Images: The world of anime

Fans of the Japanese cartoons already know Astroboy and Spike, the cool, chain-smoking bounty hunter from "Cowboy Bebop."

Feb. 1, 2005 4:12 a.m. PT

The world of anime

Astroboy, in his 1980s colored version. The black-and-white version was one of the first anime cartoons in the early 1960s.

Source: Madman Entertainment

A scene from the 1988 film-length "Akira," an often-baffling science fiction adventure that helped galvanize anime fandom in the United States.

Source: Bandai Visual

Spike, the cool, chain-smoking bounty hunter from "Cowboy Bebop."

Source: Sony Pictures

"Spirited Away" was created by anime master Hayao Miyazaki but released by Disney in 2002.

Source: Disney

In "Chrono Crusade," gun-slinging nuns fight demons in New York City, circa 1928.

Source: ADV Films