[Categories: Editorials]
Headscratchers: My Top 10 Thinking Fan’s Anime
Since it’s late and I’ve already added today’s review I thought I’d fall back on the old Top Ten List idea instead of a proper post that involves screencaps and stuff. This time it’s the turn of the more intellectual fare that gets labelled as ‘pretentious’ or ‘hard to understand’ by some but ‘artistic’ and ‘profound’ by others. The criteria for ‘headscratcher’ is hard to define: the standards I use here go on having to watch a series/film more than once to understand it; the sort where you watch it two or three times and still have something new to think about. They’re also the sort that polarise opinion (read: start flame wars on forums) so if you think there’s anything that deserves to be on this list but isn’t (my viewing experience is limited, I know) or vice-versa, don’t hesitate from saying so in the comments section below. So, on with the list…
10. FLCL
A zany comedy with coming-of-age bits thrown in…Gainax style. FLCL epitomises the phrase ‘method in the madness’: behind every random and insane event is a symbol or metaphore for the pain and confusion that growing up brings. Nobody even knows what ‘furi kuri’ means (it’s often attributed to a slang phrase for groping a woman’s breasts - a connection that is apparently untrue) but anyone can relate to poor Naota’s confusion towards his bewildering and manic life.
9. Angel’s Egg
An early effort from Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii, Angel’s Egg is one of those films that comes across as deep and philosophical, or obtuse and vague, depending on how deeply you are drawn into the dark and strangely beautiful world. I still have my suspicions as to whether even Oshii himself knew what the feck it was about but it will leave you with a myriad of theories and unanswered questions afterwards.
8. RahXephon
Often unfairly compared with Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon has some thematic similarities but is otherwise a tremendous show in its own right. At its heart Rah is a romance that traverses time and space; it’s also a complex sci-fi thriller that throws in a lot of myth, legend and conspiracy. The film answers some questions but asks as many more again!
7. Ghost in the Shell/Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
The 1995 feature-length adaptation of Masumune Shirow’s manga and the more recent sequel brought the marriage of blistering action and slick CGI into the mainstream; it also gave director Mamoru Oshii ample opportunity to set his philosophical musings to the screen. Behind the gunfights and the voluptuous Major jumping off buildings, Ghost in the Shell examines the meaning of identity, individuality and even the human soul in a world in which computers match the power of our own minds.
6. Akira
An old fan favourite, Akira still enthralls fans with the complex sci-fi conspiracies and awe-inspiring cyberpunk backgrounds. You might have watched it in your youth because the bike chases and violence scared your parents but very few will dare claim that they know exactly what the hell is happening at the end.
5. Paranoia Agent
Satoshi Kon’s first foray into the made-for-TV format, Paranoia Agent is a sharp and darkly comical social commentary on today’s world. It is also a crime thriller in which two detectives hunt down a mysterious assailant. The sight of a baseball bat-weilding boy on rollerblades delivering his own brand of salvation is bound to have any viewer muttering “what the…?”
4. Haibane Renmei
The fantasy-drama brainchild of character designer/artist Yoshitoshi ABe, Haibane Renmei is initially a whimsical portrayal of an idyllic life with some Western angelology thrown in. As the series progresses though, we are drawn into a fantastical setting straight out of a Haruki Murakami novel that has some profound things to say about friendship, forgiveness and loss.
3. Perfect Blue
Satoshi Kon’s directorial debut, Perfect Blue is a mind-bending look at the consequences of fame and success in today’s world. Strikingly realistic one moment and terrifyingly surreal the next, this allegorical tale of one actress’s descent into fear and paranoia is a Hitchcock-esque masterpiece that plays out like a bad dream.
2. Neon Genesis Evangelion
I couldn’t compile a list of this sort without Neon Genesis Evangelion, the one series that still divides opinion as to its real meaning over a decade after its original release. The first half is a monster-of-the-week mecha show in which angsty teens battle creatures known as ‘Angels’ to save the world; later on the conspiracies, character drama and director Hideaki Anno’s fascination with Freudian psychology throw it deep into introspection and an act of catharsis for its creator’s bout of clinical depression. Evangelion boasts not one but two separate endings (one made-for-TV, the other theatrical); neither fully address every issue that viewers still have with the show.
1. Serial Experiments Lain
Perhaps the biggest animated head-f*** to date, Serial Experiments Lain melds science fiction, social commentary and philosophy that has had fans scratching their heads until they bleed and speculating over what the writers were trying to say in the first place. The episodes are termed ‘layers’, which neatly sums up how the viewer can delve through numerous levels of meaning, while coming up with either a number of explanations or the simple conclusion that people today use computers as a safe haven from reality. It made artist Yoshitoshi ABe hot property in the industry, as he went on to work on a number of other innovative and intellectual series.
That’s all I can think of right now. No doubt you will question the order or even the inclusion of some of these: I would have dearly loved to have the likes of Boogiepop Phantom and Kino’s Journey on here but sadly I have yet to watch them for myself. The above titles are included for a number of reasons so your own criteria may differ - I’ll be really interested to hear your own thoughts!
Posted on January 16th, 2008 @ 2:25 am
I love Serial Experiments Lain XD Great pick. It was pretty confusing but I could follow it well enough. I suggest you watch Ergo Proxy (my all time favorite).