Brutus magazine has released an extensive poll of Japan's best 100 animated series, based on the responses of 20,000 enthusiasts.
The result of the poll will appear in the Sept. 1 edition of the magazine. It ranks "Gundam War," a series about soldier robots, as top of the genre, often referred to as "anime" in a Japanese approximation of animation.
Next was "Lupin III," an action/science fiction series about an expert thief, and "Doraemon," whose namesake character is a catlike creature with supernatural powers.
Among others in the top 10 ranking were "Dragonball," "Space Battleship Yamato" and "Heidi, Girl of the Alps."
The poll was conducted jointly by Brutus magazine, published by Magazine House Co., and Animax, an animated television channel. Respondents were recruited through notices in the magazine, on television and on the Internet.
More than 60 percent of the respondents were men, who tended to favor science fiction. Women who answered the poll usually preferred series based on well-known works of literature.
The article contains the highlights of popular animated series, background information and comments from fans.
Japanese animation is well known throughout the world. Many series have been translated into other languages, and enthusiasts have set up anime fan clubs in various countries.