Zoopraxiscope

The classic list of anime babes is a bit outdated. I think the most recent woman mentioned there is Faye Valentine. There’s no mention of such memorable characters as Lyar Von Ertiana from Divergence Eve/Misaki Chronicles, or Lafiel and Lexshue from Crest/Banner of the Stars, or Yoko from Gurren-Lagann. Therefore, my next poll will be of babes in anime.

I could use a little help here. I’ve watched a lot of anime, but there’s much more that I haven’t seen. I’ve undoubtedly missed some of the more distinctive women. So, who do you think is the outstanding anime babe of all time?

A few rules:

• She must be at least sixteen years old.

• She doesn’t necessarily have to be human, but she must be unequivocally female. I.e., no traps. Sora from Oh! Edo Rocket would be worth considering, but not Genzou. (Reverse traps, e.g., Sailor Uranus out of uniform, are acceptable.)

• She must an anime character. Women who are primarily known as video game characters or appear only in manga are not eligible.

Please leave your nomination in a comment. Be sure to mention what anime the character is from. ((Please be precise;, e.g., do you mean Priss from the original Bubblegum Crisis or from Bubblegum Crisis 2040?)) It would be helpful if you could include a link to a good quality, safe-for-work picture of the lady. You can nominate more than one babe, but please don’t get carried away. Thank you.

Addendum: Steven inquires about the criteria for babe-ness. Cute, sexy, competent and intelligent are all desirable characteristics, so I would say “all around.” But really, do I have to define what a “babe” is? ((“A female from the anime universe who possesses great beauty, a marvelous attitude, and the ability to act upon her desires to acquire that which she wants most (whatever that may be).”)) Here are the original rules, which might might clarify things.

Rule Number One: She must be made out of pencil and paint [or pixels —ed.]. No flesh and blood girls here.

Rule Number Two: She must be attractive and not merely “cute” (meaning the judges decide what is “hot beauty” and what is simply “kawaii”) (so according to the judges all “Noriko Takayas” are out). While this may be open to interpretation by you, the viewers, the judges’ decisions are final.

Rule Number Three: The contestants’ taste in men has no relevance on them being considered an “Anime Babe”. Since all anime girls are doomed to love total geeks or other social outcasts, the subject of boyfriends has no bearing on the judges’ final decisions (especially because most of the judges are social misfits too).

Rule Number Four: There must be more to an “Anime Babe” than just looks. She must have “attitude” and the “ability to achieve and maintain” all that her attitude alludes to (don’t ask). Not one or the other (so no Rei Ayanami’s).

Yes, let’s make it official. Rei Ayanami is no babe.

And, yes, you can nominate Rushuna.

Clarification: the original list is not mine.

*****

In the current poll, after several weeks of being neck-and-neck, Naruto has pulled ahead of Neon Genesis Evangelion by five points. I’m a little surprised; I had figured that Evangelion would be an easy winner.