A little make-up is nice, but some people go way too far. Have you ever wanted to look like your favorite anime character? All the make-up artist had to do was literally close her eyes and her dream came true. This girl looks like one of the characters from Sailor Moon.

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As a kid, anime, manga, and Japanese toy design captivated me much more than anything available in America. Takayoshi Mizuki was one of the artists responsible for creating amazing paintings of Ultra Monsters between 1965 and 1972. Pink Tentacle just posted a nice selection of his best work.

Inspired by Hayao Miyazaki and Satochi Kon anime and post-war Japanese advertisements and graphic design, illustrator Richard Wilkinson also brings in touches of cinema and 50s poster design to his elegant, line-driven images. His careful palette of muted colors creates a glowing, mysterious atmosphere.

Drawing from anime and fantasy art from the past half-century of graphic design and illustration, Jason Chan’s images appeal to the role-playing geek in us all. Chan renders beautiful pixie women and expressive children with bright eyes and remarkable dragon-riding abilities — their zombie-slaying skills ain’t too shabby either.

Any artform with a cult following often hides behind those fans to defend mediocrity. Too often anime is guilty of this crime and many releases which claim to be breakthroughs are only mediocre. Vexille proves this assertion by standing far above when compared to other recent releases. It combines a brilliant storyline with stunning animation to form a film that compares with the best of any genre. It is the year 2077 and the Japanese have been isolated for decades from the rest of the world, rumoured to be developing banned robotic technology. The storyline analyses the possible ramifications and consequences of genetic engineering allowed to run wild in an intelligent and insightful way. Combined with some ridiculously smooth and luscious stills and sequences, the package makes for a genre-defining film.

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Dead in the Now is a great new web comic by an artist named Rey about a boy who decides to raise an army of zombies. The style is anime inspired, but really loose and unfussy. There’s an almost frantic, psychedelic feel to it, which makes it unique. Not your typical fanboy fare.

It has to be said: these powerful Asian sci-fi anime girls on bikes totally rock.