T5W#92-Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 2000’s

(Each decade throughout history brings about a new legion of Otaku.  While we’ve seen a huge boom in the last 20 years or so, incase you haven’t noticed I tend to go back a little further with certain titles.  My beginnings in Anime go back to the early to mid 90’s with some titles even coming from the 80’s themselves (when I first saw Voltron I never knew it was Anime in origin).  Well, now that Gundam Month Mark II is all over, it’s time for another month long event for the blog.  Only this will be exclusive to T5W.  For the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the last four decades: the 80’s, the 90’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s so far and selecting my Top 5 Favorite Titles from each decade.)

The 90’s might’ve been a golden age for me but what came afterwards?  The 00’s that’s what.  And what a glorious follow up it was.  So we continue our time travel trip with my Top 5 Favorite Anime from the 2000’s.

 

#5: Rahxephon

Was Evangelion too bleak for you?  Try some Rahxephon instead.  It bears a similar story and a cast that has many echoes to the staff of NERV.  But Rahxephon never goes beat for beat.  It goes it’s own way and makes its own successes for it.  From the souped up “Moose Gundam” to the much more likeable protagonists to the inventive mecha designs, this show has a lot of merit and tends to get lost in Eva’s shadow.  Sure Evangelion left a mark that cannot be removed from the history of Anime (nor should it be, trust me, I love Evangelion too).  But Rahxephon is a hidden gem of a title that deserves just as strong a spot right next to it.

 

#4: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion & Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Another double whammy tie.  But like last time, these two deserve a spot together for almost the same reasons.  Code Geass came along at a time when I was actually beginning to lose a lot of interest in Anime.  But like cables to a car battery, the show jumpstarted my spark again and that Season One Finale…frak it still impresses no matter how many times I watch it.  Sure Season Two is chalk full of problems but there’s no denying the brilliance of the final arc…it’s perfect.  Gundam 00 gave me the magic I loved about Wing in a more recent (at the time) addition to the franchise and I still enjoy it, so much I still watch it annually during the summer (when I first saw it).  Lelouch, Cornelia, Setsuna, Tierria, Lockon, all characters from both shows that I adore totally.  It’s no surprise that I had to do full series reviews of both shows right here on the blog, massive undertakings that I had a blast doing.  Love them or hate them, these are two equally loveable shows ill never forget as long as I live.

 

#3: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

I first saw Ghost in the Shell 2 mere months after it’s intial debut in Japan in 2004 (one of the first times we got brand new Anime so quickly after a Japanese release).  A lot of the existentialism goes over my head but listening to characters wax philosophy and metaphysics in Japanese is surprisingly pretty soothing.  Plus this movie gave me more of what I wanted from the first Ghost in the Shell in the action department.  Oshii also went balls to the wall on the animation, it’s miles, nay lightyears above the first film.  Even if the story never makes sense, you can always mute the TV and watch the pretty pictures…but you’d also be tuning out the serious upgrade that Kenji Kawaii gave the soundtrack.  To me, this will always be one of the greatest Anime sequels ever made, no matter what anyone thinks.

 

#2: Black Lagoon

I lucked into getting my hands on the first two seasons for a decent price.  Before I knew it after I got home, mere hours had passed and I was through all of Season One and then Season Two the following evening.  So much bloody brilliant action, some very smart, blockbuster style writing and one of the hottest Anime heroines I have ever seen (Here’s looking at you Revy).  There is hardly a time I can pop this title in for one episode and not end up watching an entire season.  The story flow is so incredible, you cant stop watching after one cliffhanger passes.  The Nazi slaughter arc in Season One is one of the most perfect arcs in any Anime and Season 2’s Vampire Twins and Greenback Jane arcs build a world that’s darker and more amazing than you’d think possible.  This isn’t just a dumb action Anime.  This is the best action Anime ever made.

 

#1: FLCL

FLCL is the greatest Anime ever made…I had that thought the very moment the final episode ended and there hasn’t been an Anime since to make me think otherwise.  Sure a strong title has come along every once in a while, like Free or Fullmetal Alchemist.  But FLCL has yet to be toppled.  This is the show that celebrates being an Anime fan with multiple art styles, multiple genres and so many references and nods mixed in with a wacky dose of zany action.  Robot battles, guitars as swords, the craziest chick in all of Anime and the most memorable eyebrows since Gundam Wing’s Dorothy Catalonia.  Newcomers to Anime might be totally lost but I wouldn’t recommend this to a fresh new Otaku. This one is for the veterans, the ones who love everything about Anime and just want to enjoy it in all of it’s bombastic, action packed, heartfelt glory.  Plus the soundtrack is good for a drive on a nice sunny day.  And no, I don’t know what FLCL means and I don’t care…make up your own definition on your own.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 3-Episodes 9-12

As Boomer attacks begin to increase in frequency, the battle begin to take their toll on the Knight Sabers.  Nene screws up in a big way, jeopardizing her spot on the team.  Linna begins to feel the burden of a duel life, pushing her to return home and think about her own future.  Only Priss is left to fight the good fight alone.  But she might not be as alone as she thinks.  ADP officers Leon and Wong are slowly gravitating towards the side of the Sabers.  Meanwhile, the Genom Corporations investigations attract Syllia’s attention.  The question is, who will catch who first in the race for the truth about the Boomer epidemic?

We’ve reached the half way mark of the series.  And yet what transpires during this weeks set of episodes feels like it could be the series finale.  Characters got a lot of growth and time to shine.  The action went to the next level of epic.  And all around, it was a huge amount of fun…even if it’s kind of difficult to pinpoint who the endgame villains are.

I haven’t said much about the dynamic ADP duo that is Leon and Daley.  They’ve had small roles but have grown steadily in importance as the series has gone on.  Leon clearly has the hots for Priss that’s certain but he and Daley have always seem to be on the frenemies end of the Knight Sabers.  They’re supposed to arrest them, and have attempted to.  More often than not, they end up having to help them because the Boomers are the common enemy.  This week, they really got to take the lead a couple of times, and against two ginormous threats.  And against each, neither of these guys backed down: not from the colossal giants or from each other.  Leon and Daley aren’t the bumbling stooges there for comic relief (though they’ve provided plenty) but theyre equally heroes in this show alongside our cyber powered heroines.

Speaking of the Sabers themselves, Linna and Nene both got some nice arcs this week.  Nene got chewed out a bit harshly by Syllia for wanting to hook Priss up with Leon…which is a bad idea cause Leon is a cop unknowingly trying to arrest Priss, the Knight Saber.  I did feel bad for Syllia’s scolding (cause does she really have a right to do so with her state of mind?).  But later it consumed Nene, who began to feel inferior compared to Priss and Linna.  I’m surprised it took Priss this long to suggest Nene be taken off of the team.  But Nene bounced back against the giant monster in the sewers and provided the intel that helped the Sabers win the day.  Which I thought was ironic because even high and mighty Syllia got taken down by the monster who could drain the Hard Suits and Boomers of their energy.  So Nene is safe and she’s growing a bit, becoming more confident in what she is best at, intel gathering.  Oh and the cute little crushing she and Mackey are doing on each other is nice too.  They do play well off of each other, but then again Mackey is good in any scene.

Linna, meanwhile, suffered the dilemma most rookie superheroines usually do: the dangers of a double life.  While the trip home was ok, I was more into her going to Priss for advice. I’ve been a strong advocate of the bond between these two.  Priss can give Linna easy, if not a bit hard, truths (just get out of your crappy day job, she tells her) and Linna gives Priss the friendship she sorely needs.  The fact that Linna rushed home to fight the giant military Boomer to save Priss is proof of how much she values her.  Even if Priss wont say thanks, I know she feels the same way.  Still haven’t thought of a ship name for these two, even though I know it probably wont happen.  Still a guy can dream. 

All of these developments culminated in battle with two foes who were the size of buildings, the biggest threats the Knight Sabers have faced.  Kudos to Priss for being the bad ass to take on the military Boomer alone.  But it was the combined teamwork of Priss, Linna, Nene and even Mackey backing them up that pulled out the victories both times.  As I said, the action felt above and beyond epic and it’s the kind of scope that you might reserve for battles towards the end of the series.  I hope this isn’t a sign of BGC blowing all of it’s awesomeness only half way through the race. 

Once again, my biggest issue with the show is the mystery of the villains.  But who is the main villain: Mason or Rosenkroitz?  Mason has the more malice between the two and even kills Syllia’s spy after having him set a potential trap for her.  His character design also screams “scum bag”.  But Rosenkroitz, hooked up to a chair he can never leave and with a creepy voice, gives off more of the Emperor Palpatine, final boss kind of vibe.  We still don’t know what Mason is looking for but it’s clear it has to do with Syllia’s fathers Boomer research.  Things are a bit more in motion, with Mason apparently getting something out of Nigel, something so bad Nigel is drinking himself to death.  Guess we might see some developments emerge on this end next week.

Also how is Syllia’s place not filled with broken glass?  Cause everytime her father, or his research on Boomers gets brought up, she drops a bottle or a cup.  Her butler should really “Syllia Proof” this place.

We ended on a pretty big cliffhanger.  Nene discovered Mackey isn’t quite who he thinks he is.  Nigel may have just betrayed Syllia.  And it looks like Syllia’s past is about to catch up with the team.  Half way through and we’re on a pretty good track in terms of character moments, action, animation and lots of cute girls kicking ass their way.  Here’s hoping the second half is just as good as the first has been.

T5W#91-Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 1990’s

(Each decade throughout history brings about a new legion of Otaku.  While we’ve seen a huge boom in the last 20 years or so, incase you haven’t noticed I tend to go back a little further with certain titles.  My beginnings in Anime go back to the early to mid 90’s with some titles even coming from the 80’s themselves (when I first saw Voltron I never knew it was Anime in origin).  Well, now that Gundam Month Mark II is all over, it’s time for another month long event for the blog.  Only this will be exclusive to T5W.  For the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the last four decades: the 80’s, the 90’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s so far and selecting my Top 5 Favorite Titles from each decade.)

With the 80’s behind us, let’s move on to my Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 1990’s, the decade where most of my all time favorite titles came from.

#5: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team

Yes it’s a tie.  But there’s no way I could make this list without acknowledging the breakthrough Anime title of my life and one of the best Gundam entries from the 90’s I found because of it.  I don’t think I need to say much about Gundam Wing.  It was the juggernaut title that made Gundam a household name.  Maybe it was because of the premise, the characters, the twists and turns writing or the general suits themselves.  Whatever the case, Wing still stays with me as a title near and dear to my heart.  And because of it, I found 08^th MS Team a year later and man is it an awesome show.  Brutal mecha combat, including one of the best Gundam battles of all time (and you’re not even really rooting for the 08^th Team themselves, Norris Packard is that bad ass).  08^th MS Team may surpass Wing in overall quality…but just go back to the beginning of the paragraph and re read why Wing sticks around with it in this slot.  Without these two shows, my love for Gundam (which I dearly name my blog after) would not be as great.

 

#4: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

NGE as a whole is pretty damn impressive.  But it was the feature length film finale that left a huge impact on the way I look at Anime.  The brutal loss of characters id come to care about.  The overall sense of helplessness knowing the good guys were not going to win.  And in the end, it haunted me for days but this depiction of the end of the world is beyond incredible overall.  Sure it doesn’t wrap up every single plot point from the series, but what it does is give fans a better end than the series ever did.  Even if we lose most of the cast, they have a moment to shine.  The Eva’s themselves get one last hurrah and Anno’s gets to give his saga the animation and theatrical upgrade it’s always deserved.  It’s gorgeous, it’s epic and the effect it has will stay with you forever…and you will never be able to get that cheerful sounding apocalypse song out of your nightmares for a good long while as well.

 

#3: Ghost in the Shell

What’s funny about this is, the first time I saw this film I almost swept it under the rug.  For this being a movie that inspired “The Matrix”, the lack of action was kind of disappointing.  But man, am I happy I gave this film another go.  The philosophy, the cyberpunk storytelling, the awesomeness that is Motoko Kusinagi, Batou, Togusa and Aramaki.  And that score?  Kenji Kawaii could create the ultimate bedtime musical set and I would be a very happy kid.  This was the beginning of a long friendship with the infamous franchise.  Just take a look at the blog.  Ive covered pretty much every major GitS release, including the movies, the series, the OVAs…even the travesty of a live action flick we got this year.  What can I say, I cant get enough and it all started with this classic flick that definitely lives up to the hype.

 

#2: Macross Plus

Besides my #1 pick, Macross Plus is as close to “Perfect” as an Anime gets.  I even gave the series a solid 10/10 when I reviewed it here on the blog.  The action, perfectly executed.  The character development, solid across the board, even with the secondary characters.  The animation, fluid, flawless, holds up even against most major releases today.  The music…Yoko Kanno, nuff said.  The most Macross I had ever been exposed to when I first saw this was the Macross Saga in Robotech.  But you really don’t need to know much about the show that preceeded this to get maximum enjoyment out of this one.  They call Macross Plus the “Top Gun of Japanese Anime”.  Honestly, I cant argue that.  Even Gundam couldn’t get it’s “Top Gun” entry perfect (talking about Gundam 0083).  It’s a title that every Anime fan must see at least once, especially newcomers before it becomes a lost classic.  It is a title “for our future pioneers” after all.

 

#1: Cowboy Bebop

As I said above, Macross Plus isn’t the only title one can call a perfect Anime.  THIS is the title that defines perfect Anime.  The adventures of Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein continue to wow fans both new and old even almost twenty years after they first blazed across TV screens in 1998.  Their big US boom in 2001 via Adult Swim was how I got to see it for the first time and it is a show that has stayed with me ever since.  Spike is the King of Cool.  Faye is still one of the most dream worthy girls in existence.  Ed and Ein…they need their own spin off. Yoko Kanno…is a freaking goddess of music and her soundtrack of Bebop should be owned and listened to by all.  Even if you don’t like Blues and Jazz, you’ll make an exception for these heavenly beats.  Cowboy Bebop is a show that even people who aren’t into Anime can get behind.  We need more universally beloved titles like this one.

…Bang.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 2-Episodes 5-8

The streets of Tokyo 2040 are filled with heat, violence and music as the action heats up for the Knight Sabers.  With Linna now officially on board, the Sabers are stronger than ever…or are they?  Despite some much needed upgrades, the team finds themselves up against equally stronger and nastier Boomers.  Will these new foes be too much for the beautiful defenders to handle?  And who is this mysterious young boy who claims to be Syllia’s sister?  The mysteries of the future, and the past run deep, in the next chapter of the Bubblegum Crisis saga

This show loves to tease sometimes.  I’ll admit in Part 1 last week, I kind of liked the idea of Priss and Linna becoming a thing.  But given this weeks developments im sure that Priss and Leon might end up a thing instead…damn you Nene for being coy and teasing Linna about Priss’s romantic interests.  Ok, that little bit of playful shipping out of the way, let’s get to this weeks review.

After a decent starting premiere, this week continued strong, making solid progress on a few fronts…while others remained stubbornly the same.  The team feels pretty solid and I like the sense of comraderie between the leads.  Still, characters like Syllia and Nene continue to frustrate.

Syllia is more my main source of misery than Nene.  The introduction of Maki, her “younger brother” (yeah anyone who buys that from the get go is well…not that smart), and some brief glimpses of her childhood show just how messed up Syllia is as a person.  Clearly, her dad had something to do with what’s driven the Boomers to their fits of mutation and rage and whatever he did, scarred Syllia for life, to the point where she seems to hate all machines and the idea that they have feelings.  I dare say it’s a borderline racist attitude…no not borderline it is racist.  The counter point is Maki.  His mystery aside, he’s a fun, energetic guy who enjoys working with machines and wants to help but Syllia wants him to shut up about his views on machines and follow her mindset.  It’s no wonder Maki eventually moves in with Nigel, the Sabers chief mechanic.  Living with Syllia would be a tremendous pain with her way of thinking and emotional outbursts…I don’t care if she is a cute fashion designer.  Also, Syllia is totally jealous that Priss and Neigel hang out together, have more in common and would probably be a decent pair if that were the case…so ha there.

With Nene, it’s more her “I’m the best cause I’ve been around longer” that rubs me the wrong way. It amazes me she and Linna can even be friends and that she and Priss can even work together.  It’s pretty clear that Priss is the ace of the Knight Sabers but Linna is coming in close behind her through determination and natural talent.  Nene’s compensating for the fact that she isn’t nearly as bad ass gets on my nerves quite a bit.  Sure she’s got a good friendship with Linna but that can only get you so far.  That being said, the three are a solid team and got some good action in together as a unit.  Even when they were outmatched, they never left each other behind and played well off of each others attitudes.  Surprisingly, even Syllia got in on the action (not too big a shocker she has a suit since it is in the intro).  Priss’s highway showdown with the hot rod Boomer was the highlight of the action this week.  It oozes Akira (it’s practically an updated version of Kaneda’s legendary bike from the movie).  Plus adding to the whole Power Rangers motif, it’s clear Priss’s new ride was always intended to be an upgrade for her suit if need be.

Speaking of Priss, she was the focus of one of two great stand alone episodes this week.  Her “day in the life” tale showed us a bit of her mindset, in life, song and action as a Knight Saber.  She’s got a very dark view on the world and channels it into everything she does.  While we don’t know what exactly wounded her so to make her this way, it’s clear to see it’s never been easy being Priss.  Her pain aside, God is this woman a total bad ass.  Priss always impressed me with her character design (so much better than her poofy haired counterpart in the original Bubblegum Crisis OVA), Devil May Care attitude and fighting spirit and this week we were able to see it in every frame she was in.  Plus we got to hear her sing a lot, including a solo vocal performance of the shows end theme.  The “Streets of Fire” inspiration rings true here as I couldn’t help but see a bit of Diane Lane’s character from the film in Priss’s performances and on stage outfits (maybe she could have played her back in the day if they did a BGC live action movie).  The music has always rocked and the vocal performances are stand outs everytime we get a chance to hear them.  Really, this show could be all about Priss alone and I’d still watch it…Linna can tag along too I guess, I like her too. 

The second of the stand alone highlighted an interesting aspect of the Boomers.  These things are diverse and their reasons for mutating are all different.  Last week, a Maid Boomer took a twisted customers orders right into Hentai territory.  This time, an Underwater Boomer went after his dead operators wife after the operator found out she was cheating on him.  It’s fascinating and kind of reminded me of the second episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which had an engineers mind in a tank seeking to find his parents.  The end result is a tragic tale of loss on all ends as the Boomer was destroyed and the wife mourning his loss, it was actually not that hard to feel bad even if she did cheat.  The varying Boomer abilities were also cool as well.  The hot rod Boomer was a stand out but the Boomer from the factory battle was absorbing other Boomers into it.  I bet that will definitely come back into play somewhere down the line.  And what if it gets its hands on one of the Sabers?

All this praise and yet I have to dock some points because the villains are…well not seeming that interesting or intimidating…or even really villain like in the case of Rosenkroitz.  He wants to world to love Boomers but is he really behind the mutations?  Mason seems more the guy to pin that on, what with his sadistic smile and how he treats his female Boomer assistant like a sex toy.  I feel there’s something deeper at play here and it’s not going to involve either of these two posers.  Given her state of mind, I’d expect Syllia to do something stupid that puts the world in jeopardy before these two do.

All in all, it was a good second week for the Knight Sabers and their allies.  If Syllia could get her mess cleaned up, Nene could dial back the posturing and the villains could be a bit more intimidating, we’d have a perfect show.  Right now, it’s still pretty good.  The animation looks great, I’ve talked a lot about Priss and the music and action.  I’m still on board and definitely ready for more.

T5W#90-Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 1980’s

Each decade throughout history brings about a new legion of Otaku.  While we’ve seen a huge boom in the last 20 years or so, incase you haven’t noticed I tend to go back a little further with certain titles.  My beginnings in Anime go back to the early to mid 90’s with some titles even coming from the 80’s themselves (when I first saw Voltron I never knew it was Anime in origin).  Well, now that Gundam Month Mark II is all over, it’s time for another month long event for the blog.  Only this will be exclusive to T5W.  For the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the last four decades: the 80’s, the 90’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s so far and selecting my Top 5 Favorite Titles from each decade. 

Let’s start with my Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 1980’s

#5: Macross: Do You Remember Love

To date, I’ve only seen this film once but it did leave a pretty big impact.  This isn’t a compilation movie.  This is an epic retelling of a classic scifi tale that is meant to be seen on the big screen.  And all of the Macross staples are here: the love triangle, the Veritechs, the music, all with the added bonus of feature film quality animation.  I really hope this movie sees the light of day in the states one day.  There’s a reason many consider it one of the greatest Anime films of all time.

 

#4: My Neighbor Totoro

Of all the Miyazaki, no of all the Ghibli films, this is the one that is easily one of the most adorable Anime ever created.  There isn’t even that much of a plot to the film: two girls discover Totoro and his entourage of cuteness and get into mischief.  It’s like this film was tailor made for children and the children in all of us.  Who doesn’t want to hug a giant furry forest creature or ride their own Catbus after watching this film?  It’s fun, some of the most innocent fun you’ll ever see in the world of Anime that doesn’t involve Moe girls.  Also one of my all time favorite gifts from one of my closest friends is a tiny Catbus plushie…if it hadn’t seen Totoro I never would’ve gotten it.

#3: Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack

This film is no stranger to this blog (there’s even a review here http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/mobile-suit-gundam-chars-counterattack.html ).  So I wont say too much more beyond what I’ve already said.  Char’s Counterattack set the standard by which I judge all other Gundam feature films and few, if any, have ever come close to topping it.  The final battle between Amuro and Char is given the epic stage it deserves and, while it ends on a pretty ambiguous note, delivers one of the best outings in the Gundam Multiverse.  This marked the end of Gundams first age of existence and thankfully, while this was supposed to be the end, there was plenty more to come.

 

#2: Dragon Ball Z

While this really got its popularity boost in the 90’s, Dragon Ball Z technically started at the tail end of the 80’s just after Dragon Ball ended.  What can be said about this one that hasn’t been said already?  It’s Dragon Ball Z, the gateway Anime for myself and many in my middle school class.  It was my intro to fast paced action that went on for episodes on end.  It was my first taste of epic moments that were must watch in order to be part of the conversation at lunch.  It was my first time seeing characters like Vegeta and Trunks…and knowing they were bad asses without the need for their backstory or resume.  I typically hold Gundam above this series.  But it cant be denied with without Dragon Ball Z, I might not have gotten into Anime the way I have.  It all began here and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

#1: Akira

This is the Catcher of the Rye, the Watchmen of Japanese Anime.  If you are a fan, you cant consider yourself one truly until you’ve watched this movie.  If Akira hadn’t popped up when it had in the late 80’s, Anime might not have the foothold on the world that it has.  In an age when Disney ruled the world with family friendly features, Akira brought mature and bloody storytelling to the challenge that.  And what an impact it has left.  The animation still holds up today and the screaming of “KANEDA!!!” and “TETSUO!!!!” still gets a massive cheer.  The first five minutes of this movie alone are worth it to see the perfect mix of action, visuals, music and sheer rush of adrenaline.  I’ve seen many Anime since my first time watching this film.  But still, when I hear the term “Anime”, I will always associate it with “Akira” first and foremost.