Anime has been to a large extent a vital part of my adventure with Asian cinema and TV. I am often impressed with the details, richness or adequate simplicty of animation. I like all sorts of styles, provided that the story is satisfying. So, I’ve decided to add an anime corner on to here as well. I keep my eyes wide opens for gems in any medium of storytelling. Anime has recently greatly surprised me.
Some of my anime discoveries:
DRAMA/THRILLER/SUSPENSE:
Extremely well-developed plot spanning 74 episodes; a very complex, deeply humane story, more intricate and mature than Death Note, it’s on a different level. The characters are complex, multi-dimensional and the storytelling VERY comprehensive. The art is refreshingly realistic: no eyes covering 3/4 of the face, no spikey violet hair, oh no the art here is beautifully real! These characters are drawn like real people, the backgrounds are detailed and wonderful. All characters meaningfully contribute to the story; hence events take a while to unfold but instead we get to bond with and/or learn a lot about characters. The anime takes care with details, so questions about the minor characters will also get their answers. I have never seen anime THIS ambitious and thought-provoking.It’s like an excellent novel. The aninme explores many many meanings of monsters. I was in a real shock to learn that the dubbing of the anime flopped in America….because kids are likely put off by the art. Too bad. The art is one of this anime’s strengths. And the storytelling is as ambitious as they can get. Highly recommended, ifg you like ambitious, complex stories! The antagonist is a rare find in anime world! Seriously! The antoagonist in this anime doesn;t compare to any antagonist from an y drama I”ve seen to date. Ohh I will return to analyse this anime here in more detail later! Ther eis going to be a live action version done by Guillermo del Toro and broadcast on HBO. Hopefully, he will not do any disservice to the story, which is written like a gem! It’s unforgetable! The mystery keeps piling up until an apocalypcit showdown. The comprehensive storytelling relies on employing the perspective of all characters involved. it;s a detailed story, this is the kind of stories I personally love the most. The writer certainly knew what they were doing. This anime is really something else.
SCI-FI/ TIME TRAVEL
If you like time-travel, then this trendy recent anime series could actually do the trick for you. The time travel is interesting and compelling, the art creates an interesting ambience, the characters are quite endearing. The development of the main player of the game, Okabe, is very tangible. The romance subplot is a nice touch as well. I was really surprised, but this one was a fun ride.
JOSEI/DRAMA/SCHOOL:
Sakamichi no Apollon features a pretty unique art too. Many people seem to be unhappy about it, though, whic is a shame, it’s smooth and in general, for me, very pleasant. The story is about a group of three friends who are connected through a love for jazz. It focuses on their love entaglements to a large degree and certainly they story may feel like an old thing but it is fresh because it’s done extremely well. Unline many similar school animes, this one has some heart. Speaking of, the OST in this one is pretty outstanding. The friendship in this story is very strong and it’s in general a very feel-good story with a relatable cast of characters, who behave like humans for a change. There is also at least one interesting side character, called Junichi. The art and music create a compelling atmosphere. And the story is heart-warming. Very well-done series.
I will return to these in more detail later. Especially Monster. I’m utterly fascinated that anime like Monster actually exists.
Aigoo! Dramas! 