Inspiration

I’ve watched anime for close to 30 years. I’d say 28 or so. If you count Transformers as an anime (I do because it’s based on a Japanese product and animated overseas in Asia somewhere, then I’d have been watching it for a clean 30. I have seen some terrible, terrible, sh*t in my day but, at the same time, some of the best shows I have ever had the pleasure of digesting was from Nihon. Evangelion, Ghost In The Shell, and Akira all come to mind. Outstanding animation. Outstanding narrative. Characters that have stood the test of time and become, in their own right, iconic. There have been some brilliant gems in this new crop of anime as well. Erased is easily the best thing I’ve watched since Breaking Bad and that isn’t even an exaggeration. So it’s mad vexing to me that people still give anime fans sh*t.

Seriously, Re:Zero is f*cking amazing. It deconstructs a newly popular genre, and creates something engaging and unique while still feeling familiar. That sh*t is brilliant. One Punch Man is the quintessential Anti-Shonen outing but it’s beautifully animated and crazy tongue in cheek. There’s a reason why it’s so popular. Even though it’s so good and chock full of satire about anime itself, I still get sh*t for suggesting it. We’re not even going to get into that artistic, surreal, flair like Angel’s Egg or Monogatari. The access point for shows like that is crazy high but, goddamn, they are pure brilliance. I can go on and on with shows worth a watch (Overlord, Saga of Tanya the Evil, Gilgamesh, Anything Tenchi, Speed Grapher, Anything Fate, Mnemosyne, Mai Hime, Desert Punk, Burst Angel, Melody of Oblivion, Elfen Lied, Hero Academia, Food Wars; the list is vast and infinite) but that doesn’t even matter. The second I tell them it’s anime, I get shut down. But these assholes are quick to tell me shows like Nails or Power or Empire or Kevin Can Wait are super good. Look, I get that you enjoy those terrible, terrible, clichés but I don’t really need to watch another cookie cutter, prime time, turd. Where’s the originality? The diversity? The goddamn creativity? With the exception of a handful of shows, America television fails at all of the above. But anime? Nah, son. There’s at least two show a season that scream original idea. And they’re usually dope as f*ck.

Is it the adult themes that turn the American palette? Japan tends to sexualize the f*ck out of their female characters but can you blame them? Wish fulfillment, I suppose or an inherent inferiority complex put to paper? IS that really something so disturbing stateside? The media here does a goddamn fantastic job of sexualizing kids and women, too. Kylie Jenner immediately comes to mind. What about ol’ girl from Modern Family, Ariel Winter? Anytime she walked the carpet at any event, they zoomed right in on her gigantic bosoms. I think she was, what? 15 when that started? It became so much of a problem, chick went and got a breast reduction. At 17. That’s wild to me but somehow that’s fine, to ogle a real life teenager, but Yoko Litner is a problem because she’s a busty ass, bikini clad, Short-Short wearing, 14 year old character in an anime with gigantic robots and space f*cking aliens! Like that’s a problem but sexually objectifying a flesh and blood teenager into body mutilation isn’t? Get the f*ck out of here!

Can it be the stigma that animation is just for kids? I honestly believe it’s this one but seriously? Just because it’s animated doesn’t mean it can’t be compelling. Requiem For A Dream literally rips off a scene from Perfect Blue, shot for shot. Darren Aronofsky bought the rights to Perfect Blue, specifically to rip off that bath tub scene for his own film. A decorated visionary like that, looked at that anime from Satoshi Kon, and thought to himself, “This scene is brilliant and perfect in every way. I wish I could put it in one of my films so I am going to buy the rights to adapting this entire film stateside, specifically for this one, 2 minute, goddamn bathtub scene”. And them, of course, there’s Inception or rather, Americanized Paprika - Also a Kon production. The similarities between the themes presented within Kon’s masterpiece and what Nolan did with Inception are undeniable. And Nolan doesn’t even try to deny it. Cat is forthright about Paprika’s influence on he pet project and it really, really, shows. Oh, but that can just be chalked up to how dope Satoshi Kon was. Name another anime adapted or influenced a major Hollywood blockbuster. I’ll list three; Ghost In The Shell has influenced everything from The Matrix to Ex Machina. Kimba The White Lion has it’s paw prints all over Disney’s Lion King. Seriously, that sh*t borders on plagiarism. If you try to tell me Pacific Rim isn’t a homage to Gundam, Escaflowne, and the Sentai series, I’ll fight you. So, then, if some of our most visionary and creative studio directors see the worth in anime, why is it so taboo to enjoy it? They obviously do. So much so, they actively incorporate it into their films and everyone eats that sh*t up. But because the source material is a bunch of colored drawings, I’m an asshole for enjoying them? Right. Mr. ET himself, Steven Spielberg, has been actively trying to adapt GUNNM for decades and JJ Abrams, Spielberg junior, is actively adapting Your Name for live action to cater to American audiences. But I’m the asshole. Right.

Is it because anime comes with subtitles and you’re forced to read? You know what? This might be the reason. Dun’t nobody reed too gud in ‘Murrica. #MAGA!

I couldn’t tell you why anime is so downtrodden here in the states. It’s truly amazing when you actively engage with it. Sure, just like everything else, a few series can be perverted, superficial, or daft. But there are real gems out there and writing them off just because they happen to tell a wonderful story through animation or just because you have to read subtitles is both lazy and a disservice to yourself. Especially if you consider yourself a cinemaphile.

Inspiration

I’ve watched anime for close to 30 years. I’d say 28 or so. If you count Transformers as an anime (I do because it’s based on a Japanese product and animated overseas in Asia somewhere, then I’d have been watching it for a clean 30. I have seen some terrible, terrible, sh*t in my day but, at the same time, some of the best shows I have ever had the pleasure of digesting was from Nihon. Evangelion, Ghost In The Shell, and Akira all come to mind. Outstanding animation. Outstanding narrative. Characters that have stood the test of time and become, in their own right, iconic. There have been some brilliant gems in this new crop of anime as well. Erased is easily the best thing I’ve watched since Breaking Bad and that isn’t even an exaggeration. So it’s mad vexing to me that people still give anime fans sh*t.

Seriously, Re:Zero is f*cking amazing. It deconstructs a newly popular genre, and creates something engaging and unique while still feeling familiar. That sh*t is brilliant. One Punch Man is the quintessential Anti-Shonen outing but it’s beautifully animated and crazy tongue in cheek. There’s a reason why it’s so popular. Even though it’s so good and chock full of satire about anime itself, I still get sh*t for suggesting it. We’re not even going to get into that artistic, surreal, flair like Angel’s Egg or Monogatari. The access point for shows like that is crazy high but, goddamn, they are pure brilliance. I can go on and on with shows worth a watch (Overlord, Saga of Tanya the Evil, Gilgamesh, Anything Tenchi, Speed Grapher, Anything Fate, Mnemosyne, Mai Hime, Desert Punk, Burst Angel, Melody of Oblivion, Elfen Lied, Hero Academia, Food Wars; the list is vast and infinite) but that doesn’t even matter. The second I tell them it’s anime, I get shut down. But these assholes are quick to tell me shows like Nails or Power or Empire or Kevin Can Wait are super good. Look, I get that you enjoy those terrible, terrible, clichés but I don’t really need to watch another cookie cutter, prime time, turd. Where’s the originality? The diversity? The goddamn creativity? With the exception of a handful of shows, America television fails at all of the above. But anime? Nah, son. There’s at least two show a season that scream original idea. And they’re usually dope as f*ck.

Is it the adult themes that turn the American palette? Japan tends to sexualize the f*ck out of their female characters but can you blame them? Wish fulfillment, I suppose or an inherent inferiority complex put to paper? IS that really something so disturbing stateside? The media here does a goddamn fantastic job of sexualizing kids and women, too. Kylie Jenner immediately comes to mind. What about ol’ girl from Modern Family, Ariel Winter? Anytime she walked the carpet at any event, they zoomed right in on her gigantic bosoms. I think she was, what? 15 when that started? It became so much of a problem, chick went and got a breast reduction. At 17. That’s wild to me but somehow that’s fine, to ogle a real life teenager, but Yoko Litner is a problem because she’s a busty ass, bikini clad, Short-Short wearing, 14 year old character in an anime with gigantic robots and space f*cking aliens! Like that’s a problem but sexually objectifying a flesh and blood teenager into body mutilation isn’t? Get the f*ck out of here!

Can it be the stigma that animation is just for kids? I honestly believe it’s this one but seriously? Just because it’s animated doesn’t mean it can’t be compelling. Requiem For A Dream literally rips off a scene from Perfect Blue, shot for shot. Darren Aronofsky bought the rights to Perfect Blue, specifically to rip off that bath tub scene for his own film. A decorated visionary like that, looked at that anime from Satoshi Kon, and thought to himself, “This scene is brilliant and perfect in every way. I wish I could put it in one of my films so I am going to buy the rights to adapting this entire film stateside, specifically for this one, 2 minute, goddamn bathtub scene”. And them, of course, there’s Inception or rather, Americanized Paprika - Also a Kon production. The similarities between the themes presented within Kon’s masterpiece and what Nolan did with Inception are undeniable. And Nolan doesn’t even try to deny it. Cat is forthright about Paprika’s influence on he pet project and it really, really, shows. Oh, but that can just be chalked up to how dope Satoshi Kon was. Name another anime adapted or influenced a major Hollywood blockbuster. I’ll list three; Ghost In The Shell has influenced everything from The Matrix to Ex Machina. Kimba The White Lion has it’s paw prints all over Disney’s Lion King. Seriously, that sh*t borders on plagiarism. If you try to tell me Pacific Rim isn’t a homage to Gundam, Escaflowne, and the Sentai series, I’ll fight you. So, then, if some of our most visionary and creative studio directors see the worth in anime, why is it so taboo to enjoy it? They obviously do. So much so, they actively incorporate it into their films and everyone eats that sh*t up. But because the source material is a bunch of colored drawings, I’m an asshole for enjoying them? Right. Mr. ET himself, Steven Spielberg, has been actively trying to adapt GUNNM for decades and JJ Abrams, Spielberg junior, is actively adapting Your Name for live action to cater to American audiences. But I’m the asshole. Right.

Is it because anime comes with subtitles and you’re forced to read? You know what? This might be the reason. Dun’t nobody reed too gud in ‘Murrica. #MAGA!

I couldn’t tell you why anime is so downtrodden here in the states. It’s truly amazing when you actively engage with it. Sure, just like everything else, a few series can be perverted, superficial, or daft. But there are real gems out there and writing them off just because they happen to tell a wonderful story through animation or just because you have to read subtitles is both lazy and a disservice to yourself. Especially if you consider yourself a cinemaphile.