#69: Thunderbolt Fantasy (2016)

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Director: Chris Huang and Jia-Shiang Wang

Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi

Voice Cast: Junichi Suwabe as Shāng Bù Huàn, Kousuke Toriumi as Lǐn Xuě Yā, Mai Nakahara as Dān Fěi, Tomokazu Seki as Miè Tiān Hái, Kenichi Suzumura as Juǎn Cán Yún, Nobuyuki Hiyama as Shā Wú Shēng, Rikiya Koyama as Shòu Yún Xiāo, Sayaka Ohara as Xíng Hài

Viewed in Japanese (and Taiwanese Hokkien and Mandarin) with English Subtitles

Synopsis: In a world of period fantasy, where the world has been split by a war between human beings and demons, a vagabond named Shāng Bù Huàn finds himself dragged into a conflict when Dān Fěi, a female member of an order known as the Seal Guardians, is the last surviving protector of an ancient sword of incredible power lusted over by the evil Miè Tiān Hái. With Shāng Bù Huàn forced to help by a mysterious and possibly untrustworthy trickster called Guǐ Niǎo, who brings in a demoness and warriors to help, they find themselves on a goal to go directly to Miè Tiān Hái himself and defeat him rather than let him acquire both necessary pieces to gain the sword.

Ah, I've delayed this review enough. I was excited by the idea of Thunderbolt Fantasy when I heard a series had been commissioned using puppetry. For an Englishman like myself who at least has seen one scene from Thunderbirds and such works which used marionettes, this piqued my interest in seeing an older style of entertain be resurrected, but actually starting the series this idea became even more enticing when I knew the full context of Thunderbolt Fantasy. We tend to forget animation includes stop motion and puppetry, and they deserve to be covered whether a Japanese anime steps into this¹. Thunderbolt Fantasy, when I started it, is even more intriguing as its a Japanese-Taiwanese co-production based on Taiwanese glove puppetry. Not only is it a case, as the show proudly shows, that this craft in the modern day creates some incredible pieces who move and interact as living characters but is it keeping a tradition alive, one which is not a Japanese one but a Taiwanese cultural staple being brought to a Japanese (and Western audience). It also means Thunderbolt Fantasy wasn't the Japanese action series using puppets as I thought it would be, but Taiwanese wuxia storytelling told with glove puppets, which is an entirely different tone and style to deal with, and is certainly unique for a thirteen episode series to have in terms of standing out from the crowd of anime productions.

If anything, even if the liberal use of CGI and magical projectiles over actual combat is annoying, you cannot argue stylistically Thunderbolt Fantasy is exceptional. The puppets themselves are incredibly well made creations, lavish and in spite of their fixed faces very expressionistic. Screenshots will give you a great idea that; as elaborate hand puppets rather than on strings as I'd originally presumed them to be without context, they move very fluidly within how they are used rather than the other traditional, and particularly for this type of magical fantasy, they are as recognisable and flamboyant as their various names and alias are in their poetry. In either case, the sense of verisimilitude is found so you can fully invest in them as characters regardless of what they actually are. The additional factor is that this is a wuxia story. Not just martial arts, but wuxia, a very specific form of storytelling which allows for more elaborate, even exaggerated events to transpire. Its carte blanche for all the ridiculous fight scenes, even if I wanted more puppet-on-puppet sword fights rather than them calling out special moves, but this is bearing in mind this is about style as much as a descendant and fantastical form of storytelling that can still be appreciated. One that is melodramatic and where martial artists and sword fighters here can perform superhuman feats.

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Set in its own fantasy, quasi-Asian world, where a war between humans and demons have left a split in the land, it doesn't completely explain the world but thankfully it never becomes about convoluted world building either. It uses its setting for character, which helps, such as it being enough for vagabond, grizzled member Shāng Bù Huàn and his claim to have passed over demonic wasteland to even lead to the murderous sociopath named the Screaming Phoenix to question and feel wary of the statement. The characters are interesting in themselves especially as Thunderbolt Fantasy gladly undercuts expectations by having flat-out villains being recruited into the party trying to defeat the main villain. If anything it's a motley and amoral group worthy of dramatic weight, the one pure figure in heroine Dān Fěi, a sect member protecting an ancient sword, the moral centre without becoming as wet as a dishcloth. A grumbling, out of place vagabond Shāng Bù Huàn, who actually has the most rewarding character arch when you finally figure out who he is. The utterly distrustful, trickster Guǐ Niǎo, whose place in this story becomes a huge crux of the narrative. One eyed archer Shòu Yún Xiāo and his cocky, headstrong apprentice Juǎn Cán Yún. A literal demoness Xíng Hài, who hates Guǐ Niǎo but still decides to join in when knowledge of the ancient sword in the centre of concern is of interest for her. And plenty of other circumstances, screenwriter Gen Urobuchi playfully undercutting expectations - one of the best [Spoiler alert] involves the serial killer Screaming Phoenix being a figure the heroes are forced to work with, when he kills Guǐ Niǎo's master, the stereotypical old and wise martial artist, easily and refuses to give the magical flute required for their task back. [Spoiler Ends].

This is plenty to work with, even when the story's a simple one where they have to try to work together, get to the main villain Miè Tiān Hái's skull lair past three obstacles - a landscape of undead, a stone golem and a labyrinth of death. Unfortunately screenwriter Urobuchi, one of the few that have developed named recognition for anime fans, was on an off-day for me with this series. This review will be controversial, as many liked the series, but Thunderbolt Fantasy suffers from Urobuchi's taste for plot twists in this particular case undercutting all the ripe, potential adventure and suspense this initial plot suggested. He likes plot twists a lot, and when he succeeds, he pens Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011) [Reviewed here], which was a constant gut punch and bleak take on the magical girl trope, but one with compelling storytelling and an emotional devastation behind every plot point, making all of them worthy of inclusion. Unfortunately the creative decisions completely undermine expectations in ways that fail.

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Characters promoted heavily in the opening credits, in fights more elaborate the show, die quickly on both sides and abruptly. Once or twice would be okay, but it happens a lot robbing a lot of great action scenes, strange to say as someone normally interested in drama. Many don't get as much detail of them when that would've helped the dramatic context grow, or are not given enough time to. In terms of the plot, obstacles in the heroes' quest like the rock golem are used in funny ways, others like the aforementioned labyrinth of nightmares are completely brushed aside and not used. The show eventually feels rushed when it gets to the latter half, not feeding off its potential plotting fully, the ending falling onto a generic demon god whose existence becomes an actual punch line. And its clichéd. As much as this is embracing tropes of wuxia, many don't feel like the right ones appropriate for this genre but from Urobuchi himself.

Ultimately, this emphasises that even though I view animation with such high admiration for the hard work behind them even over live action productions, there is a difference between being able to appreciate the good work even over ridiculous content and when a product becomes so flawed you are distracted from these artistic virtues. Even when thrown about as they are, the puppets deserve better than what happened. The same is for the music; I didn't like the opening credit theme by T.M.Revolution, but the score by Hiroyuki Sawanois eclectic and constantly inspired, deserving more than the clichéd materials here. When Thunderbolt Fantasy comes off as a predictable action fantasy, it feels like a waste of something even more significant as these glove puppets are works of art. It feels worst especially as the storytelling, which is the sole crippling flaw, does detract from the visuals, which makes it difficult to have pleasure in said aesthetics as well.

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1) One, Star Fleet (aka. X-Bomber) (1980), which is inspired by a Go Nagai manga  is a prominent example worthy of being covered.

#15: Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011)

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Director: Akiyuki Shinbo

Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi

Voice Cast: Aoi Yūki (as Madoka Kaname); Chiwa Saito (as Homura Akemi); Emiri Katō (as Kyubey); Ai Nonaka (as Kyōko Sakura); Eri Kitamura (as Sayaka Miki); Kaori Mizuhashi as Mami Tomoe and Tatsuya Kaname)

Viewed in Japanese with English Subtitles

Spoiler Warning: The paragraph explicitly dealing with major plot twists with be signposted so it can be avoided.

Madoka was an emotional rollercoaster, so to try to write about the twelve episode series is going to be difficult. It could be summed up as a deconstruction of the Magical Girl subgenre which Sailor Moon is the famous example of, where a teenage girl develops magical powers and an alternative identity to fight magical enemies, but that would be like saying Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-6) is merely a deconstruction of the giant robot genre only. The same theme that appears in anime for decade now appears here, hope even in the worst of circumstances, even in a world that is unremittingly bleak, but what's different here is that it's through a novel, extreme concept of the magical girl stereotype character being created through a Faustian pact. Like Evangelion bringing severe emotional weight to its content, the same is found here when two fourteen year old girls, Madoka and her friend Sayaka, encounter a cute cat-like creature who says he can give them any single wish if they become magical girls and fight witches, horrible deformities of people's souls who encourage others to commit suicide and feed off this type of death.

On paper, while the suicide aspect is dark, immediately brings to mind merely a slightly more adult and serious version of Sailor Moon, at least what people think Sailor Moon is, alongside the promotional art very deceiving to me of what I was ultimately going to get. Alongside Madoka and Sayaka are Mami, a slightly older girl who takes them under her wing before they even consider becoming magical girls, Homura, an unnervingly quiet transfer student who warms Madoka continually not to become a magical girl, and Kyōko, a misanthrophic magical girl who comes later into the show who only cares for the prizes slain witches leave rather than saving lives, the only thing she cares for being the vast quantities of food she is continually munching on. I liked the first two episodes, which have a lightness to them despite the dark subject material, from the humour of Madoka's classroom teacher to scenes of her family life, her mother a huge emotional crux she continually goes to for advice throughout the series. From episode three however, when a significant tragedy happens, what I jokingly viewed as one of the most depressing anime I've seen in a while builds from this shocking and unexpected death into a drama taken to the level of cosmic implications, taking the blatant metaphor in the story of a magical girl being a teenage girl becoming an adult and, letting the complications of emotional growth and awareness that all teenagers go through, be filtered through this dark fantasy from the perspective of Madoka. As she keeps hesitating in becoming a magical girl, she bears witness to the psychological trauma that takes place for everyone else, the magical girls and the witches not what they appear as the cute cat-mascot, Kyubey, turns out to be an alien with no concept of emotions whose purpose being the magical girls is literally described by him as cattle during an ethical argument with her. The series' message is very obvious and seen many times before, sacrifice and perseverance, but why the series does succeed is that, alongside its memorable visual style, is that it completely subverts the magical girl sub-genre and also allows unsettling implications to be written into the drama, where even the act of hope for one character can literally poison their soul and eventually turn them into a monster.

From http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sweet-dreams_3701.jpg

Magica is, openly from me, an incredibly powerful and beautiful made series, some of plotting abrupt but the bar is significantly high in terms of scope, gut impact and what quality is there. Here in particular the importance of a great voice performance really stood out. Even if I have to rely on English subtitles, unable to speak Japanese, every central performance (all done by actresses) stands out, making sure that it doesn't just become a misery fest of crying sequences and death but with sympathetic characters you care for. Even if the show sells itself on its lush character designs, bold and colour coded character designs by Ume Aoki which are memorable, a central figure like Madoka isn't just a cute pink haired teenager put in existential hell, but through the script and performances is utterly sympathetic even if the character is one in a long line of female characters who want to help everyone and will do everything to help others, a character type that could go badly wrong and become trite if it wasn't for the quality shows like this has. The visuals are also a huge factor to the show, sumptuous but helping subvert the tropes of the magical girl. Realistic city environments are contrasted by an inspired idea of the witches, far from monsters with a conventional aesthetic, being based on innocent symbolism. Their worlds within the main characters' world, called labyrinths, can be orchestral halls or full of food, whilst the witches can be drawn with crayon or cartoonish, big eyed creatures. From a circus theme to even the bottom half a giant schoolgirl who fires panties at people, they are whimsical and potentially silly monster designs from more light hearted shows given a severity when you witness the shock in the early episodes and what they represent, innocent symbols turned into the worst of humanity, made more unsettling when the cause of how the witches are created is revealed. The show uses a lot of digital layering and experiments with various animated styles, both making something as innocuous as a cotton ball with a moustache creepy but also helping with the fantastical nature of the show. While it cannot match the symbolic and surreal qualities of another show also from this year, Kunihiko Ikuhara's Mawaru Penguindrum, they both show that, whilst I miss the style hand drawn animation gave anime, that when it's at its best computer assisted animation after the 2000s, especially now, is capable of a new fantastical quality especially when the aesthetic is as bold as both of them. Like Penguindrum, Madoka shows the best quality of this new aesthetic style in that, alongside the voice acting, it allows a good script to be fleshed out with visual stimulus adding emotional importance. I could still joke about it being the meanest anime I've seen in a while, but it's not pointlessly cruel killing off characters for the sake of it, nor absurd to the point of being stupid, instead every plight felt to be poignant as much because of the production quality.

[Spoiler Warning: Skip ahead to after the next bracket if you don't want the series spoilt]

The style of the series, especially when it commits to its cosmic interpretation of its message, is ultimately rewarding after all the agony you suffer as a viewer if you can emotionally connect to it. Strangely the series ends the same way Serial Experiments Lain (1998) in some form, Madoka when all her friends baring Homura becoming witches or dead deciding to become an omniscient deity reverse this pain and save everyone else. The willingness to take risks, like killing off a central character you immediately love in episode three or the show's ending, which still is bleak as monsters still exist but means Madoka protects all magical girls from the fates they could suffer originally, is the sort of thing I love the most in anime. Its heightened and utterly melodramatic, a style close to the ridiculous that few western animated works is willing to attempt, something which appeals to me more than being safe and grounded emotionally without the fear of a beloved character dying or becoming a monster themselves.

[Spoiler Warning Ended. Read after this bracket to avoid spoiling the story]

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In a lot of ways the series isn't really a magical girl show thought. There are action scenes, and they are of importance, but most of the story over twelve episodes is concentrated on the drama itself, most of the characters soon into the show immediately dealing with the implications of being a magical girl than stumbling upon it to their horror after time fighting witches for a few episodes. It suggests a speculative "what-if", the show perfect as it is, from someone like me as an anime fan who does like a good twenty four episode show. The series is brisk in its plotting, causing me to wonder what it would've been like to have a monster-of-the week episode or two, some more comedy or more time to spread a story that takes a month chronologically into a slower pace. Episodes for Evangelion which could've been seen as filler early on proved to add important characterisation to its cast, making what happened later on more meaningful, and while Madoka works perfectly as it is, double the episode length if done well would've still worked, more time with Madoka, Mami, Homoru, Sayaka and Kyōko as the central cast would've had just as much power as the economic plotting in the series as it stand does. The only real issue with what has been done with the series for real is that, rather than additional episodes, there are now spin-offs that capitalised on its success. Like another popular franchise Full Metal Alchemist (2003), this is a potentially troublesome issue as the story for it and Madoka were final, meaning any continuation ultimately undoes the ending people liked originally. After two compilation films of the original series, this new story Rebellion (2013) was released in Japanese cinema, causing controversy for Western fans both for undoing the series' ending and a controversial plot twist using a beloved character. Rebellion looks visually fascinating in screenshots, but again the stuff that's upset peoples makes me hesitant to view, something I have to deal with when I eventually cover it on the blog. 

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