This series is one of the shows that most deserves to be mentioned in an edition of Saturday Anime (which I am going to try to do more consistently, I swear). One of the first 'True' anime that I saw, the first DVD I bought, and still one of my favorite shows All Around. Dan and I watched this again last night, so with my latest of many viewings fresh in my mind, I thought I would talk a bit about it.
The titular protagonist of the series is Iria, a hunter from the planet Myce in a distant galaxy. As the show opens, she is apprenticed to her brother, Gren and his partner Bob. She is strong willed and tough as nails, a true heroine, not the Kung Fu mistress or Dragon lady stereotypes. She fights with an impressive arsenal of Guns, explosives, and a segmented Katana, similar to the sword used by Ivy of Soul Calibur fame. And while she is easily the toughest person (note the word Person) in the show, when she isn't busy kicking ass and taking names, she can still be endearingly feminine. For example, at one point in the show after fighting tooth and nail for the better part of 15 minutes, the first thing she thinks of is that she could use a shower.
Early in the first episode, Iria, Gren, and Bob take on a hush-hush mission to rescue the occupants of a high-jacked ship known as the Karma. Expecting space pirates, industrial espionage, or a mercenary force, they instead find that the majority of the crew has been slaughtered by a single assailant.
It is Zeiram, a bloodthirsty unstoppable killing machine of unknown origins.
This is Zeiram. Holy Schnikies!
There is something so cool about this antagonist. He has no ambitions. No Agenda. No personal beef with anyone in particular. No tragic past. No tortured psychotic personality. No reason to kill.
But that doesn't stop him. The best way to describe Zeiram is as a Force of Nature. He is pure Malice, unfocused hatred incarnate, unfettered instinct in an indestructible body. He kills everything in his path, not for kicks or honor or really for any reason, simply because it's what he does. And he is damn good at it. Zeiram is an extremely intimidating figure, huge in stature, accompanied by an eerie chant and a hissing laugh that freezes the blood of his victims. And there is only one person who has ever taken him on, one on one, and lived. Iria.
The show has a very unique visual style that blends traditional eastern art and architecture with otherworldly technology, and character design is excellent, particularly Iria and Zeiram. Audio is excellent, with a number of memorable pieces of background music and an insanely catchy opening theme song that, to this day, I can't get enough of.
It bears mentioning that this series was one of the shows that made me the Anime Fan I am today. I saw it first on the Sci Fi channel during the Saturday Anime days. It is amongst the original handful of series that hooked me on the medium, including the likes of Tenchi Muyo, Dominion Tank Police, Gunsmith Cats, Ghost in the Shell and Neon Genesis Evangelion; placing it in some fine company. And I remember it fondly as one of the first shows that featured a powerful and well developed female in the lead role of an animated series at a time when animated women were sidekicks at best and damsels in distress at worst. I recommend it to anyone who can get a hold of it and who wants a taste of Great old school anime and a Badass Female Hero.
So I've been slacking off a bit, and another top ten list I've been working on has proved more... Daunting than I had first hoped. So what do I do? I do Another top ten list, of course!
In keeping with my Saturday Anime Idea and my predilection for Top Ten Lists, this is a list of my 10 favorite Male characters in Anime (I've Seen). I'm starting with guys cause I am one (last I checked) and I'll be limiting myself to adults and one character per universe. Let's do this crazy thing!
10) Starscream: Transformers
While the character has undergone a lot of changes over the years, Starscream has always been one of my favorite Transformer. While some will say that the original character was a toadie and a coward, I beg to differ. If Starscream understood one thing, it was tactics. He does and says what he must to placate Megatron, who is pretty obviously a power-mad psychotic who earned his position by being the most powerful and dangerous Decepticon. "Starscream is a coward!" the nay sayers ballyhoo, and to that I say that Starscream retreats whenever he knows there is nothing to be gained by fighting. He often seems to commit to a particular attack just long enough to placate the lunatic he works for. If anything, he is the Sun Tzu of the Transformers universe.
9) Kusanagi Mamoru: Blue Seed
When he first arrives on the scene announcing that he must kill her, it is the first sign that Momiji's life is about to change. However, when he stops Yamata no Orochi from sacrificing her, he decides to continue to protect her. It quickly becomes clear that he is a valuable ally, and his habit of arriving just when Momiji needs him most, a cocky demeanor, and the power bestowed upon him by the seven Demon Souls Orochi planted make him a lot of fun.
8) Ikari Gendo: Neon Genesis Evangelion
This one may be a head scratcher to some. But if there is one thing I love, it's characters that are justifiably smug and enigmatic. Though his appearances in the series are limited compared to other main characters, every second he is on screen is packed with meaning. Gendo runs Nerv to his own ends to pull strings attached to the most diabolical puppets, and only Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko, and Gendo himself seem to know what his endgame truly is. Quiet and reserved as he plans the course of his machinations, and subtly triumphant when their intended results come to pass.
7) Vegeta: Dragon Ball Z
The last prince of the Saiyan homeworld, Vegeta was proud to the point of arrogance. When he first appears in DBZ, he is a sarcastic battle hardened soldier, stronger than most, but still subservient to his master Freeza. He relishes reminding others that he is their better in battle. After he is defeated on Earth, he eventually comes to call it his home and his more noble traits become more pronounced. He is still a smugly proud man, but he also does whatever it takes to protect the people he cares about.
6) Batou: Ghost in the Shell series.
Batou is a tank. He is a tough as nails, no nonsense, shoot-now-ask-later tank. And yet, he is also the guy that takes special care of the Tachikomas and has large, obvious soft spot for one Major Kusanagi Motoko. He is one of those brilliant characters that is equally believable as a sensitive softy and a guy who wouldn't hesitate to head-but a terminator. I don't know how much of his body has been cyberized, but I am pretty sure his Heart is real.
5) Masaki Tenchi: Tenchi Muyo
There is a part of me (and most Tenchi Fans I could name) that hate's Tenchi. He is the luckiest SOB in the history of fiction. Surrounded by alien girls that are all crushing on him in a major way, he maintains his neutrality, treating them all as equal adopted members of his family without diminishing their interest in him. But when it comes down to it, there is a line in that video that says it all. When Kagato mocks him for trying to defend the girls when he could have saved his own life by not getting involved, Tenchi's response epitomizes why he is such a likable character. Bonus: I recently read that according to the original creator of the series, as far as the OAV continuity is concerned, Tenchi ends up married to...
All of them! ...Asshole!
4) Alucard: Hellsing
Come on, you had to know this was coming. Alucard is the definition of what an "Antediluvian" level Vampire should be, and why Twilight will forever suck. His power is vast and his appetite for battle insatiable. It should be noted that Hellsing has a system of control magic cast over Alucard that limits the amount of his true power he can wield, and in the video there, he's only released a small fraction of it. The prospect of a true challenge makes him giddy, and his disdain for weakling vampires that fail to live up to his expectations is deliciously violent. In all honesty, I almost had to give this spot to Alexander Anderson, the priest, as he has always been an intriguingly perfect foil to Alucard. All their fights are ludicrously awesome.
3) Zechs Merquise/Milliardo Peacecraft: Gundam Wing
Couldn't find a very good vid that was just about Zechs, but that promo is awesome. The prince of a pacifist nation, Milliardo Peacecraft was forced to face the grim realities of war after it killed his father and destroyed his country. Donning the mask of the Lightning Baron and taking the name Zechs Merquise, the last prince of the Sanc Kingdom became the most talented mobile suit pilot in the world. Piloting a technologically inferior suit, the Tallgeese, Zechs routinely bested the Gundam Pilots through experience and sheer talent. When he broke ties with Treize Kushrinada and attempted to foster peace between earth and the space colonies, he eventually came to the grim realization that the only way to prevent future wars was to provoke a conflict so dire that mankind would shudder at the idea of war. With his new Gundam Epyon, he leads the White Fang resistance, rallies the colonies, and wages his endgame war.
2) Spike Spiegel: Cowboy Bebop
Spike is an interesting dichotomy. For most of Cowboy Bebop's run, he is a bounty hunter with enough skill in weapons and martial arts to allow him to light-heartedly mosey from one bounty to the next without distress. However, if he encounters a truly dangerous enemy (Peirrot Le Fou for example) or when his past revisits him, he becomes a single-minded force of nature, incapable of allowing himself not to oppose the threat. He states that he feels as though his life as a bounty hunter is nothing but a dream, which may explain why he doesn't seem to be taking it seriously.
1) Onizuka Eikichi: Shonan Junai Gumi and GTO
Ah, Onizuka. The Devil of Shonan Beach, One half of the OniBaku Duo, one of the most respected and feared Bosozoku leaders in Japan... Becomes a Teacher!?
And his first class is famous for destroying the morale of their homeroom teachers. But with his laid back personality, goofy sense of humor, optimistic attitude that sees the value in every one of his students, and un-killable body (trust me, it comes in handy) Onizuka begins to win them over. As the hard line students continue to attempt to oust him, he continues to win more support, including their secret weapon Kanzaki Urumi . And while he is undoubtedly a bit of a slob, perv, and brute, he is the most genuine and honest teacher his students have ever had, and they are actually excited to come to school. Onizuka will do anything for his students, whether it's steal thousands of dollars worth of sushi or getting shot multiple times.
So it's my weekend to work, and that means not much time for writing. But, I did watch some Anime today, so here we go!
If there is one thing I really love, it's Weird Anime. The odder the plot, characters, jokes, etc; the more fun I tend to have with it. One such show that is just overflowing with insanity is Excel Saga. I'll likely tackle this series in more detail another time, but suffice it to say, it's completely irreverent and crap-house crazy, and I laugh my ass off every time I see it. The director of Excel Saga Watanabe Shinichi (Nabeshin for short and Giggles) had a running inside joke going with fans of his in Japan about the most ludicrous character ever to appear in a "Magical Girl" show, and after a few years, he decided the perfect punchline for such a joke was to actually produce a show based on her. Like Excel, Nabeshin appears in the show as a key character, and also like Excel, it's hilariously insane.
It's Puni Puni Poemy.
Now, when Nick put me onto Excel way back in the day, it was a hard sell at first. He explained some of the plot (mostly how the Great Will of the Microcosm keeps having to resurrect Excel because she repeatedly gets herself killed in the first episode, and the show would not exist without her) and I checked out a few of the early episodes. After a second watch or so, I was hooked on the insane pacing and wacky sense of humor. So when Nick told me about a spin off of Excel that was even crazier than the original, I was all in.
And crazier, it was! The very first thing we see is Poemy, a pink haired magical girl spaz, fighting off a team of other magical girls that look a lot like Sailor Scouts to me, culminating with Poemy putting the last of them into a technically perfect Sharpshooter that Bret "Hitman" Hart would be proud of and Breaking Her Back. That was all I needed to see to realize I was going to love this show. And it just gets better (read: Crazier) from there. From the pants-less alien with a spiked ball hanging from a string where his genitals should be who speaks in jibberish, to Poemy stabbing herself in the legs with pens in an attempt to stay awake, to the character who is a professional Dominatrix punishing her sisters for making her angry. This show is just Bat-Shit insane, and I love every moment. One of the best scenes comes when the Sisters discuss whether Poemy can live with them, and they talk so fast it is impossible to follow, and after they discuss existential philosophy for about 3 seconds, the house explodes. Just insane.
Anyway, here's some sample pics, just to demonstrate how all-over-the-place this thing is.
See?
Anyway, I think I'll post some Poemy AMV's this time, enjoy!
I wanted to hate this because of the song, but it was actually pretty funny.
This one is Poemy and Excel, but it's too good to pass up!
This one includes FLCL (The ONLY show I can think of that's crazier than PPP) as well.
I've decided to ditch the History thing in favor of just talking about some of the series I would have mentioned in them anyway individually. Let's start with the first series I actually owned all of the episodes of, Tenchi Muyo OVA.
After I moved on to Hollywood Video in my hometown for rentals, I started perusing their Anime section and discovered a few really good shows and movies, but none more so than Tenchi. My first taste of the series had been in the form of Tenchi Muyo In Love, the first Tenchi film, which was played on Sci Fi channel during their Saturday Anime block (which is where I stole the name Saturday Anime from). I remember being utterly confused, effectively being dumped into the middle of a universe I couldn't possibly understand completely, almost like watching Return of the Jedi without seeing A New Hope and Empire. I admired the art, liked the characters even though I knew nothing about them beyond what the film tells you, and found the action and romantic undertones of the story compelling. As I attempted to understand the series better, I found a copy of the Mihoshi special at Hollywood and rented it. However this didn't help much, as it's a completely independent special that has nothing to do with the main story. So even though I was largely in the dark about most of the story, I sought out more episodes because what I had seen was so much fun, even if I was lost most of the time.
Since this was long before the days of Youtube and wikipedia to fill in the gaps, I started to look for VHS copies of the OVA, as I had determined that it was the first series released. I finally found a collection of all the episodes on VHS on eBay, and created an account just to buy them. I sent the money order, waited a bit, and picked up my first UPS package, then dove into the true beginning of the story. I would later find out that I was hardly the only one confused about the canon of the series, but I'm sticking to the OVA here because it is still my favorite.
Masaki Tenchi is a fairly normal teenager, working at his grandfather's Shinto Shrine in the mountains. One day, he attempts to sneak into his Grandfather's office to steal a key. There is a cave near the shrine with a locked gate that his Grandfather has warned him to stay away from for years because a Demon was buried there 700 years ago, but his curiosity has gotten the better of him at last. After lifting the key, Tenchi investigates the cave and finds that his Grandfather's story was not all bluster. He finds a Sword Hilt and what appears to be an ancient corpse, but when the corpse comes to life and attempts to embrace him, he flees in fear, resealing the cave and swearing never to return. Later he falls asleep on the roof of his school and is woken by a youthful Blue Haired girl. She chuckles and says "Ryoko..." When Tenchi looks perplexed, she continues, "That's my name, Ryoko." She opens her eyes, and they are glowing an eerie gold, the same as the Demon in the cave. Ryoko laments how horrible her 700 year imprisonment and informs Tenchi that she will have to work out some tension on him right away. She then summons a light blade from thin air and attacks Tenchi, flying, teleporting, laughing giddly and tossing energy bolts in his direction. As the one sided fight continues, Tenchi's entire school is destroyed by a gas line explosion. Ryoko finally corners Tenchi and attacks him again, but the Sword Hilt which he hid in his book bag generates an energy field that deflects the blow. Incredulous, Ryoko attacks again and the hilt generates a light blade of it's own. The two fight, with Tenchi unable to control the sword as it moves on it's own, then lops off Ryoko's hand. She laments that she lost another battle, regrows her hand, and sinks away into the ground. As Tenchi returns home, glad to be done with the whole affair, but wondering what happened to the girl, he doesen't have to wonder long. He finds Ryoko sleeping in his bed, and she warmly welcomes him home when he wakes her.
It isn't long after this before Tenchi and Ryoko's fight attracts the attention of Aeka, a princess from the planet Jurai who has been searching the galaxy for her missing half brother Yosho in her massive space-tree/Ship Ryu-oh. Aeka considers Ryoko her sworn enemy, as during her days as a Space Pirate, she caused great damage to the Jurai empire and homeworld. After capturing them, in spite of the fact that the statuate of limitations on Ryoko's crimes just ran out the day they arrived at Earth, Aeka tortures the Space Pirate in hopes of extracting information about Yosho's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Sasami, another of Jurai's princesses releases Tenchi and press-gangs him into playing a trick on her older sister. It isn't long before Ryoko's ship, Ryo-Oh-Ki attacks Ryu-Oh and the two ships crash near the Masaki Shrine. With no way off the relatively primitive planet Earth, Ryoko, Aeka, and Sasami are all forced to stay with Tenchi and his Father. It isn't long before another fight between Ryoko and Aeka causes another ship to crash, stranding the bumbling Galaxy Police officer Mihoshi on Earth as well, followed shortly by a childish looking super-scientist named Washu, who also claims to be Ryoko's "Mother".
While it isn't immediately obvious at first for most of the female characters, besides Ryoko's playful flirting towards the end of the first episode, it soon becomes clear that they all have at least some romantic interest in Tenchi. However, it is Ryoko, the Brash, Fun Loving, Sake drinking former space pirate and Aeka, the prim, proper, princess; who become the most interesting rivals from the first moment Aeka learns Ryoko is on Earth. They have a history and don't much like one another, but their mutual interest in Tenchi forces them to tolerate one another's presence. At one point, the two of them make a pact to work together in order to get the other girls out of the picture, then read romantic Manga for pointer on how to woo Tenchi, with hilariously disastrous results.
However, throughout all the bickering between the girls over Tenchi's affections, he never seems to become more attached to any one of the girls, treating all of them as if they were members of his own family and doing everything he can for any one of them. This, even more than his powers and lightblade, make Tenchi a truly admirable character. And while his seeming ignorance of the girls feelings for him, Ryoko's in particular, can be frustrating for the viewer, it is his devotion to all of them equally that sets Tenchi Muyo apart from most Harem anime that would follow. Where most series in the genre ultimately end with the protagonist choosing one of those competing for their affections (Love Hina for example and Fruits Basket as a notable exception), Tenchi Muyo always leaves the answer to the burning question "Who's Tenchi going to end up with?" vague. The closest they ever came is the ending to Tenchi Muyo in Love 2, which is ambiguous at best, and that isn't even the same continuity. It's more confusing the the Trek reboot. Although I haven't seen the end of the 3rd OVA, so I may be wrong.
Still, when it comes down to it, there are four key elements that really make Tenchi fun to watch. Interesting Characters, Excellent animation, oft gut busting Comedy, and unrequited love.
Here we are again with another addition of Saturday Anime. You know, last week I had such a good time reminiscing about anime from my childhood, I thought it would be interesting to continue along to the next stage of my fandom and talk about my early Teen years and a little place called Freedom.
Warning, this is where it may get a little blue, no Kids!
So as I continued to grow up and watched a lot of cartoons along the way, I saw a lot of American animation that impressed me. Ren and Stimpy, Beavis and Butthead, Rocko's Modern Life... They were all good shows, but they focused more on often crude humor and the quality of the animation varied greatly. But one show stood out from the pack. A show that was well animated, expertly acted, and didn't patronize it's young viewers with it's complex stories. That show was Batman. I would rush home every day to watch the Dark Knight get after the bad guys, and loved the cinematic action and film noir style. And while it was not the only Action show for kids (Gargoyles comes to mind), it was the best, in my opinion. My love of Batman also affected my tastes moving forward. I now craved higher quality animation and stories, and I was often disappointed with American shows in that regard. It was around this time that I started to wish I could find something different to watch, and I got my wish in the form of another video rental store.
Freedom Video was a fairly standard video store of the time. It was housed in what was once a Gas Station in front of the local Mall in Marshalltown. They offered the standard fare; hundreds of movies, an impressive selection of video games, and one section that would become very important to me.
I vividly remember the sign above this section, reading "Japanimation - Animation not intended for Children", and was emblazoned with pictures of characters from Battle Arena Toshinden and other shows. I've long since come to dislike the term Japanimation, for I think obvious reasons. As a teenager, I made two conclusions about this sign. 1, I was not a child, so no trouble there. And 2, whoever owned the place must have loved the stuff, since they had put a lot more work into that sign than they did any of the others in the shop. I remember worrying that someone would ask me to leave or shoo me away from this "Adult" section, but I perused the available videos anyway. It took me a while just to gather the stones to add an anime tape to the pile of movies my grandfather and I were renting (I know, I know). But after that first tape, I never looked back.
Ghost in the Shell was the first movie I rented. And looking back, it was a pretty steep movie to start out on.
See what I mean? And that's just the first few minutes. I mentioned this in my list of the greatest Animated films, but it bears repeating. This movie changed everything. It instantly became the yardstick by which I measured any other action or sci-fi movie I saw. It was this film that inspired my interest in Philosophy and cemented my fate as an Anime Fan. The first time i watched it, I remember sneaking downstairs after everyone else was asleep to do so, for fear that if anyone else saw it, I would be forbidden to watch it. Whenever I watched it after that, I still waited till after everyone went to bed because I knew I would be. (As a point of reference, I was once forbidden to watch Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers because there was one episode that included a group of Soda-addicted mice called the Cola Cult. Just sayin.) This was my rebellion.
On the surface, Ghost in the Shell is an action thriller with some excellent animation and a beautiful protagonist. But the real story is the human condition itself. The nature of what we are, and what defines human existence. The nagging doubts that annoy a normal person eventually nearly paralyze the almost fully artificial Kusanagi Motoko. The entire third act of the film is about Kusanagi's desperate need to discover the truth about her very nature.
Also, I feel I must mention, without Ghost in the Shell, The Matrix could not have happened.
From there, I rented several other titles from Freedom Video's Anime department, and continued to be blown away by what I found.
Blue Seed was my first taste of purely Japanese episodic anime, and did it ever stick with me.
At first, I only had the first two episodes available to me, so I wondered where the series went from there for years. Based around a mass reappearance of ancient mythical beings known as the Aragami in modern Japan. The protagonists work for the TAC, a government agency specializing in countering the threat. Fujimiya Momiji was a fairly normal teenager living in Izumo. One day, when walking home from the Shinto Shrine where her grandmother was training her to be a priestess, Momiji is accosted by a mysterious young man named Kusanagi who informs her that she has to die. It becomes clear that he is no mere mortal when he is thwarted by TAC members Kunikida Daitetsu and Takeuchi Ryoko, and escapes by leaping from tree to tree. The TAC members fill Momiji in on here origin and the fact that she is the descendant of the Princess Kushinada from the ancient fable of Susano O slaying the Eight Headed Dragon Yamata no Orochi. Even as Momiji reads the legend in the Library at her school, Orochi himself attacks. It seems that if Momiji is killed in a ritualistic manner within a ceramic field, the Aragami will roam the earth forever. Even as Orochi is about to accomplish his goal, Kusanagi returns and rescues Momiji. He reveals that he wants to kill the Aragami, but he also becomes attached to Momiji during the ordeal, and decides to protect her from them.
Another film I saw at this time that even I had to admit I wasn't ready for was Ninja Scroll. The title alone prompted me to rent this film, and My expectations for anything involving Ninjas were obviously a little out of whack, having grown up a huge TMNT fan. I am pretty sure there were no severed limbs, split skulls, or graphic portrayals of sex involved with any ninja show I had seen. Ninja Scroll changed all that.
Warning, no kids, don't get me in trouble with your family here!
I continued to partake of other films from Freedom Video and Hollywood Video as well. It wasn't long after this that I went from casual observer to collector. Starting with VHS copies of some of my all time favorites, and DVD's of new favorites when they became more available. Next time, I'll talk about some of my favorite series from that time period.
So just for giggles, I signed up for Amazon Associates, a program where by I can post Items from Amazon here on my blog, which sounds pretty cool to me. So by way of testing out how it works and also as an excuse to introduce a new idea I've been thinking about, it's time time for the Thursday Top Ten. I'm going to pick the subject matter for now, but if anyone has Ideas for future installments, I'm open to suggestions!
For this inaugural TT10, I'm going with my Top Ten Animated Feature Films. When I say animated, I am Not talking computer generated, actual animation here. This is a list of My personal favorites. We can argue about the particular merits of other works, but this list is just stuff I love personally.
10) Jin Roh
Jin Roh is the story set in an alternate modern day Japan. It is a world in which Germany won World War II and Japan is now a totalitarian state. As dissatisfaction with the government grows, riots break out and citizens clash with the local police and armed forces alike. One young girl is carrying packages for a resistance group when she is confronted by one of the heavily armed, armored, and red eyed shock troops sent in to break up the crowds with deadly force. This trooper, Fuse, confronts the girl, attempting to take her in peacefully. However she pulls a string within the package she carries and the explosives inside detonate. Fuse's Armor saves his life, but he is haunted by the answer the girl gave when he asked her "Why?" She gave none. After a time, Fuse goes to the girls grave to pay his respects and try to make sense of the event. Here he meets the girl's sister, and the movie from there deals with the complex relationship the two develop. Loaded with intense action sequences and even more intense emotional scenes, Jin Roh is a heartbreaking movie.
9) The Place Promised in our Early Days
Another film set in an alternate modern day Japan, in which the Islands of Japan have been occupied in a similar manner as Germany was after WWII, with the US controlling Honshu and Kyushu, and "The Union" controlling Hokkaido. Three school friends in Aomori spend their last year of Junior High marveling at the Hokkaido Tower, a seemingly impossible spire that rises straight up past the clouds on the other side of the Tsugaru Straight in Union territory. The two boys, Takuya and Hiroki, and their female friend Sayuri find a crashed drone plane and rebuild it together with help from their boss at a local manufacturing facility. The three friends make a pact to one day fly over to Hokkaido Tower and see how high it really goes and what is at the top. However, Sayuri goes missing the entire summer. For the next three years, she suffers a severe condition similar to narcolepsy and sleeps almost constantly. In the intervening years, the brilliant Takuya has become a physicist and studies the Hokkaido Tower. One of Takuya's coworkers believes Sayuri's condition is linked to the tower. Hiroki has moved to Tokyo and suffers depression as a result of grief related to Sayuri's condition. After receiving a letter Sayuri wrote shortly before she fell ill, Hiroki becomes convinced that the only way to get her back is to fly her over the Tower, the place the three of them promised to visit together. The movie from there deals with Hiroki and Takuya working to fulfill their promise to Sayuri. This is a Tear-jerker of a movie with a side of Sci Fi.
8) The Sword in the Stone
Yup, there is a Disney Movie on this list, but it may not be the one most people expect. While The Lion King, Aladdin, Jungle Book and a few others are all great films and runners up for this list, The Sword in the Stone was always my favorite of Disney's animated films. The classic tale of young Arthur and how he met his most trusted advisor, the Wizard Merlin. Through a series of Magical Lessons, Merlin teaches the young downtrodden boy the wonder's of the world around him and the life lessons that would define him as a legendary King. The film closes with the Iconic scene of Arthur pulling the Sword from the stone and being crowned king. Chock full of Magic, Music, Mirth, and of course the Mad Madam Mim, This Disney Classic never fails to entertain.
7) Spirited Away
When young Chihiro's family moves to a new town, she worries about having to make new friends in a strange place. But after a Magical gateway in an abandoned amusement park transports them to a land of wandering spirits, Chihiro quickly attempts to escape with her parents. Unfortunately, they have been turned into pigs as punishment for stealing the food of the spirits. Chihiro believes all is lost, but help comes in the form of Haku, a young man who sneaks Chihiro into the Bathhouse of the Spirits and tells her she must get a Job from Yubaba, the witch that rules over the land. Along the way, Chihiro befriends many of the occupants of the bathhouse and an outcast known as No-Face. The magical atmosphere and moving story make for an enchanting film experience from the master of the artform, Miyazaki Hayao.
6) Tenchi Muyo in Love
The first film in the Tenchi Muyo trilogy, this film is part heart-wrenching love story and part action packed sci fi epic. When a galactic menace and blood enemy of the Jurai Royal family, Kain, escapes from the void he was imprisoned in long ago, his first goal is revenge. He seeks out Jurian descendants and zeroes in on one who's powers have not manifested themselves. Back on Earth, Tenchi and the Girls are watching his father's old home movies, including one featuring Tenchi's Late mother Achika when she was in High School. When Achika suddenly disappears from the film itself, Tenchi is wracked with pain, then thrown bodily against an energy net. Washu appears, and explains that some event in the past has removed Achika from the timeline, and would have done the same to Tenchi as well if not for the energy net holding him there. In order to determine what the event was, and how it can be prevented, Washu sends Tenchi, Ryoko, Aeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kiyone back to 1970 to infiltrate Achika's school and monitor her. Tenchi is thrilled at the opportunity to see his mother again, as she died when he was very young, but Washu warns that such a thing could cause a paradox. As Aeka and Ryoko join Achika's class and work to become friends with her and Tenchi's Father Nobiyuki, Bubble-headed Mihoshi and her long-suffering partner Kiyone become teachers, and Sasami helps Tenchi keep an eye on Achika from a distance. The film culminates with an epic battle against Kain at Tokyo Tower.
5) Akira
Akira is a tale of two friends torn apart by a secret government program. Kaneda and Tetsuo are members of the Capsules Biker gang in the alternate future city of Neo Tokyo. During a brutal turf war with a rival gang known as the Clowns, Tetsuo nearly runs over a child with an elderly face before his bike mysteriously explodes. Tetsuo and the child are captured by military personnel and Kaneda is taken in for questioning along with the rest of the Capsules. Kaneda meets a young girl named Kei who is in an anti-government resistance group and after their release, they determine to rescue Tetsuo. However, it is revealed that Tetsuo is an Esper and has mental capabilities similar to those of the titular Akira, a small boy who's power destroyed Tokyo some years ago. When three other espers attempt to kill Tetsuo before his power can be unlocked, they only succeed in awakening his true potential. From there, Tetsuo becomes unfathomably powerful and mad with rage, and Kaneda's rescue mission becomes a desperate attempt to stop his friend from causing destruction on a massive scale. When it was released, Akira was shockingly violent and outstandingly well animated. It stands the test of time and is just as compelling now as it ever was.
4) Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
It's Cowboy Bebop. The Movie. If that isn't enough to get you interested, then you really need to check out the original show. Basically the Bounty Hunting Quartet of Spike, Jet, Faye, and Ed do what they do best. The Action, The Music, the Plot. It's all undeniably cool.
3) Grave of the Fireflies
Another studio Ghibli animated masterpiece, this film is very different from most of the others on this list. Set in the waning days of WWII against the backdrop of the Kobe Firebombings, Grave of the Fireflies tells a gut-wrenchingly sad story of war, poverty, and desperation. Seita, a teenage boy, and his young sister Setsuko are left orphaned after their mother is burned to death in a firebombing run by American Forces. They are taken in by a distant relative for a time, but as supplies grow scarcer as the bombings continue, the relative slowly comes to resent them. The two are eventually forced to leave and set up a makeshift home in an abandoned bomb shelter. At first they enjoy living on their own and light the rooms with Fireflies. Setsuko is heartbroken the next morning when the fireflies have all died, and digs a grave for them, asking Seita why they died so quickly. From there the two continue to struggle to survive. Roger Ebert has stated that this is the greatest anti-war film.
2) Princess Mononoke
An epic fantasy tale of courage, betrayal, and redemption jam packed with gorgeous visuals, moving music, and compelling characters, Princess Mononoke is Truly Miyazaki Hayao's masterwork. Ashitaka, a young warrior prince living in a small remote village challenges an attacking monster to protect his sister and the rest of the citizens. The Demon is a huge mass of black tendrils rampaging across the countryside, leaving a trail of decay wherever it goes. Ashitaka realizes it is a tormented Forest Spirit that once guarded the forest, and attempts to reason with it, begging the tortured beast to spare the village. The spirit attacks Ashitaka, wounding his hand in the process. Unable to dissuade him, Ashitaka is forced to kill the Demon and begs it's forgiveness. The beast Scoffs, and tells Ashitaka he is doomed to suffer the same fate he has. When it is determined that the demonic wound on his arm cannot be healed, the village is forced to banish Ashitaka. He sets out to find the cause of the Demon's corruption and meets a shifty Monk named Jigo who Directs him to Iron Town, where Lady Eboshi's people are engaged in increased industry and the spirits of the surrounding forests are growing restless. On the journey there, Ashitaka finds two dying men who were working as guards for one of Eboshi's caravans when they were attacked by three Wolf Spirits. As he works to help the men, he encounters the wolves and is surprised to see a human girl with them, cleaning the wounds of one of the Wolves. He addresses the spirits respectfully, but the girl tells Ashitaka to leave the forest and rides away on one of the wolves. Later the girl, San, attacks Iron Town in an attempt to kill Lady Eboshi to protect the forest, only to be thwarted by Ashitaka, who's Demonic Wound has granted him exceptional physical strength. Ashitaka and San leave Iron Town and meet with Okkoto, the leader of the Boars. From there a complex story unfolds as the humans of Iron Town clash with the Boar Spirits of the Forest and an enigmatic creature known as the Great Forest Spirit becomes the focus of the conflict. This film is a morality play in which there is no truly good and no truly evil character.
1) Ghost in the Shell
If there is any movie on this list that I can honestly say changed my life, it is Ghost in the Shell. When I saw it in 1996, I had never seen anything remotely like it. This Near Future cyberpunk thriller is loaded with haunting scenes, intense action, and philosophical musings on the nature of being human. When a notorious Ghost Hacker known as the Puppet Master comes to the attention of Major Kusanagi Motoko, a secret police officer in New Port City Japan who is almost entirely cybernetic, the trail he leaves leads to an obsessive need to understand who he is. I will talk more about this film in upcoming posts, no doubt.
So there it is, feel free to tell me how wrong I am, but that's my take on it. Let me know if you have any ideas for future Top Ten's, I'll consider just about any topic.
Well, had a pretty busy Saturday this week, considering it was New Years day and my nephew's 3rd birthday party. That said, rather than try to watch a whole anime series or movie, I though I might just talk a bit about how I got interested in the genre in the first place.
To start at the beginning, I have to go back to the heady days of the mid 1980s. In the days of my youth, personal ownership of VHS and other Home Theater equipment was only just becoming common enough for the birth of a new kind of store. The Video Rental store. Even in my hometown of Marshalltown Iowa, there were several rental places one could go to. One such place was in the Mall. The name escapes me, but I remember it vividly, walking around with my parents and marveling at whole walls covered with movies I hadn't seen. It was mind boggling to a kid who had grown up to that point on rabbit ear channels and occasionally basic cable if we were lucky. Anyway, this rental place had a policy that I just loved. For every 1 or 2 movies your parents rented, the kid could pick out one for free. And being the youngest in our family by several years, I was usually the only one picking out kids movies. Even though I must have seen all of the free movies available at one point or another, there were 3 favorites that I kept coming back to, and it was these three that undoubtedly inspired me to seek out anime in the future.
First and Foremost. Transformers: The Movie.
I had watched the show any time it was on as a kid, but the movie was a whole different story. First of all, it was the first time I ever heard a cartoon character curse, and I remember being terrified that my parents would not let me watch it anymore as a result. So I would fast forward it myself so they wouldn't hear. But more importantly, it was action packed and full of scenes that were heartbreaking for a young fan of the cartoons, most notably the Death of Optimus Prime. In the show, Prime wasn't really a character as much as a kind of Act of whatever God Cybertronian's believed in. He was good incarnate and seemed untouchable, almost immortally powerful and wise. So when the first act of the movie ended with him being beaten to death by his mortal enemy Megatron, it was hard to believe it could actually happen. This was the first "Cartoon" that had told an interesting story and didn't talk down to me just because I was a kid. Sometimes, good people die, and the best people die defending others and doing what is right, like Optimus Prime. Of course that was all cheapened later when they gave Prime a Comic Book Ressurection, but it really did shake up my idea of what a good cartoon was.
Second, Voltron.
Just watched the First Episode of Voltron, and holy crap, is the voice acting atrocious! Well, besides the narrator, one Peter Cullen, Optimus Prime himself. One of the characters (who's name was changed from Shirogane to Sven) sounds exactly like Sven Hoek from Ren and Stimpy. But when it comes down to it, the animation and the concept of 5 robots combining into one was just too cool. These days, the egregious over editing that was common in the 80s when it came to anime shows aimed at kids (the original show GoLion was intended for adults and was Brutally Violent, Voltron is a show that was edited together from scraps of footage and written with kids in mind), the almost intolerable voice acting (with notable exceptions), and the fact that I got a little burnt out on combining robots by Power Rangers some years ago, this show is almost unwatchable for me. But it still holds a nostalgic place in my childhood memories.
Third, Getter Robo G
It took me years to track this one down again. I knew it by the box art as a kid and absolutely loved the show. I must have made my folks rent this one 20 times. Through the mists of time, I have forgotten whether this was heavily edited for the American market or if it was an actual attempt to bring the original show to the states. I just remember loving the idea of 3 ships that combined together, but could make 3 very different Gestalt robots based on which robot formed the head. I remember the fights being intense and the enemies seemed very scary at the time. Full episodes can be found on You Tube, and I watched the first one to confirm it was the show I was thinking of from my childhood.
These shows were all either made for American audiences in Japan or shows for Japanese teens and adults Edited into Kid shows. It wasn't until a few years later that another rental place in town and a certain programming block would introduce me to the fact that Anime was more than just Giant Robots. But that's a story for another Saturday Anime.
To sign off, I'd like to begin a tradition on this blog of playing an AMV from a random show I enjoy. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, AMV's are Anime Music Videos edited together by fans and for every good one you find, there are about 100 bad ones!
Merry Christmas! As promised, here comes the first edition of Saturday Anime.
To start off, I would like to direct your attention here as this link is where I got some of my examples for this article. Thanks to the original author!
So, Japan is a place where Animation has been one of the top forms of entertainment for decades. For example, Princess Mononoke, an animated fantasy epic and in my opinion the crowning achievement of Hayao Miyazaki's illustrious career, sold more tickets than Titanic in Japan. Japan is also a country that has known occupation by American Forces following World War II. As a result, there are some traditions that Americans brought with them that remain in one form or another. And Christmas is one of them.
As stated in the above link, in Japan, Christmas is quite a bit different, but also much the same as it is in traditionally Christian countries. While it is not a Holiday recognized by the Japanese Government and almost completely secular, it is still celebrated as a time of Exchanging Gifts, Romance, and an unearthly sense that the miraculous can come true in this special time of year. The Iconography revolves more around Santa, Gifts, Christmas Trees, and Cake than anything overtly religious. As a result of the romantic overtones attached to the Holiday in Japan, it if fairly common for anime with romantic overtones to include episodes or arcs that take place during Christmas.
Earlier this week, I watched a movie I always love this time of year. Tenchi Muyo: Manatsu no Eve. The second of the Tenchi movie trilogy, this one follows the events of the original OVA, which still ranks as my Favorite anime to date. While it isn't truly a Christmas Movie, as most of the events take place in the summer on Earth, some of the previously mentioned themes of Japanese Christmas are the driving force of the story. One typical summer day, Masaki Tenchi is surprised to find a young girl along the path to the old Masaki Shrine, and even more surprised when the girl claims to be his daughter. When Tenchi brings the girl, Mayuka, back to the Masaki house and the other girls here her claim, things get really interesting. As Mayuka and Ryoko clash verbally and physically, Washu quickly confirms that Mayuka is biologically Tenchi's Daughter. When Washu is unable to determine the identity of her mother and speculates that she must be from the future, the girls wonder if one of them could be Tenchi's eventual wife and Mayuka's Mother. However, Tenchi's Grandfather seems to knowingly intervene on the girls behalf and there is clearly something more to be known about Mayuka and here origins. As Mayuka befriends most of the girls while she stays at the house, they show her an album of photos taken from their Christmas Party the previous year. Mayuka becomes enamored with the holiday, and is overjoyed when Aeka and the others invite her to join their family and celebrate Christmas with them Next year. As events draw to their conclusion, Sasami reveals that it is Startica Season back on their home-world, and that Startica is very like Earth Christmas, even including decorating trees. Unfortunately, the sad truth of Mayuka's origin comes to light and tragedy strikes. The last act of the movie is heart wrenching, but in the final scene, a miracle occurs and restores the hope that Mayuka will celebrate Christmas with her new family.
Great Compilation Vid I found on YouTube: Spoilers!
Despite the fact that the majority of the film is not strictly a Christmas movie, I can't deny the fact that it gives me the Holiday's warm fuzzys.
A more direct example of the Japanese idea of Christmas in anime is the Love Hina Christmas Special. If you aren't familiar with Love Hina, I highly recommend it for a lot of the same reasons I recommend Tenchi Muyo.
The story revolves around Urashima Keitaro, a Ronin (Student who has studied for college entrance exams for over a year) who despite his poor performance in the past is determined to get into the toughest college in Japan, Tokyo U, in order to fulfill a childhood promise to a girl. Even though he has forgotten the identity of the girl, the memory of the promise drives him to continue to try. This is compounded by the fact that his grandmother leaves him in charge of the Hinata Inn, which has become an all-girls dorm. Not only does he have the added workload of running the dorm, but he is constantly distracted by the antics or attacks of it's tenants. However, one of the girls is also shooting for Tokyo U and eventually offers to help the hapless Keitaro study for the entrance exams. This girl, Narusegawa Naru, quickly becomes Keitaro's biggest distraction as he is besotted by her. From there, the primary narrative of the show revolves around Keitaro and Naru's could-be-couldn't-be romance, and this is still the case as the Christmas Special.
The Special primarily deals with the romantic aspects of Japanese Christmas. Naru is becoming frustrated with Keitaro, as his mock test scores have been slipping lately. What she doesn't know is that Keitaro's studies are suffering because he has taken a Holiday job, dressing as Santa to advertise Christmas Cakes (What did I tell you? It's all about the cake!) for a local bakery, in order to purchase a Christmas Gift for Naru. As the story unfolds, mishaps and miscommunications seem to doom the would-be/wont-be couple and all appears lost. However, a rumor of a matchmaking miracle and a last second turn around gives the viewer renewed hope that their relationship really does go deeper than mere study-buddies.
I love the feeling of hope that accompanies the ending of this special, and the romantic overtones of Japanese Christmas are in full force.
Overall, I like to watch several Christmas movies this time of year, but it just wouldn't be the Christmas Season without at least one of these flicks.
Anyway, that's all I have to say about that, I'll probably do a more traditional review next Saturday for Saturday Anime and I try to post a list of my 10 favorite Christmas shows/movies/whatever. Merry Christmas!
So, it's clear I don't really have anyone reading this yet, and that's cool. I'm just having fun doing it. However, I just wanted to put this up since, for me, having it on a site or whatever makes it feel official and helps me stick to it.
So, I've got a few movies that are coming out soon in mind for a review treatment. Tron: Legacy this week, and True Grit the next, which I am extremely excited to check out. I plan to use this as an excuse to go to more movies in the theater, since I've not been doing that as much.
I'll likely talk from time to time about stuff that's coming soon that I am interested in.
I'd like to do some more Classic Reviews too, I had a ton of fun with Django and I have plenty of movies in mind that scream "Why Haven't I seen that yet?"
I've got a few games that I've been neglecting lately that I might get back to soon, and when that happens, expect some insight on those. First in that area will likely be my thoughts on Cataclysm, the latest Warcraft expansion.
I had a great Idea to bring back the spirit of The Sci Fi Channel's old Saturday Anime programming slot by having a weekly viewing of some anime, either favorites from my personal collection or something new off Netflix Streaming. Gives me an excuse to watch some "cartoons" on Saturday mornings again. I may also shake it up by throwing in a Samurai movie from time to time.
You can bet I'll be talking about anything new from Dir En Grey, and probably some other bands too.
Anyway, like I say, Don't even know if anyone will read it, but I plan to do it anyway for laughs.
, 
, 
... They were all good shows, but they focused more on often crude humor and the quality of the animation varied greatly. But one show stood out from the pack. A show that was well animated, expertly acted, and didn't patronize it's young viewers with it's complex stories. That show was 
. I would rush home every day to watch the Dark Knight get after the bad guys, and loved the cinematic action and film noir style. And while it was not the only Action show for kids (
comes to mind), it was the best, in my opinion. My love of Batman also affected my tastes moving forward. I now craved higher quality animation and stories, and I was often disappointed with American shows in that regard. It was around this time that I started to wish I could find something different to watch, and I got my wish in the form of another video rental store.
could not have happened.