Don’t think we need to do much of an intro, especially if
you tuned into Part 1 last week…but just in case, for those who came in late:
(I’ve been thinking
about doing this one for a while. When
it comes to making a list of favorite Anime films, just narrowing it down to
five options is the toughest of challenges.
So I decided to do something special instead. Rather than just five favorites, I’ll do ten
and split them up between now and next week.
Besides, things have changed since the early days I tried to come up
with a list like this. I’ve seen more
titles, found more favorites. Well
they’ll all be featured in this two part special. Without further ado, here’s movies 1-5.)
#5- Spirited Away
The only Anime to win Best Animated Feature at the
Oscars? How could this one not get my
attention? And man, I wish I had gotten
to see it theaters. Spirited Away…well
blew me away, pure and simple. The world
is huge and it only mostly takes place in a hot springs for wayward spirits of
all places. It’s both scary and
exciting, an excellent combination for a childrens story. The main character actually progresses from a
whiny brat to a strong heroine. And, the
sequence with the “Stink Spirit” is easily one of my favorite sequences in all
of Anime. It doesn’t get as close to
perfection as that. It won that Oscar
alright, deservedly so.
#4-Ghost in the
Shell 2: Innocence
I love most sequels.
From The Empire Strikes Back to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I
love it when continuations come out and turn out to be better than the
original. Innocence is one of those
kinds of sequels. There’s more action,
the animation is some of the best Production IG has ever churned out, the
music…can Kenji Kawaii do no wrong (?) and the story is a natural progression
for the characters. And while some of
the twists, turns and philosophical references go way over my head, this is
still an interesting movie to watch.
Plus, Ghost in the Shell 2 stands as one of the first Anime films I saw
relatively close to it’s original release, as it was brought over to the states
a couple of months after it’s debut in Japan.
Getting to see something still fresh from Japan itself was an amazing
feeling.
#3-Galaxy Express
999
When people talk about Anime classics, they’re thinking
about titles like Galaxy Express 999.
And how could they not? Galaxy
Express feels like a classic fairy tale set in space…aboard a star traveling
locomotive. There are lessons about
growing up, swashbuckling rogues with laser and sabers, beautiful and
enchanting maidens, and an overall sense of wonder that, thankfully, still
holds up even today. I only saw Galaxy
Express 999 for the first time a couple years back but it grabbed me and always
does whenever ive watched it since. By
the time the movie ends, much like Tetsuro’s time aboard Three Nine, I don’t
want to leave. I want to keep going. Granted that might not have been such a smart
request given how the sequel came out.
But the original film remains an unblemished gem im happy to recommend
to anyone looking for a good sci fi flick that happens to be a stellar Anime.
#2-Akira
Oh the stories I could tell about this one. From my youngest days as an Anime fan, I
always kept seeing this one advertised as the Anime that was “Not for
Kids.” And everywhere I looked, everyone
kept saying the name “Akira” whenever they talked about the greatest Anime ever
made. When I finally got to see it, I
saw that the hype was well deserved.
Akira kicks ass. The action,
especially the opening bike chase, is all kinds of bloody, unique and over the
top. The soundtrack is something that
has never been replicated ever since ive heard it. The characters will stay with you, even if
what you remember of Tetsuo is his terrifying facial expressions. And while the ending doesn’t make much sense
to me…the metamorphosis sequence that precedes it still scares the living
daylights out of me. Akira is a movie
every Anime fan owes it to themselves to see.
There are those who say, without it, we wouldn’t have all of the Anime
in America that we have today. If
anything else, watch the first ten minutes, see that biker battle, and see the
images that changed my life as an Anime fan, forever.
#1-Summer Wars
Did I ever guess how much on an impact this movie would
have on me? I never knew anything about
it, hardly even the title when I saw it on a DVD shelf. Did I imagine id be crying by movies end,
tears of joy no less? No, not at
all. And you know what, that probably
made the experience all the more special.
Summer Wars is all things action, comedy, sci fi, slice of life and
thriller all thrown into one package (a redone package since this is basically
a much better reskin of the second Digimon movie, same director and all). But at the heart of the digital world
elements, is a family trying to save the world and stay true to itself, no
matter who screws up. Sake, the head of
the Jinnouchi family, is one of the best Anime mentors and figure heads ive
ever seen…mostly because she reminds me of a family member of my own who
would’ve been just like her if she’d lived that long. The final act always gets my heart going,
seeing one tiny avatar ask the Jinnouchi’s to save the world followed by
millions of others. I will always start
crying at that point and always go “F*** YEAH” come time to roll credits. Summer Wars is a very special movie to
me. I didn’t think Akira could ever be
topped…I was happily wrong.
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