Sengoku Basara

Based on a video game series that itself turned Japanese history into a comic book, this is the coolest anime show I've seen in quite some time. You see, the "Sengoku" of the title refers to the "Sengoku" or "Warring States" period of Japanese history, which lasted over 100 years and saw constant battle as numerous factions fought for territory and control. Several of the characters are even based on actual people...but here they are given flashy, colorful outfits that make them look like medieval superheroes/villains, wield badass kung-fu weapons, have nicknames like "One-Eyed Dragon", "Tiger of Kai" and "The Devil King", spout dialog that sounds like Sheakespeare on testosterone (it's cooler than it sounds), and use Dragon Ball Z-style super powered martial-arts moves that boldly defy the laws of physics. One character even has a motorcycle handle bars and exhaust pipes on his horse! If you think that sounds over the top...well, thats the whole idea.

I'll admit that some of the characters are fairly shallow (a couple don't even have any personality at all), but given the source material (the SB games have a LOT more action than plot) and that the series is so short & so crowded, it does good with what it's got. And its good points more than make up for its flaws. It has beautiful animation, high octane action scenes, good character moments between the mayhem, and even provides equal opportunity fan service (not only are there men with handsome/pretty faces and great bodies, it throws in a few hot babes, chiefly a well endowed ninja chick with a costume that also defies the laws of physics)! And really, you cant ask for much more than that in a good anime show.