I've already talked about Hyper Police, Fancy Lala, Koi Kaze, and Gakuen Alice as far as favorites from this director is concerned. However, I have finished all of his newer series and have brought myself up to date with his career and I find myself waiting for the second season of Natsume Yuujinchou just like any other fan would for a newer series.
Me watching new anime? Guess it had to happen sometime! ^_-
I began with the Hell Girl series (or Jigoku Shoujo if you prefer), as the first season led me to discuss the human condition in anime with my previous blog, and I found myself fascinated with the subject matter enough to give the second season a go. The first season introduced me to the idea of people summoning a girl because there is hate in their heart for another person, and they are provided a straw doll to untie a string from to sentence that person to hell. Of course, the sad catch is that the person who pulls the string is also sentenced to hell, making things even more interesting in the process.
Now what makes the second season of Hell Girl (or Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori if you prefer) a modest improvement over the tales of revenge told in the first series is that we find, perhaps, misuses of the services Ai Enma and company provide. The side characters are given life with their active involvement in all the cases in this season, as they investigate the source and the means for them to be called upon. Sometimes we find that it is difficult to pinpoint where the straw doll's use can be attributed, like in the first episode where a girl is trying to figure out who is tormenting her at school, or in other episodes where we find multiple people in possession of a straw doll. There may even be times where some don't use it, or perhaps there's an interesting twist upon its usage. After the series ended with a satisfying message on vengence, I found myself turning to Baccano! for more of what Omori had to offer.
Baccano! is a very difficult series for me to describe, yet is was easy for me to understand. It's a series that focuses on many characters, with several scenarios unfolding here and there, yet the directing proves versatile with seamless shifts between situations, making me anticipate what happens next with each and every scenario. There's also a lot of stylistic touches too, such as the over-the-top action sequences (particularly on a train named the "Flying Pussyfoot"), and even some visual touches here and there when you least suspect them. The story does revolve around the subject of immortality, which felt like the most important aspect of the series to me essentially, as each character involved had a different outlook on eternal life, yet it gave me an interesting perspective on the madness that eternal life gives too. A terrific series all around, I can't say enough good things about it.
Finally, we reach Natsume Yuujinchou, which almost feels like a return to the unique characterizations that Omori's Hyper Police gave me when I first saw that. The series involves a boy who can see spirits, yet none of his friends or family can see them, so he finds himself alone before he discovers The Book Of Friends, something his grandmother left behind from her days interacting with spirits. Watching the main character interact with the varities of spirits gave me some fun viewpoints on religion and even belief (the Dew God in the second episode was a character I was fond of, though I also adored the firefly spirit in episode eight). Also, he "befriends" a spirit he releases by accident that appears to be a cat, but is actually a nine-tailed fox (funny, because much like kyubi fox Sakura threatened to eat Natsuki in Hyper Police to take her power, it appears the fox in this series also desires something from the main character in this series too...talk about revisiting Hyper Police in more ways than one!). The warm directing of Omori in this series reminds me of what I felt when I saw a lot of his early works, and I can honestly say he still has it in him to direct quality anime.
Here's hoping that second season of Yuujinchou continues his streak. ^_^
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
The Human Condition From What I've Observed In Anime
A thought-provoking segment that I figured I'd play around with, being I always seem to get a message or two out of most anime. These selections are merely my representations given the anime I've seen in my lifetime thus far. If anyone wishes to comment with anime that they may have seen in this vein, you are all more than welcome! ^_^
I've seen some anime that have made me think about the nature of humans, and my recent viewing of Hell Girl (or Jigoku Shoujo if you prefer) had me wondering about the price that people put on vengeance, as though in their own hearts they couldn't hope to let things go or even forgive those who have hurt them. Of course, some of the circumstances were so severe in some episodes, like an episode involving a man who was framed for killing one of his own teammates from a baseball team by a bully that had a rather popular reputation as being the star pitcher of that said team, and in an effort to prevent his life from being the living hell that it was, he felt he could lessen the abuse by damning himself, yet destroying the source of his agony in the mortal world. Such issues left me to wonder what the idea of right and wrong, and how some of us can deal with it. If I were put in such a situation, I could imagine myself being miserable, but my personal beliefs prevent me from wishing to kill someone, yet even as I say this I still question how my own life would be in that said scenario when there is no proof to put the real culprit behind bars. The suffering of the Hell Girl herself, Ai Enma, also remains enigmatic and proves the sort of misery that entails the entire series she has ultimately embodied with her cold stare alone.
Another I can name off the top of my head is Boogiepop Phantom, and the culmination of people inheriting strange abilities, and some of the people under such influences inevitably become intoxicated with their power. In one episode, a man sees the worries of others as spiders on them, and with his vision he can grab the spider and eat it to rid them of their worries. However, even in his mindless indulgence of helping others, the results seem strangely sublime from those affected, as it appears this man in question has ultimately taken something away from as far as their personality is concerned. My thoughts definitely coincided with the idea that perhaps it is always good to worry and be saddened to some degree, as we all learn some hard lessons through the game of life. Even so, our worries are definitely our rite of passage for personal growth, to allow us the chance to think critically about things that never went right for us as we strive to do what's best for our lives in the long run.
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Returns, what a strange example, but it did something to me when I saw it some odd years ago. The original Galaxy Fraulein Yuna was based off a video game, but the story basically showed me a snippet about a girl that saved the galaxy and befriended all of her enemies in the process of trying to rid the world of evil, proving how the powers of love and friendship could conquer all. However, the sequel Returns featured Yuna trying to befriend a rather hostile set of antagonists, a set of sisters who were throw-away machines designed for battle. Yuna's friends become scared of these sisters, and even as they cripple and hurt Yuna's own pals, she ignores the fear, and even doubt that arises when she tries to be friends with all of them. Sadly, the attempted friendship that succeeded with one of the sisters ultimately resulted in the death of all the sisters and the breaking of Yuna's heart in the process, showing all the hard work she's done in her previous OVA set come to a sort of sad end when considering how her latest adventure turned out. Guess not all of us can get along.
Now I'm going to talk about Serial Experiments Lain,. One thing I can mention with that series is the basic need that people have developed for computers and technology in general, with people making their own personas and even participating in groups to wreak havoc in "The Wired." Lain herself only begins to develop herself in this realm as the series moves on, and she even notices the suicides that have occurred with the existence of such a medium. The detachment with Lain's life outside The Wired only shows just how much more interest people have taken with the technological playground that had suddenly developed.
Colorful, from the same director as Lain, shows the sort of autistic behavior that some perverted people ultimately undergo. The need for some men to see women's undergarments or even cleavage leads them to go on excrutiating adventures with their eyes to conquer the woman's body with what little resources and cunning they have. Men who are driven headfirst with sexual urges that seem to play them like instruments for anything to satisfy themselves, and yet, they ultimately have no real conversational abilities to approach any further than a safe distance. A strange but interesting portrait of a pervert sub-culture that only wishes for what it can have, and finds salvation in knowing it's at least there.
In a rather interesting sequence, there's even a strange fascination two men take in the way a female teacher of theirs moves her tongue as she says the letters L and R.
Such things can also be said of the bleak underworld created by Yasuomi Umetsu's Kite, in which the main girl Sawa is treated like an object and used by her corrupt employer, in which even her own mental state appears to be static after her mind and body become abused. However, she also shows a sign of wishing to leave when she notices a man who shares her same profession, in which he appears just as helpless as she does to her employer. Kite made me think about the dark side of humanity, and some people out there probably show no consideration for what they do, as if all they know is themselves, and that the world around them is merely dressing for what they really see, which is just themselves.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a tough cookie for me to talk about, mostly because its characters are always having something going on with themselves, with the main character going through the awful dilemma of being used by his father and then treated with absolute coldness after all of his hard work. The nature of the world behind Evangelion is hard to bear, as the world is always being threatened, the creatures that attack the city get stronger and stronger with each appearance, and we have everyone trying to live a sensible life with all the chaos. The interactions between the people in Evangelion suggest that their lives are ultimately so chaotic, and a few have such hard pasts to boot, that their fears and for some even their self-esteem remain obstacles to themselves and the world around them. Shinji for me, most of all, remains the central focus to such an idea.
Koi Kaze is also a rather challenging anime for me to talk about, it shows the chance meeting a brother and sister, who were quite unaware of the relation at first, take an intimate liking to after a fateful encounter. The troubles with both their lovelives also play a role in their attraction for each other, especially since the brother in question helps with the planning of weddings for a profession and had ultimately found himself out of a relationship because something was no longer there for him. The existence of love within the human mind and body, and the trouble it sometimes brings to people, especially those who find unfortunate circumstances surrounding it when they meet someone special, can sometimes find some wonderful lessons when they learn to understand their own feelings and grow from them in the long run.
I hope this segment was interesting for all of you, and I hope we can discuss this further if anyone wishes to chime in with some thoughts! ^_^
I've seen some anime that have made me think about the nature of humans, and my recent viewing of Hell Girl (or Jigoku Shoujo if you prefer) had me wondering about the price that people put on vengeance, as though in their own hearts they couldn't hope to let things go or even forgive those who have hurt them. Of course, some of the circumstances were so severe in some episodes, like an episode involving a man who was framed for killing one of his own teammates from a baseball team by a bully that had a rather popular reputation as being the star pitcher of that said team, and in an effort to prevent his life from being the living hell that it was, he felt he could lessen the abuse by damning himself, yet destroying the source of his agony in the mortal world. Such issues left me to wonder what the idea of right and wrong, and how some of us can deal with it. If I were put in such a situation, I could imagine myself being miserable, but my personal beliefs prevent me from wishing to kill someone, yet even as I say this I still question how my own life would be in that said scenario when there is no proof to put the real culprit behind bars. The suffering of the Hell Girl herself, Ai Enma, also remains enigmatic and proves the sort of misery that entails the entire series she has ultimately embodied with her cold stare alone.
Another I can name off the top of my head is Boogiepop Phantom, and the culmination of people inheriting strange abilities, and some of the people under such influences inevitably become intoxicated with their power. In one episode, a man sees the worries of others as spiders on them, and with his vision he can grab the spider and eat it to rid them of their worries. However, even in his mindless indulgence of helping others, the results seem strangely sublime from those affected, as it appears this man in question has ultimately taken something away from as far as their personality is concerned. My thoughts definitely coincided with the idea that perhaps it is always good to worry and be saddened to some degree, as we all learn some hard lessons through the game of life. Even so, our worries are definitely our rite of passage for personal growth, to allow us the chance to think critically about things that never went right for us as we strive to do what's best for our lives in the long run.
Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Returns, what a strange example, but it did something to me when I saw it some odd years ago. The original Galaxy Fraulein Yuna was based off a video game, but the story basically showed me a snippet about a girl that saved the galaxy and befriended all of her enemies in the process of trying to rid the world of evil, proving how the powers of love and friendship could conquer all. However, the sequel Returns featured Yuna trying to befriend a rather hostile set of antagonists, a set of sisters who were throw-away machines designed for battle. Yuna's friends become scared of these sisters, and even as they cripple and hurt Yuna's own pals, she ignores the fear, and even doubt that arises when she tries to be friends with all of them. Sadly, the attempted friendship that succeeded with one of the sisters ultimately resulted in the death of all the sisters and the breaking of Yuna's heart in the process, showing all the hard work she's done in her previous OVA set come to a sort of sad end when considering how her latest adventure turned out. Guess not all of us can get along.
Now I'm going to talk about Serial Experiments Lain,. One thing I can mention with that series is the basic need that people have developed for computers and technology in general, with people making their own personas and even participating in groups to wreak havoc in "The Wired." Lain herself only begins to develop herself in this realm as the series moves on, and she even notices the suicides that have occurred with the existence of such a medium. The detachment with Lain's life outside The Wired only shows just how much more interest people have taken with the technological playground that had suddenly developed.
Colorful, from the same director as Lain, shows the sort of autistic behavior that some perverted people ultimately undergo. The need for some men to see women's undergarments or even cleavage leads them to go on excrutiating adventures with their eyes to conquer the woman's body with what little resources and cunning they have. Men who are driven headfirst with sexual urges that seem to play them like instruments for anything to satisfy themselves, and yet, they ultimately have no real conversational abilities to approach any further than a safe distance. A strange but interesting portrait of a pervert sub-culture that only wishes for what it can have, and finds salvation in knowing it's at least there.
In a rather interesting sequence, there's even a strange fascination two men take in the way a female teacher of theirs moves her tongue as she says the letters L and R.
Such things can also be said of the bleak underworld created by Yasuomi Umetsu's Kite, in which the main girl Sawa is treated like an object and used by her corrupt employer, in which even her own mental state appears to be static after her mind and body become abused. However, she also shows a sign of wishing to leave when she notices a man who shares her same profession, in which he appears just as helpless as she does to her employer. Kite made me think about the dark side of humanity, and some people out there probably show no consideration for what they do, as if all they know is themselves, and that the world around them is merely dressing for what they really see, which is just themselves.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is a tough cookie for me to talk about, mostly because its characters are always having something going on with themselves, with the main character going through the awful dilemma of being used by his father and then treated with absolute coldness after all of his hard work. The nature of the world behind Evangelion is hard to bear, as the world is always being threatened, the creatures that attack the city get stronger and stronger with each appearance, and we have everyone trying to live a sensible life with all the chaos. The interactions between the people in Evangelion suggest that their lives are ultimately so chaotic, and a few have such hard pasts to boot, that their fears and for some even their self-esteem remain obstacles to themselves and the world around them. Shinji for me, most of all, remains the central focus to such an idea.
Koi Kaze is also a rather challenging anime for me to talk about, it shows the chance meeting a brother and sister, who were quite unaware of the relation at first, take an intimate liking to after a fateful encounter. The troubles with both their lovelives also play a role in their attraction for each other, especially since the brother in question helps with the planning of weddings for a profession and had ultimately found himself out of a relationship because something was no longer there for him. The existence of love within the human mind and body, and the trouble it sometimes brings to people, especially those who find unfortunate circumstances surrounding it when they meet someone special, can sometimes find some wonderful lessons when they learn to understand their own feelings and grow from them in the long run.
I hope this segment was interesting for all of you, and I hope we can discuss this further if anyone wishes to chime in with some thoughts! ^_^
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Extra Magic - Hyper Police
A little experiment in the making, please bear with me if it feels like I'm missing something. ^_^
This segment of my blog, Extra Magic, will entail my fascination with certain anime in great detail. Consider it akin to a commentary track on a DVD, or perhaps a sort of blurb about an anime that had a profound effect on me. None of them have to be perfect 10s to have a profound effect on me for the record, they just need to do something terribly right with me upon my viewing experiences. If there's an anime you're ever curious about my feelings with, maybe you can send me a message and I'll look into it for you. ^_-
Though this series was discussed in some detail on my director's blog, I felt the need to talk about Hyper Police once more, and to establish any commentary and throught-provoking moments I may have felt with it. I will likely begin with some descriptions of the world of Hyper Police before I begin sprinkling in my personal thoughts with each episode, though there's some episodes I will have more to say about than others. I will also make sure to mention Kenji Kawai's score in here at certain points too. Finally, I would like to say that director Takahiro Omori has done a fine job expressing sequences with good angles and proper usage of Kawai's score when needed, he really keeps the cast fun and interesting with me, although he also makes sure to show a good amount of the troubles that world the Hyper Police entails.
Also, I'm not afraid to give spoilers, mostly because I feel that the odds of anyone remembering everything explained in this segment word for word will be a low probability.
The world of Hyper Police is a mish-mash of modern Japan with the inclusion of mythological creatures by means of a destroyed spritiual barrier. As a result, humans and supernatrual beings have tried to co-exist together in a single society, though humans have become an endangered species as a result of this world being a reality, this is especially true when humans are generally loathed by most creatures for their many rights over anything non-human.
The focus of this series is on the characters and their job as bounty hunters, with catgirl Natsuki being the lead along with her co-workers and friends Batanen and Tommy, who are both wolves. Natsuki later meets Sakura, a nine-tail fox who actually hasn't grown her ninth proper tail, and finds herself wanting to devour Natsuki because of her supernatural powers, which is to say, Natsuki can wield two small creatures named "parasites" and emit electrical charges to attack foes (however, Natsuki possesses other abilities that are made more apparent in later episodes). Natsuki's love interest is with her older co-worker Batanen, who's a rather brazen playboy that finds himself strangely shy with Natsuki, and it is within the third episode where he admits it's because he has genuine feelings for her (Batanen kind of reminds me of my father with the way he treats true love when it stares him in the face).
As the series begins with the first episode within the city of Shinjuku, it is intended to establish the ties between humans and supernatural beings, showing Natsuki and Batanen as bounty hunters trying to stop a monster from causing harm towards nearby humans. The world is also seen in this episode as a dark and fairly uncompromising place in which Natsuki and company much learn to work around, though it is also interesting to see the good-willed Natsuki learn the ropes of fighting crime, like working with her partners throughout the series and understanding the fine art of reading a criminal his rights (no matter how many times she screws it up). The episode finds a new employee entering Natsuki's company named Kondo, in which her parents were killed by monsters during her childhood, and her vendetta against anything non-human is made apparent with her cold treatment of Natsuki and her relative vengance applied toward any criminals they meet. By the end of the episode, Kondo finds herself in a bind when her gun is knocked away by a rather dangerous perpitraitor, only to have Natsuki jump in and save her, showing Kondo that her prejudices are unfounded. After this moment passes, Kondo warms up to Natsuki, and we get to see one of many profound relationships in the crazy world of Hyper Police.
Natsuki is definitely an inspiring character to say the least, as her kindness shows a level of warmth in a world where everyone that surrounds her seems to be in worse shape than she is. The first episode gave me a positive impression on her character, and I see no problems with her cat-like tendencies, which I found to be pretty endearing for the record.
Also, it should be noted that Natsuki's job as a bounty hunter is always threatened by the competition of another bounty hunting corporation which recieves funding from people who have connections with political figures. Natsuki's own company is independent and equipped with little funding in comparison. Natsuki's boss is a man named Mudagami, who is in fact a god, and it was very interesting to hear him complain in the first episode about why he's in such a position where he has little in the way of rights in comparison to everyone else. The Police Company is the name of this bounty hunting establishment, and it always seems like the company is in the red for earnings each and every week.
Natsuki eventually encounters Sakura in episode 2, in which she is a homeless drifter looking for ways to increase her power and finds herself intrigued by Natsuki's power. By episode 3, with countless failures in taking Natsuki's powers, Sakura must endure the life of a homeless person for the time being and eventually finds work within The Police Company as a bounty hunter. It is also by the third episode of this series where Sakura starts to show a small sign of appreciation for Natsuki when they work together more, though Sakura's own nature still gets the better of her until around episode 15, in which she finds herself attracted to a wandering samurai. By episode 4, Natsuki's kind heart pushes her to let Sakura stay at her place when she notices the cardboard box that was Sakura's current residence.
I found the details of Sakura's rather difficult street life to be amusing, from the shrimp tails she calls dinner to the layout of the box she made for herself. And of course I found it endearing when Natsuki took her in. ^_^
By the fifth episode, the series really starts to pick things up as the whole Police Company decides to get together for a job to nab a nasty criminal with many counts on his record, though it should be noted that there is a sad twist to the end of this episode. In the meantime, Kondo and Sakura start to notice the quality of their ammo is less than the standard they're supposed to be issued, which suggests that the funds of the company are cerainly ailing. Also, Sakura's animal instincts take over in a funny sequence involving the burying of a dead bounty with the idea of storing it until they need it for possible emergency funds (the criminal in question was a mushroom just so you know ^_^). When the team approaches the hideout of the wanted criminal, it is discovered that he also has a son with him, and everyone on the scene does what they can to not hurt the poor child. However, when it looks like things take a turn for the worst as Natsuki tries to keep the child away from his father, the rival company, The Mad Police Corporation, dives onto the scene and brutally shoots down the criminal. The child in question becomes devastated and is threatened by Fonne, the leader of the team on the site, to keep away from "her bounty." After they leave, the child screams at Natsuki when she tries to comfort him, and it is around this point when Natsuki starts to seriously hate her job. She ends this episode going to their usual hangout, The Lamp Cafe, and drinks herself until she's drunk over the incident.
What made the fifth episode such a turning point for me was how it expressed the unnecessary prejudices between humans and beasts alike with Fonne's rather excessive killing of the criminal in question, yet it also shows the dark side of Natsuki's job with the criminal's son being in the way of all the heated action. The first four episodes had a lot to say about the general poverty and living situations of all the characters, but the fifth episode definitely tapped into the angst between the species that was evident in the first episode with Kondo's dilemma.
The sixth episode finds Natsuki on vacation contemplating her job, but not before a little girl jumps into her house and begs her to be trained in the ways of bounty hunting. Natsuki tries to tell the girl that bounty hunting "isn't cool" and only wishes she could see what really goes on with all the crime fighting that happens. By episode's end, the girl is picked on by a criminal, and Natsuki finds herself saving her and begins to understand what it was that made her a bounty hunter in the first place. The little girl in this episode was revealed to be the daughter of a rich family and ran away from home looking to have some fun, though it is rather amusing to notice that this rich girl's family is comprised of humans, but things become rather enlightening when she cries at the end of the episode and says that's all the bounty hunting she wishes to do in her lifetime (Natsuki makes a tender smile suggesting she's proud of the outcome).
This episode also features a rather hilarious sequence entailing the origins of Natsuki's employment with The Police Company on another note, in which Natsuki was also captured by a criminal much the little girl she saved by the end of the episode. Episode 6 definitely turned things around in Natsuki's life and I feel it showed that once again, Natsuki understood how times were and wanted to get back to helping the community.
Episode 7 shows the bonds between Natsuki and her co-workers become strong again as they team up to find a ruthless criminal that likes to shoot up whatever establishments he's in. The casino in the beginning of the episode has two interesting sequences, one where Natsuki and Sakura notice someone winning tons of money from a slot machine and oogle at the fact they will never be paid as much for the work they do, and the other sequence is Natsuki's quirky cat instincts taking over as she starts gathering stray ammo that's falling across the floor. There's a nice montage near the end of the episode involving the teamwork of Natsuki's friends staking out a rather dubious club for the criminal, and everyone finds that their efforts have paid off when Natsuki nabs him and gets the bounty. However, even as Kenji Kawai's beautifully applied score dashes over the sequence, it is instantly revealed that The Police Company has been shut down and everyone's suddenly out of a job. It is also at this point where Natsuki and Sakura find out the hardships of bounty hunting without independent licenses, something that pretty much everyone else had working with the company. It's profound to see how much everyone works together, and it's equally saddening to see all their efforts come to this, which makes this particular episode express just how much everyone had on their backs from the society they were born into.
Episode 7 also has a scene where Natsuki and Sakura attempt to do some shopping within their budget, though Sakura makes it clear to Natsuki about a certain clothing store that charges you just for trying on outfits, in which this fancy store happens to be inhabited by human customers. After this scene, Natsuki and Sakura both find a good place for bargain shopping soon after.
As the eighth episode winds through, it appears Natsuki and Sakura just aren't making enough money for their catches, as companies are ripping them off for bounties knowing full well that what Natsuki and Sakura are doing is completely illegal. The hardships depicted within the episode play off the tough times quite nicely, especially when Natsuki realizes she's not talented enough to hold another job outside bounty hunting. At the end of the episode however, Natsuki finds all of her old co-workers still come to her usual hangout, which is The Lamp Cafe, and thus we are treated to another endearing sequence of Natsuki finding the good within the bad along with a good lacing of Kenji Kawai music in the background, and she promptly lets Tommy have it when she hears he let Batanen get shot in the leg (guess times are tough, aren't they?). ^_^
Episode 9 continues the poverty that has stricken Natsuki and company, as the previous episode expressed their need to be tight with money, they find themselves desperately looking for money and even find themselves stealing food at one point. Natsuki also starts to eat cat food around this point, punctuating what she has left to eat. By episode's end, Batanen gives them a lead on a rather big job, but they get caught by authorities and only Sakura escapes while Natsuki is apprehended by Peau, a water mage working for the state police. Guess tough times call for tough circumstances, no? ^_^
Episode 10 is a look into the hard prison life that Natsuki finds herself being in, as she hears that major offenders have their memory erased, and her crimes of not having a bounty hunting license and resisting arrest are more than enough to qualify her. With a stroke of luck it seems, Natsuki is rescued by two other criminals and helps them with a jailbreak, simply because she's afraid to lose her memory. However, it is also revealed that she was being used by them, and Batanen realizes it's up to him to clean up the situation involving Natsuki, even as Peau's cold exterior shows she's not an easy one to crack through. Thankfully, a lie by Batanen involving Natsuki being his fiancee, and Natsuki apparently in the prison to apprehend the two jailbreakers who happened to be famed getaway artists were barely acceptable, especially when Batanen says to Peau that he owes her for such a favor.
Another thing about episode 10 worth thinking over is how nobody in the prison was human, and by this point it's also obvious that humans have never been on bounty hunter's lists in the series up until this point, which once again states the position that supernatural beings seem to be in when compared to humans.
Episode 11 finds Natsuki and Sakura working to get their bounty hunting licenses, as they must memorize times to go for their tests and form submissions, and throughout the episode they travel through all kinds of areas and even split up at one point. The tests themselves are pretty funny as well, especially when it is revealed they are applying for the highest ranked license of them all, and they find their tests to be rather ludicrious (a fight with a big stone statue is one for instance). As they both go left and right to submit their forms, especially when one bureau is destroyed from a recent bombing, and they find themselves saving people who happen to be in their path, it becomes a bit of a funny twist when they find out they just ran out of time with submitting their forms before the next available application period, which means they would have to wait before becoming officially licensed.
Episodes 12 and 13 revolve around Natsuki and company escorting an important priest who holds a vital role in human and supernatural being relations for a big political event. Sadly, there are those are trying to stop this priest from making it to his destination, and that's where the need for bounty hunters reaches our heroes. Episode 12 shows a rather colorful depiction of Osaka with shops that have bullets made from elves to even live stage shows with sea creatures acting them out. It is also during this point where the terrorist group in question prays on Natsuki's pride in her job as they pay a child to give Natsuki a special bell, the child in question claiming she's a "big fan of Natsuki and her work as a bounty hunter." It's a very sad sequence that shows the kind of appreciation Natsuki wants from people, but alas, terrible people have used her kindness to their advantage, and the cat bell she would treasure so much from this event has a transmitter planted into it which makes their journey a hard one.
As episode 13 continues to show their struggle fending off attacks and avoiding bombs planted in suspicious areas, they finally conclude that the reason their hiding spots are always found is because one of them probably has a transmitter, and it's at this point where Natsuki uses herself as bait while Batanen and Tommy decide to escort the priest to his rather huge event. At the end of this episode, it is revealed that the priest is a twin, and that the entire time they were escorting the wrong priest to attend the important meeting and were acting as decoys for the real one.
An interesting segment within episode 13 to point out is a camp scene where everyone's drying off from a long swim when the priest suddenly questions the worth of making an effort to bring humans and supernatural beings together as one society, and when everyone starts speculating it's at this point where Natsuki's kind heart is expressed through her feelings that she likes her human friends and feels that such a society is worth fighting for.
Episode 14 shows off one of Natsuki's other powers, in which her electronic charges carried off from her parasites can open rifts in time and transport people from previous periods into hers when the charge is too strong. A samurai named Sakunoshin is taken from his time period as he was serving Lord Nobunaga and finds the love of his life Kasumi risking herself to keep him from harm as he was in the middle of carrying out his duties. The dramatic event happens quick enough that as he time travels to Natsuki's time from one of her discharges (which was reflected into the sky from the shield of the current perpetraitor she was chasing), and he doesn't immediately grasp that he's in a different place. Of course, being he doesn't realize it at the beginning, he grabs Sakura who's been unconscious from an attack prior to the event and takes her away to a cave in the outskirts of town thinking he's saved his beloved from the previous period. As Sakura wakes up from the sudden encounter, she thinks that she's been raped by the mysterious samurai and runs away crying in shock (though the cave was dark and she couldn't make out his face properly), and Natsuki and Company find him soon after not knowing he currently was at the time and shocking him with the history lesson that Nobunaga was overthrown. As the episode progresses, Sakura posts a bounty on his head, and the search for this man becomes a big issue in the next episode.
The history lessons that shock Sakunoshin are very funny to behold, and Sakura's first true male interactions prove to be rather hilarious in this outing.
Episode 15 finds Sakura unwittingly falling in love with Sakunoshin when she meets him in a cafe, not realizing he is the same man she met in the cave. Sakura is low on money and Sakunoshin pays for her meal, which is a rather funny contrast when considering he was rudely staring at her with a spaghetti sauce stained face wondering why she resembled his old flame, Kasumi. As they walk together and things start to look good between them, Natsuki locates Sakura and tries to stop her from "killing him" when she notices she found Sakunoshin, especially since killing a human is considered a capital offense, a fact that I also find very amusing (I guess if you're not human it's okay to be killed? how unfair!). By the end of the episode, Sakura learns of the identity of Sakunoshin and is explained everything that happens, and likewise Sakunoshin is explained where in time he is and seems to just accept everything for what it's worth.
Episode 16 begins in the period of spring where animals are in heat, and anyone who's got any beast blood in them feels the urge to procreate. Sakura's urges get the better of her as she tries to locate Sakunoshin and do the dirty deed as he's out on a trip (mostly out of habit for his old ways). Meanwhile, Natsuki finds herself relaxing and unsure of what to do and decides to go see Batanen, though she is not immediately effected by the urges other beasts go through. Throughout the episode, there are amusing images of couples everywhere, showing an aspect of the world of Hyper Police that brought me great amusement, along with Natsuki and Batanen briefly having an erotic moment before it starts raining on them and things resume as usual. ^_-
Also, Natsuki becomes a true friend for Tommy and tries to pose as water mage Peau for him, being that's Tommy's crush throughout the series, and the escapade is very funny and endearing to say the least, proving just how fun the cast really was for me overall.
By the end of episode 16 Sakura finds Sakunoshin and we begin episode 17 with Sakura having three children with the samurai, which adds another fun yet practical element to the series: parenthood. Though it is immediately shown that the kids are indeed little devils to poor Natsuki and her home, there is a lovely flashback segment that shows how everyone thought the kids looked adorable, along with Sakunoshin's rather ludicrious name suggestions (Matsu, Take, and Ume...sounds like fish, doesn't it? ^_-) set to a soothing Kenji Kawai number. As the episode progresses we learn that Kondo is now a member of The Mad Police Corp. and she is partnered with the rather hostle Fonne, though Natsuki still wishes her the best even with this revelation, and Kondo in turn is glad to see her old friend is okay. Also, Natsuki and Sakura go after a bounty with a mole who likes to dig his way into bank safes, but not before chasing him into a preschool and he takes a kid hostage. The segment that follows this is Sakura putting her gun down at the sight of the scared child because of her recent motherhood, and Natsuki getting nailed by virtually everything in her path to work her way around to the mole (she's hit by a flowerpot, she nearly falls off a playground set, and she's even attacked by a bird). At the end of the episode, Sakura's kids burn Natsuki's house down by accident and Natsuki is left in shock as Batanen is kind enough to let her stay at his apartment.
The segment where Natsuki relaxes in the beginning of episode 17 is a rather nice slice-of-life pertaining to how Natsuki typically spends a morning on her veranda, reading the paper and having some chilled milk and dried sardines, she even points out the bounties in the paper having more cats than usual and comments on how she feels they need more calcium and need to learn not to be so touchy when things don't go their way. This segment really let out the peaceful nature of Natsuki quite well, and showed how much she felt for the community.
Episode 18 begins with Natsuki having to live with Batanen, and with both having feelings for each other, they begin to feel tension around one another, as though their roles as friends and co-workers took a different turn living together. Throughout the episode they find way to express their affection for one another, Natsuki holding Batanen's hand when she admits her fear of the dark, and Batanen catching Natsuki when she falls off a chair. Batanen even buys a pair of wind chimes for both of them, in which the chimes vibrate from each other's frequency, a little touch I thought was well inserted and showed the sort of connection they had with each other as people. However, Batanen's feelings of nervousness to advance with Natsuki seemingly end near the episode's finale, as they seem to reaching over to kiss each other when they suddenly face interruption with a phone call from Tommy getting in trouble trying to get a look at Peau. The tension left Natsuki so nervous that when they were interrupted, she left Batanen's abode and decides to shack up with Sakura for the time being. Batanen calls himself a jellyfish and sits alone in his apartment depressed over his own insecurities with not starting a relationship with Natsuki.
Episode 18 also begins with an amusing fact about Natsuki, because her house is owned by her father (who's away working as an archaeologist), it's being rebuilt by the government because Natsuki's father is in fact a human. Also, there's a modest sequence where Natsuki initially denies the wind chimes that were being sold to her and Batanen by a street merchant because she felt she would be asking for too much in their current situation and claimed that "she didn't want to lose the current happiness she was feeling."
Episode 19 deals with a group of cat theives who act as sort of Robin Hoods as they steal from rich businessmen and give to the poor that reside in the poverty-ridden cat community. Natsuki finds herself having to work undercover as she poses as a cat down on her luck. After getting caught alongside a cat accomplice, she's able to find her way into their community and learn about the poverty that's driven the cat community to go the through the route of stealing from the rich. Natsuki goes through a few endearing sequences I partiuclarly enjoyed, such as giving a part of her lunch portions at a nearby church to two hungry cats as well as comforting them on her lap later in the episode. Also, Natsuki tries to ask Batanen for money to buy them more food, but Batanen gives her a reality check by telling her "what about tomorrow, or the day after?" It's clear from Batanen's arguement that he understands the issue is much larger than what Natsuki can handle, though Natsuki still manages to borrow some money and feed all the starving cats in the troubled community she's posing undercover in. As the episode winds down, Natsuki realizes that the cat priest inhabiting the area originally tried what the current cat theives are doing, and Natsuki admits to him she's undercover and they both agree the best course of action is to turn him in along with the thieves. Thankfully, the authorities understand the situation, and Natsuki's kindness proves to convince authorities to consider changing the rights of to anything non-human. This episode is profound in how it shows a poverty-ridden community be helped by those who care, namely Natsuki of course. ^_^
Also, Episode 19 shows a scene when Natsuki runs away from the cat community briefly, and as she's running through the shopping district there's a human boy begging for for a toy even though his parents tell him what they already bought for him. It was a sad contrast to behold to say the least, and the scene before it shows a bunch of homeless cats sleeping in a church as Natsuki's first word to open the scene is "money."
Episode 20 revolves around a strange dome that appears in the middle of the city of Shinjuku seems to be covered in a strange dome. A rather large bounty is made for anyone who can find the research team that was ordered to examine it when it first appeared, and Sakura finds herself willing to check it out as a result. Eventually, the rest of Sakura's friends follow her in and find out what the fuss with the dome is. The dome seems to be a culimination of anyone's own personal dreams when they enter, as the period inside the dome is considered "the era where humans were at the peak of their glory" by Batanen, which is to say it's the Showa Period for the record. The dome seems to react to everyone who enters it, giving them their innermost desires and offering them visions of things they want, like Tommy chasing after an illusion of Peau for example. As they enter the dome however, Natsuki is unchanged while Batanen becomes a child, and as they make their way through rather bizarre images of a thief who misses his mother to even a recreation of Natsuki's old home, it definitely appears like things aren't as they seem.
Also, regarding Batanen's change to a child form, I personally feel that Batanen misses his childhood as a result of what's happened during his adulthood. Natsuki also finds herself wanting to protect Batanen, which I feel was a secret desire of hers too. The dome episodes always felt profound to me personally. ^_^
As for episode 21, the conclusion to the mysterious dome that formed over the city of Shinjuku, Natsuki and Batanen take residence in her house as Natsuki's parents seem to be strangely present. Natsuki and Batanen also start to bond with one another as they play games and do practical things like bathe and sleep together (remember, Batanen's a child at this point). The most endearing sequence comes when Batanen is playing with a toy mouse across from Natsuki, in which this moment is encapsuled in time as the way things could've been between Batanen and Natsuki, but alas, things would have to come back to reality and fantasy couldn't dominate the way life really was. Natsuki breaks the feeling of happiness in the dome and feels strange about how things are in there and tries to look for Batanen as he runs off in his childish form looking for other things to do. As Natsuki locates him, he's being pampered by three imaginary Natsukis that turn on the real Natsuki when she discovers them. Batanen grows up at this point and protects Natsuki, showing he knows where his heart truly belongs, almost as if he can accept life did not reach that point for him, and that he's also accepted Natsuki for who she truly was and only wished to protect her from such illusions. The episode ends with everyone finding out Sakura's senile father created the illusions out of fun and it's at this point where Sakura's mother comes in and cleans things up. Natsuki also expresses how she likes the world for how it is and understands who her friends really are to her.
Episode 22 starts with everyone hunting a group of ants when a dinosaur comes out of a portal in the sky and eats the bounty in front of everyone, and Fonne and Tommy are knocked down a rather large hole with Peau having to look for them further down. As Peau finds them, she realizes her powers have little effect as deep down as they were, but unfortunately she slips down into the pit and almost drowns at the bottom before Tommy jumps in and saves her. Peau is moved by Tommy's bravery, but not before she's stuck with the stress of having to deal with more strange portals with dinosaurs all over the city. We get a unique portrait of Peau as she suddenly loses her professionalism throughout all the strange circumstances, and as she's trying to fit everything inbetween all the calls for closing portals, she's eventually interrupted when she sleeps at home and things really start to take their toll. She tries to chat with Tommy later in the episode, but not until Peau discovers that Tommy is seeing Fonne behind her back. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Fonne is effectively taking advantage of Tommy's animal instincts and orders him around by calling him like any other dog, and Peau becomes frustrated with her treatment of Tommy. The episode closes with Natsuki expressing her frustation, and everyone finds out that the portals in the sky are an aftereffect of Natsuki's rather large electrical discharges, ending the case on a rather amusing note.
Episode 23 shows the troubles Sakura has with getting Sakunoshin to not mention the name of his old flame, Kasumi. The sad truth is how much Sakura resembles Kasumi, which is what leads to Sakunoshin making this mistake even moreso than he should. Sakura decides out of her frustration to travel back in time with her father's help and kill Kasumi. As a result of Sakura toying with time, Natsuki starts to notice changes in her present time and tries to talk to the god Mudagami for support. Mudagami is intrigued by Natsuki's ability to not be affected by changes in time like gods, though Natsuki's abilities to open time rifts should be evidence that time is not something that can easily effect her. As she makes her way back in time to stop Sakura it is also revealed that Kasumi's existence is tied to Sakura's, as Kasumi was taking care of foxes in the wild, and Sakura finds out she may be a reincarnation of Kasumi as a result. Sakura becomes very thankful that Natsuki had not forgotten about her, and yet another profound segment ends in the series.
Episodes 24 and 25 finish the series in an arc where a devious man tries to manipulate Natsuki to use her powers to close the spiritual gate that keeps supernatural beings in existence with humans. Episode 24 shows Fonne and Kondo of The Mad Police Corp. hunting down a turtle on an island and Fonne immediately contemplating after their catch about how nice it would be to own an island free of monsters. After this sequence we shift back to Shinjuku where Batanen and Tommy are hunting yet another bounty involving a mantis, which is a rather interesting contrast to the life Fonne was speaking of prior. Natsuki's chime from her experience with Batanen is also accidentially broken but thankfully fixed by one of the employess of The Lamp Cafe, as the chime itself was put into Natsuki's cat bell for her to have. Unfortunately, a rather powerful being has been employed by a rather mysterious man to hurt Natsuki's friends and try to make them fear supernatural beings, provoking Natsuki's spirit when she finds her friends hurt by the attack. In an attempt to attack the being under the bidding of the mysterious figure, she follows the creature and finds herself unable to figure out how to hurt it, and as the creature damages Fonne's fighter plane in an act of vengence, Natsuki's pain becomes overbearing and she finds herself going through an electrical discharge that transports her right in front of the spiritual barrier that keeps the world the way it is.
In the final episode, Natsuki is given the choice to close the barrier and keep the worlds of humans and supernatural beings seperate, or destroy it and keep the world the way it is forever. Natsuki broods over the tragedies that have occurred because of supernatural beings inhabiting the human world, but not until she gets a glimpse into the human world first. Her gaze into the human world shows her as a person who desires to master the high jump, yet it is also in this world where she also finds herself still wanting to be a police officer for the public. In the same instance, she finds that Sakura is still homeless and that Batanen is a dog in this particular setting. Also, it appears that the world isn't any better for her in the long run when considering the chime in her cat bell reminds her of being with Batanen. As a result of such a vision which depicts things being less interesting, and possibly less different, Natsuki finds herself willing to accept the world for what it is and chooses to live in a world where many species and beings work to live together, showing that once again she is very modest and accepting of life being the way it is without fearing whether or not there's a "better world" because she wants to work hard to keep the world she loves safe and liveable for all of her friends.
In this episode there is also a reference to a star named Hiroya Aikawa, the name of a character who also happens to be present in Fancy Lala, the subsequent anime series Takehiro Omori would direct after helming Hyper Police. Also, I found it very heartwarming when Natsuki came back to her friends after deciding to keep her world, and Kenji Kawai once again supplies the music necessary to fit the mood perfectly.
Overall, the only faults I can find with this series would have to be the production values, which range from good to mediocre (some episodes look better than others), and the other would be how some of the comedic elements didn't always work for me. However, the good greatly outweighs the bad, and I find myself really liking Hyper Police because it showed me a world filled with poverty and crime, yet the characters who were the main focus proved that tough times didn't always have to equal an unhappy life, and Natsuki in particular has proven to be a character that I'll always appreciate as a result of her rather inspiring attitude. ^_^
I hope this was an interesting blog! ^_-
This segment of my blog, Extra Magic, will entail my fascination with certain anime in great detail. Consider it akin to a commentary track on a DVD, or perhaps a sort of blurb about an anime that had a profound effect on me. None of them have to be perfect 10s to have a profound effect on me for the record, they just need to do something terribly right with me upon my viewing experiences. If there's an anime you're ever curious about my feelings with, maybe you can send me a message and I'll look into it for you. ^_-
Though this series was discussed in some detail on my director's blog, I felt the need to talk about Hyper Police once more, and to establish any commentary and throught-provoking moments I may have felt with it. I will likely begin with some descriptions of the world of Hyper Police before I begin sprinkling in my personal thoughts with each episode, though there's some episodes I will have more to say about than others. I will also make sure to mention Kenji Kawai's score in here at certain points too. Finally, I would like to say that director Takahiro Omori has done a fine job expressing sequences with good angles and proper usage of Kawai's score when needed, he really keeps the cast fun and interesting with me, although he also makes sure to show a good amount of the troubles that world the Hyper Police entails.
Also, I'm not afraid to give spoilers, mostly because I feel that the odds of anyone remembering everything explained in this segment word for word will be a low probability.
The world of Hyper Police is a mish-mash of modern Japan with the inclusion of mythological creatures by means of a destroyed spritiual barrier. As a result, humans and supernatrual beings have tried to co-exist together in a single society, though humans have become an endangered species as a result of this world being a reality, this is especially true when humans are generally loathed by most creatures for their many rights over anything non-human.
The focus of this series is on the characters and their job as bounty hunters, with catgirl Natsuki being the lead along with her co-workers and friends Batanen and Tommy, who are both wolves. Natsuki later meets Sakura, a nine-tail fox who actually hasn't grown her ninth proper tail, and finds herself wanting to devour Natsuki because of her supernatural powers, which is to say, Natsuki can wield two small creatures named "parasites" and emit electrical charges to attack foes (however, Natsuki possesses other abilities that are made more apparent in later episodes). Natsuki's love interest is with her older co-worker Batanen, who's a rather brazen playboy that finds himself strangely shy with Natsuki, and it is within the third episode where he admits it's because he has genuine feelings for her (Batanen kind of reminds me of my father with the way he treats true love when it stares him in the face).
As the series begins with the first episode within the city of Shinjuku, it is intended to establish the ties between humans and supernatural beings, showing Natsuki and Batanen as bounty hunters trying to stop a monster from causing harm towards nearby humans. The world is also seen in this episode as a dark and fairly uncompromising place in which Natsuki and company much learn to work around, though it is also interesting to see the good-willed Natsuki learn the ropes of fighting crime, like working with her partners throughout the series and understanding the fine art of reading a criminal his rights (no matter how many times she screws it up). The episode finds a new employee entering Natsuki's company named Kondo, in which her parents were killed by monsters during her childhood, and her vendetta against anything non-human is made apparent with her cold treatment of Natsuki and her relative vengance applied toward any criminals they meet. By the end of the episode, Kondo finds herself in a bind when her gun is knocked away by a rather dangerous perpitraitor, only to have Natsuki jump in and save her, showing Kondo that her prejudices are unfounded. After this moment passes, Kondo warms up to Natsuki, and we get to see one of many profound relationships in the crazy world of Hyper Police.
Natsuki is definitely an inspiring character to say the least, as her kindness shows a level of warmth in a world where everyone that surrounds her seems to be in worse shape than she is. The first episode gave me a positive impression on her character, and I see no problems with her cat-like tendencies, which I found to be pretty endearing for the record.
Also, it should be noted that Natsuki's job as a bounty hunter is always threatened by the competition of another bounty hunting corporation which recieves funding from people who have connections with political figures. Natsuki's own company is independent and equipped with little funding in comparison. Natsuki's boss is a man named Mudagami, who is in fact a god, and it was very interesting to hear him complain in the first episode about why he's in such a position where he has little in the way of rights in comparison to everyone else. The Police Company is the name of this bounty hunting establishment, and it always seems like the company is in the red for earnings each and every week.
Natsuki eventually encounters Sakura in episode 2, in which she is a homeless drifter looking for ways to increase her power and finds herself intrigued by Natsuki's power. By episode 3, with countless failures in taking Natsuki's powers, Sakura must endure the life of a homeless person for the time being and eventually finds work within The Police Company as a bounty hunter. It is also by the third episode of this series where Sakura starts to show a small sign of appreciation for Natsuki when they work together more, though Sakura's own nature still gets the better of her until around episode 15, in which she finds herself attracted to a wandering samurai. By episode 4, Natsuki's kind heart pushes her to let Sakura stay at her place when she notices the cardboard box that was Sakura's current residence.
I found the details of Sakura's rather difficult street life to be amusing, from the shrimp tails she calls dinner to the layout of the box she made for herself. And of course I found it endearing when Natsuki took her in. ^_^
By the fifth episode, the series really starts to pick things up as the whole Police Company decides to get together for a job to nab a nasty criminal with many counts on his record, though it should be noted that there is a sad twist to the end of this episode. In the meantime, Kondo and Sakura start to notice the quality of their ammo is less than the standard they're supposed to be issued, which suggests that the funds of the company are cerainly ailing. Also, Sakura's animal instincts take over in a funny sequence involving the burying of a dead bounty with the idea of storing it until they need it for possible emergency funds (the criminal in question was a mushroom just so you know ^_^). When the team approaches the hideout of the wanted criminal, it is discovered that he also has a son with him, and everyone on the scene does what they can to not hurt the poor child. However, when it looks like things take a turn for the worst as Natsuki tries to keep the child away from his father, the rival company, The Mad Police Corporation, dives onto the scene and brutally shoots down the criminal. The child in question becomes devastated and is threatened by Fonne, the leader of the team on the site, to keep away from "her bounty." After they leave, the child screams at Natsuki when she tries to comfort him, and it is around this point when Natsuki starts to seriously hate her job. She ends this episode going to their usual hangout, The Lamp Cafe, and drinks herself until she's drunk over the incident.
What made the fifth episode such a turning point for me was how it expressed the unnecessary prejudices between humans and beasts alike with Fonne's rather excessive killing of the criminal in question, yet it also shows the dark side of Natsuki's job with the criminal's son being in the way of all the heated action. The first four episodes had a lot to say about the general poverty and living situations of all the characters, but the fifth episode definitely tapped into the angst between the species that was evident in the first episode with Kondo's dilemma.
The sixth episode finds Natsuki on vacation contemplating her job, but not before a little girl jumps into her house and begs her to be trained in the ways of bounty hunting. Natsuki tries to tell the girl that bounty hunting "isn't cool" and only wishes she could see what really goes on with all the crime fighting that happens. By episode's end, the girl is picked on by a criminal, and Natsuki finds herself saving her and begins to understand what it was that made her a bounty hunter in the first place. The little girl in this episode was revealed to be the daughter of a rich family and ran away from home looking to have some fun, though it is rather amusing to notice that this rich girl's family is comprised of humans, but things become rather enlightening when she cries at the end of the episode and says that's all the bounty hunting she wishes to do in her lifetime (Natsuki makes a tender smile suggesting she's proud of the outcome).
This episode also features a rather hilarious sequence entailing the origins of Natsuki's employment with The Police Company on another note, in which Natsuki was also captured by a criminal much the little girl she saved by the end of the episode. Episode 6 definitely turned things around in Natsuki's life and I feel it showed that once again, Natsuki understood how times were and wanted to get back to helping the community.
Episode 7 shows the bonds between Natsuki and her co-workers become strong again as they team up to find a ruthless criminal that likes to shoot up whatever establishments he's in. The casino in the beginning of the episode has two interesting sequences, one where Natsuki and Sakura notice someone winning tons of money from a slot machine and oogle at the fact they will never be paid as much for the work they do, and the other sequence is Natsuki's quirky cat instincts taking over as she starts gathering stray ammo that's falling across the floor. There's a nice montage near the end of the episode involving the teamwork of Natsuki's friends staking out a rather dubious club for the criminal, and everyone finds that their efforts have paid off when Natsuki nabs him and gets the bounty. However, even as Kenji Kawai's beautifully applied score dashes over the sequence, it is instantly revealed that The Police Company has been shut down and everyone's suddenly out of a job. It is also at this point where Natsuki and Sakura find out the hardships of bounty hunting without independent licenses, something that pretty much everyone else had working with the company. It's profound to see how much everyone works together, and it's equally saddening to see all their efforts come to this, which makes this particular episode express just how much everyone had on their backs from the society they were born into.
Episode 7 also has a scene where Natsuki and Sakura attempt to do some shopping within their budget, though Sakura makes it clear to Natsuki about a certain clothing store that charges you just for trying on outfits, in which this fancy store happens to be inhabited by human customers. After this scene, Natsuki and Sakura both find a good place for bargain shopping soon after.
As the eighth episode winds through, it appears Natsuki and Sakura just aren't making enough money for their catches, as companies are ripping them off for bounties knowing full well that what Natsuki and Sakura are doing is completely illegal. The hardships depicted within the episode play off the tough times quite nicely, especially when Natsuki realizes she's not talented enough to hold another job outside bounty hunting. At the end of the episode however, Natsuki finds all of her old co-workers still come to her usual hangout, which is The Lamp Cafe, and thus we are treated to another endearing sequence of Natsuki finding the good within the bad along with a good lacing of Kenji Kawai music in the background, and she promptly lets Tommy have it when she hears he let Batanen get shot in the leg (guess times are tough, aren't they?). ^_^
Episode 9 continues the poverty that has stricken Natsuki and company, as the previous episode expressed their need to be tight with money, they find themselves desperately looking for money and even find themselves stealing food at one point. Natsuki also starts to eat cat food around this point, punctuating what she has left to eat. By episode's end, Batanen gives them a lead on a rather big job, but they get caught by authorities and only Sakura escapes while Natsuki is apprehended by Peau, a water mage working for the state police. Guess tough times call for tough circumstances, no? ^_^
Episode 10 is a look into the hard prison life that Natsuki finds herself being in, as she hears that major offenders have their memory erased, and her crimes of not having a bounty hunting license and resisting arrest are more than enough to qualify her. With a stroke of luck it seems, Natsuki is rescued by two other criminals and helps them with a jailbreak, simply because she's afraid to lose her memory. However, it is also revealed that she was being used by them, and Batanen realizes it's up to him to clean up the situation involving Natsuki, even as Peau's cold exterior shows she's not an easy one to crack through. Thankfully, a lie by Batanen involving Natsuki being his fiancee, and Natsuki apparently in the prison to apprehend the two jailbreakers who happened to be famed getaway artists were barely acceptable, especially when Batanen says to Peau that he owes her for such a favor.
Another thing about episode 10 worth thinking over is how nobody in the prison was human, and by this point it's also obvious that humans have never been on bounty hunter's lists in the series up until this point, which once again states the position that supernatural beings seem to be in when compared to humans.
Episode 11 finds Natsuki and Sakura working to get their bounty hunting licenses, as they must memorize times to go for their tests and form submissions, and throughout the episode they travel through all kinds of areas and even split up at one point. The tests themselves are pretty funny as well, especially when it is revealed they are applying for the highest ranked license of them all, and they find their tests to be rather ludicrious (a fight with a big stone statue is one for instance). As they both go left and right to submit their forms, especially when one bureau is destroyed from a recent bombing, and they find themselves saving people who happen to be in their path, it becomes a bit of a funny twist when they find out they just ran out of time with submitting their forms before the next available application period, which means they would have to wait before becoming officially licensed.
Episodes 12 and 13 revolve around Natsuki and company escorting an important priest who holds a vital role in human and supernatural being relations for a big political event. Sadly, there are those are trying to stop this priest from making it to his destination, and that's where the need for bounty hunters reaches our heroes. Episode 12 shows a rather colorful depiction of Osaka with shops that have bullets made from elves to even live stage shows with sea creatures acting them out. It is also during this point where the terrorist group in question prays on Natsuki's pride in her job as they pay a child to give Natsuki a special bell, the child in question claiming she's a "big fan of Natsuki and her work as a bounty hunter." It's a very sad sequence that shows the kind of appreciation Natsuki wants from people, but alas, terrible people have used her kindness to their advantage, and the cat bell she would treasure so much from this event has a transmitter planted into it which makes their journey a hard one.
As episode 13 continues to show their struggle fending off attacks and avoiding bombs planted in suspicious areas, they finally conclude that the reason their hiding spots are always found is because one of them probably has a transmitter, and it's at this point where Natsuki uses herself as bait while Batanen and Tommy decide to escort the priest to his rather huge event. At the end of this episode, it is revealed that the priest is a twin, and that the entire time they were escorting the wrong priest to attend the important meeting and were acting as decoys for the real one.
An interesting segment within episode 13 to point out is a camp scene where everyone's drying off from a long swim when the priest suddenly questions the worth of making an effort to bring humans and supernatural beings together as one society, and when everyone starts speculating it's at this point where Natsuki's kind heart is expressed through her feelings that she likes her human friends and feels that such a society is worth fighting for.
Episode 14 shows off one of Natsuki's other powers, in which her electronic charges carried off from her parasites can open rifts in time and transport people from previous periods into hers when the charge is too strong. A samurai named Sakunoshin is taken from his time period as he was serving Lord Nobunaga and finds the love of his life Kasumi risking herself to keep him from harm as he was in the middle of carrying out his duties. The dramatic event happens quick enough that as he time travels to Natsuki's time from one of her discharges (which was reflected into the sky from the shield of the current perpetraitor she was chasing), and he doesn't immediately grasp that he's in a different place. Of course, being he doesn't realize it at the beginning, he grabs Sakura who's been unconscious from an attack prior to the event and takes her away to a cave in the outskirts of town thinking he's saved his beloved from the previous period. As Sakura wakes up from the sudden encounter, she thinks that she's been raped by the mysterious samurai and runs away crying in shock (though the cave was dark and she couldn't make out his face properly), and Natsuki and Company find him soon after not knowing he currently was at the time and shocking him with the history lesson that Nobunaga was overthrown. As the episode progresses, Sakura posts a bounty on his head, and the search for this man becomes a big issue in the next episode.
The history lessons that shock Sakunoshin are very funny to behold, and Sakura's first true male interactions prove to be rather hilarious in this outing.
Episode 15 finds Sakura unwittingly falling in love with Sakunoshin when she meets him in a cafe, not realizing he is the same man she met in the cave. Sakura is low on money and Sakunoshin pays for her meal, which is a rather funny contrast when considering he was rudely staring at her with a spaghetti sauce stained face wondering why she resembled his old flame, Kasumi. As they walk together and things start to look good between them, Natsuki locates Sakura and tries to stop her from "killing him" when she notices she found Sakunoshin, especially since killing a human is considered a capital offense, a fact that I also find very amusing (I guess if you're not human it's okay to be killed? how unfair!). By the end of the episode, Sakura learns of the identity of Sakunoshin and is explained everything that happens, and likewise Sakunoshin is explained where in time he is and seems to just accept everything for what it's worth.
Episode 16 begins in the period of spring where animals are in heat, and anyone who's got any beast blood in them feels the urge to procreate. Sakura's urges get the better of her as she tries to locate Sakunoshin and do the dirty deed as he's out on a trip (mostly out of habit for his old ways). Meanwhile, Natsuki finds herself relaxing and unsure of what to do and decides to go see Batanen, though she is not immediately effected by the urges other beasts go through. Throughout the episode, there are amusing images of couples everywhere, showing an aspect of the world of Hyper Police that brought me great amusement, along with Natsuki and Batanen briefly having an erotic moment before it starts raining on them and things resume as usual. ^_-
Also, Natsuki becomes a true friend for Tommy and tries to pose as water mage Peau for him, being that's Tommy's crush throughout the series, and the escapade is very funny and endearing to say the least, proving just how fun the cast really was for me overall.
By the end of episode 16 Sakura finds Sakunoshin and we begin episode 17 with Sakura having three children with the samurai, which adds another fun yet practical element to the series: parenthood. Though it is immediately shown that the kids are indeed little devils to poor Natsuki and her home, there is a lovely flashback segment that shows how everyone thought the kids looked adorable, along with Sakunoshin's rather ludicrious name suggestions (Matsu, Take, and Ume...sounds like fish, doesn't it? ^_-) set to a soothing Kenji Kawai number. As the episode progresses we learn that Kondo is now a member of The Mad Police Corp. and she is partnered with the rather hostle Fonne, though Natsuki still wishes her the best even with this revelation, and Kondo in turn is glad to see her old friend is okay. Also, Natsuki and Sakura go after a bounty with a mole who likes to dig his way into bank safes, but not before chasing him into a preschool and he takes a kid hostage. The segment that follows this is Sakura putting her gun down at the sight of the scared child because of her recent motherhood, and Natsuki getting nailed by virtually everything in her path to work her way around to the mole (she's hit by a flowerpot, she nearly falls off a playground set, and she's even attacked by a bird). At the end of the episode, Sakura's kids burn Natsuki's house down by accident and Natsuki is left in shock as Batanen is kind enough to let her stay at his apartment.
The segment where Natsuki relaxes in the beginning of episode 17 is a rather nice slice-of-life pertaining to how Natsuki typically spends a morning on her veranda, reading the paper and having some chilled milk and dried sardines, she even points out the bounties in the paper having more cats than usual and comments on how she feels they need more calcium and need to learn not to be so touchy when things don't go their way. This segment really let out the peaceful nature of Natsuki quite well, and showed how much she felt for the community.
Episode 18 begins with Natsuki having to live with Batanen, and with both having feelings for each other, they begin to feel tension around one another, as though their roles as friends and co-workers took a different turn living together. Throughout the episode they find way to express their affection for one another, Natsuki holding Batanen's hand when she admits her fear of the dark, and Batanen catching Natsuki when she falls off a chair. Batanen even buys a pair of wind chimes for both of them, in which the chimes vibrate from each other's frequency, a little touch I thought was well inserted and showed the sort of connection they had with each other as people. However, Batanen's feelings of nervousness to advance with Natsuki seemingly end near the episode's finale, as they seem to reaching over to kiss each other when they suddenly face interruption with a phone call from Tommy getting in trouble trying to get a look at Peau. The tension left Natsuki so nervous that when they were interrupted, she left Batanen's abode and decides to shack up with Sakura for the time being. Batanen calls himself a jellyfish and sits alone in his apartment depressed over his own insecurities with not starting a relationship with Natsuki.
Episode 18 also begins with an amusing fact about Natsuki, because her house is owned by her father (who's away working as an archaeologist), it's being rebuilt by the government because Natsuki's father is in fact a human. Also, there's a modest sequence where Natsuki initially denies the wind chimes that were being sold to her and Batanen by a street merchant because she felt she would be asking for too much in their current situation and claimed that "she didn't want to lose the current happiness she was feeling."
Episode 19 deals with a group of cat theives who act as sort of Robin Hoods as they steal from rich businessmen and give to the poor that reside in the poverty-ridden cat community. Natsuki finds herself having to work undercover as she poses as a cat down on her luck. After getting caught alongside a cat accomplice, she's able to find her way into their community and learn about the poverty that's driven the cat community to go the through the route of stealing from the rich. Natsuki goes through a few endearing sequences I partiuclarly enjoyed, such as giving a part of her lunch portions at a nearby church to two hungry cats as well as comforting them on her lap later in the episode. Also, Natsuki tries to ask Batanen for money to buy them more food, but Batanen gives her a reality check by telling her "what about tomorrow, or the day after?" It's clear from Batanen's arguement that he understands the issue is much larger than what Natsuki can handle, though Natsuki still manages to borrow some money and feed all the starving cats in the troubled community she's posing undercover in. As the episode winds down, Natsuki realizes that the cat priest inhabiting the area originally tried what the current cat theives are doing, and Natsuki admits to him she's undercover and they both agree the best course of action is to turn him in along with the thieves. Thankfully, the authorities understand the situation, and Natsuki's kindness proves to convince authorities to consider changing the rights of to anything non-human. This episode is profound in how it shows a poverty-ridden community be helped by those who care, namely Natsuki of course. ^_^
Also, Episode 19 shows a scene when Natsuki runs away from the cat community briefly, and as she's running through the shopping district there's a human boy begging for for a toy even though his parents tell him what they already bought for him. It was a sad contrast to behold to say the least, and the scene before it shows a bunch of homeless cats sleeping in a church as Natsuki's first word to open the scene is "money."
Episode 20 revolves around a strange dome that appears in the middle of the city of Shinjuku seems to be covered in a strange dome. A rather large bounty is made for anyone who can find the research team that was ordered to examine it when it first appeared, and Sakura finds herself willing to check it out as a result. Eventually, the rest of Sakura's friends follow her in and find out what the fuss with the dome is. The dome seems to be a culimination of anyone's own personal dreams when they enter, as the period inside the dome is considered "the era where humans were at the peak of their glory" by Batanen, which is to say it's the Showa Period for the record. The dome seems to react to everyone who enters it, giving them their innermost desires and offering them visions of things they want, like Tommy chasing after an illusion of Peau for example. As they enter the dome however, Natsuki is unchanged while Batanen becomes a child, and as they make their way through rather bizarre images of a thief who misses his mother to even a recreation of Natsuki's old home, it definitely appears like things aren't as they seem.
Also, regarding Batanen's change to a child form, I personally feel that Batanen misses his childhood as a result of what's happened during his adulthood. Natsuki also finds herself wanting to protect Batanen, which I feel was a secret desire of hers too. The dome episodes always felt profound to me personally. ^_^
As for episode 21, the conclusion to the mysterious dome that formed over the city of Shinjuku, Natsuki and Batanen take residence in her house as Natsuki's parents seem to be strangely present. Natsuki and Batanen also start to bond with one another as they play games and do practical things like bathe and sleep together (remember, Batanen's a child at this point). The most endearing sequence comes when Batanen is playing with a toy mouse across from Natsuki, in which this moment is encapsuled in time as the way things could've been between Batanen and Natsuki, but alas, things would have to come back to reality and fantasy couldn't dominate the way life really was. Natsuki breaks the feeling of happiness in the dome and feels strange about how things are in there and tries to look for Batanen as he runs off in his childish form looking for other things to do. As Natsuki locates him, he's being pampered by three imaginary Natsukis that turn on the real Natsuki when she discovers them. Batanen grows up at this point and protects Natsuki, showing he knows where his heart truly belongs, almost as if he can accept life did not reach that point for him, and that he's also accepted Natsuki for who she truly was and only wished to protect her from such illusions. The episode ends with everyone finding out Sakura's senile father created the illusions out of fun and it's at this point where Sakura's mother comes in and cleans things up. Natsuki also expresses how she likes the world for how it is and understands who her friends really are to her.
Episode 22 starts with everyone hunting a group of ants when a dinosaur comes out of a portal in the sky and eats the bounty in front of everyone, and Fonne and Tommy are knocked down a rather large hole with Peau having to look for them further down. As Peau finds them, she realizes her powers have little effect as deep down as they were, but unfortunately she slips down into the pit and almost drowns at the bottom before Tommy jumps in and saves her. Peau is moved by Tommy's bravery, but not before she's stuck with the stress of having to deal with more strange portals with dinosaurs all over the city. We get a unique portrait of Peau as she suddenly loses her professionalism throughout all the strange circumstances, and as she's trying to fit everything inbetween all the calls for closing portals, she's eventually interrupted when she sleeps at home and things really start to take their toll. She tries to chat with Tommy later in the episode, but not until Peau discovers that Tommy is seeing Fonne behind her back. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Fonne is effectively taking advantage of Tommy's animal instincts and orders him around by calling him like any other dog, and Peau becomes frustrated with her treatment of Tommy. The episode closes with Natsuki expressing her frustation, and everyone finds out that the portals in the sky are an aftereffect of Natsuki's rather large electrical discharges, ending the case on a rather amusing note.
Episode 23 shows the troubles Sakura has with getting Sakunoshin to not mention the name of his old flame, Kasumi. The sad truth is how much Sakura resembles Kasumi, which is what leads to Sakunoshin making this mistake even moreso than he should. Sakura decides out of her frustration to travel back in time with her father's help and kill Kasumi. As a result of Sakura toying with time, Natsuki starts to notice changes in her present time and tries to talk to the god Mudagami for support. Mudagami is intrigued by Natsuki's ability to not be affected by changes in time like gods, though Natsuki's abilities to open time rifts should be evidence that time is not something that can easily effect her. As she makes her way back in time to stop Sakura it is also revealed that Kasumi's existence is tied to Sakura's, as Kasumi was taking care of foxes in the wild, and Sakura finds out she may be a reincarnation of Kasumi as a result. Sakura becomes very thankful that Natsuki had not forgotten about her, and yet another profound segment ends in the series.
Episodes 24 and 25 finish the series in an arc where a devious man tries to manipulate Natsuki to use her powers to close the spiritual gate that keeps supernatural beings in existence with humans. Episode 24 shows Fonne and Kondo of The Mad Police Corp. hunting down a turtle on an island and Fonne immediately contemplating after their catch about how nice it would be to own an island free of monsters. After this sequence we shift back to Shinjuku where Batanen and Tommy are hunting yet another bounty involving a mantis, which is a rather interesting contrast to the life Fonne was speaking of prior. Natsuki's chime from her experience with Batanen is also accidentially broken but thankfully fixed by one of the employess of The Lamp Cafe, as the chime itself was put into Natsuki's cat bell for her to have. Unfortunately, a rather powerful being has been employed by a rather mysterious man to hurt Natsuki's friends and try to make them fear supernatural beings, provoking Natsuki's spirit when she finds her friends hurt by the attack. In an attempt to attack the being under the bidding of the mysterious figure, she follows the creature and finds herself unable to figure out how to hurt it, and as the creature damages Fonne's fighter plane in an act of vengence, Natsuki's pain becomes overbearing and she finds herself going through an electrical discharge that transports her right in front of the spiritual barrier that keeps the world the way it is.
In the final episode, Natsuki is given the choice to close the barrier and keep the worlds of humans and supernatural beings seperate, or destroy it and keep the world the way it is forever. Natsuki broods over the tragedies that have occurred because of supernatural beings inhabiting the human world, but not until she gets a glimpse into the human world first. Her gaze into the human world shows her as a person who desires to master the high jump, yet it is also in this world where she also finds herself still wanting to be a police officer for the public. In the same instance, she finds that Sakura is still homeless and that Batanen is a dog in this particular setting. Also, it appears that the world isn't any better for her in the long run when considering the chime in her cat bell reminds her of being with Batanen. As a result of such a vision which depicts things being less interesting, and possibly less different, Natsuki finds herself willing to accept the world for what it is and chooses to live in a world where many species and beings work to live together, showing that once again she is very modest and accepting of life being the way it is without fearing whether or not there's a "better world" because she wants to work hard to keep the world she loves safe and liveable for all of her friends.
In this episode there is also a reference to a star named Hiroya Aikawa, the name of a character who also happens to be present in Fancy Lala, the subsequent anime series Takehiro Omori would direct after helming Hyper Police. Also, I found it very heartwarming when Natsuki came back to her friends after deciding to keep her world, and Kenji Kawai once again supplies the music necessary to fit the mood perfectly.
Overall, the only faults I can find with this series would have to be the production values, which range from good to mediocre (some episodes look better than others), and the other would be how some of the comedic elements didn't always work for me. However, the good greatly outweighs the bad, and I find myself really liking Hyper Police because it showed me a world filled with poverty and crime, yet the characters who were the main focus proved that tough times didn't always have to equal an unhappy life, and Natsuki in particular has proven to be a character that I'll always appreciate as a result of her rather inspiring attitude. ^_^
I hope this was an interesting blog! ^_-
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
My 10 Favorite Directors
I love anime, but I also love directors just as much! Here's a list of some guys I've been following, and have admired for a long time as an anime fan.
I would also like to apologize for how long this is going to be, but I guess being the hopeless enthusiast I am, I just have a lot to say, don't I? ^_^
Also, keep in mind this list is merely my opinion, and that any recommended works on this list are also just opinions that pretty much show what my favorite works from them were.
1. Mamoru Oshii
Recommended Works - Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Angel's Egg, Twilight Q 2: Labyrinth Objects, Patlabor: The Movie, Patlabor 2: The Movie, Ghost in the Shell
His techniques are very abstract and dreamlike, showing characters in unusual situations and inserting symbolism to give normal situations new meaning. He is a director that does things his way and leaves no compromises, and in the process has many things to say within his own projects.
Since his humble beginnings directing the Urusei Yatsura TV series, he broke free from his boundaries with Beautiful Dreamer and wanted to put all the characters inside a neverending dream world that utilized an old fable as a rather dubious hint to, perhaps, his belief on the development of the series before he decided to do the movie.
With Angel's Egg, the story involves a girl nursing an egg and carrying it with her through dark and barren landscapes, only to be met by a man who carries a cross-shaped object that follows her everywhere. The symbolism in that production would point to some of Oshii's commentary on religion, including the concept of creating a world where people have been forsaken by the very deity they worship.
Twilight Q 2 was a wonderful exercise in changing the perception of the world through a confused detective's mind. Like days were but a blur, the job he took a completely undocumented mystery, the location being a body of water on the world map. It was also a homage to his own father, who was actually an out-of-work detective.
Both of the Patlabor films showed Oshii bringing in the motif of man playing god, with the first film showing a man who takes his own life and creates a tower known as Babel. Also, the first film makes some great commentary on the reliance society has on technology. The second film, however, makes great commentary with the ideas of war and peace, showing the thin line between what we think is right, and what we believe to be wrong.
Finally, I will say that his Ghost in the Shell adaptation was infused with some rather worthy commentary on the effects of giving up one's flesh for cybernetic enhancement, and questioning how human one can really be in a world filled with artificiality. His cold analysis and meditation on the world of GitS proved an interesting viewpoint on a rather popular manga, once again showing Oshii's tendency to do things his own way and express himself in the process.
2. Hideaki Anno
Recommended Works - Gunbuster, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The End of Evangelion, Kare Kano
A master of character study, Anno always had characters that were filled with emotions and very human flaws as well.
Gunbuster was a strong work that showed his will to drive a character like Noriko Takaya, who had been ridiculed by most of her peers, to find herself and do what she knew was right. The science-fiction details to the world of Gunbuster are also notable, using the effects of time in space to good use.
Nadia continued his ability to create characters of difficult pasts with the humanitarian title character, and her friend Jean who was like the counterbalance to her rather modest upbringing. It shows the difference industrialization can give to someone in comparison to a rather simple life away from industry. Nadia was also a character of the same dynamic as Noriko Takaya from Gunbuster, but sadly, Anno would not finish the series and promptly left around the halfway mark. Still, Nadia was a great example of how Anno dealt with characters in his prime, and it even displayed a rather evil villian in Gargoyle.
After being away from the director's chair for quite sometime, he emerged with a new project with Neon Genesis Evangelion, a culmination of his experiences with philosophy and religion, although it remains a personal bearing on his own personality at the time. It was a bitter conflict with the lead character Shinji, and his worst enemy, himself. The beings known as "angels" that attacked the populace were merely an afterthought to Shinji's own personal stress over himself to put it bluntly. The supporting cast had their equal shares of emotional trouble and personal doubt. The film The End of Evangelion did an excellent job closing the book on a rather rich study on Anno's own personal ideas, and his meditation on the world as we knew it. It would also be an interesting message to all the Evangelion fans who objected the ending of the TV series that came before it.
Kare Kano would show his character strengths in the school setting with a character who had a rather large streak of confidence to begin with, letting Anno deliver some rather unique perspectives to what he previously did in his career. However, the analysis of measuring one's self to their peers may have been as dominant as ever, but it also showed the development of one's reputation through the rather dubious existence of High School cliques. Sadly, Anno would also leave this series halfway through, but his portions were certainly among the finest of his own respectable career to say the least.
3. Takahiro Omori
Recommended Works - Hyper Police, Fancy Lala, Koi Kaze, Gakuen Alice
Works I'd like to see - Baccano! and Hell Girl
A rather unique career to say the least, Omori worked with ideas that showed the balance of fantasy and reality through suprisingly practical means, with worlds that were definitely filled with their own unique touches, and then evolved to working on anime that seem to reach even deeper than his original light-hearted material had previously specified.
Hyper Police was an interesting manga adaptation that showed his warm touch with a society that felt like it didn't understand itself to say the least. Humans, beasts, spirits, and gods had to live together in society as one big family. Add in the disputes between the rights of humans over other forms of life, licensing one's self for work, and the general poverty that beings aside from humans go through, and we have a series that delivers a surprising touch of commentary despite what one may originally suspect from it. Even so, as stated with the director's warmth towards the subject, it seems like catgirl Natsuki finds her own ways to be happy in a society that ultimately puts her in second place everytime, and her friends always seem willing to join her pursuit in living life to the fullest despite their harsh circumstances. The cast is fun and lively, there's a good balance of down time and cop drama, and the universe of Hyper Police creates plenty of X-factor for any viewers that like eccentric touches. Worth noting is the rather unique ending, which shows Natsuke coming to terms with what the right world to live in would be, comparing the ideas of modern society to what the fantasy of Hyper Police portrays.
After Hyper Police, Omori would work on Fancy Lala, a series about a girl who finds a magic pen that turns her into a pop idol. Fancy Lala shows a rather playful depiction of a young girl's idea of adulthood, and how being an adult changes one's own perception of what life is really about. Even as main character Miho learns to accept responsibilty in her adult form, it seems like she begins to realize who it is she really wants to be in the process of switching from grown up to child each and every day. The warmth shown through her life with her family and the difference depicted through her work as her idol personality shows the kind of fantasy with practicality that Hyper Police depicted in itself. Also, like Hyper Police, the ending of the series tied everything together in Miho's life and showed the importance of living one's life to the fullest no matter what happens.
Koi Kaze remains director Omori's most challenging work, as it's amazingly worthy for its mature and open approach to a brother and sister who, beforehand not knowing they were siblings, had fallen in love with each other. The approach shows two people who have lived some rather unique lives, find themselves unsure as how to react to their feelings, and ultimately develop throughout the series trying to understand themselves and each other. The depth of work in this series allows the viewer to ask their own questions and debate the subject with themselves, yet it is also a work that shows no pandering to any fanbase in particular and wishes to challenge whoever views it. It would also signal a period in his career in which he would try to go beyond what he already affiliated himself with, but first he had to return to his pastime before moving forward.
Gakuen Alice was a prominent return for Omori to the subject of fantasy with a touch of practicality. Lead character Sakura Mikan is a girl who goes to a low-grade school that eventually shuts down due to money problems, her best friend leaves to a rather esteemed school in the meantime, and she decides to chase her friend in hopes of finding out what's going on. In the process, she finds this school her friend is at to be a place for people with magical abilities, and yet Mikan is also accepted strangely enough, even though she doesn't understand what her ability is. The directing shows a proper development of a girl who tries to fit in with a school that rewards gifted people, yet she herself is still discovering what her own gift is. The characters in the Alice Academy are also of a fun variety, as everyone has their own unique gift to tie themselves to lead character Mikan, showing a community not unlike the one Omori had with Hyper Police.
As of late, Omori seems to be tackling some unique subject matter, and I look forward to viewing Baccano! and Hell Girl in due time.
4. Isao Takahata
Recommended Works - Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko, My Neighbors The Yamadas
One of Ghibli's finest, Takahata taught Miyazaki everything he knew about directing, and his own works remain some of the most respected in all of anime for their deep and realistic portrayals of people and their societies in general.
Grave of the Fireflies was a decidedly uncompromising work that showed war as it was with no strings attached. The lost lives of many, and the children who had to survive in such harsh conditions, it was the ultimate discovery of what happens when two children lose everything, and have no idea where to go from there in a society that had suffered as much as they did.
Only Yesterday was definitely another bold move for the director, showing a character that had lived a rather interesting life, but a life that also seemed strangely unfulfilling. Taeko was a girl who never knew where she belonged, and though she had dreams like any other girl, she was getting older and found herself looking for a life she really wanted.
Pom Poko is a rather interesting commentary on industrialization that takes things to a more practical level than any of Miyazaki's works by showing the Tanuki of the forest trying to scare normal folk away from their beloved habitat. The brutal struggle of the mighty human vs the forest creature remains surprisingly powerful in this production, and the Tanuki start to divide as a result of their struggle.
My Neighbors The Yamadas was an inventive look at family life through a more "Sunday-comic" kind of viewpoint, though the situations were universal enough to bring out an appeal unlike anything else Ghibli has ever done.
5. Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Recommended Works - Running Man, Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
A director who has a notable streak of dark imagery, his lighting techniques in his 80s work, and his gothic flourish in his latter works prove he is a man who can leave a mark on the viewer off of asthetic alone. His ability to directing action sequences is also worth noting, as his way of keeping a sequence flowing remains something of a standard for me to say the least.
In the production known as Neo Tokyo, Kawajiri directed one of the three shorts, his segment titled "The Running Man." In this segment, he shows a cyberpunk world where racing isn't just profitable, but deadly. The lead character Zach Hugh is a racer who had a telekinetic ability and uses it to sabatoge other racers, but it is also something he had kept hidden from the public, that is, until a reporter found the truth through a visit with the man himself. Undergoing his own madness with being the best, Zach would hallucinate about the ghosts of those he killed, and find himself crazed with his own hunger to be the best at his game. A rather intriguing portrait of a man who only lived for one thing and nothing else.
Wicked City saw him working with collaborator, and author, Hideyuki Kikuchi. An adaptation of one of Kikuchi's novels, Wicked City showed a seedy underworld in which beings from another dimension shape-shifted into humans to blend in and destroy humankind from within. The use of eroticism was surprisingly ahead of its time, showing human desire destroy itself through creatures that preyed on them, and action sequences that had a variety of creatures evolve from human forms and transform into beasts of superhuman strength. Kawajiri's usage of blue lighting was also a great stylistic touch, and his action sequences were handled with great care and sumptious speed.
Ninja Scroll explored more of Kawajiri's ability to show corruption within human means, along with showing his ability to put together great action pieces, such as lead character Jubei Kibagami's weaving and evading of certain peril through attacks from many deadly monstrosities. It was a perfect companion piece to Wicked City to say the least.Kawajiri would later collaborate with author Hideyuki Kikuchi again on Vampire D: Bloodlust, which was a return to the action/horror genre that he remained prolific in.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust also showed Kawajiri perfecting his form with action-timing and the capturing of horror elements at the same time, as D found himself tackling many deadly foes and debating the principles between humans and vampires, a subject that Kawajiri previously meditated on with Wicked City's dark beings.
6. Ryutaro Nakamura
Recommended Works - Serial Experiements Lain, Colorful, Kino's Journey
A rather Avant-garde director, his techniques with cold and open-ended viewpoints on situations remains something of a unique trait to say the least.
In Serial Experiments Lain, Nakamura found himself approaching technology as though it was a way of life. The commentary behind Lain is also proverbial in how it shows the helplessness of those who are not in the newfound technilogical trends, and it even gives a good look at what internet personas possess in importance to the individual. Also, Lain remains an enigmatic figure in the world of The Wired, showing there's layers of commentary regarding her and the internet-like world most people in the series embrace. The static of Lain's life in the real world in comparison to her life in the Wired is well depicted by Nakamura's coldness to the subject at hand.
Colorful was a production of perverted shorts involving some men and their urges to peek at girls whenever they could get an opportunity. Nakamura's directing has the same cold approach he did with Lain, showing the men in the series as nothing more than instinctual machines programmed to peek at women, in which none of these men, interestingly enough, approach the girls in question. It's intended as a comedy, but it remains surprisingly interesting as to how the perverted people in question are also depicted as being socially-challenged.
Kino's Journey found Nakamura giving his audience a more practical viewpoint than his previously isolated works, showing Kino as an observer of life, and the world around Kino is of course filled with many trials and tribulations that show plenty of commentary towards life as we know it. It's an open-ended analysis that gives Nakamura a chance to keep things lively with lush locales that sometimes define human practicality through their own means.
7. Satoshi Kon
Recommended Works - Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Paprika
Satoshi Kon is a director that knows how to play with one's perception, yet he also wishes to address issues involving the life of the celebrity, the difficulties of the lower-class, and the dreams of all people in general.
Perfect Blue remains a masterwork of the anime medium, showing Kon as a gifted director of psychological suspense. Pop star Mima goes through her career in a blur, being with pop outfit Cham to doing an acting gig and having to deal with what her fanbase thinks. Kon does an excellent job showing Mima's identity crumble under the stress of who she is and who she's expected to be, battling hallucinations of herself and finding herself losing track of reality between her life and her new job.
Millennium Actress, on the other hand, shows a woman who's had a career that was pretty much based off her need to see a man that had an effect on her life. The passionate struggle that fueled her acting showed just how unique and heart-wrenching her life really was, and Kon's directing was inventive with the use of showing a sort of documentary style that had the two people interviewing her inserted into her memories firsthand.
Paprika was a production that would let Kon flex his visual inventiveness and provide the viewer with characters and situations unlike anything else in the realm of anime, or even most of cinema for that matter. The movie looks into a group of individuals that focus on working insde of people's dreams to help them better understand themselves. The dreams of people were also depicted with proper abstraction, yet they were also shown to house unique mysteries with their sudden twists and turns. To put it bluntly, he made dreams a reality within themselves.
8. Yasuomi Umetsu
Recommended Works - Presence, Kite, Mezzo Forte
Umetsu was a character designer that would wade through much of his career without any substantial directing work. However, in the 1987 production Robot Carnival, Umetsu would catch his big break and direct the segment "Presence."
Presence was a story of a man who lived a seemingly happy family life, however, it's revealed that he is working on a robot behind his family's back to give him the feelings of warmth and love on a more practical level. In the process of making this robot, the robot starts to ask him questions and desire his own presence, thus making the creator scared of the robot and fearful of what he has done. It is a deep short that analyzes the loneliness of its main character and the subject of basic human needs in regards to what their own life offers them. It is also a proper character study when considering the man who created the robot had ultimately admited something to himself by undergoing the project.
After such a deep piece of work, Umetsu would disappear from the director's chair and continue working as an animator and character designer until 1998, in which he would get to completely create his own project with Kite. Kite, however, would be influenced from his tenure with the hentai series Cool Devices, in which he was character designer for a segment titled "Yellow Star" about a girl involved with a corrupt stepfather, in which he was a popular detective, that drugged her and did what he wanted with. The girl in question retaliated in her position and tried to stop him from abusing her, but the seedy drug underworld proved to be a powerful beast that wouldn't let her go so easily. Such a cold and unforgiving atmosphere played a crucial role in giving Umetsu the courage needed to go with his vision on Kite.
What makes Kite quite a crucial work for Umetsu is its uncompromising world and its rather interesting viewpoints on society. Main character Sawa is used and abused by her employers, the only friend she has is a fellow contract killer that seems to be in no better shape than she is, and her targets are seedy and terrible celebrity figures in which some of them deserve the death they're getting. Take for example the comedian in the beginning of Kite, in which this guy tries to take advantage of Sawa, only to have Sawa put an exploding bullet through his head (which is a nice stylistic choice by the way). After his death, a colleague of his speaks to the media as if he was a wonderful man who didn't deserve to die like he did, when in fact, it seemed like nobody knew who he really was in the end. In the same token, Sawa's boss is a corrupt investigator who ultimately stole her from her family and trained her to be a cold-blooded killer to use her for his gain. After finding the courage to leave such a life, Sawa tries to find a way out, but the end of the OVA shows that such a life is ultimately difficult to ever escape from. Also worth noting is his excellent usage of colors and a ludicrious action sequence in which Sawa falls off a building while using a man underneath her to cushion the damage.
After the dark and gritty Kite, Umetsu decided to pay homage to some of his favorite action influences and made Mezzo Forte as his follow up. Mezzo took some of the stylistic action cues of Kite and put them to a whole other level, as main character Mikura could kick people through walls and flip her way past anything. The ludicrious action pieces are complimented by equally intense characters, ranging from a sadistic mob boss' daughter to even dealers of bizarre sex dolls that inhabit this corrupt, but decidedly less serious universe of the Mezzo Forte series. Umetsu's style is definitely hard to replicate, as his raw and unrelenting view of the darker side of humanity is worth a look for anyone who's got the courage and mindset to tackle his subject matter.
9. Hayao Miyazaki
Recommended Works - The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso
Easily the most popular director in all of anime, his works have a relative beauty among them that shows a sort of magic that's evident in most Disney productions, yet his films show some rather interesting points when one takes the sort of care to analyze a certain number of his works.
Miyazaki would make his first notable mark with The Castle of Cagliostro, making probably the most exciting Lupin film in existence, yet also showing the sort of chemistry he likes to give the cast of any of his films. Lupin and Zenigata find themselves working together, yet also resuming their roles as officer and thief respectively. There's also a rather interesting usage of gravity-defying jumps and there's an epic duel in a clock tower that also remains highly memorable.
However, Miyazaki would establish a strong female lead in Nausicaa, yet he would also show his concern with enviromental issues with the barren world in the film. Nausicaa would remain his grittiest work, as the humans of this world seemed to live alongside the creatures and their natural habitiat, yet there is a certain conflict between those who wish to live in peace with their environment, and those who wish to control it ultimately with their power. It's one of the deepest films in his catalogue hands down.
Likewise, Kiki's Delivery Service would continue his trend of strong female leads, though Kiki seemed interested in showing the idea of maturity through a witch that wished to find her way into adulthood. The simple approach to Kiki and her newfound friends in society proved sucessful, as Kiki had to find a job and a place to live amongst everyone else, yet she also found a few profound things that her own life hadn't shown her previously.
Miyazaki would eventually turn his interests inward and make a more personal production with Porco Rosso, taking his rather broad messages aside and crafting something for himself. It's an ode to older World War II films, yet it is also a personal statement towards his interest in flying. Porco is also a chracter that undergoes scrutiny by the Italian Air Force, yet he also has to fight for his love with another rival pilot, making the circumstances quite unique from anything else he had done previously or even after.
10. Hiroyuki Yamaga
Recommended Works - Daicon IV, The Wings of Honneamise, Mahoromatic
One of the mainstays of Studio Gainax, he helped bring the company forward with his work on the Daicon shorts, as Daicon III and IV showed a company that had plenty of potential to capture aspects of anime that many could appreciate, yet also find throwbacks to old franchises at the same time.
When Gainax recieved funding for a large project, Yamaga helmed his triumphant work, The Wings of Honneamise. A deep look into the life of a man named Shiro who didn't know what to do with his life, the movie focuses on all the social stratum that came with his position in a space program, and all the political intrigue that was tied to his rather dubious position. At the same time, a passion enveloped Shiro, as he pushed himself to move forward with the space program not just for himself, but for anyone that wished to follow him. The production work was well displayed, and the directing showed Yamaga's abilities to capture art on the screen with his many intimate sequences involving Shiro and his encounters with a certain girl who seemed to catch his attention.
After 14 long years, Yamaga would get to helm the director's chair once more, providing a rather surprising warmth to the production known as Mahoromatic. It was a seemingly cliche instance of a maid and her master, but at a closer glance it is actually Mahoro and her dark past catching up to her as she leads a double life of trying to combat her demons in her military past and serving her newfound employer through his many instances of awkward social behavior. It would break the very convention it stemmed from and prove Yamaga fair game for breaking the rules of anime standards as they were set.
Honorable Mentions: Akiyuki Shinbou, Makoto Shinkai, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Koichi Chigira, Koichi Mashimo, Katsuhiko Nishijima, Koji Morimoto, Tomomi Mochizuki, Naohito Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Fumihiko Takayama, Koji Masunari, Katsuhiro Otomo, Rin Taro, Akitaro Daichi and Shinichiro Watanabe.
I would also like to apologize for how long this is going to be, but I guess being the hopeless enthusiast I am, I just have a lot to say, don't I? ^_^
Also, keep in mind this list is merely my opinion, and that any recommended works on this list are also just opinions that pretty much show what my favorite works from them were.
1. Mamoru Oshii
Recommended Works - Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Angel's Egg, Twilight Q 2: Labyrinth Objects, Patlabor: The Movie, Patlabor 2: The Movie, Ghost in the Shell
His techniques are very abstract and dreamlike, showing characters in unusual situations and inserting symbolism to give normal situations new meaning. He is a director that does things his way and leaves no compromises, and in the process has many things to say within his own projects.
Since his humble beginnings directing the Urusei Yatsura TV series, he broke free from his boundaries with Beautiful Dreamer and wanted to put all the characters inside a neverending dream world that utilized an old fable as a rather dubious hint to, perhaps, his belief on the development of the series before he decided to do the movie.
With Angel's Egg, the story involves a girl nursing an egg and carrying it with her through dark and barren landscapes, only to be met by a man who carries a cross-shaped object that follows her everywhere. The symbolism in that production would point to some of Oshii's commentary on religion, including the concept of creating a world where people have been forsaken by the very deity they worship.
Twilight Q 2 was a wonderful exercise in changing the perception of the world through a confused detective's mind. Like days were but a blur, the job he took a completely undocumented mystery, the location being a body of water on the world map. It was also a homage to his own father, who was actually an out-of-work detective.
Both of the Patlabor films showed Oshii bringing in the motif of man playing god, with the first film showing a man who takes his own life and creates a tower known as Babel. Also, the first film makes some great commentary on the reliance society has on technology. The second film, however, makes great commentary with the ideas of war and peace, showing the thin line between what we think is right, and what we believe to be wrong.
Finally, I will say that his Ghost in the Shell adaptation was infused with some rather worthy commentary on the effects of giving up one's flesh for cybernetic enhancement, and questioning how human one can really be in a world filled with artificiality. His cold analysis and meditation on the world of GitS proved an interesting viewpoint on a rather popular manga, once again showing Oshii's tendency to do things his own way and express himself in the process.
2. Hideaki Anno
Recommended Works - Gunbuster, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The End of Evangelion, Kare Kano
A master of character study, Anno always had characters that were filled with emotions and very human flaws as well.
Gunbuster was a strong work that showed his will to drive a character like Noriko Takaya, who had been ridiculed by most of her peers, to find herself and do what she knew was right. The science-fiction details to the world of Gunbuster are also notable, using the effects of time in space to good use.
Nadia continued his ability to create characters of difficult pasts with the humanitarian title character, and her friend Jean who was like the counterbalance to her rather modest upbringing. It shows the difference industrialization can give to someone in comparison to a rather simple life away from industry. Nadia was also a character of the same dynamic as Noriko Takaya from Gunbuster, but sadly, Anno would not finish the series and promptly left around the halfway mark. Still, Nadia was a great example of how Anno dealt with characters in his prime, and it even displayed a rather evil villian in Gargoyle.
After being away from the director's chair for quite sometime, he emerged with a new project with Neon Genesis Evangelion, a culmination of his experiences with philosophy and religion, although it remains a personal bearing on his own personality at the time. It was a bitter conflict with the lead character Shinji, and his worst enemy, himself. The beings known as "angels" that attacked the populace were merely an afterthought to Shinji's own personal stress over himself to put it bluntly. The supporting cast had their equal shares of emotional trouble and personal doubt. The film The End of Evangelion did an excellent job closing the book on a rather rich study on Anno's own personal ideas, and his meditation on the world as we knew it. It would also be an interesting message to all the Evangelion fans who objected the ending of the TV series that came before it.
Kare Kano would show his character strengths in the school setting with a character who had a rather large streak of confidence to begin with, letting Anno deliver some rather unique perspectives to what he previously did in his career. However, the analysis of measuring one's self to their peers may have been as dominant as ever, but it also showed the development of one's reputation through the rather dubious existence of High School cliques. Sadly, Anno would also leave this series halfway through, but his portions were certainly among the finest of his own respectable career to say the least.
3. Takahiro Omori
Recommended Works - Hyper Police, Fancy Lala, Koi Kaze, Gakuen Alice
Works I'd like to see - Baccano! and Hell Girl
A rather unique career to say the least, Omori worked with ideas that showed the balance of fantasy and reality through suprisingly practical means, with worlds that were definitely filled with their own unique touches, and then evolved to working on anime that seem to reach even deeper than his original light-hearted material had previously specified.
Hyper Police was an interesting manga adaptation that showed his warm touch with a society that felt like it didn't understand itself to say the least. Humans, beasts, spirits, and gods had to live together in society as one big family. Add in the disputes between the rights of humans over other forms of life, licensing one's self for work, and the general poverty that beings aside from humans go through, and we have a series that delivers a surprising touch of commentary despite what one may originally suspect from it. Even so, as stated with the director's warmth towards the subject, it seems like catgirl Natsuki finds her own ways to be happy in a society that ultimately puts her in second place everytime, and her friends always seem willing to join her pursuit in living life to the fullest despite their harsh circumstances. The cast is fun and lively, there's a good balance of down time and cop drama, and the universe of Hyper Police creates plenty of X-factor for any viewers that like eccentric touches. Worth noting is the rather unique ending, which shows Natsuke coming to terms with what the right world to live in would be, comparing the ideas of modern society to what the fantasy of Hyper Police portrays.
After Hyper Police, Omori would work on Fancy Lala, a series about a girl who finds a magic pen that turns her into a pop idol. Fancy Lala shows a rather playful depiction of a young girl's idea of adulthood, and how being an adult changes one's own perception of what life is really about. Even as main character Miho learns to accept responsibilty in her adult form, it seems like she begins to realize who it is she really wants to be in the process of switching from grown up to child each and every day. The warmth shown through her life with her family and the difference depicted through her work as her idol personality shows the kind of fantasy with practicality that Hyper Police depicted in itself. Also, like Hyper Police, the ending of the series tied everything together in Miho's life and showed the importance of living one's life to the fullest no matter what happens.
Koi Kaze remains director Omori's most challenging work, as it's amazingly worthy for its mature and open approach to a brother and sister who, beforehand not knowing they were siblings, had fallen in love with each other. The approach shows two people who have lived some rather unique lives, find themselves unsure as how to react to their feelings, and ultimately develop throughout the series trying to understand themselves and each other. The depth of work in this series allows the viewer to ask their own questions and debate the subject with themselves, yet it is also a work that shows no pandering to any fanbase in particular and wishes to challenge whoever views it. It would also signal a period in his career in which he would try to go beyond what he already affiliated himself with, but first he had to return to his pastime before moving forward.
Gakuen Alice was a prominent return for Omori to the subject of fantasy with a touch of practicality. Lead character Sakura Mikan is a girl who goes to a low-grade school that eventually shuts down due to money problems, her best friend leaves to a rather esteemed school in the meantime, and she decides to chase her friend in hopes of finding out what's going on. In the process, she finds this school her friend is at to be a place for people with magical abilities, and yet Mikan is also accepted strangely enough, even though she doesn't understand what her ability is. The directing shows a proper development of a girl who tries to fit in with a school that rewards gifted people, yet she herself is still discovering what her own gift is. The characters in the Alice Academy are also of a fun variety, as everyone has their own unique gift to tie themselves to lead character Mikan, showing a community not unlike the one Omori had with Hyper Police.
As of late, Omori seems to be tackling some unique subject matter, and I look forward to viewing Baccano! and Hell Girl in due time.
4. Isao Takahata
Recommended Works - Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko, My Neighbors The Yamadas
One of Ghibli's finest, Takahata taught Miyazaki everything he knew about directing, and his own works remain some of the most respected in all of anime for their deep and realistic portrayals of people and their societies in general.
Grave of the Fireflies was a decidedly uncompromising work that showed war as it was with no strings attached. The lost lives of many, and the children who had to survive in such harsh conditions, it was the ultimate discovery of what happens when two children lose everything, and have no idea where to go from there in a society that had suffered as much as they did.
Only Yesterday was definitely another bold move for the director, showing a character that had lived a rather interesting life, but a life that also seemed strangely unfulfilling. Taeko was a girl who never knew where she belonged, and though she had dreams like any other girl, she was getting older and found herself looking for a life she really wanted.
Pom Poko is a rather interesting commentary on industrialization that takes things to a more practical level than any of Miyazaki's works by showing the Tanuki of the forest trying to scare normal folk away from their beloved habitat. The brutal struggle of the mighty human vs the forest creature remains surprisingly powerful in this production, and the Tanuki start to divide as a result of their struggle.
My Neighbors The Yamadas was an inventive look at family life through a more "Sunday-comic" kind of viewpoint, though the situations were universal enough to bring out an appeal unlike anything else Ghibli has ever done.
5. Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Recommended Works - Running Man, Wicked City, Ninja Scroll, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
A director who has a notable streak of dark imagery, his lighting techniques in his 80s work, and his gothic flourish in his latter works prove he is a man who can leave a mark on the viewer off of asthetic alone. His ability to directing action sequences is also worth noting, as his way of keeping a sequence flowing remains something of a standard for me to say the least.
In the production known as Neo Tokyo, Kawajiri directed one of the three shorts, his segment titled "The Running Man." In this segment, he shows a cyberpunk world where racing isn't just profitable, but deadly. The lead character Zach Hugh is a racer who had a telekinetic ability and uses it to sabatoge other racers, but it is also something he had kept hidden from the public, that is, until a reporter found the truth through a visit with the man himself. Undergoing his own madness with being the best, Zach would hallucinate about the ghosts of those he killed, and find himself crazed with his own hunger to be the best at his game. A rather intriguing portrait of a man who only lived for one thing and nothing else.
Wicked City saw him working with collaborator, and author, Hideyuki Kikuchi. An adaptation of one of Kikuchi's novels, Wicked City showed a seedy underworld in which beings from another dimension shape-shifted into humans to blend in and destroy humankind from within. The use of eroticism was surprisingly ahead of its time, showing human desire destroy itself through creatures that preyed on them, and action sequences that had a variety of creatures evolve from human forms and transform into beasts of superhuman strength. Kawajiri's usage of blue lighting was also a great stylistic touch, and his action sequences were handled with great care and sumptious speed.
Ninja Scroll explored more of Kawajiri's ability to show corruption within human means, along with showing his ability to put together great action pieces, such as lead character Jubei Kibagami's weaving and evading of certain peril through attacks from many deadly monstrosities. It was a perfect companion piece to Wicked City to say the least.Kawajiri would later collaborate with author Hideyuki Kikuchi again on Vampire D: Bloodlust, which was a return to the action/horror genre that he remained prolific in.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust also showed Kawajiri perfecting his form with action-timing and the capturing of horror elements at the same time, as D found himself tackling many deadly foes and debating the principles between humans and vampires, a subject that Kawajiri previously meditated on with Wicked City's dark beings.
6. Ryutaro Nakamura
Recommended Works - Serial Experiements Lain, Colorful, Kino's Journey
A rather Avant-garde director, his techniques with cold and open-ended viewpoints on situations remains something of a unique trait to say the least.
In Serial Experiments Lain, Nakamura found himself approaching technology as though it was a way of life. The commentary behind Lain is also proverbial in how it shows the helplessness of those who are not in the newfound technilogical trends, and it even gives a good look at what internet personas possess in importance to the individual. Also, Lain remains an enigmatic figure in the world of The Wired, showing there's layers of commentary regarding her and the internet-like world most people in the series embrace. The static of Lain's life in the real world in comparison to her life in the Wired is well depicted by Nakamura's coldness to the subject at hand.
Colorful was a production of perverted shorts involving some men and their urges to peek at girls whenever they could get an opportunity. Nakamura's directing has the same cold approach he did with Lain, showing the men in the series as nothing more than instinctual machines programmed to peek at women, in which none of these men, interestingly enough, approach the girls in question. It's intended as a comedy, but it remains surprisingly interesting as to how the perverted people in question are also depicted as being socially-challenged.
Kino's Journey found Nakamura giving his audience a more practical viewpoint than his previously isolated works, showing Kino as an observer of life, and the world around Kino is of course filled with many trials and tribulations that show plenty of commentary towards life as we know it. It's an open-ended analysis that gives Nakamura a chance to keep things lively with lush locales that sometimes define human practicality through their own means.
7. Satoshi Kon
Recommended Works - Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Paprika
Satoshi Kon is a director that knows how to play with one's perception, yet he also wishes to address issues involving the life of the celebrity, the difficulties of the lower-class, and the dreams of all people in general.
Perfect Blue remains a masterwork of the anime medium, showing Kon as a gifted director of psychological suspense. Pop star Mima goes through her career in a blur, being with pop outfit Cham to doing an acting gig and having to deal with what her fanbase thinks. Kon does an excellent job showing Mima's identity crumble under the stress of who she is and who she's expected to be, battling hallucinations of herself and finding herself losing track of reality between her life and her new job.
Millennium Actress, on the other hand, shows a woman who's had a career that was pretty much based off her need to see a man that had an effect on her life. The passionate struggle that fueled her acting showed just how unique and heart-wrenching her life really was, and Kon's directing was inventive with the use of showing a sort of documentary style that had the two people interviewing her inserted into her memories firsthand.
Paprika was a production that would let Kon flex his visual inventiveness and provide the viewer with characters and situations unlike anything else in the realm of anime, or even most of cinema for that matter. The movie looks into a group of individuals that focus on working insde of people's dreams to help them better understand themselves. The dreams of people were also depicted with proper abstraction, yet they were also shown to house unique mysteries with their sudden twists and turns. To put it bluntly, he made dreams a reality within themselves.
8. Yasuomi Umetsu
Recommended Works - Presence, Kite, Mezzo Forte
Umetsu was a character designer that would wade through much of his career without any substantial directing work. However, in the 1987 production Robot Carnival, Umetsu would catch his big break and direct the segment "Presence."
Presence was a story of a man who lived a seemingly happy family life, however, it's revealed that he is working on a robot behind his family's back to give him the feelings of warmth and love on a more practical level. In the process of making this robot, the robot starts to ask him questions and desire his own presence, thus making the creator scared of the robot and fearful of what he has done. It is a deep short that analyzes the loneliness of its main character and the subject of basic human needs in regards to what their own life offers them. It is also a proper character study when considering the man who created the robot had ultimately admited something to himself by undergoing the project.
After such a deep piece of work, Umetsu would disappear from the director's chair and continue working as an animator and character designer until 1998, in which he would get to completely create his own project with Kite. Kite, however, would be influenced from his tenure with the hentai series Cool Devices, in which he was character designer for a segment titled "Yellow Star" about a girl involved with a corrupt stepfather, in which he was a popular detective, that drugged her and did what he wanted with. The girl in question retaliated in her position and tried to stop him from abusing her, but the seedy drug underworld proved to be a powerful beast that wouldn't let her go so easily. Such a cold and unforgiving atmosphere played a crucial role in giving Umetsu the courage needed to go with his vision on Kite.
What makes Kite quite a crucial work for Umetsu is its uncompromising world and its rather interesting viewpoints on society. Main character Sawa is used and abused by her employers, the only friend she has is a fellow contract killer that seems to be in no better shape than she is, and her targets are seedy and terrible celebrity figures in which some of them deserve the death they're getting. Take for example the comedian in the beginning of Kite, in which this guy tries to take advantage of Sawa, only to have Sawa put an exploding bullet through his head (which is a nice stylistic choice by the way). After his death, a colleague of his speaks to the media as if he was a wonderful man who didn't deserve to die like he did, when in fact, it seemed like nobody knew who he really was in the end. In the same token, Sawa's boss is a corrupt investigator who ultimately stole her from her family and trained her to be a cold-blooded killer to use her for his gain. After finding the courage to leave such a life, Sawa tries to find a way out, but the end of the OVA shows that such a life is ultimately difficult to ever escape from. Also worth noting is his excellent usage of colors and a ludicrious action sequence in which Sawa falls off a building while using a man underneath her to cushion the damage.
After the dark and gritty Kite, Umetsu decided to pay homage to some of his favorite action influences and made Mezzo Forte as his follow up. Mezzo took some of the stylistic action cues of Kite and put them to a whole other level, as main character Mikura could kick people through walls and flip her way past anything. The ludicrious action pieces are complimented by equally intense characters, ranging from a sadistic mob boss' daughter to even dealers of bizarre sex dolls that inhabit this corrupt, but decidedly less serious universe of the Mezzo Forte series. Umetsu's style is definitely hard to replicate, as his raw and unrelenting view of the darker side of humanity is worth a look for anyone who's got the courage and mindset to tackle his subject matter.
9. Hayao Miyazaki
Recommended Works - The Castle of Cagliostro, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso
Easily the most popular director in all of anime, his works have a relative beauty among them that shows a sort of magic that's evident in most Disney productions, yet his films show some rather interesting points when one takes the sort of care to analyze a certain number of his works.
Miyazaki would make his first notable mark with The Castle of Cagliostro, making probably the most exciting Lupin film in existence, yet also showing the sort of chemistry he likes to give the cast of any of his films. Lupin and Zenigata find themselves working together, yet also resuming their roles as officer and thief respectively. There's also a rather interesting usage of gravity-defying jumps and there's an epic duel in a clock tower that also remains highly memorable.
However, Miyazaki would establish a strong female lead in Nausicaa, yet he would also show his concern with enviromental issues with the barren world in the film. Nausicaa would remain his grittiest work, as the humans of this world seemed to live alongside the creatures and their natural habitiat, yet there is a certain conflict between those who wish to live in peace with their environment, and those who wish to control it ultimately with their power. It's one of the deepest films in his catalogue hands down.
Likewise, Kiki's Delivery Service would continue his trend of strong female leads, though Kiki seemed interested in showing the idea of maturity through a witch that wished to find her way into adulthood. The simple approach to Kiki and her newfound friends in society proved sucessful, as Kiki had to find a job and a place to live amongst everyone else, yet she also found a few profound things that her own life hadn't shown her previously.
Miyazaki would eventually turn his interests inward and make a more personal production with Porco Rosso, taking his rather broad messages aside and crafting something for himself. It's an ode to older World War II films, yet it is also a personal statement towards his interest in flying. Porco is also a chracter that undergoes scrutiny by the Italian Air Force, yet he also has to fight for his love with another rival pilot, making the circumstances quite unique from anything else he had done previously or even after.
10. Hiroyuki Yamaga
Recommended Works - Daicon IV, The Wings of Honneamise, Mahoromatic
One of the mainstays of Studio Gainax, he helped bring the company forward with his work on the Daicon shorts, as Daicon III and IV showed a company that had plenty of potential to capture aspects of anime that many could appreciate, yet also find throwbacks to old franchises at the same time.
When Gainax recieved funding for a large project, Yamaga helmed his triumphant work, The Wings of Honneamise. A deep look into the life of a man named Shiro who didn't know what to do with his life, the movie focuses on all the social stratum that came with his position in a space program, and all the political intrigue that was tied to his rather dubious position. At the same time, a passion enveloped Shiro, as he pushed himself to move forward with the space program not just for himself, but for anyone that wished to follow him. The production work was well displayed, and the directing showed Yamaga's abilities to capture art on the screen with his many intimate sequences involving Shiro and his encounters with a certain girl who seemed to catch his attention.
After 14 long years, Yamaga would get to helm the director's chair once more, providing a rather surprising warmth to the production known as Mahoromatic. It was a seemingly cliche instance of a maid and her master, but at a closer glance it is actually Mahoro and her dark past catching up to her as she leads a double life of trying to combat her demons in her military past and serving her newfound employer through his many instances of awkward social behavior. It would break the very convention it stemmed from and prove Yamaga fair game for breaking the rules of anime standards as they were set.
Honorable Mentions: Akiyuki Shinbou, Makoto Shinkai, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Koichi Chigira, Koichi Mashimo, Katsuhiko Nishijima, Koji Morimoto, Tomomi Mochizuki, Naohito Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Fumihiko Takayama, Koji Masunari, Katsuhiro Otomo, Rin Taro, Akitaro Daichi and Shinichiro Watanabe.
Obscure Anime Corner - Volume 1
Today, I will talk about Windaria and Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko.
In case you're wondering why I put two anime in here, it's because they're both directed by the same guy, Kunihiko Yuyama. What is he probably best known for? He's directed most things with the word "Pokemon" on it. That's right, you heard me, he's the director of mulitple Pokemon productions.
However, before his days of joining the Pokemon (and even Pocket Monsters) train, he made some pretty artsy stuff back in the 80s.
Leda starts with a girl named Yohko who's in love with a guy, but she's a very shy person, so she decides to write a song for him instead of confronting him with her feelings directly. However, as she passes him by on a street, her song actually opens a gateway between her world and an alternate world named "Ashanti."
In this world, Yohko finds herself being chased by the ruler of this world so he can use her song to travel back to hers and conquer it with his army. Thankfully, Yohko meets someone who helps her escape, and from here she eventually discovers the fortelling of her arrival from a legendary warrior named Leda.
Now, what works so well in this production is the fact that there's an emphasis on showing her will to meet the man she loves in the beginning, and what she has to do to go back to her world and do it over again. It may seem atypical, but the directing insures that you will see the diligent work she put into her song in the beginning, and how she fights for the balance of both worlds by fighting for the power of that song. It's a real intriguing piece of work that shows the strength of an individual's beliefs and wishes to challenge that said character through plenty of trials. The animation is also worth noting, as this production was certainly well put together to say the least, with consideration for the fantasy setting it is mostly placed in.
Leda: The Fantastic Adventure Of Yohko is something of a personal favorite, but that may become a repetitive statement if I continue promoting anime like this. ^_-
And now for Windaria, made not too long after Leda, is a sort of Shakespearean story about two kingdoms and their struggle for power. The story revolves around a couple in the beginning just trying to get by with what they have, their names are Isu and Marin. The male character, Isu, helps the city with a calamity caused by a rogue and saves them from a flood, and in the process becomes a hero. As a result, Isu suddenly realizes he wants more than what he has, while his wife is content and only wishes to be with Isu.
From here, a bitter power struggle emerges between the two kingdoms, and Isu slowly begins to lose his identity as he finds himself wanting to move further and further within the ranks of both kingdoms. That's right, Isu starts to chase his dream without consideration for what he already has, and he finds himself slowly losing the life he once held dear.
There's plenty of other subplots that weave their way in, such as two lovers in the other rivaling kingdom, and the dispute between the peace treaty both kingdoms used to have. The battles are brutal and to the point as this production reaches a sense of tragedy that has me appreciating it right next to some of Shakespeare's best. Seriously, it avoids a lot of cliches, and it has a surprisingly deep cast of characters that should sway anyone who feels like they've seen this all before.
Windaria is another classic example of why I love the 80s, and that's how I'll leave it.
As for director Yuyama, after these two productions he would be on the said "Pokemon Train" and even dabble in a few efforts somewhere in the 90s, like the forgettable Weather Report Girl and decent Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning. I haven't seen Wedding Peach or his Three Muskateers adaptation on another note, but in either event, these two pieces of 80s anime gave me a glimpse into what could've been another of anime's finest auteurs. Instead, all I can do is wonder what could've been, and appreciate what I have seen already.
Till next time! ^_-
In case you're wondering why I put two anime in here, it's because they're both directed by the same guy, Kunihiko Yuyama. What is he probably best known for? He's directed most things with the word "Pokemon" on it. That's right, you heard me, he's the director of mulitple Pokemon productions.
However, before his days of joining the Pokemon (and even Pocket Monsters) train, he made some pretty artsy stuff back in the 80s.
Leda starts with a girl named Yohko who's in love with a guy, but she's a very shy person, so she decides to write a song for him instead of confronting him with her feelings directly. However, as she passes him by on a street, her song actually opens a gateway between her world and an alternate world named "Ashanti."
In this world, Yohko finds herself being chased by the ruler of this world so he can use her song to travel back to hers and conquer it with his army. Thankfully, Yohko meets someone who helps her escape, and from here she eventually discovers the fortelling of her arrival from a legendary warrior named Leda.
Now, what works so well in this production is the fact that there's an emphasis on showing her will to meet the man she loves in the beginning, and what she has to do to go back to her world and do it over again. It may seem atypical, but the directing insures that you will see the diligent work she put into her song in the beginning, and how she fights for the balance of both worlds by fighting for the power of that song. It's a real intriguing piece of work that shows the strength of an individual's beliefs and wishes to challenge that said character through plenty of trials. The animation is also worth noting, as this production was certainly well put together to say the least, with consideration for the fantasy setting it is mostly placed in.
Leda: The Fantastic Adventure Of Yohko is something of a personal favorite, but that may become a repetitive statement if I continue promoting anime like this. ^_-
And now for Windaria, made not too long after Leda, is a sort of Shakespearean story about two kingdoms and their struggle for power. The story revolves around a couple in the beginning just trying to get by with what they have, their names are Isu and Marin. The male character, Isu, helps the city with a calamity caused by a rogue and saves them from a flood, and in the process becomes a hero. As a result, Isu suddenly realizes he wants more than what he has, while his wife is content and only wishes to be with Isu.
From here, a bitter power struggle emerges between the two kingdoms, and Isu slowly begins to lose his identity as he finds himself wanting to move further and further within the ranks of both kingdoms. That's right, Isu starts to chase his dream without consideration for what he already has, and he finds himself slowly losing the life he once held dear.
There's plenty of other subplots that weave their way in, such as two lovers in the other rivaling kingdom, and the dispute between the peace treaty both kingdoms used to have. The battles are brutal and to the point as this production reaches a sense of tragedy that has me appreciating it right next to some of Shakespeare's best. Seriously, it avoids a lot of cliches, and it has a surprisingly deep cast of characters that should sway anyone who feels like they've seen this all before.
Windaria is another classic example of why I love the 80s, and that's how I'll leave it.
As for director Yuyama, after these two productions he would be on the said "Pokemon Train" and even dabble in a few efforts somewhere in the 90s, like the forgettable Weather Report Girl and decent Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning. I haven't seen Wedding Peach or his Three Muskateers adaptation on another note, but in either event, these two pieces of 80s anime gave me a glimpse into what could've been another of anime's finest auteurs. Instead, all I can do is wonder what could've been, and appreciate what I have seen already.
Till next time! ^_-
My Top 10 Anime
1. The Wings of Honneamise - Beautiful production work, a deep and political storyline, and a main character I could really relate with.
2. Angel's Egg - Probably the most artistic anime I've ever seen, it's not only a visual stunner, it's also very symbolic and I really enjoyed analyzing it.
3. Robot Carnival - I have not seen an anime that has replicated the effect of Robot Carnival, which is to say, assembling a bunch of short stories to create a sort of "Fantasia-effect." It has everything from action-packed shorts to deep and introspective pieces. Take your pick!
4. Gunbuster - My favorite mecha anime, if simply because I love how much main character Noriko Takaya grows, and because the directing is well executed.
5. Patlabor 2: The Movie - A political drama that puts a great mystery together, yet it also has a few things to say about the nature of man and his world.
6. Twilight Q 2: Labyrinth Objects File 538 - Extremely abstract by any definition, the second installment of Twilight Q is one of my all-time favorite viewing experiences because of how dialogue-driven it is, and because it really screwed with my sense of what was real and what wasn't.
7. Only Yesterday - A sentimental piece of work from Studio Ghibli, I could relate with how confused the main character was. Where we want to be doesn't always reach us so quickly.
8. Grave of the Fireflies - Very gritty and dramatic, this production wasn't afraid to show what war could be like in the eyes of two children, and even less afraid to show what did happen to them in the end.
9. Project A-ko - A goofball comedy that makes all kinds of references to older anime, yet it also has an identity of its own thanks to its absurd creators and their will to make things as senselessly entertaining as possible. I mean, seriously, it's about two girls fighting over who gets to be friends with another girl, and that to me is hilarious.
10. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Dark and angsty stuff, some of the issues this series deals with is so skin-crawling that it's hard for me not to watch and see what happens to everyone in the end. The battles are also very exciting in my opinion.
Honorable Mentions: The Castle of Cagliostro, Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Millennium Actress, Serial Experiments Lain, Patlabor: The Movie, Koi Kaze, Golden Boy, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Hyper Police, Neo Tokyo, and Perfect Blue.
2. Angel's Egg - Probably the most artistic anime I've ever seen, it's not only a visual stunner, it's also very symbolic and I really enjoyed analyzing it.
3. Robot Carnival - I have not seen an anime that has replicated the effect of Robot Carnival, which is to say, assembling a bunch of short stories to create a sort of "Fantasia-effect." It has everything from action-packed shorts to deep and introspective pieces. Take your pick!
4. Gunbuster - My favorite mecha anime, if simply because I love how much main character Noriko Takaya grows, and because the directing is well executed.
5. Patlabor 2: The Movie - A political drama that puts a great mystery together, yet it also has a few things to say about the nature of man and his world.
6. Twilight Q 2: Labyrinth Objects File 538 - Extremely abstract by any definition, the second installment of Twilight Q is one of my all-time favorite viewing experiences because of how dialogue-driven it is, and because it really screwed with my sense of what was real and what wasn't.
7. Only Yesterday - A sentimental piece of work from Studio Ghibli, I could relate with how confused the main character was. Where we want to be doesn't always reach us so quickly.
8. Grave of the Fireflies - Very gritty and dramatic, this production wasn't afraid to show what war could be like in the eyes of two children, and even less afraid to show what did happen to them in the end.
9. Project A-ko - A goofball comedy that makes all kinds of references to older anime, yet it also has an identity of its own thanks to its absurd creators and their will to make things as senselessly entertaining as possible. I mean, seriously, it's about two girls fighting over who gets to be friends with another girl, and that to me is hilarious.
10. Neon Genesis Evangelion - Dark and angsty stuff, some of the issues this series deals with is so skin-crawling that it's hard for me not to watch and see what happens to everyone in the end. The battles are also very exciting in my opinion.
Honorable Mentions: The Castle of Cagliostro, Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Millennium Actress, Serial Experiments Lain, Patlabor: The Movie, Koi Kaze, Golden Boy, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Hyper Police, Neo Tokyo, and Perfect Blue.
My Taste In Anime
It's strange to think that in my life I have found this animation style, especially when considering I only had an inkling as to what it was really about. I was 15 at the time, and I'm nearing the 10 year mark with this hobby of mine, and I can honestly say I've gone through all kinds of stages to end up where I have today.
I began with exposure to anime reviews in a game magazine of mine entitled "Game Fan." In this magazine, they were promoting an anime named Macross Plus, and it had some really amazing design work as I peered through the pictures. My brother in the same token had read their review on Gunsmith Cats, and the both of us thought about the prospect of checking out some anime to see what we've been missing.
The only exposure I've had to anime before this realization was an airing of Dominion Tank Police on The Movie Channel and a really late showing of Galaxy Express 999 on the Sci-fi Channel. I didn't really acknowledge them as "anime" at the time, but they made an impact on my decision to press forward when I looked at those anime reviews in my game mag.
The experience that Macross Plus showed to a newcomer like me was something I couldn't have replicated in my childhood previously, especially since the production had a real knack for looking sleek and stylistic in its pop-covered sheen. The animation for all the combat sequences was quite breathtaking, and the tension was well built. Add in the smooth gunplay touch of Gunsmith Cats, and we had a great night of anime viewing that would change the both of us.
Showing an interest in buying more anime, I seeked out some other titles that came to memory. My second purchase was originally going to be Akira, but I read the back of the VHS Sleeve to Fist of the North Star and felt I could use a martial arts experience. The final result was endless laughter by me and my friends, the violence was just over the top, and the characters acted so corny. However, the previews at the beginning of the VHS were provided by the already deceased distributor Streamline Pictures. It was during this preview sequence that I became fascinated with wanting to see some of their older products, Wicked City and Neo Tokyo being the titles that made me really drop my jaw. But those two would have to wait until I got around to Akira, which was also a great viewing experience.
I even discovered Animeigo around this time and immediately bought Madox-01 for its unique sounding premise. Thankfully, it delivered on entertaining me, and I suddenly became familiar with their catalogue as well.
After buying some anime from Animeigo and Streamline Pictures, I shifted back to the guys at Manga Entertainment, given they did help me a great deal with Macross Plus. It was around this period I would view the single best piece of anime I would ever see, The Wings of Honneamise. The directing was at a nice, brisk pace, and the design work was breathtaking. Add in some rather cheeky humor and we had an experience that would likely grab a hold of me and show me what I really wanted in my anime viewings.
Another anime I will quickly mention is Robot Carnival, which was my first foray into uniquely presented anime. It had a collection of shorts that functioned in a sort of Fantasia-esque way with musical scores and no spoken dialogue for all but two segments. However, it was the two spoken segments that became my biggest favorites. Presence was a deep and brooding take on a man making a machine to better understand his own feelings, and A Tale of Two Robots being a parody on mecha shows by having a battle so old-school that the technology is what, in essence, is keeping the battle from progressing any further.
Not too long after this, I became familiar with the concept known as "fansubbing." It was around this period I also became hungry for newer and more unique experiences than what I was having, and my first calling card was Hyper Police. Hyper Police had the strangest universe, it embodied humans and other entities, like beasts and gods for instance. There was also some moments where characters would have to go through the legal system to get things done, and even go through some of the politics tied to their world. For being a series that seemed atypical at first, it became very intriguing and influential on me as well.
I would watch plenty of anime in the coming years that have been well worth my time, such as Perfect Blue and The Castle of Cagliostro. But it was during this particular segment of my life, when I was 18, where I discovered director Mamoru Oshii, my overall biggest influence in my time being an anime fan.
I found out about Angel's Egg from a site I always frequent named theanimereview.com, in which it was given an A. Curious as to the unique stylings and dark atmosphere, I was eager to watch something that had some challenge to it. I got a fansubbed VHS, in which the second segment of Twilight Q was included, and I found myself spellbound by the visual and symbolic approach to Oshii's directing. Angel's Egg was a visual feast of breathtaking visuals and constant underlying meaning with each and every scene, and I would find myself analyzing it for quite some time. The Twilight Q segment that came afterward was also directed by Oshii, and it showed a real unique storytelling method that was dialogue driven and ultimately content with screwing up the viewer's perception of reality.
Both productions would give me a double-whammy of artsy proportions, as they were unlike anything I've ever seen in my entire life, and it was at this point I wanted to own everything the man had ever done. I would then discover such other gems from Oshii like Beautiful Dreamer, the first two Patlabor films, and his live-action film Stray Dog. I would also give Ghost in the Shell another viewing and don a newfound appreciation for it as a result of knowing the director better from much research.
At this point, I became fond of many other directors, like Hideaki Anno. Of course, a friend of mine practically shoved Neon Genesis Evangelion down my throat, but I would promptly thank him for it afterward. It was a very emotional series that seemed to stem from bouts of pain the director himself felt, and I could feel it onscreen whenever Shinji or anyone else had their doubts about themselves or their world. Evangelion had a profound effect on me, but it would be barely trumped my another of his works that really shook the hell out of me. This work was Gunbuster.
I actually wasn't impressed with Gunbuster upon my first viewing on a funny note, as I dismissed it in the wake of Evangelion as being something of an atypical mecha series and wrote it off as "fun, but not life changing." A year later I would watch it again, and this time, the results were surprising. I saw hope in character Noriko Takaya, as she was actually one of the strongest, most determined characters I had ever seen. Even when she had her doubts, she was sincere about her position and did the right thing when it came time for her to make a decision. Of course, it helped a lot when I got to witness the sequence in the fourth episode where she was crying to herself in her room before a big battle, which really gave me a little buildup to say the least.
But the most interesting aspect of Gunbuster that I felt was how Anno changed direction after this and made a more negative outcome with Evangelion, almost as if the differences between them was a matter of who Anno was in 1988, and who he was in 1996. They're both big favorites of mine, even today, but the differences they have are definitely quite staggering.
After Gunbuster, I can safely say I was completely shaped into who I am now, though I've definitely seen some awesome anime aside from those notable productions that shaped my interests. As a result of what I was exposed to in the first few years of being a fan, the 80s have an strong hold on me, I can't deny that. The 90s are also quite dominant when considering what distributors had out at the time. But as the 2000s are coming to a close, with 2010 not too far away, I can definitely say I am hardly in touch with this decade and I'm looking to watch some series I've missed throughout the last five or so years that I've been meaning to get to.
Along with a few classics of course. ^_^
I began with exposure to anime reviews in a game magazine of mine entitled "Game Fan." In this magazine, they were promoting an anime named Macross Plus, and it had some really amazing design work as I peered through the pictures. My brother in the same token had read their review on Gunsmith Cats, and the both of us thought about the prospect of checking out some anime to see what we've been missing.
The only exposure I've had to anime before this realization was an airing of Dominion Tank Police on The Movie Channel and a really late showing of Galaxy Express 999 on the Sci-fi Channel. I didn't really acknowledge them as "anime" at the time, but they made an impact on my decision to press forward when I looked at those anime reviews in my game mag.
The experience that Macross Plus showed to a newcomer like me was something I couldn't have replicated in my childhood previously, especially since the production had a real knack for looking sleek and stylistic in its pop-covered sheen. The animation for all the combat sequences was quite breathtaking, and the tension was well built. Add in the smooth gunplay touch of Gunsmith Cats, and we had a great night of anime viewing that would change the both of us.
Showing an interest in buying more anime, I seeked out some other titles that came to memory. My second purchase was originally going to be Akira, but I read the back of the VHS Sleeve to Fist of the North Star and felt I could use a martial arts experience. The final result was endless laughter by me and my friends, the violence was just over the top, and the characters acted so corny. However, the previews at the beginning of the VHS were provided by the already deceased distributor Streamline Pictures. It was during this preview sequence that I became fascinated with wanting to see some of their older products, Wicked City and Neo Tokyo being the titles that made me really drop my jaw. But those two would have to wait until I got around to Akira, which was also a great viewing experience.
I even discovered Animeigo around this time and immediately bought Madox-01 for its unique sounding premise. Thankfully, it delivered on entertaining me, and I suddenly became familiar with their catalogue as well.
After buying some anime from Animeigo and Streamline Pictures, I shifted back to the guys at Manga Entertainment, given they did help me a great deal with Macross Plus. It was around this period I would view the single best piece of anime I would ever see, The Wings of Honneamise. The directing was at a nice, brisk pace, and the design work was breathtaking. Add in some rather cheeky humor and we had an experience that would likely grab a hold of me and show me what I really wanted in my anime viewings.
Another anime I will quickly mention is Robot Carnival, which was my first foray into uniquely presented anime. It had a collection of shorts that functioned in a sort of Fantasia-esque way with musical scores and no spoken dialogue for all but two segments. However, it was the two spoken segments that became my biggest favorites. Presence was a deep and brooding take on a man making a machine to better understand his own feelings, and A Tale of Two Robots being a parody on mecha shows by having a battle so old-school that the technology is what, in essence, is keeping the battle from progressing any further.
Not too long after this, I became familiar with the concept known as "fansubbing." It was around this period I also became hungry for newer and more unique experiences than what I was having, and my first calling card was Hyper Police. Hyper Police had the strangest universe, it embodied humans and other entities, like beasts and gods for instance. There was also some moments where characters would have to go through the legal system to get things done, and even go through some of the politics tied to their world. For being a series that seemed atypical at first, it became very intriguing and influential on me as well.
I would watch plenty of anime in the coming years that have been well worth my time, such as Perfect Blue and The Castle of Cagliostro. But it was during this particular segment of my life, when I was 18, where I discovered director Mamoru Oshii, my overall biggest influence in my time being an anime fan.
I found out about Angel's Egg from a site I always frequent named theanimereview.com, in which it was given an A. Curious as to the unique stylings and dark atmosphere, I was eager to watch something that had some challenge to it. I got a fansubbed VHS, in which the second segment of Twilight Q was included, and I found myself spellbound by the visual and symbolic approach to Oshii's directing. Angel's Egg was a visual feast of breathtaking visuals and constant underlying meaning with each and every scene, and I would find myself analyzing it for quite some time. The Twilight Q segment that came afterward was also directed by Oshii, and it showed a real unique storytelling method that was dialogue driven and ultimately content with screwing up the viewer's perception of reality.
Both productions would give me a double-whammy of artsy proportions, as they were unlike anything I've ever seen in my entire life, and it was at this point I wanted to own everything the man had ever done. I would then discover such other gems from Oshii like Beautiful Dreamer, the first two Patlabor films, and his live-action film Stray Dog. I would also give Ghost in the Shell another viewing and don a newfound appreciation for it as a result of knowing the director better from much research.
At this point, I became fond of many other directors, like Hideaki Anno. Of course, a friend of mine practically shoved Neon Genesis Evangelion down my throat, but I would promptly thank him for it afterward. It was a very emotional series that seemed to stem from bouts of pain the director himself felt, and I could feel it onscreen whenever Shinji or anyone else had their doubts about themselves or their world. Evangelion had a profound effect on me, but it would be barely trumped my another of his works that really shook the hell out of me. This work was Gunbuster.
I actually wasn't impressed with Gunbuster upon my first viewing on a funny note, as I dismissed it in the wake of Evangelion as being something of an atypical mecha series and wrote it off as "fun, but not life changing." A year later I would watch it again, and this time, the results were surprising. I saw hope in character Noriko Takaya, as she was actually one of the strongest, most determined characters I had ever seen. Even when she had her doubts, she was sincere about her position and did the right thing when it came time for her to make a decision. Of course, it helped a lot when I got to witness the sequence in the fourth episode where she was crying to herself in her room before a big battle, which really gave me a little buildup to say the least.
But the most interesting aspect of Gunbuster that I felt was how Anno changed direction after this and made a more negative outcome with Evangelion, almost as if the differences between them was a matter of who Anno was in 1988, and who he was in 1996. They're both big favorites of mine, even today, but the differences they have are definitely quite staggering.
After Gunbuster, I can safely say I was completely shaped into who I am now, though I've definitely seen some awesome anime aside from those notable productions that shaped my interests. As a result of what I was exposed to in the first few years of being a fan, the 80s have an strong hold on me, I can't deny that. The 90s are also quite dominant when considering what distributors had out at the time. But as the 2000s are coming to a close, with 2010 not too far away, I can definitely say I am hardly in touch with this decade and I'm looking to watch some series I've missed throughout the last five or so years that I've been meaning to get to.
Along with a few classics of course. ^_^
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