Over the last month or so, Madman Entertainment have been asking their fans to vote for their favourite anime releases from the company (Along with other releases which due to their diversity, most likely won’t make it into this top 20) and giving away on-the-spot prizes to those who provided interesting vote justifications. The intention of this is to generate what fans would consider the companies Top 20 series releases.
We are now at the Top 20 Madman anime releases as voted by the public, as of course we can now expect to see some big-name titles being unveiled over the next two weeks. Following on from the placement of My Neighbor Totoro in #17, we have the Studio Ghibli animated film Spirited Away taking the place of #10… a well deserving placement.
Here is what the team at Madman had to say on the announcement:
After PRINCESS MONOKE’s success, especially in the West, Studio Ghibli was primed to break out in a major way. Their next film SPIRITED AWAY would not only introduce an entire generation to the work of one Hayao Miyazaki, it would go on to win the Oscar® for best animated film at the 75th Academy Awards®. For us here at Madman, SPIRITED AWAY is a very special title, not least because it confirmed for the rest of the world what we knew all along – that the works of Hayao Miyazaki are true masterpieces. SPIRITED AWAY was not only the gateway to a fantastic world of bathhouses and spirits – it was for many the gateway to the entire universe of anime.
