If you’re an anime fan, I’m sure you’ve been tempted to show a series that you’ve found incredible to your friends. I know I have but I’ve also run into the problem that most anime is serialised, meaning that I have to show them many episodes of setup before the series can reach the best bits. Considering how limited the time we hang out together can be, it can be hard to get invested in something that seemingly appears to be all setup. Instead, besides movies, I’ve found it more useful to show them episodic anime that I really like which has resulted in a surprising appeal for me when it comes to these series.
Don’t get me wrong, serialised storytelling is one of the things that attracted me to anime. Back when I first discovered anime, I was watching a lot of Western adult animated series and being able to watch an animated series that took the time to develop the story and not wrap everything up within a single episode felt very refreshing. I still tend to prefer this type of storytelling but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to watch some episodic series every now and again. The fact that it’s easy to show to my friends is a bonus!
When it comes to episodic anime series, one of my favourite franchises is Lupin the Third. While modern Lupin the Third series tend to be more serialised than earlier entries, even they don’t require knowledge of prior seasons and have their share of episodic episodes. However, both Part 1 and Part 2 of Lupin the Third are what I think of when I think of brilliant episodic anime storytelling. The cast of characters are so wonderfully charming and the premise of the series is perfect for fascinating one-off adventures.
Another fantastic episodic anime series is Mushishi. Following Ginko, a man who specialises in dealing with Mushi, creatures that appear supernatural and remind me of kami, the series is told episodically as he travels from place to place dealing with issues developing from the presence of Mushi around people. The series is wonderfully told and has this really pleasant atmosphere which I find really endearing.
I’ve also come across several series that are surprising hybrids of episodic and serialised storytelling. The first two series that I tend to think of when it comes to this format are Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Cowboy Bebop does have an overarching story but this is restricted to only several scattered episodes with the rest being episodic, telling the wacky situations and people that the main characters encounter. Similarly, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex also tells an overarching story with episodic episodes but these are more clearly marked. Each episode falls into a category of either Stand Alone or Complex. Stand Alone episodes are episodic while Complex episodes contribute to the ongoing narrative. While the main story of each series is serialised, I’ve still been able to show my friends some of the episodic episodes without much problem.
While I still prefer serialised storytelling when it comes to many of the anime I watch, I’ve found episodic series to be much easier to show to my friends. Let me know your thoughts on the surprising appeal of episodic anime, whether you agree with me, your thoughts on episodic anime in general, any other examples you can think of and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!