Year In Review: N-Squared List
Just like last year, I guess some things have not changed. This could be a reference.
Leaders of the Pack: 2000-2009
I used to keep somewhat-up-to-date top 10 lists for several categories, including favorite characters and favorite anime. It’s a tool to introspect, and an excuse for said exercise, so why not revamp my top list of anime at the end of 2009 and make it 2000-2009 only? Two birds with one stone, so they say.
Ultimately it’s an excuse for me to migrate some writing from elsewhere to here.
I originally baselined the list about five and a half years ago. And it hasn’t changed a whole lot in some aspects; a couple things moved and I adding a couple things. It’s a sure-fire sign that I’m an old fart, in internet terms. A new generation of netizens have already taken their place and drowned out the likes of me. Heh, remember when people used the word “netizens” and climbed hills to go to school both ways in the snow with no shoes &c?
The below is just a list of anime that I really liked in the past 10 years or so. There were some “franchises” that I was enamored with but they never really materialized in the form of an anime that I liked–Sakura Taisen being the most obvious example–so they’re off the list. And of course just because I like the anime doesn’t mean I like the other parts of the franchise, too. It really is a case-by-case analysis.
One more thing–this list is not ordered. Because it would take too long and honestly the order has no meaning beyond what it means to me, and I can’t be bothered to count any more angels on the tips of pins. So here it goes:
Millennium Actress - It is personal, as with most of this list. However I would say that I watched it during a period in my life where chasing dreams was the stuff that I wish I was doing. In some sense I still feel that I am not? The whole actress-idol angle was beside the point, although it is through that particular lens that we observe a form of beauty that can go beyond the limitations of real life. But in good Japanese tradition of mono no aware, it’s the chasing after an empty dream that beautifies, and perhaps it is the memories of that, which is eternal. Chiyoko’s fervent and undying sentiments powers her journey through time, but “Hollywood Magic” is the true substances of her dreams. No longer a person, she transforms into a conduit between her emotions and the silver screen, purer than the drab reality we’re a part of.
FLCL - Mad pimp style. In fact I still haven’t seen anything this stylish since. I mean this is a 2000-2001 show, so a lot of anime have gone past us since, in a medium that is known for its stylishness. There have been attempts, and some come pretty close, but as they bear their fangs to accomplish what they set out to do, FLCL has already been there, done that, and done it earlier. It also introduced America to the Pillows. LOL. I also think it’s the true complement to Gainax’s Evangelion. One is African-American blues stuff, and the other is, well, rock.
Scrapped Princess - I like this show for its drama and setting. While it’s fun and exciting to see how the story play out in its [super-spoiler-statement-removed], Pacifica and her siblings rise beyond just mere anime characters and into very personable entities that I see everyday. The high fantasy feel also comes across fresh and it unveiled itself like a pleasant surprise. I also blame Sutepri for dooming me to follow every blasted abortion of Ichiro Sakaki’s novel adaptations, because neither the Sutepri novels nor any of his consequent anime adaptations were up to snuff. If I had to say one key thing about Sutepri that I liked, it was Fumiko Orikasa’s Pacifica.
Rahxephon - I don’t know if I like Rahxephon, or Akihiro Yamada :) But nonetheless it’s a very pretty show that just doesn’t stop at being its own exotic, senseless shounen exposition. It has some great moments, and even blundering through its cloudy plot there’s a lot of wonderful tension. It’s also one of the best scripted giant post-Evangelion robot shows, although I can’t really vouch for the likes of Gasaraki or Betterman. The ensemble cast comes alive, albeit stubbornly, to put together enough interesting parallels and polygons to warrant a few essays at least.
Evangelion - Just because it’s mostly in 1996 doesn’t mean I can’t let it in… I added it back to my list partly because I think most of the Eva fans have already gone off and rant about other crap so it’s a topic that is generally less annoying now. Also over the years I’ve never really stopped appreciating what this show has to offer. It helps me to rewatch this because they keep on re-releasing it, lol. And what is there to appreciate? It’s definitely top notch as 90s TV anime goes, in terms of production values. The writing, designs, direction, music, theme, acting…well you can go on. It’s a perfect storm of some sort, as far as getting the right talents (and large number of them), the right crazy people, the right time and generation of Japanese people, the right way to frame the issues… So many factors contributed to its success. Lastly, the rebuilding isn’t so bad so far. Maybe I should’ve limited this entry to the Rebuilding, separate from the TV series, but that saga just started.
Manabi Straight - this is probably one of the new title I latched onto this list after a drought of personal inability to really like a show–basically it’s not to say there haven’t been many great shows to recommend others between 2004 and 2007, but this one manages to strike a chord in me that elevates it above others. It’s a feel-good high school affair with a lot of heart, but that alone wasn’t enough. What makes Manabi Straight work for me is the way the story manages to build a powerful allegory about vision and about fulfilling it. If you can cut through the cutesy loli appeal (or rationalizes it away), there’s a gem waiting for you.
Simoun - What wins with Simoun is its intricate writing to display the really odd human relationships wrapped around a very creative sci-fi/fantasy backdrop. It doesn’t help if the ensemble cast is also awesome and full of “good girls.” It’s not the kind of good girls that grace a Key game, no sirree. To me this was probably the ultimate example of the anime storytelling format in combining elements of high fantasy and drama, all together with just enough of those frown-upon meta elements that it doesn’t get in the way of the story. Unfortunately the production value was lacking in places, and it’s a difficult show to get into regardless on how you feel about yuri and fanservice. Nobody is perfect I guess.
Notable mentions–shows I like but don’t want to put on a pedestal:
GunParade March - I’m amazed that it’s still on my list, but for a romance-in-the-military story, it really captures that whole ishin-denshin idea excellently.
Witch Hunter Robin - Does goth style right. And Robin is…simply wonderful IMHO. Shukou Murase’s problem with pacing just wasn’t so pronounced here as it is with Ergo Proxy.
Ghost in the Shell TV - The unlearned man’s version of Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell. With twice of the cuteness and half the nudity! The less cat-ish Major might be more mainstream-appealing at any rate. Yes, I mean both Stand Alone Complexes and the OAV thing.
Planetes - No man’s an Island, and no man should go without seeing PLANETES because it’s awesome drama. Oh, it’s an exemplary piece of hard, near-SF with a sense of humor, too. It may also be one of the earlier no-nonsense post-911 works from Japan, as far as its vintage.
Dokkoida?! - It’s one of the best self-referential style of comedy that I can recall. The sisucon episode is perhaps the funniest and yet the most riveting episode of LOL ever. Also, in before ufotable. Futakoi Alternative gets a nod here, but I don’t think it’s got enough to make it to this list proper.
Koikaze - Speaking of sisucon, while this anime tackles a subject matter that’s all too taboo (incest), it is directed and put together with superb craftsmanship that it even does the subject matter with some justice, if at least superficially.
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - just for the fact how it raised the bar for TV animation alone is worth watching. It’s a boon that it’s also one of the best adaptation of juvenile science fiction for anime that I’ve ever seen. The out-of-order broadcast is brilliant and it is a ballsy move that paid off. Too bad Endless Eight did not; I would probably recommend season two anyways.
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu - Possibly the widest-appealing slapstick anime ever, and it manages to be not-too-gross most of the time!
Cowboy Bebop (TV, Film) - You already know this. Hi Robert Rodriguez and Quintin Tarantino! And Keanu, lol. While most of it took place before 2000, the movie didn’t come out until 2001, and for the most part Bebop is more of a “this decade” thing than a “last decade” thing anyways.
Chikyuu Shoujo Arjuna - It’s a little too new-agey for my taste, but it is a solid production with a daring message. I liked the music and the production as a whole.
ef - I’m reluctant to include this title because there hasn’t been enough time since I last watched it, but to call it a novel thing is understating the creative effort behind a seemingly plain eroge-turn-animated-companion. I’m not sure if it rises fully to the occasion however, as only the test of time will tell.
Xam’d - Like Haruhi, it belongs to this list just because it is animated like a champ, and the rest of the package is quite above average. I think it makes a cheap substitute for Eureka 7, at half the length and twice the visual goodness in exchange for a less satisfying story. Still to some the story might stand stronger than those who are more picky about linearity.
True Tears - There is something oddish about this show which just doesn’t make it stand out beyond its harem trapping, even if it most deservedly is beyond that. Characterization and production value are top notch. It’s almost needless to say that True Tears is a charming affair, no matter who you root for.
Rurouni Kenshin (OAVs, Kyoto Arc) - It’s possibly the only shounen fight anime that I truly liked, and probably the last. And the 4-episode OAV (or 1, director’s cut) of the Tomoe tragedy… It’s just so good, even if it lacks the grit of what we typically associate with samurai films. In its place we get a very early taste of, say, and euphoric field kind of thing. I can’t really say much about the TV series though, besides that it’s an enjoyable rump with some worthwhile meme powers even so many years after. Besides that, it is a 90s show. Unlike Bebop, the Kenshin experience is a very 90s kind of thing anyways, so I don’t want to highlight it (much).
That’s more or less it. I know this list skews old, especially considering the volume of anime available the last 5 years, but passing the test of time is a major criteria for me, and a lot of the shows in recent years just don’t stand out too much, you know?
For a very different list but possibly even more a trip down memory lane, check out Psgel’s. There are other holiday festivities that may grace this site, as such.
[edit: I removed Utena the Movie, because I don’t think it’s a 2000+ title if we go by the screening dates! I don’t know why I thought so the first place.]
Haru and Nakiami Going at It
I think I’ve had enough time spent stewing on the idea of a Xam’d post that it’s time to get down to it.
The first draft of this post had a motif that combined the lyrics of “Vacancy” with “LISTEN TO MY SONG!” It is likely a good thing that I’ve dropped that a couple iterations ago. Still somehow I still retained the strangely irrelevant post title….
I HAVE THIS…DESIGN FETISH IN MY HEART
Anyways, coming back to earth. One of the biggest gateway and influence as an anime-related franchise in my life is CLAMP’s Magic Knight Rayearth. I mention this because one very central but subtle thing from that series carried itself in Xam’d as well, and that is in building its fantasy world through good visual, mechanical, industrial and communication designs.
If we take a random sampling of anime and look at which are the top credited production roles, character designer is going to be one of them for virtually all the shows we look at. In some shows, we’ll see credited mechanical designers. But how about the guys who designed that Escher-esqe landscaping in that picture I keep on pimping? Or the snow-crested mountain paths Yango walked with Nakiami? Or how about the desolate beachhead underneath the Zanbani for half of the series? Or the giant water tower that taught us the value of love that never fails?
How about that last car ride that changed Midori’s life? The cluttered interior of Dr. Ryuzo’s office as we first laid eyes on it? Finding Nazuna with her intravenous therapy apparatus? The foil-like oblesk that marked Akiyuki’s stone-like dream, both past and present? The madness of the Hiruken Emperor as reflected by his exterior? The motions of the invading fetal humanforms? The entwined lives of a Xam’d mother-child? The Tessik flowers? Kujireika’s final scene with a piece of paper?
For me those are just some of the moments that carried the show. I don’t know who deserves those credits, but for every epic scene in the show there are some unsung heroes who put the designs there. Those designs made the scenes that much more special than your average animated epic scene. From the moment the OP kicks in till the ending shot with the photograph and glasses, it is both stylish and meaningful.
What are you doing? I thought you dropped that in a draft…
Yes, I did. Mainly because I still have to talk about the strange mismatched of satisfaction with the product we got in the end. It doesn’t matter if you are one of those who thought there needed be a tight spiral of plot (think Kaiba, perhaps) or if you are those who could enjoy just a grand game plan. No matter if you see that American Football analogy there or not, it would be hard pressed to call Xam’d a best-of-the-best kind of affair. It lacks something.
I mean, Xam’d is still likely one of the best shows you’ve never watched. It comes as a form of recommendation, fully fraught with the dangers of giving advice in general. It’s not really an evaluation; it’s like saying eating vegetables is good for your health, even if it doesn’t always taste great. And you really ought to eat vegetables! And see Xam’d for yourself! And yet, it’s not so great. So my recommendation is also a veiled insult. Of sorts. It doesn’t go fully to the whole DRM-riddled and (more importantly) expensive VOD platform, even if it’s a tool of Sony to do just that.
And frankly I’m tired of trying to describe how Xam’d disappoints. Disappointment is probably the best word to describe the damned thing. After all the word implies a function with expectation, so it’s both the show and you and I that failed.
Expectation is a subjective notion of what we think should happen. And somehow, as some said better, Xam’d positions us to shoot for the stars. Or think it ought to. And why shouldn’t it? Why shouldn’t we expect an anime with almost no holds barred? It channels from some of the greatest productions in our memories, it dazzles us with good sense of style, keen animation and appealing characters. But those expectations we have about a show that didn’t really lead us on is still our own responsibility. It didn’t pull any punches. The ending was something that wasn’t a surprise at all, it is internally consistent and thematically consistent. Perhaps the only thing they could have done more is explain more.
But it’s still the best anime you’ve never seen. And remember this, it shall serve you well.
And serving is why I’m here.
Myself and yourselves. Fans. Fanservice. For us.
On a wholly basic level, I’m just a guy. I work, I waste my free time. I have games. I have no game. I have no plan. Anime? Pure entertainment. So to the extent that Xam’d is merely to entertain, it does so with spades. It does so not only because it comes in high definition and 5.1 surround sound (I can’t stress this enough), but it simulates that episode-by-episode chase. Even if the show, on the whole, is better watched in large chunks. It provided a framework to enjoy the stuff beyond the ordinary.
I think I mentioned this about half a year ago, roughly when Satoshi Kon last visited NYC and I went to see him talk about random cultural stuff, about something special about treasuring what is scarce. Back when our parents walked to school, in the snow, barefoot, up and down the hill, for miles back and forth, people like Satoshi Kon were getting his fix Off-The-Air on a spanking new color television. For 30 minutes once a week. There was anticipation, there was analysis, there was all the fan stuff; and all of this was heightened because he loved the crap and he gave it undivided attention. He had also the time because there were just a few shows on the air. There were fewer distractions back then. It wasn’t overwhelming. But it gave his life as a fan a different texture, a different style. And the experience ultimately differed, obviously.
Following Xam’d like a silly boy for the past half year, I think I got to know what he means by that. No longer I was slave to pirates or remote licensees who distributed a second-hand experience, but I was able to connect with the source. And be at its mercy. Thinking and doing things related to the show was a consuming experience. It was tiring, but it felt somehow more meaningful and fulfilling, perhaps unjustifiably so. I was at the mercy of it. It was a very interesting power shift where I became subject to the show in a very overted way. I had no place to stand and preach down on the show; I just didn’t really care as long as it wasn’t unreasonable.
What’s more, it’s fun. Taking caps from the show was a tough exercise of trimming what great shots are worth taking and keeping and what great shots are worth taking and deleting. It’s beautiful to look at. I could just go through the pictures and enjoy the show that way. I guess that just shows you how much pleasure I derive from the visuals alone.
In relation to that, given how it’s VOD and all, it’s perfect for watching the thing in one (or a few) setting. You aren’t tied down to a weekly schedule; you can rewatch it. You can have a Xam’d party (and totally legally so) where you marathon the whole thing with a bunch of people over a weekend.
I think I’m going to call it here; there may or may not be a subsequent post about Xam’d which I try to piece together the mysteries of its world. Because it is mysterious, I am not sure I can make sense of it enough to show you. We will see.
Xam Xam’d: Bounen Xamdou the Lost Memories Round-up, no?
Note the title? Yeah, never use a ‘ in your anime title. Ever.
The background crap.
- The hiatus and release difference between PSN US and Japan. It affected few but it really pissed me off, even if I could use the break.
- The stuff you could read before you get into it. - Wiki, Bones + Sony, the E3 2008 PR from SCEA. Hit up ANN for also trailers.
- The DRM Beeswax.
The episodic bloggers.
- I did it.
- Star Crossed
- Kita Ze Inbou (still in progress? 2/9/2009)
- Kitsune does it like I do but without the theatrics.
The reactions, the final impressions, the reviews. Skipping first-impressions because lols. There were a lot of mid-series outbursts, I’ll skip them for now (except 1, lol).
- TJ Han’s - I’m always sympathetic to this guy’s views. It’s honest.
- East Anyhow.
- Yukan OBEYS EYETOY - a stop point by episode 17.
- Coburn - A bit too much for my taste but pretty close.
- Star Crossed - Probably even more honest, but eh.
- Omisyth tries to wrap it up, but I’m not sure if it got anywhere.
- Plot Shield. A shame he never finished RahXephon.
- concretebadger @ 物の哀れ is aware of details, but otherwise brimming. I can probably do a few posts just on the designs of the show :x
- Kita ze Inbou! - Good for contrast.
- Jeff drops a colony on it.
The features.
- What SDS pulled out from his trousers.
- A cover of this song.
- Japan Times. Interviews with creator types!
- AniPages Daily gives a blurp but runs us through the paces about the Xam’d HP omake animation stuffs. He also went into details in a couple earlier posts, which are also very good reads.
The wishlist. Random stuff that I know more than one of us would splurge on.
- A DVD release in the US
- A Blu-Ray release in the US
- Artbook. The OP image for this post is a 1:1 pixel crop of this. LOOK AT IT! IT IS GORGEOUS. It is also in the show proper. Not to mention the designs in the show would make wonderful reading material.
- Soundtrack
- A rental that’s more than 24 hours. Com’on, man. This is not a lot to ask!
- A radio with valves? A flying jetski? Prana power? An ASP?
Further research.
The Playstation blog for the English-language release, charts, and lols. For the record, the last episode ranked #3 out of all TV episode downloads last week. I think that’s a good showing that anime does have a place on Video-On-Demand platforms sitting on game consoles, even if the PS3 is a bit of an outlier in more ways than one. What’s amusing is that the very early fans of Xam’d beat the rush to PSN VOD store and the first few episodes consistently ranked in the top 20 until more people started to use the PSN VOD stuff. Related to that is the AoDVD forums.
If there’s anything else interesting please post a link and let me know!
Xam’d Episode 26 - Between a Rock and a Hard Place
So, if you’ve seen it, do you know why it took nine years?
Because understanding why they did it is key to understand the resolution of this big, big show. IMNSHO. And I don’t even know all the answers.
