Why I Love Anime
Hey guys, Chuck here.
Yesterday, I sat down and watched a Blu-ray that I picked up months ago, but had yet to unwrap it and watch it. That film was the 1988 anime classic Akira. I watched it with its 2001 English dub, and I was blown away with the film on both a storytelling and visual level. I was amazed that such a film, drawn entirely by hand, could be such a visual spectacle, and it further cemented my love of anime. While I don't necessarily follow it religiously like some fans do, I do enjoy the art form, and love discussing it with a few of my friends.
One of my first experiences with anime as a child of the 90's was, of course, Pokémon. I was amazed by the show when it first aired in the late 90's on Kid's WB, and through it I enjoyed other shows of a similar animation style, such as Cardcaptor Sakura (or just Cardcaptors as it was called on Kids' WB), Digimon, Monster Rancher, and Yu-Gi-Oh. Around this time, as well, I discovered the Toonami block on Cartoon Network, and through that, I discovered shows like G Gundam, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Z. Unfortunately, around 2004 I had taken a break from anime, as I was in middle school, and I was focused on things that were more important at the time. Years later, in 2015, I sat out one Saturday night with my dad and watched Toonami for the first time in over ten years. While I had stepped away from it for a time, I am once again tuning in to Toonami on Saturday nights, and getting to enjoy shows like Dragon Ball Super. On top of that, I found myself enjoying anime series like Death Note and Food Wars through platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Part of why I love anime is because it breaks a certain stigma surrounding most other forms of animation, and that stigma is that animated films and shows are essentially just cartoons for kids. Now, while I acknowledge that shows like Pokémon, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh are essentially for kids, there are other anime shows and films that are clearly aimed at an adult audience. Shows like Kill la Kill, Death Note, and films like Akira and Ghost in the Shell are ultra-stylized, ultra-violent, and use language that is clearly not for children. Whlie you can easily pass off something like Teen Titans Go! as a kid's show, something like Michiko & Hatchin is definitely not a kid's show. While there are a number of anime films out there from Studio Ghibli that can be family friendly, such as Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, and my personal favorite Spirited Away, films like Akira, Ninja Scroll, and so forth are definitely more aimed at an adult audience. Anime is a diverse landscape of animation, and tell stories for different age groups that can be appreciated by audiences of multiple age groups.
Another reason I enjoy anime is because it presents a visual style that can offer a unique story that otherwise might not be made by film studios today. Films like Your Name and Spirited Away are incredible with their storytelling and visual styles. Akira is unique in just how many insane visuals were put on display, and all drawn by hand, in an age where a cartoon rabbit teams up with Bob Hoskins to clear himself of a murder charge. On top of that, much of western cinema was, in fact, influenced by anime. One of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time, The Matrix, was influenced by both Ghost in the Shell and Akira. Now one could also argue that both Ghost in the Shell and Akira were also influenced by Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner, but that's a debate for another time. What matters is that anime has influenced many creators to create incredible stories, and has even led to some live-action adaptations of popular anime titles, some good and some not-so-good. What I hope that everyone takes away from this is that I love anime, and whether or not life gets in the way of being able to watch it regularly, I will always love anime.
This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.
Yesterday, I sat down and watched a Blu-ray that I picked up months ago, but had yet to unwrap it and watch it. That film was the 1988 anime classic Akira. I watched it with its 2001 English dub, and I was blown away with the film on both a storytelling and visual level. I was amazed that such a film, drawn entirely by hand, could be such a visual spectacle, and it further cemented my love of anime. While I don't necessarily follow it religiously like some fans do, I do enjoy the art form, and love discussing it with a few of my friends.
One of my first experiences with anime as a child of the 90's was, of course, Pokémon. I was amazed by the show when it first aired in the late 90's on Kid's WB, and through it I enjoyed other shows of a similar animation style, such as Cardcaptor Sakura (or just Cardcaptors as it was called on Kids' WB), Digimon, Monster Rancher, and Yu-Gi-Oh. Around this time, as well, I discovered the Toonami block on Cartoon Network, and through that, I discovered shows like G Gundam, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Z. Unfortunately, around 2004 I had taken a break from anime, as I was in middle school, and I was focused on things that were more important at the time. Years later, in 2015, I sat out one Saturday night with my dad and watched Toonami for the first time in over ten years. While I had stepped away from it for a time, I am once again tuning in to Toonami on Saturday nights, and getting to enjoy shows like Dragon Ball Super. On top of that, I found myself enjoying anime series like Death Note and Food Wars through platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Part of why I love anime is because it breaks a certain stigma surrounding most other forms of animation, and that stigma is that animated films and shows are essentially just cartoons for kids. Now, while I acknowledge that shows like Pokémon, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh are essentially for kids, there are other anime shows and films that are clearly aimed at an adult audience. Shows like Kill la Kill, Death Note, and films like Akira and Ghost in the Shell are ultra-stylized, ultra-violent, and use language that is clearly not for children. Whlie you can easily pass off something like Teen Titans Go! as a kid's show, something like Michiko & Hatchin is definitely not a kid's show. While there are a number of anime films out there from Studio Ghibli that can be family friendly, such as Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, and my personal favorite Spirited Away, films like Akira, Ninja Scroll, and so forth are definitely more aimed at an adult audience. Anime is a diverse landscape of animation, and tell stories for different age groups that can be appreciated by audiences of multiple age groups.
Another reason I enjoy anime is because it presents a visual style that can offer a unique story that otherwise might not be made by film studios today. Films like Your Name and Spirited Away are incredible with their storytelling and visual styles. Akira is unique in just how many insane visuals were put on display, and all drawn by hand, in an age where a cartoon rabbit teams up with Bob Hoskins to clear himself of a murder charge. On top of that, much of western cinema was, in fact, influenced by anime. One of my favorite sci-fi movies of all time, The Matrix, was influenced by both Ghost in the Shell and Akira. Now one could also argue that both Ghost in the Shell and Akira were also influenced by Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner, but that's a debate for another time. What matters is that anime has influenced many creators to create incredible stories, and has even led to some live-action adaptations of popular anime titles, some good and some not-so-good. What I hope that everyone takes away from this is that I love anime, and whether or not life gets in the way of being able to watch it regularly, I will always love anime.
This is Chuck signing off. See you guys next time.
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