In Sea, Plain, and Sky: Ponyo (2008)

“A young boy named Sosuke rescues a goldfish named Ponyo, and they embark on a fantastic journey of friendship and discovery before Ponyo’s father, a powerful sorcerer, forces her to return to her home in the sea. But Ponyo’s desire to be human upsets the delicate balance of nature and triggers a gigantic storm. Only Ponyo's mother, a beautiful sea goddess, can restore nature s balance and make Ponyo's dreams come true.”

In Sea, Plain, and Sky: Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

“When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home.”

In Sea, Plain, and Sky: Spirited Away (2001)

“In the middle of her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures.”

In Sea, Plain, and Sky: Princess Mononke (1997)

“On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.”

In Sea, Plain, and Sky: Porco Rosso (1992)

“The adventures of ‘Porco Rosso,’ a veteran WW1 pilot in 1930s Italy, who has been cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.”

Companions, Ranked

Misogyny, brutality, torture, Porco Rosso still hasn’t come to my mailbox, the rest of the world appears to be falling apart, and it’s nearly premiere day, time to lighten up again, and you know what that means. But this time, it means something a little different.

The Top Tier Team of Badassery

The other day, a slightly buzzed textual conversation led to me considering which recent and semi-recent TV and semi-TV characters might be regarded as all-time badasses. This further led me to play that most beloved of geeky pastimes, Zombie Survival Team, which I modified to Survival Team or Shit Going Down Team. Who made the cut, and why? Read on.