Sep
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Monday, September 1, 2008
Anime – huh?? I mean, come on!!
Obviously a movie fan to a fault, the last thing I needed, really, was to make a discovery like this. Too late, for I have found a whole new universe of movies and serial shows to enjoy: anime. Yes, anime! (I’d never have believed this before a few days ago.)
It is all the fault of my dear cousin Brett, who recommended two Hayao Miyazaki works to me in the past (Spirited Away & Princess Mononoke, both anime classics), even though I refused to watch them (until now). Thanks, Brett, damn you! 
Until two weeks ago, I stayed away from anime, thinking it silly, childish, and/or geeky. When I thought of or heard the word anime, I thought of Pokemon and similar works, where the artwork is basic and uninspiring, and practically every character is drawn to be child-like, with those characteristic huge eyes; or I might have mentally referenced Speed Racer, which is probably the only anime I was ever a fan of as a kid, not knowing it was anime. Anyway, as an adult movie fanatic, I have been very closed off from and extremely resistant to any sort of anime. I wanted nothing to do with it. Why would I? Anime is for total geeks and cartoon-loving children, right? Oh, how frakking wrong I was! (Please stand by; I am not about to recommend Pokemon here!)
Due to these and other uneducated assumptions of mine regarding anime, I resisted even five-star, critically acclaimed anime works such as those by Hayao Miyazaki. The most well-known anime movie to the average anime-resistant American would probably be Princess Mononoke. What adult man would care to say, write, or admit to being curious about or wanting to check out a movie called Princess Mononoke? Not me. I mean, get real!
After seeing references to the movie Spirited Away on ‘best movies of all time’ and ‘favorite films ever’ lists all over the place, I finally relented when I saw a used Spirited Away DVD for sale on one of my embarrassingly frequent, over-the top DVD shopping sprees of late. Friends, I was completely blown away. If you are a movie fan who has NOT yet been exposed to anime — especially if your reasons are anything like mine were — then you are in for a very pleasant surprise, not to mention an immense pool of previously unknown entertainment choices.
You haven’t heard from me much lately. Well, now you know why: blame anime. I have done almost nothing during the last eight days other than read about, shop for, and buy large quantities of (used) anime. It is incredible. If you are hip to opening your mind a bit, I would love to make a couple of recommendations to those who are as naïve to the gigantic world of anime as was yours truly.
It turns out that anime is not really a movie genre at all. The deal is, animation was (and to a large extent, still is) simply the medium of choice for Japanese movies, as opposed to the live-action (real human) medium preferred here in — and cranked out by — the West. In the earlier days of Japanese entertainment media, the dollars and the actors were just not available there in Japan to create quality live-action movies, so they went with animation. (Animation is such an integral part of Japanese culture that things like stop signs, train tickets, and company logos often contain animated characters.)
So, anime – which is just a word that means Japanese animation, essentially – is a blanket term that includes all movie genres, from horror and sci-fi to mystery, action, and even adult-themes (plus of course, plenty of stuff for kids). Officially, a definition for anime is:
a Japanese style of motion-picture animation, characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and adult themes.
This was news to me!
Another point of confusion for some is anime vs. manga. Anime is not manga, which is Japanese for ‘comic book, graphic novel’. To compare anime to manga is to compare a film to comic book. Much anime is based on existing manga, just as many movies are based on existing novels, short stories, or comic books.
I was thrilled to learn this – finally, at age 41 (well, 42 as of September 2) - for this supernatural horror movie aficionado has seen almost every decent horror title available in the States, and I was ready for a new population of entertainment from which to pick and choose.
One more thing I’ve learned regarding anime: do not judge a particular anime feature by its title. Many anime titles sound silly or ridiculous, and have nothing to do with what we in the States think of when we hear the title words, if they are even recognizable at all. For instance, Cowboy Bebop is one of my top recommendations, and it’s a violent show about bounty hunters doing their thing; Boogiepop Phantom is Twilight Zone creepy; likewise, there is no tree planting whatsoever in the action-packed sci-fi movie Appleseed Ex-Machina.
So, the message I wish to convey is this:
No matter what type of movie genre or themery you prefer — as long as you are not turned off by animation — then I guarantee there is anime for you.
I have always been a big fan of quality animation, so anime was not the treacherous leap for me some might envision. Come to think of it, that statement might be a bit misleading, as much of the anime is far more detailed and interesting than most American animation; it’s not really a suitable analogy. I would strongly encourage a more than a couple of anime test viewings before you make up your mind about it, especially if you are not one who appreciates the art of animation.
If you were a fan of Liquid Television back in the good old days of MTV, then you are hardwired and virtually guaranteed to love certain anime.
Unless this new animinterest of mine ends as abruptly as it started (which has been known to happen with some of my various kicks and phases, I will freely admit), I will probably be spewing forth a few anime recommendations in the future, amongst my movie comments and reviews.
However, for starters, please allow me to point you to the amazing, inventive, creative mind of Hayao Miyazaki. Please do yourself a favor and go rent or buy either Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle and open yourself up to a visual feast of animation that’s a bona-fide breath of fresh air, and unlike any American animated movie you’ve ever seen. You will be very glad you did.
Actually, since I have written this much, I will take it a step further than initially intended and try to list a few anime titles that would appeal to American fans of various movie genres; I will now take a stab at making some anime recommendations that roughly correspond to their Hollywood live-action counterparts.
Here are few places to start, depending on your preferred genre(s): a few of my favorites, virtually guaranteed not to disappoint! NOTE: If you want verification on some of these, take a look at the reviews and ratings at RottenTomatoes.com, DVDtalk.com, and Amazon.com. These were the first places I checked when I started looking into anime, though now I use a handful or respected anime review sites such as the Anime News Network.
First on my list is a like a three-part Twilight Zone episode and one of the most critically acclaimed movies out there: Memories: Three Unforgettable Tales from the Masters of Anime. I was creeped out by Magnetic Rose, laughed at Stink Bomb, and found the steampunk demeanor of Cannon Fodder to be fascinating. So will you, dare I say.
Fans of Shrek, The Incredibles, Wallace & Gromit, etc.:
check out Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, or Kiki’s Delivery Service – or anything else from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki. Frankly, anyone that does not hate movies should give Miyazaki more than a fair shake: you will be stunned.
Fans of military vehicle action like Top Gun, Stealth, etc., check out ‘Macross Plus’ and ‘Yukikaze’ for killer aerial military combat. For an interesting combination of military science and action, see ‘Full Metal Alchemist’.
For a top-rated, critically acclaimed, chilling and unforgettable look at the horrible effects of war, do not miss ‘The Grave of Fireflies’.
Horror movie fans: check out vampire anime like ‘Blood+’, ‘Blood: The Last Vampire’ or ‘Vampire Hunter D’; ‘Hellsing’, for vampires and other creatures; or the creepy, j-horrorish ‘Boogiepop Phantom’ and ‘Serial Experiments Lain’. Psychological horror fans might try ‘Perfect Blue’. I will list much more recommended anime at a later time.
For a worthwhile look that includes sample clips from each anime listed there, check out this list of this guy’s top 10 horror anime, or this large list of best anime horror.
The ‘Black Jack’ series of anime is more or less a medical series, with some titles on the horror side of medicine.
Science Fiction fans may stand to gain the most from anime; although ALL movie genres are stoutly represented in the anime world, there may be more sci-fi than anything else. My favorites so far are ‘Appleseed Ex-Machina’ (produced by none other than John Woo). ‘Patlabor 3′, a creature feature, is also worth checking out. If you liked the computer/video game ‘Mechwarrior’, or the flick ‘Robocop’, then you will have loads of anime to choose from as there are dozens of titles featuring futuristic mecha-suited warriors. Then there are themany ‘Ghost in the Shell’ features.
One of the best sci-fi anime sets of all is ‘Animatrix’. If you liked ‘The Matrix’, you’ll certainly like ‘Animatrix’, a collection of shorts by top anime-tors that fill in the story behind the Matrix world.
Action/Adventure fans should not miss ‘Cowboy Bebop’, one of the first anime flicks I saw after the Hayao Miyazaki ones. One fellow says of ‘Cowboy Bebop’,
It’s a masterpiece of Japanese art unlike any other. Shinichiro Watanabe’s grand vision, it is the greatest sci-fi anime of all time. Watch all 26 sessions any you will agree. Nothing more can be said except that Yoko Kanno’s music makes the show what it is. It is the most brilliant show and must be watched many times to gain true appreciation of it. I have seen every session 6 times or more and would watch them a hundred times more.
Now there’s a hearty recommendation.
Akira makes almost every top ten list, and I can see why: it is mind-blowing, trippy; I have already re-watched it.
I could go on and on, and probably will later.
Here are a few worthwhile top ten anime lists I ran across:
- Best of Japan - feature length anime edition
- Well-Researched Top Ten Anime Lists (not just some guy’s favorites)
- Several interesting top 10 categories of anime
- Interesting YouTube videos of top ten anime lists
- And one more respectable top ten anime list
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[…] Original post by Stephen […]
Stephen,
Definitely not for me! Ha!