What is this... Anime?

It all began that one time I saw...

     Anime. Japanimation. Japanese cartoons. It really doesn't matter what you call it, it's still awesome. "But why, Goongala? Why do you like anime so much?" This has been asked of me several times by my friends, even if they didn't know they were asking. Some give me weird looks, looks that say, "You're weird. I'm not talking to you anymore." "So then, what's the deal Goongala?" Here's a few reasons why I like anime so much.

     One: anime is not merely a cartoon, it's an intricate (and sometimes crazy insane) story.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann... where you can pilot a mech inside a mech inside a mech inside a mech...

      Many people may see it and think, "Bah, cartoons are for children." Not these. Many animes can only be enjoyed by adults, with the very intricate story that they weave or the intense action within them. For most American cartoons, the story is told over the course of about fifteen minutes. A half-hour block on Nickelodeon usually has two "stand alone" episodes of a certain show. Not so for anime. Most action oriented animes have story arcs, which can sometimes last for several episodes, and some even last several seasons. This makes anime stand (far) apart from our American cartoons, which only very occasionally have story arcs lasting longer than thirty minutes (the average American's attention span). These stories are well thought out (for the most part) and more often than not end each episode on a cliffhanger, drawing the viewer back next week for more... Only to leave them again on a cliffhanger.

    For a story, I'll reference Death Note.

 And... SUSPENSE!

     Death Note is the story of a high school student named Light who finds a 'death note'; a shinigami's (translated: soul reaper or death god) notebook. He reads the instructions in the book and finds that if he writes a person's name in it while visualizing their face, they die. The method and time can be manipulated as well, giving him the power to kill anyone he knows the name and face of. He becomes Kira (a play on the word 'killer'), and begins to rid the world of crime and evil. But his deeds get the attention of Interpol, and they hire a legendary detective, L  (yes, just L), to track him down. I won't go into any more story, but it is incredible. They go back and forth in their twisted game, ever searching for the other's true identity. This whole show, thirty-seven episodes, has only two story arcs. "What?" Yes, two story arcs, and overall one continuous story.

     For the Action part, I could pull any number of animes from a long list of what I've watched. From Mecha (Code Geass, Gurren Lagann, or Full Metal Panic) to supernatural action (Bleach, Naruto, Claymore, or Toaru Kagaku no Railgun), these all have intense action that would probably scare the pants off children. And did I mention blood? Japan doesn't seem to have the same reservations as we Americans when it comes to blood in our cartoons. It's been said that while an average person has about 5 quarts of blood, the average anime character has several gallons; and if they get a cut it all comes out. Sometimes this is used in a comedic sense, something you'd never see in American television. These are not your children's cartoons. But on to the action example...

     ... Let's use one of my all time favorites: Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

     I love this one. The story is amazing, the characters are awesome, the steampunkish world captures my attention in a way no other anime can. FMA:B (as it is abbreviated), is the story about two brothers who learn to use alchemy, which is different from alchemy in real life. HISTORY LESSON! Don't worry it's short. Originally, alchemy was the study of how to turn everyday materials into gold. It was studied back in the Middle Ages, when science was a baby, and we didn't really know anything.

"How 'bout a good bleeding? I've got some fine leeches!"

     History lesson's over. In FMA:B, alchemy uses transmutation circles to 'transmute' something into something else. While this can be used to make gold (as is done in one of the episodes), it is more commonly used for everyday things (for example: building repair or construction). The main rule is equivalent trade: you can only make something from something of equal mass (example: first episode, Alphonse has to have all the parts of the radio he broke in order to fix it properly). Anyhoo, they learn alchemy. Then tragedy strikes: their mother falls ill, and dies. They decide to use alchemy to bring her back, a huge taboo in alchemy. They fail. Edward (the oldest) is left without an arm, and Alphonse (the youngest) is completely disintegrated. Ed, bleeding out, quickly reacts and binds Al's soul to a suit of armor, but because of equivalent exchange he loses a leg. The story begins a few years afterward, in  which their main goal is to find a philosopher's stone to get back Al's body and Ed's limbs. It is my favorite anime, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

     Two: anime is funny.

     Even with all the blood and intenseness, animes tend to have a lot of comic relief. For some, comedy is the main point. Some of those that come to mind are Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star, and Trigun. They're hilarious. The comedy written by the Japanese story writers easily translates over. Take Lucky Star for instance.

Yes, I know what it looks like... teen girly drama! But it's not... really... sort of... trust me...

      First off, it seems to be more of a girly anime, but that's not necessarily the case. I thought that's what it would be like, and didn't think I would like it. But after some research and after seeing all the episodes, I'm glad I took the time to watch. Lucky Star is the story of four High School girls trying to survive daily life. I know, sounds like a girl's show. But it was hilarious, especially Konata, the otaku (translated: geek) of the group. I enjoyed it.

     Three: anime is beautiful.

THE DETAIL! This was a particularly epic episode...

     Sweet cuppin' cakes. The animation is ten times better than American cartoons. For example: adult cartoons in America consist of South Park and Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Very vulgar and terrible animation. Children's cartoons here consist of Spongebob Squarepants (and only Spongebob, end of story). Whereas cartoons in Japan consist of shows like Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Bleach, Naruto, Samurai 7, and countless other amazing shows.

Why America? WHY!?!

     Yeah, way different. And the Japanese don't have to be rude and vulgar in their cartoons... at least not all the time. True, a lot of anime has more adult themes, but it's not a constant and ever-present element.... again, most of the time. The story takes precedence. Of course there is what is called 'fan service'... don't make me explain it. That's why I like Full Metal Alchemist so much: it has none... at least none that I can think of. Anyhoo, back on track.

     The animation is fluid, movie quality even. Then you get to the movies. Sweet cuppin' cakes (again). If the animation in the TV show was incredible, the animation in the movies is absolutely stunning. Even more fluid, even cleaner. It seems that for every frame they draw for the show, they draw two or three more for the movies, creating an amazing piece of eye candy.

Bleach 2: the Diamond Dust Rebellion... One of my favorites.

     Then there are the movies that have no television show to back them. Japan has created some of the most amazing cartoon movies I've ever seen. Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime), My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Steamboy, Whisper of the Heart ("You're a sap, Goongala"), and Ponyo to name a few. I know we have Disney movies like The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Mulan, which are truly works of art. But after the epicness that was The Emperor's New Groove, Disney dropped the ball. That was 2001. Now all we have is The Princess and the Frog... Ugh, I will never have the urge to see that. Never. 

     It doesn't look like Disney will ever come back to greatness... except through Studio Ghibli. That's right, Disney teamed up with the Studio that made Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Ponyo. All of those amazing movies from Japan have been dubbed in English, and are available here. Disney is also supposedly going to dub Studio Ghibli's newest film, Karigurashi no Arietti (translated: The Borrower Arrietty). I'm actually really looking forward to it:

Yes, I know the text is in French... those Frenchies get it before we do. How sad...

     

     Alas, it wont be in America until 2012... maybe I can find a fansub, which brings me to...

      Four: the voice actors are incredible. In Japan they're called seiyuu, and they are quite amazing. I watch anime in Japanese, with English subtitles (as it's meant to be!). I have yet to find an anime where the voice actors have failed to convey the feelings of the characters they're voicing with amazing quality (err... well, Dragonball Z in Japanese is pretty bad, but that's more of a problem with Goku sounding like a child... it's really weird...). I've watched a few dubbed shows, and found that we Americans just can't do it like the Japanese can. They take their cartoons seriously. It's not a problem of the mouths not matching up either, it's just a general lack of quality.

     One seiyuu I absolutely love is Romi Park. She usually does the voice of young male characters, such as, Edward from Full Metal Alchemist, Captain Hitsugaya from Bleach, and Katsushiro from Samurai 7. "A woman doing a male voice?" Oh come now, it's not that strange. Remember Tommy Pickles from Rugrats? He was voiced be a woman. Ash Ketchum from Pokemon? The English dub was done by a woman. Timmy Turner from Fairly Oddparents? Yup, a woman. Romi Park does an amazing job too. Another seiyuu I love is Hōchū Ōtsuka, who does the voice of Jiraya from Naruto. His voice cracks me up whenever I hear it, and it perfectly fits Jiraya's character.

LOLtastic.

      So those are some reasons I like anime. Another may be my inability to grow up, wanting to be an adult, but still wanting to be a kid. Animes are cartoons for adults. I have also become fascinated with the Japanese culture, which is awesome. Just by watching animes dealing with high school life, I've come to realize just how much better their school system is compared to ours. I won't go into detail, but it is definitely better in many ways, and I wish we'd switch to theirs. Other than school, their history and culture is interesting. We get samurai and ninja from Japan (HUZZAH!). They have a lot of customs that I've come to respect. I like the way their homes are built, the traditional way at least. The way in which they eat, and their customs at the dinner table fascinate me. It's strange, I know, but I'm intrigued by it. I've also managed to learn some Japanese, which I believe to be a beautiful language. I would love to go there someday. But for now I'll have to settle for anime.

SAYONARA!