Saturday, July 13, 2013

Anime

This is a post dedicated to my growing love for anime, in order from smallest to biggest.



INUYASHA




This was the first anime TV show I got into. When I was first into anime I liked the action-adventure and fantasy anime, and this was the first one in that genre that I loved. It is a dark fantasy tale about an alternate medieval Japan full of demons and monsters, and a girl from the present who is able to enter this era through a magic well. The plot has its moments where it is really intense and full of cliffhangers and interesting twists, and other parts where it just seems to drag and go off on meaningless rabbit trails. It's very entertaining with a fun cast of characters and a lot of creativity going on. It's a bit like the Chronicles of Narnia or the Lord of the Rings. I sadly don't enjoy it as much as I used to, but I still think it's very good, and it was what got me into even more anime.



KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE



A classic coming-of-age story. It is almost impossible not to love this movie. Unlike a lot of kids' movies nowadays that I feel are overloaded with violence and scary images, Kiki's Delivery Service has none of that. The main character is a witch in training so there is magic involved, including a talking cat, but there are no frightening creatures or dark overtones. Rather, the story has a lot of heart in its simplicity. It is all about a young girl learning life lessons as she must train to become a witch in the big city, and there are many lessons to learn. She meets all kinds of characters and makes friends and enemies alike. There are some slightly traumatic moments but they are trivial in intensity. This is a movie for all ages.And I mean that literally; adults will enjoy this one just as much as the little ones. I would know because I'm borderline adult. It's very sweet and adorable film. I choked up a couple times just because it was so heartwarming. Actually I found it reminiscent of the old animated film "Charlotte's Web".



SPIRITED AWAY



This is my favorite anime film and one my top favorite animated films. It was actually the movie that first introduced me to the vast world of anime. I watched it when I was about six or seven with my cousins and I fell in love with it, albeit it gave me nightmares for a few weeks too. Several years later I watched it again with a refreshed perspective. Over the years the film has grown on me a lot. It's about a little girl who finds herself lost in a strange fantasy world with both good and evil characters at every turn. It's like an anime Wizard of Oz in a lot of ways, and brings the same sort of message at the end of the movie.



CHOBITS



One of the few comedy anime's I got into. I have a really hard time enjoying romantic comedies and lots of anime in that genre are cheap and trashy. But Chobits is also a very unique story. It is about humanoid robots who serve humankind and a boy who finds himself falling in love with one of these robots. While the story is very humorous and fun, it also has some science-fiction and mystery elements as well. It is enjoyable to watch but it also keeps you interested and on the edge of your seat as you wonder what you are going to discover next. So when I need a good laugh but don't want to be told not to think, I love watching Chobits. All in all a funny but compelling tale about a quirky, unlikely romance.



KUROSHITSUJI (BLACK BUTLER)



This is the most recent anime I got into. I had heard of one of the main characters and his massive fangirl following, and I finally decided to check it out for myself. Black Butler is now my new favorite anime and I immediately fell in love with it. It is about the sole heir of a rich family and their estate who happens to be a spoiled young boy. A deal was made with a demon that the demon would serve as his butler in human form and in return can eat the boy's soul when he dies. It is a strange but riveting blend of elegant British drama (it is set in 19th century London), slapstick comedy, and an extremely dark and violent overtone. I'm already in love with said main character, the butler Sebastian Michaelis. In fact, Black Butler has helped me re-find my love for classical and opera music, so I've been listening to that a lot more than, say, pop or rock lately, almost like it's redefining my taste in music, and songs I used to enjoy now just sound like noise. It's darker than Death Note and is also TV-MA so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who doesn't have a taste for that. But speaking for myself, it's my kind of anime, and I quickly became addicted.



DEATH NOTE



My favorite anime of all time hands down! I am absolutely obsessed about this series. Fads for movies and shows and cartoons come and go, but I am as crazy about Death Note as I was when I watched it for the first time.I am...dangerously obsessed! The story is about a notebook - called a Death Note - that can kill a person just by someone writing the person's name in it. The main character is a high school student who finds the notebook and becomes a punisher of criminals with it, and is hunted by the Japanese police. Death Note sort of stands as its own genre; it is a blend of psychological thriller, detective mystery and sleuth, the supernatural, and deep spiritual symbols and metaphors. It is rich with nods to the Third Reich, the Roman and Greek Empires, and both ancient and modern religions. However, it is also full of entertaining, well-rounded characters. The plot is brisk, intense, and full of unexpected twists and shockers at almost every turn. It makes you pay attention because it is so deep and intelligent, but it also makes you think a lot as well. I love everything about this anime, and everyone I've recommended it to (in real life) who started watching it fell in love instantly. Even my brother, who doesn't even like anime, is Death Note obsessed! So if you watch no other anime in your life, watch Death Note.



WAITING LIST (ANIME I STILL NEED TO WATCH) :



-Hetalia

-Fruits Basket

-Code Geass

-Ouran High School Host Club

-Cowboy Behop

-Baccano!



-Stilwater
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