I was delighted to see Kyra-lin Hom's column in the Herald about anime, the wonderful animated films from Japan (Sept. 28). She gave your readers the background and I can give those interested a push in the right direction for finding them.

First, it's important to recognize that they are not "too foreign" or esoteric. All of those recently released are beautifully and seamlessly dubbed into English. Also, of the eight that my wife and I have seen, only two have settings are in Japan. Most are set what appears to be in Europe, from the same director, Hayeo Miyazaki. Miyazaki is a environmentalist and a feminist, both of which clearly show in his work.

I would recommend three as a testing board to see if you like them. First, for a really happy, upbeat film, watch Kiki's Delivery Service, the story of a 13 year old apprentice witch on her own for the first time. With her black cat companion, GiGi, this film will delight all ages.

The second is very different, much more serious and set in a Japanese Tea House for sick spirits. It is called Spirited Away. A family of three, the girl about 10, blunder into the tea house thinking it an abandoned theme park. The parents see a beautifully set table of food and scarf it down - being turned into pigs while the girl refuses to eat. The rest of the film is how their daughter works in the tea house seeking their release from the spell. The spirits are wonderfully imaginative, and sometimes scary. This film has layers and is not for anyone . Kids under 8? Only if very mature. Spirited Away has won many awards, including the Oscar for best animated film.

The third anime you might try is Porco Rosso, again very different. An Italian World War I fighter pilot is turned into a half-pig. He continues to fly as an Adriatic Sea pirate between wars. This film has a strong feminist theme, the female lead an irrepressible 17 year old woman of great strength. It is about honor. Its ending is unpredictable. Kids under 8 might be a little lost but there is nothing here bad for them..

All of these films are hand-drawn, not computer generated, and truly beautiful. (Should you want to try one by another director, try The Cat Returns for kids 6-14 or Totoro, for kids 4-10 by Miyazaki). Call around - a large video store should have all of these on DVD. We rent ours from Netflix.

Jerry Tremaine

Highland Park