on manga & anime

unique mediums

I like anime because it's a unique medium. There are things you can do in anime and in manga that you can't do in any other medium. So, when I see a work actually take advantage of that, it makes me really excited. Not all anime that's entertaining should be anime, if that makes sense.

I think most anime or manga could probably have been some other medium or just not made at all. But, when the medium is fully taken advntage of, it's very exciting to watch and enjoy.

notes on remakes

I'm generally and fundamentally against remakes. And, before you react with something along the lines of "you're probably just old", allow me to pose a question: "Why is this being remade? Is there something lacking with the original that we can enhance in the remake? Is there something unexplored in the original that we can explore in the remake? Can the original be expanded in a new, modern context?"

Frankly, I think 90% of remakes fail to answer in the affirmative. There doesn't seem to be any sincerity behind the production, besides a sincere cashgrab. Let's talk about Sailor Moon Crystal, for instance. The aesthetics of the original design and the surreal directorial touch of Ikuhara are what put Sailor Moon on the map as an anime. Crystal ironed all that out and removed any sort of originality or interest. The same can be said for Berserk. Why remake it and take out what made it so memorable in the first place?

And as far as "expanded in a new, modern context", I'm concerned about the new Ranma ½ for the same reasons. Is the echi-heavy, gender irreverant attitude of the original going to land with a modern audience? Unless they completely change up the atmosphere of the original (not necessarily against this), it's going to fall flat I think.

And! This is not to say that I don't believe in remakes!! The live action remake of One Piece is fantastic because it 1) does something different than the original and b) repackages the 1000+ ep behemoth that would otherwise be inaccessible to a casual viewer and makes it digstible.

Another good example is Devilman:Crybaby. The original had nostalgic, but out-dated graphics and didn't take the philosophical plunge into hovering-around-the-edge darker themes. The new version takes an entirely new graphic aesthetic (rather than "enhacing" the original) and really pries open the philosophical concepts. In the end, you have something new rather than a strictly defined "remake" or "remaster" or "redo". It ends up being more "inspired by".

It would be interesting to get remakes from the following:
- Rose of Versailles - NOT a remake, like what's coming soon (happy to be proven wrong but I am NOT holding my breath) but an expansion a'la Devilman. More on this someday
- Koko wa Greenwood - The low-energy, irreverant atmosphere is fantastic and the character designs are perfect. There are so many interesting, unique characters that it would be really fun to expand the universe and do a Friends-style "the one where they"-type episodic format. Here, the take is mostly to expand and to take out the outdated jokes.
- hmmm.. i'll keep thinking about it

notable anime & recommendations

※ Note on what we mean by "recommendation" ※
I think it's a bit presumptuous to dain to give media recommendations to an invisible audience, as you are. Rather than recommendation meaning "I think you, reader, will really love this piece of media", please consider it more along the lines of "This particular media resounded with me in some way and, further, has merits outside of my own personal taste". Essentially, think of this segment as a curated list of works belonging in some kind of museum rather than a demonstration of my personal taste or what I think you should consume.

Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997)

I truly believe that Utena is the best anime of all time and here's why. It's not because of the story, per say, although I think the story is really interesting. Nor is it necessarily because of the art style, because there are other shows that I like better. It's because Utena takes the medium of anime and truly wrestles it into the ideal example of what it's capable of. And, I fully give Ikuhara Kunihiko complete credit for that. He took the surreal experiments he was conducting in Sailor Moon S and blew it up into a full-scale masterpiece.

What I'm trying to say is essentially that the surreal nature of Utena (the heavy symbolism, the endless staircases, etc etc) is absolutely impossible in any other medium. You couldn't do it in manga or in an actual film, it would seem heavy-handed and hoaky. You couldn't even do it on stage, although I think that's the closest you probably could get, simply due to the fact that one would be limited by the constraints of reality (the 2018 musical did an excellent attempt though).

The fact is that you can have an interesting concept, interesting characters, great soundtrack, unqiue aesthetic and still make something that could've been done in any medium. Utena is unique in that the medium it (Ikuhara) chose allows it to do things you otherwise couldn't.

Berserk (1992)

You might notice a wide variety of genres in this list. Berserk stands out a bit as being extremely violent, but nonetheless exceptional in terms of atmosphere and characters. There are three specific elements that are memorable to me:

First, the music. Hai Hai Forces is the best anime OST song of all time and I'll die on that hill. Getting into the world of anime soundtracks is really fun and there are a LOT of really good ones that are consistently slept on. Hirasawa Susumu is a genius and his music really enhances the spooky, fantastical depth of Berserk. It was also interesting to learn that Miura Kentaro listened to Hirasawa while drawing the original manga. I'd like to expand on "manga soundtracks" some day!

Second, is the exploration of free will and fate and power. I can't necessarily articulate exactly I think, but I found myself sympathizing with Griffith (cancelable offense?) when I think he feels he has "no choice" but to act the way he does despite the power he has had. Anyway, I have more thoughts on this but I feel like it deserves more than a half-assed attempt here haha. If you like thinking about human free will, please check out Berserk.

Third, the dynamics between Guts and Griffith. I mean, obviously this is a tragic love story. Two characters feel they can't be together because of various reasons and ruin themselves and each other as a result. That pining as a result of a reluctance to shatter the existing dynamic is yuri, baybee. I think the gay love here is not subtext, but the other main "point" of the show.

Rose of Versailles (1979)

I debated about whether to put this on my list. On one hand, it's an extremely iconic pillar of the anime genre and I really love it. On the other hand, the plot is pretty boring and I have a hard time saying "this is good". Here's what I have to say about it:

Ikeda Ryoko has an incredible ability to craft unique characters and put them in dynamic environments. And her aesthetic sense defined shoujo manga for over a decade. Any time you see the blank-eye, huge eyelash, hand held to the mouth in shock face, that's all Ikeda baybee. That being said, she tends to completely fall flat when it comes to actual narrative or character dyanmics and RoV does not escape that flaw.

Antoinette, Oscar and Andre have the characterization set to provide a lot of interesting commentary on class dynamics and personal freedom. Oscar's situation in particular is set up to ask a lot of questions about gender and identity. Unfortunately, none of this is explored and really only serves to act as setting rather than narrative drive or character development.

Overall, the show is beautiful and provides an aesthetic that has become shorthand for the kind of rococo beauty that I love to see in any medium. (note: I feel the exact same way about the Takarazuka musical version) I'm happy to co-opt Ikeda's characters and settings and create something more interesting someday.