Back to Basics

Recently I’ve been going through and watching anime almost a season at a time. Reading other bloggers posts I’m starting to see the major redundancy apparent in the genre. Don’t get me wrong there are some truly amazing shows that I just can’t see being done in any other median, besides maybe novels, but for every Mushishi there are a thousand Zero no Tsukaima’s or magical girl series. Once again don’t misunderstand me, I really like shows like Zero no Tsukaima although the second and third season annoyed me instead of what they should have been doing, entertaining me. There is just a large gap. Compared to other things out there though I still think that most anime is better than the sitcoms I see regualary coloring my friends TV screens. Although they might be more realisitic (although that’s debatable even if anime has 14 year old mecha pilots) who watches TV for the real world.

Sorry I couldn’t resist. I thought you might be bored with just words by now so why not add a picture. My point is that anime is an incredible median for the portrayal of the fantastical. Although most of the time shows pander with fanservice, giant overpowered toys, and other wonderful things that make people like me giddy, wonderful things can be shown through the use of animation. I’m sure some Hollywood hotshot might have been able to pull off The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, but could you ever have put on screen someone as energetic as Haruhi. Even if that was accomplished someone as alien as Yuki Nagato.

I seem to be digging myself a hole here because I can suddenly imagine them casting characters capable of pulling off the roles if they went for talent instead of looks. Of course you can always get lucky and get both. On the otherhand Yuki’s battle with Ryoko which I’m sure cost quite a bit of money to animate would have probably cost more to do with special effects. Who knows I might be blowing hot air, actually I think I am blowing hot air, here’s some more fanservice to distract you from my logic wholes…

And that is exactly why Anime is amazing .