Your Guide To Anime
By Sara Ellis, N2Arts Correspondent
How to pick the best titles
 

ver the past decade and a half, the popularity of Japanese animation has grown tremendously and Anime has now become a major presence on TV, the Internet, and computer screens around the world. Where once a few beat up copies of Akira would be jammed somewhere between the science fiction and the foreign film section at the local video store, many stores have now created entire sections to meet the demand for newly imported titles.

“Anime” has arguably become Japan’s biggest cultural import, and while it’s certainly a great opportunity to learn about Japanese culture, the speed in which it has gained popularity has made it intimidating for potential newcomers. How do you know which videos to rent and which ones you should avoid?

This confusion is understandable. The sheer number of titles and genres has made understanding anime seem as difficult as knowing which shoes goes with which outfit. Some programs, such as Sailor Moon have a higher than Baywatch ditz factor, while other selections, like Mamoru Oshii’s Jin-Roh, have all the slow-paced, occasionally yawn-inducing excitement of studying for the SATs.

With anime, Japan is not only exporting entertainment, but its culture as well. As University of Texas professor Susan Napier commented on National Public Radio last January, “Unlike fans of Star Trek or Lord of the Rings, anime fans are compelled by a real culture with a real language.” It’s hard to know where to start, so here’s a simple-as-possible rundown on some things anime.

If you’re new to anime, the first thing you may find confusing is the fan vernacular. A brief Japanese lesson may be needed to help you decipher the flame wars.

• Otaku: Geek, Nerd, Anime fan. While the name is taken with pride among young anime fans in America, “otaku” is still a much maligned word in Japan, where it implies the kind of socially-inept, greasy-haired sofa slug.

• Mania: “Fan boy (or girl).” Like “otaku,” “mania” is also the weapon of choice used by conformists and jocks to deride a strong enthusiasm for anything seen as “nerdy.”

• Baka: “Baka” or “bakka” is the all-purpose word for stupid. Both adjective and noun it can be used affectionately or as a harsher insult.

• Cosplay: The act of dressing up as your favorite anime character and attending a convention. Americans have been doing it since Star Trek and Dark Shadows, but thanks to Japan, we now have a word for it. A person who attends a cosplay in full dress is referred to as a “cosplayer.”

As for titles, Japanese animation has an eighty year history. Here are a few selections to start with:

• Akira: Katsuhiro Otomo’s thrilling sci-fi epic is known as the breakthrough film that boosted interest in Japanese animation abroad.

• Evangelion: Like many sci-fi or fantasy live action shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, anime series in Japan provide the intelligent dialogue, unforgettable characters and hidden social commentary that are sorely lacking in the conformist messages mainstream television. This 1990’s cult hit about a group of “chosen” and very alienated teens who must save the world from the apocalypse is the perfect remedy for grieving Buffy fans.

• Ghost in the Shell: This film from director Mamoru Oshii provided strong inspiration for The Matrix, and many will argue, had a much better ending.

• Cowboy Bebop: A multi-genre extravaganza, both musically and cinematically, this series follows the adventures of a ragtag group of planet hopping bounty hunters. The big screen version of the film, released in Japan in July 2001, is also notable for its eerie prescience of the September 11th attacks.

• Anything by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli: If you haven’t had a chance to see Kiki’s Delivery Service, Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, The Princess Mononoke, or Spirited Away, then these Studio Ghibli masterpieces are the perfect way to start.

  

  Sara K. Ellis has been living in Tokyo for the last ten years. She loves comic books and anime. She can be reached by email at nostalgianaut@yahoo.com.