Best Fantasy Anime of 1996

After a lengthy quest, Emperor Pilaf finally locates the Black Star Dragon Balls, rumored to be twice as powerful as Earth's regular Dragon Balls. As he is about to wish for world domination, Gokuu Son intervenes, causing Pilaf to fumble his incantation and accidentally transform Gokuu back into a child. Once the wish is granted, the Black Star Dragon Balls scatter across the galaxy. Gokuu discovers that unless they are recollected within a year, Earth will be destroyed. To avert this disaster, he joins forces with his granddaughter Pan and the young adult Trunks, setting off on an interstellar journey to retrieve the scattered balls and save their planet.

Hitomi Kanzaki is a typical 15-year-old schoolgirl who enjoys tarot cards and fortune-telling, but one evening, a boy named Van Fanel appears from the sky alongside a vicious dragon. Thanks to Hitomi's premonition, Van manages to slay the dragon, yet a pillar of light engulfs them both, transporting Hitomi to the world of Gaea—a mysterious land where the Earth hangs in the sky. In this strange realm, Hitomi learns that Van is a prince of the Kingdom of Fanelia, which is soon attacked by the evil Zaibach Empire. To fight back, Van pilots his family's ancient guymelef, Escaflowne—a mechanized battle suit—but fails to repel the attack, and Fanelia is destroyed. Forced to flee, Hitomi and Van meet a handsome Asturian knight named Allen Schezar, whom Hitomi is astonished to discover looks exactly like her crush from Earth. With new allies at their side, Van and Hitomi resist the forces of Zaibach as the empire seeks to revive an ancient power.

In the kingdom of Xoana, Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev run into their former allies, Zelgadis Graywords and Princess Ameilia Wil Tesla Saillune. The reunited group quickly thwarts the King of Xoana and his daughter’s evil scheme for global domination. Later, it emerges that Zelgadis is hunting the Claire Bible, a priceless magical grimoire, believing it holds the secret to restoring his human form. Despite his reservations, his companions agree to accompany him on this quest. As they ponder how to begin their search for the legendary tome, they encounter a mysterious priest named Xellos, who offers his assistance in their pursuit.

Loudmouthed martial artist Junpei Ryuzouji, elegant actress Airi Komiyama, and cheerful but artillery-obsessed student Ritsuko Inoue are transported from their homeland of Japan to a strange, magical world. When the elven priestess Celcia Marieclaire attempts to cast the spell to send them home, she is interrupted, and the spell shatters into fragments that scatter across the world. Those fragments imprint themselves onto the skin of various elves. The trio travels in Ritsuko's tank, searching for elves who may carry the spell fragments so Celcia can transfer them into her own body and reassemble the spell. As they journey, people begin to call them "Those Who Hunt Elves," earning a reputation as warriors who stop evildoers with their miraculous cannon, terrifying elves by stripping any they find. Though they are not the smartest group, they compensate with enthusiasm and a strong determination to return to Japan.

Cinderella is the daughter of a wealthy duke who remarries to give her a mother and sisters. When the duke goes abroad, Cinderella realizes her new family is far from loving. With spoiled stepsisters and a harsh stepmother, she is forced to do all the cooking, cleaning, and housework. Yet she stays cheerful, gentle, and kind to her family, her animal friends, and a mysterious boy named Charles who appears to have a link to the prince of Emerald Castle. This is a new take on a classic fairy tale. When Cinderella's cruel stepmother stops her from attending the Royal Ball, she receives unexpected help from the adorable mice Gus and Jaq, as well as from her Fairy Godmother.

Trouble erupts one day in Staccato. Demons appear and begin terrorizing the townspeople, and the entire country appears to be under threat. The problem stems from the weakening "barrier" that has until now prevented demons from crossing into the human world. The barrier's keeper, Queen Horn of Sforzando, is losing strength after maintaining it for so many years. Hell King Bass is attempting to break through the barrier and free their "supreme leader," Kestra (Orchestra)—a being of unmatched power who remains trapped somewhere in the human realm.

After following Baba Lamunade home, two mysterious peddler girls present him with a CD-ROM game. Upon completing "The Legend of Lamuness," they emerge from his computer and transport him to DokiDoki Space. As the third descendant of the hero Lamuness, he is tasked with preventing Don Genosai from reviving the great evil Abraham. With the help of his advisor robot PQ and companions Parfait and Cacao, he pilots the Kaizer Fire mecha. Since a second pilot is required, Da Cider is selected for the role.

Based on L. Frank Baum' novel: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

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