My five best. Review on Five Best Cartoons

Some of these are old but they are still worth checking out!

The Five Best! (note: the Simpsons are animated, but I consider them more of a sitcom than a cartoon, I love the show, but the animation stinks, therefore I disqualified them from my list.)

1. Robotech

(in other parts of the world The Macross Saga) Robotech was a Japanese anime series that made it's U.S debut in 1985. Robotech starts as a story of a mysterious alien spaceship that crashes on a war torn Earth in 1999. The various races of Earth stop fighting, and unite as a planet to repair the ship (the ship is huge, it can hold a complete city of 70,000 in its hold!). The reason they work so hard to complete the ship is soon evident, for a powerful alien race, the Zentradi, are looking for this ship, and soon picks a fight with the people of Earth. The rest of the saga revolves around the ship surviving attacks and the interpersonal relationships of its main characters, Rick Hunter, Minmay, Roy Fokker, Captain Gloval etc.

What steals the show in Robotech is the mecha (large robot like war machines) The creators came up with highly detailed transformable aircraft, and they look great. Also this was one of the first series in the U.S that showed main characters actually dying and not coming back! The story was at least 10 years ahead of its time as far as cartoons went. This series is also widely viewed as a pioneer, being one of the very first modern Japanese anime series in the U.S, setting off the anime explosion here. It has been re-released on DVD, and I still watch them today!

1. Transformers

I guess you see I liked robots as a kid huh? Actually, I still do. the Transformers is a series that aired in 1984 in the U.S. The story was about two groups of transforming robots, the Autobots and Decepticons who crash landed on Earth. The Autobots are heroic, while the Decepticons see the Earth's vast energy resources and are bent on world domination. Yes, Transformers came a year before Robotech, but it was a cartoon whose writing was a bit uneven, and really was a half hour commerical for the toys that were out at the time, so it was not as good as Robotech, but it still is a classic and some episodes were well written, Also, Transformers the Movie was a excellent watch as well. Both are available on DVD

1. Tom and Jerry

Tom and Jerry is a slapstick cartoon featuring Tom, a cat who is hungry to catch Jerry, a mouse who loves cheese. This cartoon is very old (maybe 30 to 40 years old?) and because of its violence made not have been made today. But it is very imaginative and funny, and all of this without either of them talking!(they do talk in some of the cartoons, maybe 10 percent). If you are looking for crazy slapstick humor is is the way to go! Tom and Jerry can be found on the Cartoon Network sometimes.

1. Galaxy Rangers

Very few people have heard of this one, but it really should not be ignored. Galaxy Rangers aired in the U.S in the mid 1980's, and did not last very long...why? Because it was ahead of its time, think of it as a very early ''Cowboy Bebop'' It was one of the best drawn cartoons I have ever seen (that was'nt a movie) and it was very well written as well. The story was set in 2086, when two aliens present earth with their first hyperdrive, and Earth puts together a team of Galaxy Rangers to protect the Earth from evil, and explore the universe as well.

The Rangers never had a archenemy, but the bad guys did not matter too much, as long as the Rangers showed off their impressive array of gadgets and powers! They had robotic horses called cybersteeds, and each ranger had a special power (One was a super marksman, one could change his appearance, etc) This cartoon was unique for the mood it set, its backgrounds and the detailed personalities of its characters. Unfortunately this cartoon is not available on DVD right now...

1. Bugs Bunny

Everybody has heard of Bugs Bunny, the wisecracking carrot craving bunny who outwits all comers and makes you laugh doing it. I actually rarely laugh at Bugs' antics, but I love his enemies, like Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, and Rocky. This cartoon is also really old but has stood the test of time. Bugs Bunny is generally slapstick in nature.

Honorable Mention: G-Force ( late 1970's release from Japan) This show features 5 kids in G force, a elite super secret group to fight Galactor, a very evil force out for world domination. (Weird fact: In Japan Galactor was a transsexual!, but that part of him was removed for U.S audiences) G-Force had the Phoenix, a huge jet plane that moved so fast, it caught the air around it on fire!