Makoto Shinkai's latest project, Hoshi o Ou Kodomo, hasn't even been released in Japan yet (release is slated for May 2011), but ever since watching the teaser trailer, I've been restless for a US release. The chances are good: all of his previous major works have been licensed in the US, and I own them all :) They include Voices of a Distant Star (which he made entirely by himself on his Mac!), The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and 5 Centimeters Per Second. All of his works have themes of melancholy, loss, and distance. Though his character designs are a little bit wanting (he's getting better, though), Shinkai (as an animator) is a master of light, and his background art (based on photos) is highly regarded as the most exquisite to date. Hoshi o Ou Kodomo cannot come soon enough for me.
This little gem is about the near future, where we have human-like androids (complete with Asimov's Three Laws). Eve no Jikan explores the relationships between people and their androids (who have a halo-like holographic display to differentiate them from their human masters): some humans treat them like household appliances, while others talk to them as if they were real people. The majority of the story revolves around the titular underground cafe, where androids turn off their halos and discrimination between humans and androids is forbidden. Currently the short series (6 episodes, ~16 minutes each, last one is 26) is streaming (legally) with English subtitles on crunchyroll.com. Unfortunately, I foresee no DVD release in the near future.
Currently airing in Japan, Hourou Musuko deals with gender identity, puberty, and transsexualism. It's different, and I like it. It's a character-based drama of a group of children who are beginning their first year of middle school. I've only seen the first four episodes so far, but I can already tell that this is something that I would like to own and share. One of the things about the show that caught my eye was the overall art design. The story does suffer a bit, however, as it does not start from the beginning of the original manga. The first few chapters of the manga, which cover their last years in elementary school and builds up the relationships between the characters, is completely skipped over. Instead, the anime relies on the intelligence of its audience, hoping that they catch onto the backgrounds of the characters as they interact with each other, interspersed with a few helpful flashbacks. Crunchyroll is also streaming episodes as it continues to air in Japan. It's certainly not a show for everyone, but it's captured my attention, and I hope that a US release comes soon for this.
Few animation studios have the flair that Studio Shaft brings to its works. Wacky and hilarious just barely begin to describe Arakawa Under the Bridge. Our story begins when Kou, our protagonist and only heir to a huge conglomerate in Tokyo, gets his pants stolen from him by some kids when he crosses the Arakawa Bridge. As he tries to get them back, he falls into the river. He is saved, however, by a strange girl named Nino who refers to herself as a Venusian and who resides, apparently, under the bridge. Feeling extremely indebted to the girl, Kou begs Nino to ask him for something. Nino then asks Kou to be her lover. Kou begins to live under the bridge and soon finds out that many other colorful characters live under the bridge, as well. Much hilarity ensues. This isn't something I can describe, it must be experienced.
Kei is the second season of xxxHolic (pronounced HAW-lic, like alcoholic), and while FUNimation has already licensed the first season (which I own), I'd really love it if they (or anyone) licenses the stellar second season. Although the second season is half as long as the first, it's twice as good, trimming much of the fat off of the filler-filled first and bringing much more character development to the table. FUNimation did say that they would license Kei if sales for the first season were good. Fast forward a few months, FUNimation says on their website that sales for xxxHolic were good, but no mention of a Kei license. What the heck? License it already! (If you're curious about this series, Hulu and YouTube are streaming all of the first season.)
The second Winter 2011 anime on this list (along with Hourou Musuko) and the second anime produced by Shaft on this list (along with Arakawa), Madoka Magica was not a show that I took an interest in until relatively recently. But once I got into it, bit by bit it has been blowing me away. As Neon Genesis Evangelion and Bokurano were deconstructions of Super Robot shows (Gigantor a.k.a. Tetsujin 28) and other giant mecha shows like Mobile Suit Gundam, Madoka Magica is a terrifying deconstruction of magical girl shows like Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura. Far from being made of sugar drops and cotton candy, it slowly peels away every aspect of the genre and whips on top of it a good helping of cynicism and despair. As I am both a fan of magical girl shows and damn good storytelling, Madoka Magica certainly earns its place on my list.
I'm not terribly picky about what kind of anime I watch. If I hear good things about a show, I'll take a gander at it. So when I was watching the first 90% of the first episode of Skip Beat!, I didn't see what was so great about it. Then Kyoko, our heroine, who was a walking carpet (figuratively, not like Chewbacca) during the majority of the first episode, gets the "Pandora's box" of her heart opened and all her figurative demons came pouring out, and she gets mad. The show overall was a breath of fresh air. It was nice seeing Kyoko make it in the world of entertainment with very little except her own determination. It was thoughtful, funny, and entertaining, and I couldn't ask for more from a show. The biggest problem I have with it is that it just ends, leaving very little resolved in terms of plot development. I guess the whole thing was a stunt to pull in more readers of the manga. Despite that, I loved watching Skip Beat! and I wish someone would just put it on DVD. Crunchyroll also picked up streaming rights on this show.
I love Studio Ghibli. Also, like most Ghibli fans, I owe a debt of gratitude to Disney for bringing over many (Miyazaki) titles. Many people have opened up to anime after seeing one or two of Miyazaki's masterful works. But Hayao Miyazaki is not the only notable director at Studio Ghibli. Deserving no fewer accolades is Isao Takahata, with his perennial masterpiece Grave of the Fireflies (1988). Of his other three films (including Pom Poko [1994] and My Neighbors the Yamadas [1999]), Only Yesterday (1991) is his best effort, but it is also the only that was not brought over by Disney or any other company. Why? I don't know. The film is aimed at older (i.e. older than teens) women, as it is a drama about a woman who escapes the daily grind in the city to work in the countryside. Interspersed throughout the film are flashbacks to her younger years, and she wonders what became of her dreams back then. The film's unique atmosphere and positive view of country life, along with its heartwarming ending, put it as one of Studio Ghibli's most beautiful films (in my opinion). It was even released in the UK, but there's still no sign of a US release. What the heck, America?
If you haven't been catching up on my blog recently, you probably haven't taken notice of my love for this show. Even among other anime, Kimi ni Todoke has carved out a special place in my heart. Recently I've been raging slightly at the second season for the setbacks it's imposed on Sawako and Kazehaya's relationship, but that doesn't mean I didn't heartily enjoy it. The first season has finished airing, and the second season is currently airing as part of the Winter 2011 anime season. Both seasons exude this healing atmosphere that seeps deep into your chest, making you simultaneously feel like you're dying and enjoy it (or maybe that's just me?). Despite some frustrations, both about the story and the technical aspects of the show, I've always slept well when I ended the day with an episode of Kimi ni Todoke. Heck, just because the show hasn't been licensed yet, I've bought the soundtracks for both seasons just so I could own something from Kimi ni Todoke. It would be a crime to not bring this show over. Yes, you heard me right, a crime.
Someone save Nodame Cantabile from Crackle.com! Just because it's streaming for free doesn't mean that it's the stream I want! They don't have the option to watch the original with subtitles at all, and the dub is terrible. So this is less of a wish for a license (as it technically is licensed. Then again, so are all the shows streaming on Crunchyroll.) and more of a wish for a license rescue. Not only is the dub terrible, but Crackle is obviously not going to distribute the series in a home-video format (let alone DVD), and there's two more seasons which no one has touched! Crackle has also been cracking down on (albeit illegal) fan-subs of the series. Such a wonderful series, about an ambitious conducting student and a messy piano student at a music academy, deserves more than this! However, I guess I can take comfort in the fact that it was not butchered by needless editing or other forms of corporate meddling (I'm looking at you, Nelvana [Cardcaptors, Beyblade, Medabots, and Bakugan] and 4Kids Entertainment [Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sonic X, One Piece]) Dammit, Crackle, I just want Nodame Cantabile on DVD! How hard can that be? Just please, put the Japanese track with some nice English subtitles on it, as well.
Of the anime you listed, I have only seen Skip Beat, Kimi ni Todoke and Nodame Cantabile, all seasons. I'll definitely check out the others.
ReplyDeleteBut regarding Kimi ni Todoke and Nodame Cantabile, I'd really like those two to be licensed in America. I had heard that it might be more difficult for Nodame Cantabile to be released on dvd because of the musical rights, but I'm not sure how true that is. I'm kind of okay with not owning Skip Beat on dvd because I collect the manga and I'm satisfied with that.