The University of Idaho Argonaut

Anime is a part of fandom that has rabid fans and intense haters. People either love the surreal storylines, diverse genres and sight gags, or they hate the tentacle monsters, perverted old men and scantily-clad schoolgirls. Hentai, or pornographic anime, gives the subculture a bad name, but there are many shows that transcend the stereotypes of the often misaligned type of animation.

“Azumanga Daioh” began as a four-panel comic strip. The series about girls growing up in junior high doesn’t have the usual ditzy female characters of many Japanese shows. “Azumanga Daioh” features strong, smart female characters who behave like normal people instead of boy-crazed sex objects. Beyond the positive portrayal of women, the show is extremely funny, even to those who wouldn’t normally enjoy anime. The running jokes include a cat that likes to bite, Chiyo’s pigtails detaching from her head and Osaka’s space cadet ways.

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator who has created some of the best animated works of all time. Rather than doing the typical show with slapstick comedy or brooding pretty boys, he features heroines who do more than act as romantic interests. “Princess Mononoke,” which incorporates Japanese folklore but is still enjoyable to those unfamiliar with the stories, is a lesson against interfering with nature and has rich visuals of traditional gods in wolf and boar forms. His other movies often tell the stories of young girls growing up and overcoming obstacles, like freeing parents in “Spirited Away” or escaping the sadness of a sick mother in “My Neighbor Totoro.” Miyazaki’s movies are some of the best examples in the genre.

“Perfect Blue” could be mistaken for an animated Hitchcock film. The movie follows a singing starlet who leaves her pop group and begins acting in a miniseries as a stripper. As she immerses herself in her character, she becomes depressed and longs for her former identity, while her show is unsuccessful and her pop group climbs the charts. “Perfect Blue” is suspenseful and terrifying, and a fine example of what anime can do beyond giant robots and cat-girls in bikinis.