A link to Part 5.
Best Theatrical Feature:
Honourable mention has to go to The Book of the Dead (2005), Kihachiro Kawamoto's puppet animated folk tale which I found a refreshing change of pace. Controversially, as much due to this originally being an OVA work, I confess that returning to Urotsukidôji II: Legend of the Demon Womb (1990-1) was a huge surprise. This was once, in this feature version, one of the worst things my younger self had seen, whilst in contrast to now, it is still problematic, as the franchise has been described in the previous notes, but is a compelling piece of dark fantasy. I would even go as far as say I preferred this to the famous original, which does feel its origins, which Legend of the Demon Womb as a side story, with the main cast, focuses on one story and, for the best and the uncomfortable, gets everything right.
There were two Studio Ghibli films covered this year. My Neighbours the Yamadas (1999) is an incredible film, a deeply underrated one in their filmography, but a nod has to be made to the ultra-obscure Ocean Waves (1993). A made-for-television production, it is not necessarily a well regarded work, but for me was an underappreciated production. The production mess, of trying to create a quicker animated production with the younger staff, does not detract from the compelling grounded drama. More positively held, though in need of a proper re-discovery, is Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (2003), a Daft Punk collaboration which knows its narrative is kooky, about an evil inhuman figure who wishes to gain power generated from golden record awards, and is ultimately in the final shot a beautiful ode to nostalgia. Both the music itself, to the decision to work with Leiji Matsumoto and his famous character designs, is meant to evoke the musicians' childhoods and, far from a navel gazing tangent, that album became legendary and this feature length musical spectacle is well regarded for good reason.
Perfect Blue (1997) is the obvious winner for me, but embarrassingly I have not talked about it a lot so far. This is all in spite of it this going beyond being a favourite animated theatrical film to being a favourite film of all time. Satoshi Kon's debut production is a compelling film, and a rarity even into the modern day of a psychological thriller, one which was meant to originally be a live action film but, due to fate, was able to take advantage of animation's ability to manipulate reality to its advantage. Perfect Blue if you have never seen it readers is a dark film, a really dark and adult film with content done with a greater maturity then a lot of edgy anime yet will make a viewer squirm. It is also exceptional - a film you need to see if you have not - which takes a genre very common in live action, can be done badly, and even embraces clichés, and became legendary.
Best TV Series:
One honourable mention has to be mentioned. She: The Ultimate Weapon (2002) is too flawed in many ways, and I can see this also being held as emotionally manipulative, bleak for the sake of bleak. But even with mind to the nostalgia of seeing the show at the start of my anime fandom, and even back then reacting badly to the ending, it has too many virtues for me to appreciate. It is a really brave attempt at something that is, yes, insanely bleak to sit through yet feel emotionally fulfilling if as naive as its teen leads.
Getting onto the list properly, I felt since they befitted each other as siblings, two sports shows which were secretly dramas in disguise, who should share this spot as dynamic contrasts. Hanebado! (2018) was the first seen; with no connection to the manga, and why the adaptation is a contentious one, this was pure sports related melodrama whose dark side, over-the-top in literally turning a liked character into a little damaged sociopath on the badminton court, really won me over. Ping Pong the Animation (2014), the brother to Hanebado's sister as a male driven sports drama, is also about a sport, ping pong, but decided to be a narrative about coming of age and trying to find oneself. The bleak moments were contrasted, alongside the show's eccentric style, by its lightness, as Hanebado could ease up and show fun too. The pair having to challenge each other in competition to see who was superior is a cruel thing to do; both are different shows, even if in the same genre and type, and they should have the spot together.
Eccentric, and idiosyncratic, should be the words spoken for Lupin The Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (2012), a distinct production that was ambitious at the time, and still looks so now. Dear Brother (1991-2) sadly is a show that will be restricted in how you can see it, which saddens me as it is incredible as a high school melodrama, effectively a type of shojo anime I have not covered until this, which won me so into itself. This felt like a new step in terms of a type of anime I saw, and it was magnificent, alongside the fact Osamu Dezaki, in the director's seat, made the show his own and made it incredible too. The good thing is that, whilst a limited Blu Ray release, we at least got one from Discotek Media, that it was available for streaming in the US, and the only restrictions now are more the manga's author Riyoko Ikeda, a living cultural institution, has a lot more control on her work and selling the rights on different terms than other creators. That aspect is not something to judge her for, as it is not suppression, especially as I have my fingers crossed that, the more people know of her work, the more will change. The Rose of Versailles, the manga and the anime, were made available in the West in the 2020s, so Ikeda is going to grow in reputation in the West which will hopefully open her interests to our side of the globe more. Dear Brother is the kind of title that will hopefully become more and more available as the anime fandom is more likely to embrace it. I know I did, and it was spectacular.
And it is interesting, whilst basing these titles on their target gender audience is narrow minded and incongruous to their audiences, how much this year was dominated by anime of different genres being dominated by women in the lead roles, based on work by women, or The Woman Called Fujiko Mine with women prominently in the production steering its direction. Even with shows still helmed by men, you can have Revue Starlight (2018), entirely an all-female voice cast and cast, barring a talking giraffe, which is still feminist even in mind that it is based on a larger media franchise.
Revue Starlight is a wholesome, emotionally rich show which has a boldness to be weird and outlandish whilst singing. I was legitimately caught off guard by how good this show was, but it does it not get the top spot only because I covered The Vision of Escaflowne (1996). Escaflowne is incredible, and again, whilst a show for everyone, is still a production taking mecha and fantasy and focusing on a female protagonist, with a romantic triangle and drama that is rich. The attempt at an explicitly male audience targeted spin-off, Escaflowne: The Movie (2000), could have worked, but for a variety of reasons, it also felt clichéd. It says a lot of the magic in Escaflowne in that, willing to be adult, it is also wonderfully sweet.
The strength of the series alone points out something distinct, that usually for these amateur lists, the Best Films usually close out these posts over the last seasons I have done them. Not this time, simply realising it was much more cooler, more spectacular, to close on the fact, as a heterosexual male anime fan, I can end these writings, ramblings or of merit, with the fact work involving women in the productions. Of strong female leads, and shows almost entirely about women, which dominated this year, and just the televisions series alone have such a diverse range of genres, art styles and tones.
Even with the fact this was the season I covered almost all of Urotsukidôji, and had to see its problematic content alongside still find virtues in them, really adds seeing the contrasts over the season too. There was some sleazy, objectionable stuff which, perversely, emphasised that whilst with undefendable content, Urotsukidôji looked positively high art compared to other productions I saw. I can end this season by saying, even as far back into the 1990s, you have shows about women, sometimes directly involving women in their creation, which are incredible and should be the way to end this amateur award over anything else.
End
The rest of this October will be horror based work appropriate for
Halloween. Then we will get back on a role with a diverse range of titles.
Roll on to review #250.
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