Swan Songs
I have less than two weeks left in Japan now. Time flies, huh?
I'll be writing some "closing thoughts", but for now, a final song of the month! Dang it. Am I really at my last month? I have more songs I wanted to share. How about just two, okay? They're anime themes, so it's relevant to the discussion, and they're really short.
Before I get to the songs, I haven't really discussed anime here, have I? One thing I will miss about Japan is the fact that it's perfectly normal to watch anime and read manga. Everybody does it, from kids to teenagers to adults. I hate the terrible stigma associated with anime in America. If you like it, you are a wanna-be Japanese obnoxious nerd with no social skills and probably a pervert. Sigh.
Here's the thing about anime. There is plenty of crap anime out there. Super corny and formulaic anime that's really meant for little kids. Anime full of gorgeous women who always seem to end up half naked that's really meant for very lonely men. But there truly are some gems. Beautifully drawn anime with complex characters and a captivating plots do exist. Anime and manga can be taken as a serious art form in Japan, in a way that cartoons never have been in America. It can have all the depth and interest of a movie, but with only the author's imagination limiting the kinds of things that can be represented. Also, a story can be developed over 50 or more episodes, instead of being limited to a couple hours as in a typical movie. So in summary, there is a lot of bad Japanese anime out there that's not worth your time. There are also a lot of bad American movies out there that aren't worth your time, but that doesn't stop film from being considered a legitimate art form.
My personal favorite anime is "Death Note", which may be produced as a live action movie in the US sometime around 2011. I'd classify it as a "psychological thriller". It's the dark story of a very intelligent teenager, Yagami Light, bored and fed up with the world, who finds a notebook dropped by Ryuk, a Shinigami (God of Death in Japanese folklore). It comes with rules. If someone's name is written in the notebook while picturing their face, that person will die. Cause and time of death may be specified, but if not, the person will die of a heart attack in 40 seconds. So Light sets out to change the world by killing all of the "bad people", starting with convicted murderers and the like. He meets his match in the form of "L", equally as intelligent, and working to catch the mysterious "Kira" (killer). The real interest is in the game of mental cat and mouse between the two main characters. Light wants to kill L, but he can't because he doesn't know his real name, and (eventually) killing L would shine too much suspicion on himself. L wants to catch Light, but Light is always just a bit too clever and a bit too good at deviously manipulating those around him, including L himself. The whole series is extremely dark (though you rarely see blood) and it's full of nail biting tension and some amazing characters. Light is a perfect anti-hero. You watch him gradually lose his humanity and become more and more of a monster as the series progresses, yet somehow you still can't help but root for him.
The song is "The World" by Nightmare. English lyrics are included.
The other song is "Melissa" by Porno Graffiti, the catchy opening theme from "Full Metal Alchemist". The setting is a parallel universe, vaguely European, where people can use the science of alchemy. Basically, they can learn to transform things as long as the beginning parts are the same as the ending parts. Meaning that, for example, you could change a rock's shape, but you couldn't turn it into something that's not made of rock. The main characters are brothers who have a natural talent for alchemy. After their mother dies, they attempt to bring her back to life using alchemy, even though it's forbidden. It all goes horribly wrong, with the older brother losing an arm and a leg, and the younger brother losing his entire body (his spirit is transferred into a suit of armor by his older brother). The story focuses on the boy's quest to regain the younger brother's lost body, possibly by seeking out the "sorcerer's stone". There are great fight scenes, gut wrenching tragedy, plot twists around every corner, and tons of interesting characters. This one is good if you want something action-packed, but still having lots of depth behind it.
I'll be writing some "closing thoughts", but for now, a final song of the month! Dang it. Am I really at my last month? I have more songs I wanted to share. How about just two, okay? They're anime themes, so it's relevant to the discussion, and they're really short.
Before I get to the songs, I haven't really discussed anime here, have I? One thing I will miss about Japan is the fact that it's perfectly normal to watch anime and read manga. Everybody does it, from kids to teenagers to adults. I hate the terrible stigma associated with anime in America. If you like it, you are a wanna-be Japanese obnoxious nerd with no social skills and probably a pervert. Sigh.
Here's the thing about anime. There is plenty of crap anime out there. Super corny and formulaic anime that's really meant for little kids. Anime full of gorgeous women who always seem to end up half naked that's really meant for very lonely men. But there truly are some gems. Beautifully drawn anime with complex characters and a captivating plots do exist. Anime and manga can be taken as a serious art form in Japan, in a way that cartoons never have been in America. It can have all the depth and interest of a movie, but with only the author's imagination limiting the kinds of things that can be represented. Also, a story can be developed over 50 or more episodes, instead of being limited to a couple hours as in a typical movie. So in summary, there is a lot of bad Japanese anime out there that's not worth your time. There are also a lot of bad American movies out there that aren't worth your time, but that doesn't stop film from being considered a legitimate art form.
My personal favorite anime is "Death Note", which may be produced as a live action movie in the US sometime around 2011. I'd classify it as a "psychological thriller". It's the dark story of a very intelligent teenager, Yagami Light, bored and fed up with the world, who finds a notebook dropped by Ryuk, a Shinigami (God of Death in Japanese folklore). It comes with rules. If someone's name is written in the notebook while picturing their face, that person will die. Cause and time of death may be specified, but if not, the person will die of a heart attack in 40 seconds. So Light sets out to change the world by killing all of the "bad people", starting with convicted murderers and the like. He meets his match in the form of "L", equally as intelligent, and working to catch the mysterious "Kira" (killer). The real interest is in the game of mental cat and mouse between the two main characters. Light wants to kill L, but he can't because he doesn't know his real name, and (eventually) killing L would shine too much suspicion on himself. L wants to catch Light, but Light is always just a bit too clever and a bit too good at deviously manipulating those around him, including L himself. The whole series is extremely dark (though you rarely see blood) and it's full of nail biting tension and some amazing characters. Light is a perfect anti-hero. You watch him gradually lose his humanity and become more and more of a monster as the series progresses, yet somehow you still can't help but root for him.
The song is "The World" by Nightmare. English lyrics are included.
Click to viewThe other song is "Melissa" by Porno Graffiti, the catchy opening theme from "Full Metal Alchemist". The setting is a parallel universe, vaguely European, where people can use the science of alchemy. Basically, they can learn to transform things as long as the beginning parts are the same as the ending parts. Meaning that, for example, you could change a rock's shape, but you couldn't turn it into something that's not made of rock. The main characters are brothers who have a natural talent for alchemy. After their mother dies, they attempt to bring her back to life using alchemy, even though it's forbidden. It all goes horribly wrong, with the older brother losing an arm and a leg, and the younger brother losing his entire body (his spirit is transferred into a suit of armor by his older brother). The story focuses on the boy's quest to regain the younger brother's lost body, possibly by seeking out the "sorcerer's stone". There are great fight scenes, gut wrenching tragedy, plot twists around every corner, and tons of interesting characters. This one is good if you want something action-packed, but still having lots of depth behind it.