If you are looking for a particular series you will find it available here in the format of your choosing. However my advice is to always select the DVD over the VHS, if you have the option. A DVD will always give you crystal clear pictures, crisp sound quality, as well as, language options, subtitling or dubbing, and they usually have a number of additional extras on them. With Ghost in the Shell, I found the extras captivating as they showed the creation of the movie from line drawings and paid extraordinary attention to detailing real life effects. For example a bullet hitting concrete does not spark unless it hits steel reinforcing rods.

Where to begin - there are so many anime series and movies out there that it is a difficult decision as to where to start. Some of the most popular anime series and movies are listed below, these represent a great starting point. If you are looking for anime directed to a particular genre then take a look at the genre page, it lists all those anime that have similar themes.

One of my favourites has to be Tenchi! It is one of those anime which will make you laugh and smile as the story progresses. It is one of the light hearted anime that just grows upon you.

Although Tenchi Muyo means something along the lines of 'No need for Tenchi', everyone wants Tenchi our hapless hero. Tenchi inadvertently wakes a mummified demon who was imprisoned at the Masaki family shrine 700 years ago by Yosho. This demon is none other than the Space Pirate Extraordinaire, Ryoko. The problems she causes are dwarfed by the arrival of Jurai Princesses Ayeka and Sasami, bubble-brained Galactic Police Agent Miyoshi and interstellar criminal Kagato.

Would you like to get more anime for your dollar, then I would suggest that the DVD boxed sets are the way to go. They can represent a greater savings of $$$ over buying each DVD individually. However you have to be patient for this to work, as they are usually issued towards the end of the series. However sometimes I just cannot wait that long, and start with the first volume with the series box...

There are some wonderful anime movies that you can view. One of the best in the last few years is Spirited Away. It is an astonishing and magical journey of a girl's self-development and discovery. This anime won director Hayao Miyazaki an Oscar at the Academy Awards for 'Best Animated Picture'. It is also the highest grossing film of all time in Japan. Best watched sub-titled as there are differences in the English script which doesn't convey the power of the original story.

Spirited Away is a spiritual journey in which Chihiro plunges into an alternate reality. The petulant and sulky adolescent and her parents find what they think is a deserted amusement park. However Chihiro discovers they're trapped in a bathhouse where the traditional Japanese gods and sprites from all over Japan come to take a rest. Chihiro requests a job from Yu-baba, the greedy witch who rules the baths. As she works, Chihiro's untapped qualities shine through. Through a series of experiences she learns how to live, gaining true will, turning into a lively and courageous girl. The resolve, bravery, and love Chihiro discovers within herself, enables her to save herself and her parents.

One of the most engrossing anime series that have been aired in recent years is Neon Genesis Evangelion. It pits the 'Angels' against humanity. The first impact wiped out the dinosaurs. The second impact devastated humanity. A third impact would destroy humanity totally. How can one stand against the will of God? In battle scenes coupled with awesome classical music, the Evangelions struggle against the Angels, holding fate at bay.

Neon Genesis Evangelion - In 2000 a giant meteor strikes Antarctica, devastating the Earth. Since then, humans and the mysterious aliens known as Angels have been locked in a deadly struggle. It is now 2015 and scientists at the NERV Center in Tokyo 3 are developing ways to combat the Angels using the Human Enhancement Project and giant robots called Evangelions. Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is a reluctant hero who is drafted to pilot Evangelion Unit 01. Shinji, shy and socially maladroit, displays a likeable warmth. Rounding out the cast is Rei Ayanami, a silent, albino pilot of Unit 00; irrepressible Misato Katsuragi; technical expert Ritsuko Akagi; and Shinji's classmates Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida.

There are plenty of other stand alone anime with which to develop a collection. Start by having a look at the following movies. One of my personal favourites is Ghost in the Shell where the animators went to extraordinary attention to detail real life effects. Coupled with a near future setting and a 'what if' scenario.

Ghost in the Shell is one of those films that makes you think of what is possible with technology. In the not-too-distant future, an unnamed government uses lifelike cyborgs or 'enhanced' humans for undercover work. One of the key cyborgs is Major Motoko Kusanagi who quickly finds herself caught up in a tangled web of espionage and intrigue as she searches for the mysterious superhacker known as, 'The Puppet Master'. When Major Kusanagi attempts to stop, 'The Puppet Master', she too starts to question her own self. Are you truly alive if you are a cyborg or a machine? Can you feel true emotions?