I too have a hard time staying focused on most Anime but without a doubt Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away are worth every ounce of effort one can muster.

I also find that both the English translations and the performances pale in comparison to the quality of the language in its original form. The elegance and beauty of the words is sullied by the Americanization (or maybe the correct term is westernization). despite the fact that, at least, Mononoke was adapted by writer Neil Gaiman, who writing can often be quite wondrous.

That being said, I appreciate the fact that (I can't remember exactly who) Disney or the Weinstein's took the chance to get them here and to a broader audience.