Best Fantasy Anime of 2001

Stubborn, spoiled, and naive, 10-year-old Chihiro Ogino is far from thrilled when she and her parents stumble upon an abandoned amusement park while en route to their new home. Carefully venturing inside, she soon discovers that this place is not what it appears to be, as strange occurrences begin after nightfall. Ghostly apparitions and food that transforms her parents into pigs are only the beginning—Chihiro has unknowingly entered the spirit world. Now trapped, she must find the courage to live and work among the spirits, aided by the mysterious Haku and the colorful cast of characters she encounters along the way. Vivid and captivating, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi follows Chihiro's journey through a strange world as she fights to rescue her parents and find her way back home.

Ten-year-old Takato Matsuda enjoys playing the Digimon card game with his friends and getting lost in its imaginative world. One day, he discovers a strange blue card in his collection and swipes it through his card reader. Unbeknownst to him, this action causes it to transform into a D-Ark Digivice. When the mysterious device scans his drawings of an original Digimon named Guilmon, it produces a Digi-Egg that hatches into a real version of his own creation! Though Takato is overjoyed to have a genuine Digimon, his idealistic fantasy crumbles when he realizes his energetic new friend needs constant attention. Making matters worse, Guilmon becomes a target for Ruki Makino, a rival tamer who uses her partner Renamon to defeat other Digimon and absorb their data to grow stronger. Fortunately, Takato gains allies in his classmate Li Jianliang and his witty Digimon partner Terriermon to assist him on his path as a true tamer. As dangerous enemies appear more frequently, Takato must deepen his connection with Guilmon to safeguard both the human world and the Digital World.

Fifty years ago, the sinister stones called Dark Brings triggered the "Overdrive," a catastrophic event that wiped out a tenth of the planet. In the present, the evil group Demon Card seeks the power of the Dark Brings for their less-than-innocent purposes. Haru Glory, a silver-haired teenager who wields a sword, inherits the title of Rave Master: the one who holds the power of the legendary Rave Stones, artifacts that can destroy the Dark Brings. But the many Rave Stones were scattered worldwide after the Overdrive, letting Demon Card continue their wrongdoing. Groove Adventure Rave follows Haru, his odd dog Plue, the fiery blonde Ellie, and the infamous thief Musica, as they set off on a grand journey around the vast world, searching for the Rave Stones that will finally put an end to Demon Card's tyranny.

In the conflict between the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth, the dream seer Princess Hinoto foresees humanity's end. The key figure, 15-year-old Kamui Shirou, must decide whether to side with the Dragons of Earth, destroying civilization to safeguard the planet, or with the Dragons of Heaven to save humankind. Following his mother's dying wish, Kamui returns to Tokyo after six years away. He attempts to steal the Sacred Sword from a temple guarded by Kyougo Monou, the father of his childhood friends Fuuma and Kotori. When Kamui's effort fails, a mysterious figure obtains the sword instead. Believing Kamui matches her prophecy, Hinoto dispatches the Dragons of Heaven to recruit him. Though Kamui initially rejects his fate, the relentless attacks by the Dragons of Earth on those he cares about force him to choose between his friends' lives and the Earth's fate, ultimately compelling him to pick a side.

Years earlier, an interdimensional gateway opened, unleashing two monsters into the skies above the Sea of Japan, visible to every nation along the coast. After destroying the naval fleet sent to investigate, the two creatures turned on each other. Watching the battle from Japan, researchers Joe and Marie Hayakawa were pulled into the portal. When they returned to Earth, they compiled and published their journey's findings in a legendary book titled "Day of Succession." Twelve years later, they attempted a second expedition into that other dimension—and never came back. Twins Ai and Yu Hayakawa decide to set out in search of their parents and the mysterious Wonderland they studied. At the ruins of an abandoned subway station, they wait for a train that will take them to the other world. Onboard, they meet Lisa Pacifist, who quickly resolves to help them find their missing family. Can the three of them succeed in locating Joe and Marie?

A small pink space creature named Kirby crash-lands into Dream Land. After becoming familiar with the residents of Cappy Town, he starts protecting the town from the monsters that King Dedede, the self-proclaimed ruler of Cappy Town, commissions from the evil Nightmare Enterprises.

Season Fairies use special musical instruments to create and control the weather. They make the wind blow, the snow fall, and the sun shine—anything related to weather is their doing. Sugar, an apprentice Snow Fairy, along with her friends Salt and Pepper, wants to become a full-fledged Season Fairy. The only way to achieve this is to search for and find the "Twinkles" that will make their magical flowers bloom. The problem is that none of them know what a Twinkle is. They recruit the somewhat unwilling help of Saga, a human girl who can see Season Fairies. Much to her annoyance, Saga’s perfectly planned and ordered life has become a little too lively. Together, they search for the mysterious Twinkles while trying to perfect their magic.

Louie is a muscular student at the mages' guild who is grudgingly taken in by three young women—Merrill the thief, Genie the fighter, and Melissa the priestess—to join their adventuring party. Together, the group explores ancient ruins, battles dark creatures, and forms new friendships, all while slowly uncovering a dangerous conspiracy lurking within the kingdom.

To avert the catastrophe called the Grand Fall, Rid Hershel and companions Farah, Keel, and Meredy have acquired the three Greater Spirits (known as Craymels in the game) of Inferia. While en route to Mount Farlos, Rid is abducted by bounty hunter Marone Blucarno, forcing the party to travel to Belcarnu, a remote archipelago far from Inferia's main cities. A chain of adventures leaves them stranded on the islands, where a more pressing threat to Inferia slumbers.

Goro is having a run of bad luck, frequently losing jobs and struggling financially. While passing a pet shop, he encounters a fortune-teller who foretells a change in fortune. That evening, three young women show up in his apartment, introducing themselves as his guardian angels. Eventually, twelve girls in total arrive to assist him, each one the reincarnation of a pet Goro had previously owned and that had passed away.

Claude C. Kenni serves as a crew member aboard the spaceship Calnus and is the son of the vessel's commander. He gets transported to Expel, a primitive planet where swords and magic are the norm. There, he joins forces with Rena Lanford, who believes him to be the legendary Warrior of Light, along with other allies, to look into the Sorcery Globe—a meteorite that has been creating trouble across the world.

At Daimon High School, students settle their conflicts through official duels held in the school's K-Fight battle arena. Ryoko Mitsurugi, the undefeated K-Fight champion and a samurai girl, is summoned by a mysterious Priestess to defend Earth from an invasion originating from the alternate universe of Solvania. She must confront battles that challenge her skills, her friendships, and her emotions, all to uncover her true power as a samurai warrior.

In the second chapter, Ryo Takatsuki and his allies press onward in their search to uncover the mystery of the strange A.R.M.S. each of them wields, and to understand what fate has in store for them. They have discovered where the answers are hidden, but reaching them means engaging in a desperate struggle for survival against a powerful military corporation that will do anything to seize their secrets.

Parappa is an ordinary talking dog who likes spending time with his friends, listening to music, and having adventures. Along with his companions, Parappa finds himself in all sorts of odd situations while learning how to get through life, get along with those around him, and yearn for the affection of Sunny Funny, the girl he dreams of. Based on a similarly quirky rhythm game, Parappa the Rapper features a distinctive flat art style, vivid bursts of color, and a cast of strange yet endearing characters. Parappa's friends include an anthropomorphic blue cat, a lamb, and even a flower. Parappa's experiences range from everyday events to the truly strange. He encounters mischievous villains, helps settle matters of friendship and romance, and even journeys through time itself. No matter what happens, Parappa never loses his positive attitude toward life.

Kanzaki Meirin is a junior high school student with the ability to repel evil spirits using feng shui. In reality, she operates as the fortune teller Dr. Rin. Although she harbors romantic feelings for her best friend and soccer club member Yuuki Asuka, he has a strong aversion to fortune-telling and superstitions.

Haruno Kasumi is a fourth-grader whose parents are zoologists conducting research in Africa. To see them off, she arrives at Kasumi Town. In the center of the town stands a massive mansion encircled by forest. This mansion belongs to the Kasumi household, the family with whom Kasumi will be lodging and who will take care of her. The mansion has a mysterious atmosphere, and Kasumi discovers a series of talking appliances. The Kasumi family calls these creatures "Henamon." In exchange for living with the family, Kasumi helps with household chores like cooking and washing. Surrounded by various intriguing characters, Kasumi begins a new chapter in her life.

Have you ever encountered the Vampirians? One noble family of these vegetarian vampires was banished from Monsterland because they couldn't frighten humans. To lift their exile, Papa, the family's head, must scare one thousand humans. He tries using his brilliant inventing skills to achieve this, but always fails. Making things harder, Papa's daughter Sue falls in love with a human boy and no longer wishes to return to Monsterland. Can Papa ever bring his family back home?

The spirit world, the real world, and the Internet cyber realm are kept in peace and harmony by the Dimension Stone, a creation of three deities—Dragon King, Zeus, and Zoolu. One day, because Doddery had a date, he bribed Super Baby with milk and switched guard duty for the stone. A-jang engages in an intense battle with LuPin and Pigu until the very end, but during the fight something goes wrong with the Dimension Stone. The unusual energy it releases throws the spirit world into chaos. Many spirits, including LuPin and Pigu, fall into cyberspace, while A-jang barely manages to escape.

Possessing the ability to travel through time, Captain Fatz and his comrades set out on a quest filled with battles and adventure to collect the eight scattered stone fragments—Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Wood, and Metal—that were shattered by the lord of destruction, aiming to restore peace to the chaotic world.

Dong Woo is a kind, dependable, and upbeat boy. He experiences strange sensations whenever he opens his closet door, and he is the only one who can sense them. Why is this? Dong Woo is fated to become "the one who opens the Door." His closet serves as a hidden passage linking the real world to a fourth-dimensional realm known as "Uniland." Every time he opens the door, the wavelength from that other world flows into him.

Baboo Factory is an extremely brief anime that broadcasts during a cooking program titled Wagamanma Kitchen. The characters are adorable alien creatures known as Baboos, originating from the PlayStation game Astronoka. In Astronoka, the Baboos were 3D polygon characters, but in Baboo Factory, they appear as standard 2D anime characters. The Baboos do not communicate in any human language; instead, they only utter "baboo baboo," with Japanese subtitles provided at the bottom of the screen.