Category: Anime

Isekai: Not as Modern as You Think

Published May 7, 2020

While I am perusing the news articles on websites such as Anime News Network and UK Anime Network, I notice a word that pops up again and again, “Isekai”. This genre has become so entrenched in modern otaku culture that it can sometimes feel inseparable.

Isekai refers to a story where a person is either transported or reincarnated into a different world (usually but not exclusively a fantasy world). While it is tempting to describe isekai as a new phenomenon, the reality is that isekai has existed in many forms for a long time. A Japanese folktale named “Urashima Tarō” is often cited as a heavy influence on isekai.

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The Beauty of Different Anime Art Styles

Published April 27, 2020

There is a common misconception that anime, as a whole, has only one art style. “Just big-eyed cute girls right?” or “Just spiky headed male characters right?” However, this could not be further from the truth! As anime has grown, many creators and artists have left their mark on what the look of anime can be.

As touched on in “Western Animation: Why it’s Worth Watching“, anime was initially heavily influenced by western animation. Momotaro: Sacred Sailors, the first animated feature film from Japan, attempted to copy the Disney style seen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Fantasia. Looking at Sazae-san and Astro Boy, both based on manga from the 40s and 50s, we can see characters drawn in a squat style similar to Betty Boop or Popeye.

An image of Astro Boy flying in the 1963 TV series. — Astro Boy’s art style was heavily influenced by western animation of the time.

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Fan Service: Past, Present and Future

Published April 13, 2020

Most assuredly one of the most infamous aspects of anime and manga, I have made my opinion on fan service well known. However, let’s discuss the history of fan service, what it started out as and what it has become and how it should perhaps change, particularly as Japanese popular culture becomes more global.

When hearing the words “Fan Service”, I and many others immediately imagine the image of highly sexualized anime and manga characters (usually female) in provocative positions and outfits. However, it might interest you to remember that the term fan service simply means content that pleases the audience and can mean a wide variety of things.

Mecha series are an excellent example of non-sexual fan service where close up shots reveal the details and workings of the mechs.

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The Advent and Decline of the OVA (Original Video Animation)?

Published April 2, 2020

It is likely that, if you’re an anime fan, you have heard the term OVA before. But what is an OVA and how and why has this format developed? An OVA stands for “Original Video Animation” and refers to anime that’s released initially on home video formats such as DVDs and Blu-Rays (although historically this would also include VHS and LaserDisc).

It is important to note that direct to video doesn’t have the same negative reputation in Japan as it does in the West. Back when VHS began to be released, a new genre known as “V-Cinema” was developed which saw Japanese indie directors release their films straight to home video. By the time the first OVA (Dallos) was released, direct to video was viewed as a respectable, perhaps even prestigious, way to release content.

Dallos (directed by Mamoru Oshii) is often viewed as the first OVA series.

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Why Are Anime Compilation Films Still Produced?

Published March 26, 2020

Have you ever noticed a new film is coming out from an anime franchise that you really like, you get excited and then you learn that it is merely a compilation film? It can be pretty disheartening when you come to that realization but why does this happen and why does anime continue to create films in this style when it seems the rest of the world has moved on?

But what is a compilation film? A compilation film is where you take footage that was previously released and edit them to produce a film. This film might include some new footage, narration, music etc but will still be predominantly made up of content that was released before. When it comes to anime compilation films, the footage is usually from TV series that are edited so that a section of the story is presented with some parts from the show shortened or removed.

Clearly the crew of Puella Magi Madoka Magica saw upgrading the fence as vital content. (Top: TV series. Middle: Home video. Bottom: Compilation film).

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Literal Vs Adaptive Translation: Which Is Better?

Published March 16, 2020

When translating a work, should you translate everything verbatim or should you change words so that the intent is carried across? This is a question that I have seen arise again and again and, while I have a strong preference on the matter, I thought it might be worth examining the pros and cons of each and why some people might prefer one over the other. While much of this can be applied to any medium that is translated from one language to another, my focus is going to be primarily on manga and anime.

Before we begin analyzing translation, I should first explain that there is no “one true translation” from Japanese to English. Japanese is from the Japonic language family while English is part of the Indo-European language family. Along with the geographical distance between their points of origin, this inherently means that many sentences can be translated in multiple ways and still be correct.

A map of the Indo-European language family.

A map of the Japonic language family.

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Gundam Timelines: Not As Confusing As You Think Part 2

Published March 12, 2020

Here is the conclusion of my article that began in “Gundam Timelines: Not As Confusing As You Think Part 1“.

Cosmic Era

Cosmic Era is the setting for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny. Easily one of the most popular timelines which enjoyed tremendous sales and high Gunpla sales. Gundam SEED sees the conflict between normal humans called “Naturals” who live on Earth and genetically modified humans called “Coordinators” who live on colonies in space. The Cosmic Era was also the first alternate timeline to receive a sequel series, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny, a testament to its success.

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Gundam Timelines: Not As Confusing As You Think Part 1

Published March 9, 2020

As I mentioned in “Gundam 40th Anniversary“, one of the more intimidating aspects of Gundam is the various timelines. Before I began watching Gundam, I too was intimidated by this aspect. However, it is not nearly as complicated as it first appears.

The first thing to remember is that each timeline is separate. The only exceptions are Turn A Gundam which contains references to other timelines and Gundam Reconguista in G which references a previous timeline. Beyond that, no timeline connects with each other. Therefore, the most important thing to do is to start at the beginning of a timeline. To help with that, I will explain each timeline and where to start within that timeline.

Universal Century

Universal Century can be considered to be the quintessential Gundam timeline and is easily the most developed. The original Mobile Suit Gundam is part of this timeline along with its sequels Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and Mobile Suit Victory Gundam. In addition to these TV series, this timeline contains a variety of spin-offs, OVAs and movies. You will see that my most common recommendation will be to start with the first show produced in a timeline which in this case would be the Mobile Suit Gundam TV series or the Mobile Suit Gundam movie trilogy which tells the story of the TV series in a more condensed format. However, for this timeline, I would actually recommend the OVA prequel Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin which is set before the original series and lays the groundwork for the war and politics as well as providing a wide range of characters with added depth.

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My Thoughts On Collecting Merchandise

Published March 5, 2020

Whether you are into anime, manga, video games, western animation etc, it is near impossible to avoid the intense marketing of merchandise. Whenever I enter a GameStop store these days, I note how much of the store is now dedicated to merchandising. Perusing Twitter (and the internet in general), I am flooded with ads for collectible figurines, plushies, mugs etc. Why is merchandising so crucial to the industries and what are my thoughts on collecting it?

Merchandising has always been important as a source of revenue for anime. When Osamu Tezuka created the 1963 TV series of Astro Boy, he realized that he would not be able to recoup his costs from television networks. Instead, merchandising was viewed as key to making the Astro Boy anime profitable. Even today, merchandising is vital to the anime industry with series such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica bringing in $400 million of merchandise within 2 years. I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the most successful anime franchises of all time, Gundam and the fact that the series has made billions in merchandising.

Astro Boy established the importance of merchandising for anime.

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Sub Vs Dub: Why I Watch Both

Published February 24, 2020

I was perusing twitter the other day and noticed that the argument of Sub Vs Dub had cropped up again. I have stated in the past that neither is superior and that it is up to the viewer to decide which they prefer in their anime. However, I thought it might be interesting to discuss my own thoughts on the matter and why I watch some anime dubbed and others subbed.

When I began to watch anime around 2008/2009, I chose to watch everything I could watch dubbed. Occasionally I would watch an anime subbed if I heard that the dub was poor or if there was no dub at all (looking at you Ocean Waves and, at the time, Only Yesterday!) but I would guess that I watched around 90% of my anime dubbed back then.

Only Yesterday did not receive an English dub until 2016.

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