News

Many subgenres of anime are defined by specific entries, and that's definitely the case with cyberpunk anime. Ghost in the Shell is the premiere cyberpunk anime franchise, having inspired countless other anime and even several Hollywood movies. While it might be the first name in the subgenre, it's far from the only one worth watching.

Many cyberpunk anime showcase the genre even better than Ghost in the Shell, particularly when it comes to exploring the societal impact of the genre's tropes. Some of these anime have the same basic concepts as Ghost in the Shell, while others go in wildly different directions.

Ergo Proxy Is Very Similar to Ghost in the Shell Stream Ergo Proxy on CrunchyrollImage via Manglobe

Ergo Proxy bears a lot of resemblance to Ghost in the Shell, namely due to the presence of humanoid cyborgs and androids. The story involves Re-l Mayer, who inspects the sudden self-actualization of the android populace.

Now that J Balvin has made his mark in Japanese animation, after starring in Crunchyroll’s hit anime series “Solo Leveling,” TheWrap thought it’d be a good idea to list all the Hollywood stars who’ve also lent their voices to the genre.

It already takes a lot of training and focus to be an actor, but one must unlock a new skill in the craft when it comes to voice acting, especially when it comes to anime. And now that anime has risen in popularity, more and more stars are carving out their lane in the industry as voice actors.

All the actors listed voiced roles for the English dub versions of these shows and films, many of which you’ll recognize right off the bat. Here are 17 celebrities who rocked the mic as anime characters.

Bryan Cranston and Isamu Alva Dyson from “Macross Plus” Bryan Cranston as...

It’s not just the legendary Dragon Ball franchise, back in the early days of Akira Toriyama’s career, he has also offered a minor but promising manga, named Dr. Slump. Long before Dragon Ball, this manga used to please the readers with Toriyama’s unique sense of humor and creativity.

Senbei Norimaki from Dr. Slump anime | Credits: Toei Animation

Now, in a surprising twist, the Dr. Slump manga unexpectedly shares one thread with the critically acclaimed Western TV series, Breaking Bad! It certainly does sound like an unlikely connection between a Japanese manga from the 1980s and a gritty American drama. So what could be the connecting link between Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, and Breaking Bad?

Bryan Cranston Had Voiced Toriyama, But Not the Way You Might Think! Bryan Cranston as Walter White from Breaking Bad | Credits: High Bridge Productions, Gran Via Productions, and Sony Pictures Television

Bryan Cranston...

Bryan Cranston is an accomplished voice actor in addition to his on-screen roles, having provided English voice-overs for Japanese anime. He has played various characters in anime series and films, including Joseph "Joe" Thax in Eagle Riders, Isamu Alva Dyson in Macross Plus, Eddie Barrows in Armitage III, and Fei Long in Street Fighter II - The Animated Movie. Cranston's involvement in anime shows and movies has contributed to the popularity and success of these works, and he has played a role in introducing anime to Western audiences.

While Bryan Cranston is best known for his movie and television acting from major titles like Breaking Bad, Drive, and Malcolm in the Middle, the award-winning actor was an accomplished voice actor with a taste for plahying roles in cartoons, and interestingly enough, dubbing anime.

Like many young actors looking for their big break, Cranston nourished his early acting career by doing assorted odd jobs,...

The self-described "tech noir" anime Metallic Rouge has plenty of interesting ideas and creative staff behind it that makes it worth keeping an eye on. Its Blade Runner-esque premise, combined with Bones' excellent animation, promises a dark but stylish spectacle. With Crunchyroll already locked in to stream the anime, it's only a matter of waiting to see what it will deliver in terms of visuals and action.

Trailer footage and the description of the plot make Metallic Rouge look like a sci-fi classic blasting right out of the past. Bones itself is also hyping up the idea of a genre throwback, as the anime's website boasts of how the staff involved last teamed up 19 years ago for the cult classic mecha show RahXephon. Regardless, the story of an interplanetary manhunt should stand out among the season's offerings.

Related: The '90s Most Underrated Sci-Fi Anime Movie is Finally Streaming...

Elizabeth Berkley was all set to make Hollywood waves after achieving teen cult status as 17-year-old Jessie Spano, grappling with amphetamines caffeine pill addiction in Saved by the Bell.

Yet a swimming pool splash-about with Kyle MacLachlan in Robocop director Paul Verhoeven's 1995 skin flick Showgirls - the Us's first and only big-budget Nc-17 - unfortunately torpedoed her career before it began.

But as Showgirls celebrates its 20th anniversary this week, having been reappraised and reborn as a midnight movie regular, a musical masterpiece (tagline: "Singing. Dancing. Tits") and a classic exploitation film of our time (not our words, but Jim Jarmusch's), we look at what happened to the actress best known as Nomi Malone.

1. She won two Razzies

Worse than being on the end of a critical and commercial panning was Berkley's personal haul of Golden Raspberry awards for Showgirls, one for Worst Actress and Worst New Star...

I admit it: I love cyber-punk. Mostly of a Shadowrun flavor. But like many geeks who came of age in the early millennium, I also cut my teeth on the burgeoning American fascination with anime. “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” “Akira,” "Battle Angel Alita," "Armitage III," and of course, “Ghost in the Shell.” So when rumor had it that Hollywood wanted to bring Motoko Kusanagi, the Puppet Master, and their world of New Port City to life, I was cautious. After all, this was the same town that tried to make “Akira” with Michael Fassbender and Andrew Garfield until George Takei stepped in to point out whitewashing is not okay. And we shall not talk about the "Dragonball" movie. It is stricken from the record. Turns out my caution was well founded. As of today, Scarlett Johansson is officially signed on to play the lead in the live action “Ghost in the Shell.

So a week or two ago, when we had the lovely blizzard of the century here in Dallas, I was called upon by a friend to come to her rescue while she was stuck in her boyfriend’s house with his little brother. So I grab up some DVDs at the bottom of the stack (the ones I haven’t seen in a while), grabbed a few slices of cake, wrangled some Izzes out of the fridge and hopped in the car to fight my way through the snow.

After playing some Assassin’s Creed 2 and kicking her boyfriend’s little bro out of the living room, we took full control of the projector and PS3 and decided to pop in a movie.

Our choices:

Tank Girl (Close contender, but we deciding we wouldn’t be able to pay attention because we’d be making jokes about yiffing) Armitage III...