Shin Yoshida Movies

Gotham City has Batman and New York has Spiderman, but what dark hero protects the gritty, future Tokyo? The answer is the Karas, the main characters of this feature-film-length anime of the same name. Blending 2D cell-shaded animation and 3D computer graphics, Karas: The Prophecy finds the delicate balance between the humans of Tokyo and the ghostly beings that inhabit the city in a parallel universe suddenly disrupted. For thousands of years, the peace has been kept by noble beings called the Karas, who strive to make both the dark and light sides live in harmony. Power breeds corruption however, and now Eko - a former Karas who once swore to protect the city and maintain the balance there -- has since grown bitter and vengeful. He has granted some malicious poltergeists physical bodies so that he can personally rule the humanity he once served. The incarnate of the city, Yurine, must come to the people's aid and so she creates a new Karas to battle the old one. Two Karas have never existed in the same city before, and as a battle for the fate of humanity ensues, it is certain that only one will remain. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

The first Japanese anime series created specifically for America's Cartoon Network, The Big O nevertheless made its official debut over Japanese television on October 13, 1999. The series was set in Paradigm City, some forty years after the metropolis was devastated by "the Event," an unspecified catastrophe which also wiped out everyone's memories. The citizenry of this post-apocalyptic society lived under martial law with Roger Smith (aka "The Negotiator") forsworn to look after the best interests of the populace. Helping Roger are his butler, Norman; his android companion, Dorothy; and his robot "bodyguard," the titular Big O. Although Roger was at first loyal to the leaders of Paradigm City, he began to seriously question their right to rule as he delved deeper and deeper into the secrets of the distant past. The Big O made its American premiere as part of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block on April 2, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi