Dai Mahou Touge is my favorite of the latest anime releases (this one came out in April, 2006). The story is about a princess of some magical kingdom who must prove her worthiness to take the throne. The princess is a tough cookie who can use magic and is handy in a melee.

Here is where it gets weird. Her magical powers consist entirely of transforming vegetables into her (living) slaves who do her bidding. In one episode, she creates a delicious curry for a school festival by making the vegetables come alive so that they can commit suicide in the curry pot! You have got to see it to believe it.

Add to this the story of how the princess fights with a trash-talking, psychotic plushie (something only the Japanese could dream up), a credits sequence where the princess sets fire to landmarks all over Japan and an episode with Initial D as a horror ride and you have one of the funniest, most original anime I have seen in a long time. Enjoy it. It is not licensed, so you would need to procure it from Animesuki.