The List

7 Wonders of the Anime World

Some of the most spectacular accomplishments of nature and mankind comprise the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" and "Seven Wonders of the Natural World" lists. What if some of anime's settings were compared to these marvels? The medium has the advantage of disregarding physics, leading to some spectacular entries.

7. Springs at Jusenkyo (Ranma 1/2) The springs-turned-training-ground of Ranma 1/2 is not only striking for its sheer size, but for its magical properties as well. The crux of the show's comedy lies in Ranma and Genma's mishap at the springs, forever turning Ranma into a girl and Gendo in a panda. There are a multitude of other curses based on the unfortunate victim who drowned in a specific pool, whether it's a cat, a duck, pig, or yeti riding a bull while carrying an eel and a crane.

6. Yubaba's Bathhouse (Spirited Away) The enormous bathhouse and spa in Spirited Away wondrous not only for its size, but also its denizens. The site attracts creatures and beings from across the spirit world who need to unwind from all that inter-planar traveling. The house has about six floors from the ground and several basement levels, too. Consider Yababa's Bathouse a magical successor to Nebuchadnezzar II's hanging gardens.

5. The Walls (Attack on Titan) The humongous fortifying walls in Attack on Titan draw some similarities to China's famous Great Wall. Well, the Mongolians and Manchurians aren't exactly Titan-size, but the motivations are similar. Each of the three walls measures approximately 164 feet high, or about 14 stories, and mostly impenetrable. It's also impressive that the walls were supposedly built by humanity when the race was near extinction.

4. The Royal Trees of Jurai (Tenchi Muyo!) On the Planet Jurai, the inhabitants built a Royal Arboretum to grow sentient trees passed from their goddess, Tsunami. The early descended trees are super-powerful beings that serve as the "brains" to Jurian spacecraft and can produce defensive (and offensive) powers. A whole slew of them in one contained, alien building would be worth the trip.

3. The Ohtori Academy (Revolutionary Girl Utena) I had a difficult time choosing which part of Ohtori Academy to feature in the thumbnail there. There's the obvious choice of the dueling arena with its upside-down floating castle and the campus proper with its expansive layout. There's also the M.C. Escher-feel of the Ohtori's rendition in The Adolescence of Utena film. Perhaps the most wondrous part of the Ohtori Academy its role as a character itself in the series. It mirrors the characters' psyche and is simultaneously beautiful and frightening.

2. The Castle in the Sky (Castle in the Sky) At the height of human ingenuity, mankind builds castles and cities in the sky only to be thwarted by their own lust for power. The remaining city, Laputa, floats deserted and full of treasures awaiting any pirate with an airship willing to weather the storm.

1. The Galaxy Express (Galaxy Express 999 ) The earliest "railway" can be contributed to the Romans, like most modern inventions, and was used to transport ships. In the anime universe, the ultimate successor The Diolkos is Galaxy Express 999, a space locomotive traveling to all sorts of far out destinations.

The new poll: Which Hetaila character would you take out to lunch?

The old poll: The last poll asked which of BioWare's properties Funimation should adapt next? Is it a surprise that Star Wars: The Old Republic won? I wonder what the likelihood of that deal is, considering Disney's takeover of the franchise. My vote was for Baldur's GATE, but I guess I'm old.

1. Star Wars: The Old Republic 33.4%
2. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood 17.6%
3. Baldur's GATE 13.7%
4. Jade Empire 12.8%
5. Neverwinter Nights 11.0%
6. Mass Effect: Paragon Lost sequel 6.2%
7. Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker sequel 5.3%

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Alright everybody, see you all next week! I look forward to your input in the comments and feel free to follow me on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee or e-mail me at [email protected].