Cartoon rating guide for the smart adult: v2.0, 3/31/2007 Why watch cartoons if you're an adult?

Because cartoons have the best scores, mo st interesting plots and/or most humorous dialogue, and the best "cinematography " of any visual media. The best are stunning works of art and imagination. This is a rating guide, not a review book -- hit up Google & Wikipedia, then Ama zon and IMDB forums for extended analyses. Its purpose is to quickly alert you t o animation you may never have heard of. It is also skewed from the perspective of an adult animation fan -- a lowly-rated show may be immensely enjoyable for s mall children and even competently-made, but was of little interest to me; a hig hly-rated show will be competently-made, and may or may not be enjoyable for or even marketed to small children. Lastly, if a show has English-language versions , those are the versions I have likely watched (and I appreciate good dubbing an d loathe bad dubbing). This list covers mainly animated television series, although many films are incl uded. I have not seen every episode of some shows rated 7 and lower and many epi sodes of shows rated 5 or lower; indicated ratings may change if I see new episo des of better or worse quality than those previous, or if many better or worse e pisodes of other shows alter the landscape. Anything rated at least "5" is in the category of "average show worth watching, provided you have time"; you probably won't watch re-runs, however. A typical "5 " cartoon features arch-type characters and villains, with serviceable if unexce ptional dialogue, animation and plots. "4"s and lower feature too much bad anima tion, one-dimensional characters, lousy voice-acting, plot-holes, dumbed-down or just plain stupid writing and spastic slapstick for this adult reviewer to stom ach -- although kids will like many of them. "3"s and lower will have the smart adult scrambling for the remote. "6"s and "7"s feature more charismatic characte rs, more innovative drawing and intelligent scripting than average, and anything rated "8" or better is likely to pull you in to watching a re-run while you're channel-flipping, even if it's well-memorized already. Anything rated "9" is tru ly exceptional, and perfect in nearly every way. "10"s are reserved only for tho se shows which, IMO, will become or already are timeless classics. Highly-rated shows generally have unique and memorable musical scores associated with them. M ake an effort to see every "9" and up before you croak, and most 7s and 8s. - "3D" indicates a computer generated style as opposed to a 2D cel-painting. - "adult" indicates overly lewd sexual references and/or foul language. Some adu lt-oriented cartoons are superlative witty parodies or taut thrillers; many are rancid, fast-buck trash. - "cards" means the show is a marketing vehicle to sell trading cards; most of t hese involve children with strange monster pets or summoned creatures who fight each other. - "comedy" describes humorous shows that are neither toons nor spoofs. - "DCAU" refers to the "DC Animated Universe" created by Bruce Timm and Paul Din i. - "east" denotes an oriental-themed samurai or martial-arts cartoon. - "family" indicates a show with very broad appeal; it isn't specifically writte n for any age group, and is neither "dumbed down" nor "sophisticated humor". - "fantasy" indicates the presence of magic or "chi" and/or spirts, gods, demons , undead, fantastic animals, etc, but the setting is in an otherwise more or les s realistic world. - "Ghibli" indicates the acclaimed Japanese animation studio, or to anything pri or involving its founders Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. - "girl" indicates the presence of important female protagonists. - "kids" means the show is appealing to small children (whether or not dialogue is dumbed-down). - "mecha" indicates giant robots.

- "movie" means a single, stand-along show, regardless of whether it played in t heaters. - "realistic" indicates real-world physics are observed, nobody has superpowers, and animated characters are essentially like real people and don't take inordin ate risks, speak "one-liner dialogue" or "mug for the camera". - "scary" means weird monsters may frighten very small children and give them ni ghtmares, even if it's a comedy otherwise popular with kids. I afix this term on ly to shows marketed toward family or children's audiences (I take it for grante d that teen- and adult-oriented shows are filled with imagery guaranteed to frig hten toddlers, especially anything rated "violent"). - "series" means plots span multiple episodes and even seasons (so they are best watched in order); lack of this term doesn't mean, however, that all of a show' s episodes are "stand-alones". - "spoofs" parody cultural or other-show references which younger persons are le ss likely to be aware of; a kid's cartoon which is also a spoof is likely to dra g up this reviewer's rating due to intelligent writing. - "superhero" means some characters have extraordinary abilities or "mutant" pow ers which permit them to cheat real-world physics which others have to obey in a n otherwise more or less real world. While many cartoons feature characters who trend in this direction, superheroes are invariably costumed protagonists who ar e (in)famous for their abilities. - "toon" means real-world physics are expressly NOT observed, animals talk, char acters have "three fingers & thumb" hands, gravity is defied until noticed, etc. - "ultra-violent" shows so wallow in gore that many would consider them complete ly depraved. - "violent" means there's realistic combat with injuries and blood, and/or on-sc reen death, and the show is usually inappropriate for small children (the lack o f this term, however, doesn't mean that a show lacks fighting). - "WMT" indicates Japan's "World Masterpiece Theater". 10 T 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 - 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother - series, family, adventure, realistic, WM Adventures of Prince Achmed, The - movie, family, fantasy, girl, adventure Cowboy Bebop - series, sci-fi, violent, girl Future Boy Conan - series, family, adventure, Ghibli, girl Kiki's Delivery Service - Ghibli, movie, family, girl, fantasy My Neighbor Totoro - Ghibli, movie, family, kids, girl, fantasy, adventure Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water - family, girl, violent, adventure Oban Star-Racers - series, adventure, sci-fi, girl Popeye: Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp - toon, family, fantasy, movie-short Romeo's Blue Skies - series, family, adventure, realistic, WMT Samurai Champloo - series, spoof, violent, adventure, adult, girl, east Venture Bros., The - adult, spoof, violent Whisper of the Heart - movie, girl, family, realistic, Ghibli

9 - Avatar, The Last Airbender - series, fantasy, adventure, girl, east 9 - Beauty and the Beast - movie, Disney, fantasy, girl, family, scary 9 - Courage the Cowardly Dog - toon, family, spoof, scary 9 - FLCL (Fooly Cooly) - series, comedy, girl, sci-fi, fantasy 9 - Gauche The Cellist (Sero Hiki no Goshu) - movie, Ghibli, family, fantasy 9 - Grave of the Fireflies - movie, drama, realistic, violent, Ghibli 9 - Laputa (Castle in the Sky) - Ghibli, family, movie, adventure, girl, sci-fi 9 - Lupin III (or the Third, English dub version) - comedy, adventure, girl, spo of, adult 9 - Mysterious Cities of Gold, The - series, kids, adventure, girl, fantasy, edu cational 9 - Nausica of the Valley of the Wind - Ghibli, movie, girl, fantasy, adventure 9 - Pom Poko (The Raccoon War) - Ghibli, movie, fantasy 9 - Porko Rosso - Ghibli, movie, adventure, girl, fantasy, family

9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

Princess Mononoke - Ghibli, movie, fantasy, adventure, violent, scary, girl Rocket Power - kids, comedy, girl Rocky & Bullwinkle Show, The - kids, spoof, toon Spirited Away - Ghibli, family, movie, fantasy, girl, adventure, scary Superman, The Animated Series - superhero, DCAU, girl, family Teen Titans - spoof, superhero, DCAU, girl, family Akira - movie, sci-fi, violent Batman Beyond - superhero, DCAU, sci-fi Batman, The Animated Series - superhero, DCAU Cat Returns, The - movie, Ghibli, fantasy, girl, family Full Metal Alchemist - series, fantasy, violent, comedy, east Futurama - adult, spoof, sci-fi, toon Gargoyles - series, fantasy, mecha, violent, girl, Disney Ghostbusters, Extreme - fantasy, scary, comedy Ghostbusters, The Real (seasons 1-3 only) - kids, fantasy, scary, comedy Heavy Metal - movie, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, violent, adult, girl Howl's Moving Castle - Ghibli, movie, girl, fantasy, violent Iron Giant, The - mecha, comedy, family, movie Jackie Chan Adventures - family, fantasy, girl, comedy Justice League, Unlimited - superhero, sci-fi, DCAU Kappa Mikey - spoof, toon, girl Lilo & Stitch (animated TV) - kids, sci-fi, comedy, girl, Disney Mulan - movie, fantasy, girl, Disney My Life as a Teenage Robot - kids, toon, sci-fi, spoof, girl, superhero Pinky and the Brain - kids, toon, spoof ReBoot - toon, fantasy, spoof, 3D Static Shock - kids, superhero, DCAU Star Wars: Clone Wars - series, sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, violent Valhalla - movie, kids, fantasy, girl

7 - Afro-Samurai - series, east, adult, ultra-violent 7 - Batman, The - series, superhero 7 - Ben 10 - kids, sci-fi 7 - Big O, The - series, mecha, sci-fi, violent 7 - Bleach - series, sci-fi, fantasy, violent, comedy, scary, east 7 - Case Closed (Detective Conan) - series, family, mystery, adventure 7 - Daria - girl, comedy, realistic, adult 7 - Dexter's Lab - kids, toon, spoof, sci-fi, girl 7 - Ghost in the Shell, Stand Alone Complex, 2nd Gig - series, sci-fi, violent, girl 7 - Infinite Ryvius - series, sci-fi, drama, girl 7 - Invader Zim - toon, kids, spoof, sci-fi 7 - Korgoth of Barbaria - adult, spoof, fantasy 7 - Martin Mystery - sci-fi, comedy, scary, girl 7 - Megas XLR - kids, mecha, spoof, girl 7 - Naruto - series, east, violent, girl, fantasy, comedy 7 - Outlaw Star - series, sci-fi, comedy, girl, adventure 7 - Popeye - toon, family, spoof, girl 7 - Powerpuff Girls, The - kids, toon, spoof, girl, superhero 7 - Robot Chicken - toon, spoof, adult 7 - Rock & Rule - movie, fantasy, sci-fi, girl 7 - Samurai Jack - kids, sci-fi, superhero, adventure, east 7 - Scrapped Princess - series, fantasy, sci-fi, girl, adventure, scary 7 - Shuriken School - kids, toon, spoof, girl, east 7 - The Tick - toon, kids, spoof, superhero 7 - Time Warp Trio - kids, fantasy, educational 7 - Trigun - series, sci-fi, violent, comedy, girl 7 - Tutenstein - kids, toon, adventure, girl 7 - W.I.T.C.H. - girl, fantasy, comedy

7 - Yin Yang Yo! - kids, toon, Disney, spoof, east 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 A.T.O.M - kids, superhero, sci-fi Aeon Flux - series, sci-fi, ultra-violent, adult Aladdin - kids, toon, fantasy, Disney American Dragon Jake Long - kids, superhero, east Beastwars - toon, mecha, 3D Blu Gender - series, sci-fi, mecha, violent, drama, girl Danny Phantom - toon, sci-fi, spoof, girl Escaflowne - series, fantasy, mecha, violent Eureka Seven - series, mecha, violent, sci-fi Fafner in the Azure (Dead Aggressor) - series, sci-fi, mecha, violent Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The - kids, toon, spoof, girl Hercules - kids, fantasy, superhero, comedy, Disney Hobbit, The - fantasy, adventure, family, movie InuYasha - series, east, violent, fantasy, girl Johnny Bravo - toon, spoof Kim Possible - comedy, girl, sci-fi, Disney Legion of Superheroes - kids, superhero, DCAU(?) Mar - toon, fantasy, comedy, east My Dad the Rock Star - kids, spoof, girl Ninja Scroll - movie, adult, ultra-violent, fantasy, east One Piece - kids, toon, adventure Paranoia Agent - drama, violent, comedy Recess: School's Out - movie, kids S-CRY-ed - sci-fi, mecha, superhero, east Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! - kids, toon, mecha, superhero, scary Tenchi Muyo! - series, fantasy, girl Legend of Tarzan - kids, toon, girl, adventure TaleSpin - kids, toon, girl, adventure, Disney Thunderbirds - series, adventure, comedy Totally Spies - comedy, girl Witch Hunter Robin - series, fantasy, girl, violent Wolf's Rain - series, fantasy, violent, sci-fi Xiaolin Showdown - kids, toon, fantasy, comedy, east Zeta Project, The - kids, girl, superhero, sci-fi, DCAU Beavis and Butthead - toon, adult, spoof Berserk - series, adult, violent, fantasy Beyblade - kids, east Blue Submarine #6 - series, sci-fi, realistic, violent Buzz Lightyear of Star Command - kids, toon, sci-fi, Disney, 3D Digimon - kids, toon, cards, adventure Dragonball Z - series, east, violent, fantasy, comedy Duck Dodgers - toon, spoof, sci-fi Duel Masters - kids, cards, spoof Get Ed - toon, kids, sci-fi Gigantor - kids, mecha Goof Troop - kids, toon, Disney Gotham Girls - series, girl, superhero, DCAU Gundam Wing - series, sci-fi, mecha, violent Hey Arnold! - kids, comedy Horus, Prince of the Sun - movie, Ghibli, fantasy, adventure Johnny Quest, Real Adventures of - adventure, girl, fantay Metalocalypse - adult, spoof, ultra-violent Mobile Suit Gundam - series, mecha Proud Family, The - comedy, girl Pucca - kids, toon, girl, east Record of the Lodoss Wars - series, fantasy, violent Reign: The Conqueror - series, fantasy, violent, adult

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 t 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Rocko's Modern Life - kids, toon Sailor Moon - series, kids, east, girl, fantasy, comedy Silverwing - series, kids, scary, adventure Samurai Deeper Kyo - series, fantasy, violent, east Shinzo - series, kids, fantasy, cards, east Skyland - sci-fi, adventure, girl, 3D Speed Racer - adventure Spongebob Squarepants - kids, toon Swat Kats - kids, toon, fantasy The Secret Show - kids, spoof, sci-fi, superhero The X's - toon, sci-fi Time Squad - toon, spoof, kids, educational Timon and Pumba - kids, toon, Disney Trinity Blood - series, vampires, violent Wizards - fantasy, movie, violent Xyber 9 - mecha, sci-fi Yakkity Yak - kids, toon YuYu Hakusho - series, east, girl, fantasy Zatch Bell! - kids, cards, comedy Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The - kids, toon, 3D Animaniacs (without Pinky and the Brain) - kids, spoof, toon Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo - toon, kids, spoof Camp Lazlo - kids, toon, girl Class of 3000 - kids, comedy, sci-fi, girl Codename: Kids Next Door - kids, toon, girl Corneil & Bernie - kids, toon Dragon Booster, kids, fantasy, cards(?) Dungeons & Dragons - kids, fantasy Emperor's New School, The - toon, kids, Disney Family Guy - adult, spoof Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends - toon, kids, fantasy Growing up Creepie - girl, fantasy, comedy Idaten Jump - kids, toon Johnny Quest (original) - kids, adventure, violent Kong: The Animated Series - kids, fantasy, Little Mermaid, The - kids, toon, fantasy, Disney, girl Lord of the Rings (Fellowship, Return of the King) - fantasy, movies, violen Mucha Lucha! - kids, toon, superhero Mummy, The - kids, adventure, scary Pepper Ann - girl, Disney Pokemon - toon, kids, cards Rugrats - kids, comedy Scooby Do - kids, toon South Park - toon, adult, spoof Special Duty Combat Unit: Shinesman - sci-fi, comedy Super Milk-chan Show, The - toon, kids, spoof The Secret Show - toon, kids, spoof Thundercats - kids, fantasy, girl Voltron - mecha, sci-fi, kids Yugi Oh! - kids, toon, cards Aqua Teen Hunger Force - toon, adult, spoof Dora the Explorer - kids, toon, educational, girl CatDog - kids, toon Dragon Tales - kids, toon, fantasy, girl Ed, Ed & Eddy - kids, toon Fantastic Four - superhero Flintstones, The - kids, toon, girl

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

G.I. Joe - kids, action Grossology - kids, toon He-Man & Masters of the Universe - kids, fantasy, superhero Inspector Gadget - kids, toon Kenny the Shark - toon, kids Krypto the Superdog - toon, superhero, kids Legend of the Dragon - toon, superhero, girl, east Magic School Bus - kids, fantasy Mike, Lu & Og - kids, toon, girl My Gym Partner is a Monkey - kids, toon Prince of Tennis, The - series, girl Proud Family, The - toon, Disney, spoof N.A.S.C.A.R. Racers - kids, girl, sci-fi Spider Riders - fantasy, kids Spiderman - superhero Superfriends - kids, superhero, girl Superman: Brainiac Attack - movie, superhero Top Cat - kids, toon Tracy McBean - kids, toon, girl Transformers (various) - toon, mecha Ultimate Avengers - movies, superhero, sci-fi, girl, violent Amazing Chan Clan - kids, toon Captain Planet - kids, toon, superhero Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos - kids Frisky Dingo - adult, spoof, violent Home Movies - toon Jabberjaw - kids, toon Little Bear - kids, toon MaggieBeast - kids, toon, girl Sealab 2021 - adult, spoof

1 - Assy McGee - adult, toon, violent 1 - Gary Coleman Show - kids, comedy 1 - Squidbillies - adult, toon, violent