#2 Shanghai Dragon

Shanghai, late 90's. A little boy named Gonglong is out in the playground and he has stick, will draw. His classmates, either jealous or protective, argue over whether Gonglong should be in class or not. Before there's any real resolution a bright flash and a loud crash interrupts the proceedings. The children, stunned, cautiously venture outside to see what happened.

They find a crater. Inside, a glowing rod sits on the ground. Gonglong picks it up. He's found something better to draw with. Stomach growling, he draws the first thing he thinks of - food. Suddenly, the dirt BECOMES food. Gonglong eats it...delicious. The children can't believe it, and they want it.

Meanwhile, up in space alarm bells are ringing. The space commander confirms "The rod has been activated." On earth, against all likelihood a human has been able to activate the rod and if they don't act fast, he'll be killed and with it all hope for mankind. 

Back on the ground, there's a battle of apocalyptic proportions going on. Soldiers are getting wiped out, and they don't understand how this snot-ridden child could be so important. They ask "How could these idiots be our saviours?" But soon they'll be asking, "Just how cool were the Power Rangers?"

Shanghai Dragon director Shoji Kawamori has a flare about his storytelling which is both innocent and action-packed. He also happens to be one of the pioneers in the mecha category, having masterminded the mechanical design of The Macross Saga TV series back in 1982 and co-directing the feature film in 1984.

Shoji Kawamori

It was Shoji Kawamori's mechanical designs that ignited the current anime boom, and today, many years later, he continues to awe his fans. The transformation gimmick and detailed mechanical design in The Macross Saga created a sensation among anime fans. He is popular for his whimsical storylines as well, and besides the Macross series which has become his lifelong work, he directed Spring and Chaos and Earth Girl Arjuna. His more recent work, Genesis of Aquarion, was also well received. Shoji was born in 1960 in the Toyama prefecture. He abandoned his studies at Keio University faculty of Engineering to join Studio Nue as a mechanical designer. He came into the limelight with the 1982 TV anime series, The Macross Saga. After co-directing the 1984 feature film, Macross in Clash of the Bionoids, he has repeatedly impressed us with his talent in directing as well. In 2006, he debuted as an actor in close friend Mamoru Oshii's feature film, Tachigui: Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters.

Related:THE GENIUS PARTY IS BRILLIANT FOR SEVEN REASONS. HERE'S #1