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 ecchi-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. Well I've watched the first 6 episodes so far and it's far exceeding my expectations. I really love how they've taken the spirit and "vintage" aesthetic of the manga and translated it to animation. The original's animation was lacking, so I'm really happy to see it given a lot of care and thoughts. As far as the political gender dynamics go, well.. we'll see how people react, but I like it so far.
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 digestible.
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, borderline-surreal 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.
notable manga & recommendations
For BL recommendations, please go to the dedicated BL page.
Onna no Sono no Hoshi - Yama Wayama
The kind of manga and manga-ka where you keep waiting for it to become BL, but it just kind of doesn't.
A story of a literature teacher at an all-girls' high school and the shenanigans that he, his fellow teachers, and his class of girls get up to.
Wayama-sensei has this god-given talent to create these realistic settings and a fantastically diverse cast of interesting characters. As a teacher, I also relate to a lot of his sentiments.
Come for: fantastic character design, same writer as Karaoke Ikou
Stay for: your blooming affection for all the teachers and students, Wayama-sensei's ability to put you in this realistic, but stylized and heightened world.
Tamen De Gushi・Their Story - Tan Jiu
The ultimate, monumental disappointment for a yuri fan.
Tamen De Gushi follows the relationship between Sun Jing, tomboyish and energetic, and Qiu Tong, thoughtful and caring. What starts as a somewhat unlikely friendship, turns into beginnings of a romantic relationship. The disappointment comes from the author Tan Jiu abandoning the story around 2018, commonly understood to be a result of Chinese censorship laws prohibiting physical printing. Unfortunately, that made TdG completely unprofitable and it has since only gotten sporadic illustrations, rather than any sort of plot continuation.
I've seen people describe TdG as a "comfort" yuri and I tend to agree. It's sweet, the characters are normal people doing their best. It's funny and just the right amount of silly. The growth of Sun Jing and Qiu Tong's relationship is really natural and sweet. Its story isn't particularly crazy or unique, but I think that's the appeal.
Come for: it's yuri, great art
Stay for: a geniune blooming of affection
Paradise Kiss - Yazawa Ai
I've got a lot of nostalgia for Paradise Kiss. One of the few full sets of manga at my local library in the early 2000s, it was one of the first I read.
Story follows highschooler Yukari, feeling stifled but prideful in her prestigious high school, ends up working as a model for a group of fashion students. Her attitude towards them, the industry, and herself changes over time. Her relationship with George, the head designer of the group, is very different from the other boys/relationships I was used to reading in shoujo at the time.
What really stood out to me as a young reader was similar to my reaction to reading Gone with the Wind: "Wow, these characters all kind of suck." Reading it as an adult, I see young people trying to figure out how to assert themselves in unfriendly and competitive worlds and how they end up hurting each other in that process.
Paradise Kiss is on this list partially as nostalgia but also as an example of how re-reading things can give you new perspectives over time. It's fun.
Come for: art style, interesting characters, fashion that holds up since publication
Stay for: people struggling to become better versions of themselves
ふしぎ遊戯・Fushigi Yuugi - Watase Yuu
In January of 2024, there was a very significant snow storm in my town. Something like 3 ft of snow, more in drifts. The town shut down and luckily, I am a domestic genius and had stocked up on a bunch of food ahead of time. "F"'s store was closed and my work was quiet. In order to pass the time, we signed up for a crunchyroll subscription, looking to watch some old anime. This launched the special interest of 2024.
I read Fushigi Yuugi in maybe middle school. One of those the-only-manga-my-local-library-had series. I remember liking it. I remembered Yui, Miaka and their friendship fraying. I remembered the Chinese-vibe setting. And I remembered Nuriko, of course. That was it. So, the rewatch was almost like a completely fresh viewing.
The story follows Miaka, a middle-schooler struggling to keep up the entrance exam grind. She falls into another world through a book, discovers she's a special priestess and must find the 7 celestial warriors in order to make a wish and save the country.
Where Fushigi Yuugi really shines is in it's characters. There's a lot of depth and love put into them. Watase-sensei clearly really cared about all of them, so it's really painful to see her clearly struggle with short-sighted editorial decisions (love triangle! kill the queer character!). I feel the same way about FY as I do with Rose of Versailles, where the characters and settings shine, but it falls short with pretty major narrative choices. But that's what an imagination and a pleasant walking path is for: just make up new ones.
Come for: characters, nostalgiaStay for: characters
Ranma ½ - Takahashi Rumiko
Under construction...I just love a chaotic vibe so much.
Initial D - Shigeno Shuichi
Under construction...The real question is why am I so obssessed with a car manga. I described it to my friends as "I went from a -5 interest in cars to a 0 all because of Initial D". Probably cuz of bl reasons.