An Introduction to Anime

Did you ever watch Speed Racer, Star Blazers, Battle of the Planets, Robotech, or for those who grew up in the 60's, Astroboy?  If you have, then you've seen some early examples of Japanese Animation, and today's Anime makes Speed Racer look like something from Hanna Barberra.

There are a number of reasons why the animation industry in Japan is far more advanced, popular, and wide-ranging than American animation.  I won't go in-depth, except to say that Japanese society is striated, sometimes sufficating to the individual.  This leaves the Japanese people starving for escapism.  Animation, by its nature is escapist, creating original, colorful worlds of endless opportunity,  and the uniquely Japanese styles of animation further this effect.

The characters are stylized--the more attractive and expressive human attributes are exaggerated (hence the stereotypically large eyes.)  Also, the length of leg from hip to knee and arm length from shoulder to elbow are usually drawn disproportionally long.  The reason for this is simple--it looks better.  Combine this with the odd hairstyles, and even more unorthodox hair color, and you have characters that are obviously human, but more compelling to look at, each with a visual personality of their own.

As proto-human as the characters may look, every one of them has a most down-to-earth human personality (especially if they happen to be a robot.)  You won't usually find the impossibly stoic, wooden main character whose own mother could be fried to a crisp and wouldn't bat an eyelash, with a few exceptions.  Any good story requires believable characters that you grow to care about, for this reason, it is not unusual that more effort is placed into the characters than the actual plot.  It sounds bad, but some producers have pulled it off, such as the creators of Tenchi Muyo.  The plot is simple, sometimes non-existent, but the characters work so well that they themselves carry the audience.  The result is hilarious.

Anime has received something of a bad name in America because of its adult nature. By "adult" I mean that the average Anime release would receive a "PG-13" or "R" rating for violence, nudity, (the Japanese, like most of the world, are hardly as uptight about nudity as Americans are) and occasionally, sexual content.  To a nation used to thinking of animation as something for kids, negative reactions are not surprising.  This is why Anime has remained a sort of sub-culture in America.

Recently, a flood of top-quality releases have been released in the States by old studios like Pioneer, which released the remarkably successful Tenchi Muyo series, and new distributors such as Manga Entertainment, whose claims to fame include Ninja Scroll (the first Anime feature to be translated into English and Spanish) and the theatrically-released feature Ghost in the Shell.

Most Anime you'll find is not feature-length, rather, you will find television series episodes released by volume, or individual direct-to-video releases called OAV's (Original Animation Video.)  Of  the many OAV series, the most notable and certainly most famous is Bubblegum Crisis, an 8 volume cyberpunk/superhero/girls-with-guns saga with plenty of explosions and (as was typical with late 80's releases) gratuitous ankles-to-eyebrows panning shots of a female character in the shower.

Though standard Anime plotlines such as girls with guns versus a 2-dimensional bad guy or the seemingly normal male high school student who suddenly finds himself surounded with quite abnormal women are abundant, you will find as much variety in Anime as you see in American film.  Here are some examples of not-so-ordinary Anime:

Grave of the fireflies:  A disturbing tale of two children trying to survive during the final phase of World War II.  A view of the war we Americans rarely consider.

The Wings of Honeamis:  The story takes place on another world, technologically equal to Earth during the 40's and 50's.  This film deserves an award simply for the creation of a very different, but perfectly coherent society, with it's own religion, customs and so forth.  The plot centers around Shiro, a member of the Royal Space Force, whose mission is to put a man into orbit for the first time.  While politicians scramble to take advantage of the situation, Shiro struggles to understand himself, and if there is any meaning left in the world.

"Rumic World":  This series of videos are based on comics by Rumiko Takahashi, creator of Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku--quite possibly, the most marvelously creative woman alive.  Ranging from light and comic to dark and macabre, each is a pleasure to watch.(warning, the dubs on these are rather poor quality.)

Maison Ikkoku:  Another romantic comedy from the creator of Ranma 1/2...but don't expect anybody to switch gender when hit with cold water.  Although the plot is your standard "klutzy guy out to get the untouchable girl" with the expected hijinks in-between, the bottomless brain of Rumiko Takahashi embellishes it with delightful and hilarious newness.   (The dub is well done.) 

Macross Plus:  One of the many sequels to "Macross," (or the first third of Robotech) Macross Plus takes place between the Macross movie and "Macross II" (which is a dud in my book.)  Of all the "Macross" installments I've seen, this is the best by far.  Fantastic animation and music and a great story.  You don't have to have seen previous "Macross" stuff to enjoy this four-part series.  (The dub is well done)

Neon Genesis: Evangilion:  At first glance, it's another big-robot show with above-average animation and music.  What starts out as Earth vs. the bad guys evolves into a twisting, engaging and shocking plot.  Excellent direction and characterization, and some of the best English voice-acting I've heard.

Please Save My Earth:  The fact that this is Shojo Anime (see below) will doubtlessly turn off male fans. Although it is melodramatic at times, the story is remarkably original and creative, with excellent characterization and is well worth watching.  Great animation and a mesmerizing soundtrack.  The dub is well done.  Give this one a chance guys, I guarantee your voice will not be higher after watching this.

Record of Lodoss War:  Okay, so you've got the idealistic kid trying to be a hero, the dwarf with a big axe, the elf (naturally a female) the wizard and the theif--basically, it's Animated Dungeons & Dragons, but the story is nicely twisted and the animation is excelent.

Here is Greenwood:  An original and creative story about a high school student who moves into a dorm populated by students of questionable sanity.  Some would call this Shojo, especially the third and final volume.  Either way, it's an enjoyable story everyone can identify with.

Other issues...

Dubs vs. Subs:  Everybody's got their own opinion on this one. In many early cases, the dubs were simply awful--remenicent of old Godzilla movies.  You can bet that the Japanese voices will always sound good...of course, you still have to read the subtitles which can detract from the viewing experience.  Recent dubs are almost always well-done with a few exceptions, and in some cases, the english voice-acting sounds better than the Japanese.  Tenchi Muyo is a prime example.

Music:  Anime is not the most profitable business in the world, and music is often on the low end of the budget.  However, there are exceptions, such as Macross Plus, Please Save my Earth, Super Atragon, Mermaid's Scar and Neon Genesis Evangilion. In addition, Bubblegum Crisis and Project A-Ko are often added to peoples lists of "Anime with good music"

Why there are so many female characters:  You'll find that many Anime releases feature a female main character or possibly an almost all-female cast, such as Bubblegum Crisis and so forth.  Why?  Well, Japan is still basically a male-dominated society, though this is changing among the younger generations.  Therefore, the entertainment industry was run by and geared toward males.  Simply put, if you're a guy and working as an animator, which would you rather draw, a cool-looking guy, or a cool-looking girl?   Recently, the increase of female animators as well as growing equality between males and females in Japan has led to a branch of Anime known as "Shojo" or "Anime for girls"  So far, Shojo releases have done quite well, and stand up to mainstream Anime in the animation and story department.

Pornography:  Yes, Anime comes in Porn too.  Quite a lot of it, actually.  Some of it is quite nasty, and guaranteed to offend just about everybody.  The only film I've seen that would fall into this category is "Urotsukidoji" (Legend of the Overfiend.)  Purported to be an "artistic" release, I gave it a shot.  All I have to say is that if you're looking for something that will affect you on an emotional level, this is it, though I would most definitely not call it "porn."  More like "Nightmare on Elm street"  but with a good story and lots of not-so-titilating sexual overtones.  As the box says:  NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!

Anime Links:

The Anime Picture Archive:  More quality scannings from Japanese Animation than anyone else has, well organized and complete with plot summaries and character profiles.

The Right Stuff International: The best, most complete and least expensive Anime catalogue in the nation.

The Anime Web Turnpike:  More Anime links then you could imagine.

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