Anime Corner Dec 2011 Vol. I

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Greetings everyone and welcome to the first of three new Anime Corner columns here at Screen One.

As is the tradition, it is time to take a look back at some of the great Anime releases of 2011 before a look forward to the titles licensed and scheduled for a UK release in 2012.

In this first of two retrospective columns, I present to you my personal picks from the many great anime titles released this year in the UK with my top shows that aired in Japan to follow in the next article. As ever feel free to agree or disagree as is your won't.

While the UK is still a little behind the US and a lot behind Japan when it comes to anime releases, the gap is indeed closing within each passing year. Some of the titles that made it to UK shelves are barely a year away from their original TV broadcast in their native Japan which can only be seen as a good sign for us Brits, while a few over looked titles from yesteryear continue to find their way to our shores. Anime Blu-Ray releases have seen an increase in 2011 although not every title has been a success due to high prices, despite some huge shows being given the HD treatment including Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Highschool Of The Dead. Blu-ray films tend to prosper more, and this year there have been more anime films released than ever before.

Enough market analysis, let’s proceed with MIB’s Top Ten anime releases of 2011:

10. K-ON!

I’ve said it before but it is worth repeating, K-ON! is currently THE guilty pleasure show in anime – yet it is so damn good to boot. It is a true feel good show that, despite almost drowning in moe, is accessible and engaging. The simple tale of four school girls who form a rock band in order to keep the school’s light music club alive is rich with strong, likeable characters, silly humour, identifiable slice-of-life situations and some fun rocking tune to boot. And with a second series, a movie currently on release in Japan and a run of chart topping singles in Japan, this is one franchise that looks set to be around for a while. Rock on!

9. The Disappearance Of Haruhi Suzumiya

The inevitable big screen outing for everyone’s favourite time altering nuisance makes for a bold and visually stunning transition, as well as taking the very brave step of eliminating the titular character for the bulk of the film! Thankfully no harm is done as this gives secondary characters Kyon (our weary narrator) and Yuki a chance to step into the limelight and successfully carry the load as they investigate how and why their reality has altered, taking Haruhi and the existence of the SOS brigade out of the equation. A little long at over two and half hours but still pure Haruhi and a strong story worthy of the feature length treatment.

8. Casshern Sins

What do you do when you wake up in the middle of nowhere, with no memories of who you are and everyone you meet blames you for the end of the world? That is the plight of the titular hero in this melancholic but thoughtful sci-fi series, a reboot of an earlier show. Casshern travels across desolate plains to seek answers having learned he killed a woman named Luna whose death subsequently brought about the apocalypse known as “the Ruin” which is wiping out human and robot existence. This is heavy stuff with plenty of introspection and existentialist musings but never excludes the viewer, while the visuals eschew the typical anime designs to present something quite unique. One for the more discerning viewer.

7. Xam’d - Lost Memories

Taking its cue from many influences including Eureka Seven and Miyazaki’s Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Winds, this colourful and action packed series revolves around the transformation from ordinary schoolboy to biological monstrous being known as a Xam’d for young Akiyuki Takehara. He finds salvation with a ragtag bunch on a mail delivery ship while his girlfriend joins the military who are also trying to create their own Xam’d like creatures. With top notch animation and artwork and a well crafted story, this show manages to stand apart from its obvious inspirations.

6. Phantom – Requiem For The Phantom

A young Japanese chap in America finds himself embroiled in the criminal underworld as a ruthless assassin, having had his memories erased, alongside a reprogrammed young girl known only as Ein. Working under the nom-de-plume of Phantom they become a feared team but the power struggles of the criminal elite puts their lives in jeopardy. A hard hitting and action filled drama with a human side as the two young protagonists struggle to rebuild their lives while trying to stay alive. A bullet ridden, plot twisting affair that hits the target every time.

5. Freedom

Originally devised as a joint promotional project to mark the 35^th anniversary of Nissin Cup Noodles, this seven part OVA tells the tale of a young upstart on a moon base colony who discovers that despite government insistence, there is still life on earth and breaks the law in order to investigate for himself. A stunning piece of animation and solid sci-fi story telling, with character designs by Akira supreme Katsuhiro Otomo, this thankfully delivers much more than blatant product placement for cup noodles and doesn’t disappoint.

4. 5 Centimetres Per Second

Referring to the speed at which a sakura (cherry blossom) leaf falls from its branch, this portmanteau offering comes from Makoto Shinkai. It tells of three stages in the life of Takaki Tōno and the trials, tribulations and regrets of his search for true love with two girls, Akari Shinohara and Kanae Sumida spanning three decades. In true Shinkai style this is a real treat for the eyes while the story unfolds at a gentle pace with an air of melancholy and pathos which engages rather than bores. Despite clocking in at just over an hour this still has the power to resonate deeply with the viewer.

3. Redline

Talk about an assault of the senses, this is THE anime film to blow your mind and then some. Set in the future where illegal drag races are a cult hit, cocky young driver JP enters the infamous Redline race where survival is the only prize greater than winning. A film seven years in the making due to being hand drawn and not computer generated, the art style is unlike anything else in anime and thus immediately stands out from the crowd with it garish colours and 50’s style US poster art. With girls, violence and thrills galore from a turbo charged race to end all races, this is a car film that even The Stig would worship!

2. Summer Wars

Kenji Koiso, a mathematics genius and computer geek, is shocked to be invited to the birthday celebration of the 90 year-old great-grandmother of school hotty Natsuki Shinohara. Unfortunately Kenji inadvertently triggers a global catastrophe by releasing an invading body into Oz, the computer system which controls the world. Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) delivers another heart warming and quirky film that also endeavours to batter the eyeballs into submission with some impressive visuals when entering the cyber reality of Oz. Great fun.

NO. 1 - EVANGELION 2.22 – YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE

Expecting something else? An obvious choice, perhaps but there is no denying that Hideaki Anno’s latest reboot of his classic opus Neon Genesis Evangelion has completely revitalised the franchise. Splitting the story across four feature length films and, as we saw with this second entry, revamping the story with new characters and plot points, we are hopefully getting closer to Anno’s original vision for this existentialist sci-fi tale and if this instalment is any indication, the payoff should be quite the experience.

An unusually film heavy list this year but the quantity and quality of the big screen releases has been exceptional. That’s not to say there haven’t been some strong series making their mark in 2011. Including:

Rideback:A young dancer sees her dream destroyed due to an injury but her ballet skills help her pilot a new mecha vehicle and gets caught up in a world of terrorism and government intrigue as a result. A unique twist on an old premise.

Birdy The Mighty: Decode: Body swap sci-fi series in which a teenage boy gets to live out the ultimate dream of sharing a body with a sexy female alien police investigator. Despite the tawdry potential of the concept, this remains on the right side of entertaining.

Highschool Of The Dead: Zombies, blood soaked carnage, gravity defying boobs and nudity. Need I say more?

The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya 2: Welcome second series for the iconic troublemaker marred by the bold but tedious “Infinite Eight” arc.

Darker Than Black: Gemini Of The Meteor:Another second series this time a more thoughtful and focused continuation of the tale of the feuding Contractors embroiled in an international incident with violent repercussions.

Coming next: my pick of the shows which aired in Japan during 2011.

If you have any comments on it or just wish to discuss Anime and movies in general then please feel free to drop by the Screen One forums HERE.

Thanks for reading and until next time, this is the Man In Black saying Sayonara!