I like anime. Didn’t used to, but now I do. Before you stop being — or rule out the possibility of becoming — friends with me, let me explain why.

Actually, I can’t explain why. Any evocation of the, er, evocativeness of anime I could muster up would sound very lame. Just see this list of movies instead. Do it in this order, and you’ll be sort of recreating my life. The recent, anime-watching parts of it at least. And who doesn’t want to live my life? I almost wish I had a second one. Right now.

Start with Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. See it with a little sibling or a sweetheart. It’s not exactly romantic, but magical for sure. Like a Disney movie, but less annoying singing and more awesome Japanese weirdness. The same weirdness (only it’s different now–philosophical, sci-fi, and weirder) pervades Ghost in the Shell. Don’t watch this with a sweetheart. Invite your Buddhism-obsessed, sexually frustrated, Descartian friend over instead. Or you know, your inner friend.

Then prepare to be astounded by the originality, intricacy, and audacity of Death Note. This is a TV series, but it won’t take too long to finish, since the episodes are 20 minutes each. After that, relax, and invite back your friend (the real one) for another Miyazaki classic, My Neighbor Totoro. Then put on some nice 80′s clothes and do a dance routine to the Totoro song.

Now watch The Animatrix. (You might want to see The Matrix first.) There are 9 short films in total–you can watch them all in order or just the last three. The seventh one, “Beyond”, is the least violent and most interesting, almost as if Miyazaki directed it himself.

Finally, if you want to see what Japanese middle-schoolers watch, check out Cowboy Bebop. Otherwise, save some time and spend it on another Miyazaki film instead, perhaps Howl’s Moving Castle. By the way, if you haven’t noticed, this post is really just about how much I love Miyazaki‘s films.