Over the last few months, Kate and I have fallen into a Friday evening routine involving the watching of Japanese cartoons. We started out getting discs of Fullmetal Alchemist from Netflix, and then taping the later episodes off the Cartoon Network, and then Samurai Champloo from Netflix, and most recently finished Vision of Escaflowne (a combination of discs loaned to us by Yoon Ha Lee, and Netflix). Somewhere in there, we also watched Cowboy Bebop and Hellsing, which were loaned to me by a student, but those weren’t really Kate’s sort of thing.
Last week, we watched the first disc of Martian Successor Nadesico, which was… interesting. It was a little more manic than I was expecting, and had its share of Scary Japanese Id moments, but after a little recalibration, I think it could be fun. The winking meta-commentary on other anime is kind of cool, even if I haven’t seen much in the giant robot subgenre (other than the occasional weekend morning show, back when the Sci-Fi chanel did weekend morning cartoons.)
Anyway, we already tapped the collective wisdom of LiveJournal for suggestions of future anime to watch (and we have the first disc of Trigun from Netflix), but I’d be interested to see if the ScienceBlogs audience has significantly different tastes in Japanese cartoons than Kate’s LiveJournal circle of friends.
So, what should we watch? Preferably something that’s available in English from Netflix.
(Capsule reviews of the series listed above are below the fold, for taste calibration purposes.)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Excellent series, with lots of twists and turns in the plot, and a reasonable attempt at handling complex moral issues. The transitions between serious moments and bits of slapstick were occasionally jarring, but this is good stuff. Probably the most coherent overall story of anything we’ve watched.
Samurai Champloo: A road movie set in an anachronistic Edo-period Japan (complete with rapping samurai), following three unlikely companions on a quest for a samurai who smells of sunflowers. There’s a loose overall plot, but it’s mostly just an episodic series of adventures. Probably the most consistent tone of the lot– there’s some slapstick material, but it’s better integrated, and it’s got a cool look.
Vision of Escaflowne: Less teen angst, more giant robots, please. Thanks. Probably the silliest overall of any of the things we’ve watched, and not necessarily intentionally.
Cowboy Bebop: There might sort of be a plot arc in there, but it’s pretty sparse. Mostly a story about a group of bounty hunters roaming around the solar system attempting to round up bad guys. I liked this a whole lot (it probably edges Champloo (made by some of the same people) as my favorite), but I’m a sucker for noir-ish stories, and it’s absolutely got the best combination of cool character design and great music.
Hellsing: The second-best soundtrack of the lot, but the best single song (“World Without Logos,” the track that plays over the credits). Very distinct (and pretty cool) look, but I’m not sure what the hell happened, plot-wise. A little too much cringing from the Police Girl, and a little too much Japanese Id in her outfit.
Martian Successor Nadesico: I really could’ve done without the teenage girl captain’s father commenting on her breasts. I’m just saying. There’s a nice little meta-fiction thing going, where the characters realize that they’re basically in a Gundam plot, and the show plays off it a bit. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes.
I really like Ergo Proxy, but so far Anglophones like me can only get it via BitTorrent, in the form of “fansubs”. The friend who recommended it to me listed its pluses as follows: “Hot goth girl, autoreivs, Radiohead’s ‘Paranoid Android’ as a theme song. On the down side, you might need to watch each episode 2.2 times in order to understand it.” That was definitely true for the first one, but the episodes after that seemed easier to follow.
There are spoilers for episode 3, I think, in that LJ post about _Martian Successor Nadesico_.
I think _Hellsing_ is being re-done, possibly with an eye toward making it make more sense, but I’m not entirely sure. There’s a manga that goes in some different directions.
Here’s the LJ rec post in case anyone wants to compare.
Pretty much all the anime I know is from late night Cartoon Network, so “The Big O” if only so you can tell me WTF you think the ending is all about.
I think you’ve hit all of my favs, with one exception: Evangelion. It’s a great series, but a major head trip, so be sure to watch it when you’re feeling reflective regarding the nature of humanity and existence as a whole…
On the up side, there are giant robot fights in almost every episode!
I have been quite firmly warned against _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ on the grounds that its ending is awful, so don’t plan to watch it myself.
and then taping the later episodes
This verb you use. It confuses. What is this “tape”?
Kate: [i]Neon Genesis Evangelion[/i]… I remember it well. I remember warning my friend not to watch it on grounds of the ending. He didn’t believe me. I spoiled the ending for him (at his request). He thought I was lying, so he watched it anyway. Final verdict: the ending was just as bad as I had said it was.
As for anime series recommmendations, I don’t watch many, but I highly recommend [i]Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex[/i]. Only the first season, mind you. Couldn’t really get into the second, and most people agree that it’s a pretty big decline in quality from the first season. The first season is pretty much self-contained, tightly plotted and gorgeously animated.
I’ll second Ghost in the Shell, and add in a Full Metal Panic (and subsequent series, especially Fumoffu) (though there’s some id in that one too). You could also try Rurouni Kenshin, which I sort of associate with Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, but mostly because they’re the three I really got into anime with. Oh, and for an off the wall suggestion that’s not released on DVD yet, keep an eye out for the dramatic bread-baking battles of Yakikate! Japan.
I watched the original Ghost in the Shell movie back when I was in grad school, but I haven’t seen the series. Maybe I’ll take a look.
What is Evangelion about (in non-spoiler terms, if possible)? And is the ending bad because it tramples on expectations, or just because it’s incomprehensible?
Evangelion is big robot + angst anime. The series is largely seen through the eyes of a somewhat unstable 14-yeard-old who happens to be an amazing mecha pilot. Despite this, the series is beautiful, gorgeous animation and the characters and their designs are well-fleshed out and many of them are quite likeable and there are some great action sequences as well.
But, you know how some endings can retroactively taint your memories of a story which had been absolutely rollicking up to that point? Well,
Making Evangelion was a sort of weird psychotherapy session for Hideaki Anno, who suffered a bout of serious depression before making it. The end of the series is basically a complete nervous breakdown of the story, and pissed a lot of people off. He then made a movie, End of Evangelion, which ended the story differently, and if anything caused more controversy than the original. It’s never been clear which ending was really intended (there were apparently budget issues that affected the original project), or how the two endings relate to each other.
I think Evangelion is worth watching, but don’t expect to be at all satisfied with its non-resolution, and worry too much about making sense of the story.
Trigun is pretty good, but it really only picks up after the first disc. I thought it suffered a bit in the end too, trying to make the climax more epic and melodramatic than necessary.
Anyone have an opinion on Serial Experiments Lain? I’ve only seen the first volume, and while I liked it, I didn’t care enough to watch further.
I got two votes for _Lain_ and one against in my LJ post; it doesn’t sound like my kind of thing.
Here’s the comment thread.
I should note that recommendations or anti-recommendations in Kate’s LiveJournal thread do not preclude recommendations here. The fact that she wouldn’t like something doesn’t mean I wouldn’t (see Cowboy Bebop and Hellsing)– it might mean I’d end up watching them by myself, but I’m occasionally willing to do that.
When watching Martian Successor Nadesico you need to consider the fact that it parodies other anime series and genres. And although it works on its own, you won’t get all the jokes unless you’ve seen a lot of other japanese animation. You may find yourself later watching another series and going “wait, didn’t they make fun of that in Nadesico?”
I also agree that Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is very good. And, while not up to the standards of the 1st season, GitS: SAC 2nd Gig is also enjoyable.
As for other series you might enjoy,
Eureka seveN is a very good balance of plot and character development. While it may seem at first a giant robot driven show, they are not the main focus. Check out wikipedia (beware of spoilers).
Gatekeepers and Gatekeepers 21 (the sequel) is about humans with special abilities to open “gates” which are portals to a variety of energy sources that allow them to fight their non-human enemies (who can disguise themselves as human). The first has a great ’60s feel to it, while the second is a lot darker but just as great.
His and Her Circumstances is a great story about relationships in high school. Has great music, and great (but at times weird) animation. From anidb.info “Miyazawa Yukino has always been a show-off. She`s always wanted to be Number One, to be the very best in everything, to be adored by all others. Then one day, she meets her match: Arima Soujiro, who seems about as perfect as she strives to be. But no one is quite what they seem … for whenever Yukino goes home, off comes the “ojousama” facade – and on go the headbands, reading glasses, and sweats. Miss Congeniality is in fact a conniving, petty con-artist with a streak of absolute nerdy bliss. Of course, Yukino isn`t the *only* one hiding a secret, since Arima himself isn`t quite what he seems either. In her eagerness to become #1, she declares Arima as her archenemy, but then he declares his love for her ..”
Last Exile has beautiful animation, music, and story. Basically everything you want in a series. From anidb.info “Claus Valca is from the world of Prester where he and his longtime friend, Lavie live and work as sky couriers. They pilot a van-ship left to Claus by his father. Together they dream of one day making the journey their father`s were never able to complete – flying acros the notoriously dangerous stretch of space known as the ‘Grand Stream.’ One day, after Claus and Lavie agree to shuttle a mysterious girl named Alvis Hamilton to the air-battleship, Silvana, they become involved in a war that shakes their world – Prester, a world where mighty wind and a sea of clouds spreads far and wide…”
Legend of the Galactic Heroes is only available by torrents (licensing costs for the series appear to be astronomical) so you’d have to look on the torrents for Central Anime’s fansub (as of now, they’ve completed 84 of the 110 episode series and hopefully will then work on the movies and sidestories). Probably one of the greatest, if not the greatest, space operas ever produced. While the large cast of characters can be overwhelming, it does bring a sense of depth that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Plus the fact that no characters are polarized good/evil, although there are some who are more dark/light then most. And, sorry, but no aliens, this is purely a human story. From anidb.info “Based on a series of sci-fi novels, this series tells the story of a massive conflict between the Prussia-like Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. It describes all levels of the war, from the tactical to the strategic, but focuses most on the two oppposing militaries` leaders – Reinhard Von Lohengram and Yang Wen-Li.”
Memories is a great movie with three different stories. The funniest is called Stink Bomb.
Read or Die – A 3 episode OVA, only the Japanese could make the ability to control paper such a cool superpower. There is also a 26 episode TV series that takes place after the events of the OVA.
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a great series for all slackers everywhere: from anidb.info “Seeking to find the most comfortable living possible, Justy Ueki Tylor stumbles upon what he thinks is a dream career: delivering pension checks for the United Planets Space Force (whose logo looks suspiciously like a giant tomato). Through his sheer luck (which at times borders the unbelievable), he goes from utter layabout to hero in charge of the good ship Soyokaze… oh, wait, did we call it a good ship? The Soyokaze, to put it bluntly, is the disgrace of the UPSF, and a dumping ground for the dregs of the universe. Even so, Tylor remains undaunted… after all, why should he care? He`s only the captain, after all…”
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is also one of those torrent only ones (currently unlicensed so look for a.f.k.’s fansubs) that takes the idea of a school girl who might possibly be a god, a “normal” boy she may be in love with who has powers of unrivaled sarcasm, and those around them who seek to keep her from possibly destroying the universe. Starts off with possibly the worst student film ever made (had me laughing all the way through), and then goes through the rest of the season non-linearly, which strangely enough works great for this story. Keeps you guessing what exactly happened in the earlier parts of the timeline you haven’t seen yet, leading up to a great climax (non-linearly of course.)
I’d also recommend all of Miyazaki’s films, but to start off with I’d go with Porco Rosso: from nausicaa.net “Porco Rosso (the Japanese title Kurenai no Buta literally means ‘The Crimson Pig’) was first planned as a 30-45 minutes in-flight movie on Japan Airlines. It’s been described as ‘a movie which tired businessmen on international flights can enjoy even with their minds dulled due to lack of oxygen.’ As Miyazaki’s imagination took off, it became a feature-length movie about an Italian Air Force pilot who left the service due to the rise of fascism. He became a bounty hunter, assuming the name ‘Porco Rosso.'”
So was that too much?
I’ll second Read or Die. The OVA is great — the TV series was uneven, but still quite enjoyable.
The link to the LJ post was for other people’s opinions about _Lain_, that’s all.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about _Last Exile_.
the Ghost in the Shell series is very different than the movie, and arguably better. Also, the title sequence (and song) is incredibly cool (1st and 2nd season). The 2nd season is arguably inferior, it has some excellent moments.
There’s always the movie Akira.
My wife the anime expert recommends ‘bubblegum crisis’ (classic), Vampire hunter d (i didn’t get much out of it). She also says if you liked evangelion you’ll like lain.
i think i’ve got all seconds here, but i would recommend trigun and evangelion (despite the ending, which is as bad as everyone says) and ROD. I like the series and the OVA, husband likes the OVA a ton and only some parts of the series… series is definitely inconsistent in pacing and style. basically it feels like watching two animes, one a schoolgirl emotional angst fest, one a superspy action whatsit full of sneaking, cheating, and explosions.