The List

7 Enviable Beast Mounts

Happy Turkey Weekend readers! Have you digested enough to close the top button of your pants yet? Any left over bruises from that scuffle at Wal-Mart's Black Friday sale?

I filled up my gas tank this week and quietly mourned the quick disappearance of my paycheck as it poured into my Nissan. Why haven't I upgraded to an electric car yet or, more importantly, why aren't the following gas-free mounts feasible for real life? Sure, you'd have to stable some of these and there's the cost of maintenance and food, but riding one of these into town would turn more than a few heads!

7. Chiyo's Mr. Tadakichi (Azumanga Daioh) Mr. Tadakichi is a Great Pyrenees, a breed that is typically somewhere between 2.5-3 feet in height. Chiyo must be a tiny little high schooler, because the girl can ride around on Tadakichi without issue, something her friend Sakaki envies due to how friggin' cute it is. Unfortunately, the fluffy family pet is not designed for riding, even with children. The muscles in their backs are too weak even in giant dog breeds.

6. The TO-MAS (Trigun) TO-MAS are these weird animals living on the planet Gunsmoke with an appearance somewhere between a bird and a dinosaur. They work as fast mounts and even make a cameo appearance in Shiro Nightow's other project Gungrave, where they're used enlisted to race for entertainment.

5. D's Horse (Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust) D's horse is kind of cheating: it's cybernetic. They're a common mount in the series and sold at stables similar to flesh-and-blood horses we're familiar with. D's horse isn't particularly special within the series' context, but if you want to make a grand entrance you can't argue that it's striking.

4. Horseclaws Kai and Kui (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind) Horseclaws are the Chōcobo-like creatures in Ghibli's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, a film that features a number of unique creatures. Kai and Kui are Nausicaä's personal Horseclaws, given to her by Lord Yupa. The Horseclaws were genetically engineered after horses went extinct. They are loyal creatures, something Kai proves when he makes the ultimate sacrifice for Nausicaä in the film.

3. Super Spot-Billed Duck Squad (One Piece) The Duck Squad, specifically Nefertari Vivi's Carue, are the most adorable mounts on The List this week. They work as loyal mounts in Kingdom of Alabasta and are reported to be very fast. More importantly, they all wear different adorable hats and accessories, bringing out the maximum cuteness a ride-able animal could possibly obtain.

2. Shooter the Headless Ghost Horse (Durarara!!) Celty Sturluson's headless ghost horse, Shooter, is a 3-in-1 package. He comes in the standard, headless horse edition followed by the headless horse with carriage attachment and finally the motorbike version sans headlights. Shooter can manipulate shadows to perform otherwise impossible feats for a standard vehicle. Regardless of what form he is in, Shooter can inexplicably make horse noises.

1. Fuunsaiki (Mobile Fighter G Gundam) The initial thought might be, 'Hey, Fuunsaiki doesn't count, he's a mecha-horse', and that thought would be wrong. Fuunsaiki is a real horse who pilots a mecha horse. Belonging to Master Asia, Fuunsaiki is often jokingly referred to in yonkoma as obtaining a higher skill level in martial arts than the series' protagonist. The horse's mecha counterpart can transform into flying platform and assist with space travel. How awesome is that?

The new poll: A mystery is afoot, readers and we need anime's best detective for the case. Who do you send to solve the case?

The old poll: Last week's poll asked which Makoto Shinkai film is your favorite? 5cm per Second won by a landslide! Here's the full results:

1. 5 Centimeters Per Second 42.7%
2. Voices of a Distant Star 25.0%
3. The Place Promised in Our Early Days 17.3%
4. Children Who Chase Lost Voices 7.2%
5. She and Her Cat 4.1%
6. A Gathering of Cats 3.4%
7. Other Worlds 0.3%