occasionally when watching the second or third time I will watch the dub, if the cast is really good. I still consider the sub the only 'official' version, but dubs are valuable. They draw more people into the hobby (tons of the sub-only folks started out with dubs), and make it possible for children (and those who are simply slower readers) to absorb much of the original work.

Most anime is NOT in widescreen. But that doesn't mean that you should skip out if they are not, as others have emphasized on the board.

Some other movies for your considerdation include:

Patlabor 1
Patlabor 2
Ghost in the Shell
Jin Roh: The Wolf Brigade Ultimate Edition
Ah! My Goddess
Castle of Cagliostro
Perfect Blue
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Kiki's Delivery Service
Grave of the Fireflies CE
Escaflowne: Girl in Gaia ULTIMATE edition

Some OAVs that are even better than the movies (OAV stands for Original Animated Video, aka OVA (original video animation) and are direct to video releases))

Samurai X: Trust & Samurai X: Betrayal
Macross Plus Part 1 & 2
Tenchi Muyo! Ultimate Edition
Bastard! Perfect Colllection

There are more, but this is a simple list with a variety of anime for those unfamiliar to try out.

removed

Jeff, please reread post #15, which represents the final word regarding these discussions.

don, i know i'm sticking with the whole ws format deal here but since you have seen VHD:bloodlust you may want to check out the first VHD. imo it's a really good movie, just most people who have seen bloodlust beforehand have a hard time looking at the 80's animation and judge it on that. as for some others that i movies i would suggest trying out:

3x3 eyes (really an ova but well worth the 50$ or so!)
wicked city
perfect blue
blood: the last vampire (story doesn't really sum itself up well but still a good one)
X
ninja scroll (one of my favs)
princess mononoke
metropolis
the kenshin ova's (trust and betrayal)

also yes rahxephon is in ws as well as the chobits series.

Also, Sugar (anamorphic) and Vandread (non-anamorphic) are widescreen.

Jehan thanx for the heads up. i guess i'll hold off on buying trust and betrayal and "double dip" on the SE of ninja scroll. i'm still waiting on buying the whole kenshin series till they start doing the box sets which i heard will be later this year