“Kaiji” – An Introduction to One of my Favourite Anime

8. Sep 201620. Jul 2023 / ElenaDS / 1 Comment

Genres: Seinen | Thriller | Psychological | Gambling

Rating: R (17+)

Studio: Madhouse

Year: 2007 (Season 1) | 2011 (Season 2)

Streaming License: Crunchyroll

What is this?

“Kaiji” is an adaptation of the manga by the same name, by author and mangaka Nobuyuki Fukumoto. “Kaiji” is his highly regarded, most popular manga. Running since 1996 and still ongoing today, it is a very influential piece and a beloved franchise. Like other long-running series, it is split up into story parts. The manga is currently in Part 5, and Part 1 and 2 were adapted into anime by Studio Madhouse, with Season 1 and 2 respectively.

Story

In the financial crisis of 90’s Japan, Kaiji, a young good-for-nothing guy, is failing at life. Accumulating small gambling debts, drinking and smoking, being jobless, living alone in his tiny apartment – he lives a sad life that he wants to change. Due to a stroke of tragic destiny, he suddenly gains a lot more debt, as he absent-mindedly signed a contract for one of his co-workers a few years ago. Now a mafia loan-shark stands in front of him, telling him that he is 3,850,000 Yen (~35,500$) in debt. And they want their money back. Now.

Thus starts the adventure of Kaiji, through a lot of manly tears, addiction, hype, tragedy, happiness, gambles, pain and twisted gameshows.

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Eh.

What?

I have seen this, I don’t like the art style. It looks ugly.

Don’t worry, there are perfectly good reasons for the art style to be like that.

Firstly, this is Fukumoto’s style. His character design is sharp, angular and instantly recognisable. And Madhouse did a fantastic job of brushing up his style and giving it a fresh coat of paint. Here is a comparison between the first chapter of the manga (1996) and the first episode of the anime (2007).

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Sharper, cleaner and more modern, while keeping the spirit.

They made the initial artwork more accessible and more timeless, the same way Studio David Productions handled the modern adaptation of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Secondly, this style fits perfectly for the stories Fukumoto is telling. Kaiji is a story of the lowlifes of this generation, the ones without hope and money, the shady business of loan sharks and the dark empire of the yakuzas. This is not a pleasant world, and the art reflects that. It is not supposed to be beautiful. The creators were in on the joke for Season 2 and straight up advertised it as “It’s the anti-moe anime.”

You will grow to you like it, once you see it in context and motion, trust me!

Characters

The main protagonist is Kaiji Itou, a man in his early twenties, our first grade procrastinator and overly emotional underdog. He may be one of the most relatable characters, without being a self-insert MC. Today’s anime landscape is saturated with overpowered light novel edgelords and insanely dense harem “comedy” protagonists, who can’t express any emotions except embarrassment when confronted with any form of sexuality.

Kaiji is emotional, he cries a lot, but he is annoyed by this fact – he doesn’t like it. He wants to change his life, he wants to do something! But life is not that easy sometimes. Some obstacles are thrown in his way, some obstacles he creates himself.

Significant to notice is: He is emotional, not whiny.

His emotional range goes both ways. From happy to sad, from destroyed to gleeful, this man has everything. He is expressive and vivid, in Season 1 and even more in Season 2.

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Season 1

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Season 2

Kaiji as a protagonist is an outright joy to watch, and that paired with the intense, unpredictable, serious Seinen plot, makes an emotional rollercoaster. Will he win? Will he lose? Will his plans work out for him?

When he is thrown into this unusual situation of fighting to survive, kill or be killed, he will reach his limits; but here is the important fact: He will not give up, he will fight. The harder he is pushed, the harder he will fight back. Even if that means suffering and dealing with the consequences of lost gambles.

And the yakuza do not take kindly to people screwing with them. Believe me, there is a reason “Kaiji” is rated R. Expect physical and psychological violence. This series gets intense. Manly tears shall flow.

Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

Voice Acting

What makes Kaiji also work as a protagonist is not only the story and the characterisation; it’s also the voice work of Masato Hagiwara as Kaiji. He is not a voice actor, he is a film actor – often playing roles in drama and thriller movies. He is able to pull this emotional range off, and give it a realistic, non-anime touch. The main character breathes and comes to life.

The other important character is the “Narrator”. With a big, booming voice, he will explain and announce, and sometimes even have his own monologues. Over the top and full of ham, this performance is pure fun. You may recognise this voice: It’s Fumihiko Tachiki a.k.a. “Gendou Ikari” from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This rift between realism and overstatement creates both moments of comedy and drama. Having these two voices clash is bliss.

The narrator knows what’s up!

Soundtrack

Absolutely fantastic. As this anime is mostly about mind-battles and has heavy use of internal monologue and dialogues between characters, you need something to accompany this mass of words. And the OST by Hideki Taniuchi is stellar. You could watch this series for its soundtrack alone.

The whole OST is an effective blend between “hype”, “melancholy” and “INTENSE” . I can only call this OST “depressingly uplifting”. It fits the tone of the show like a glove. (I do not wish to spoil the soundtrack, but here is a selection if you want to check it out beforehand.)

Hype

Fate | Wish | Don’t Give Up | High Max

Melancholy

Beginning | Regret | Elegie | Child’s Mind

INTENSE

Middle Zawa | Black Sun | Prologue | ZAWA ZAWA~

What is this “Zawa”?

As most long-running influential series, some aspects gain a form of an iconic status.

For example, in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, it’s the use of ゴゴゴゴゴ, the “menacing” sound effect used by Araki. Fukumoto also has his own sound effect that he uses: ざわ‥ or “Zawa…” meaning “unnerving/muttering/whispers/uncomfortable”. Madhouse, like David Productions, incorporated these sound words into the anime, and in this case, even into the soundtrack. It has a unique effect in creating an uneasy atmosphere.

ZAWA…

Any downsides?

The animation is not the most mindblowing of all – it is solid, sharp and polished, but it takes a backseat compared to the dialogue, the characters, the intrigue and the soundtrack. Sakuga moments do exist, and they are great, especially in the realm of character acting – but most are reserved for big reveals and story twists. The use of CGI is unfortunately there, a bit more so in Season 1 – but it is mostly used as a 3D camera for establishing shots and sweeping shots through rooms and across tables. But: CGI is never used on characters or crowds. They are always hand-drawn, which is a big plus.

Another thing would be the sort-of slow beginning. Season 1 does not immediately start with life-or-death scenarios and Kaiji, the old procrastinator, needs a good slap in the face before he gets going. He needs to understand his position first. But once it gets into the hype flow, you will be binging this series. His character development is beautiful to watch.

Season 1 is great, but Season 2 clearly outshines it, with better soundtrack, better animation, better characterisation of the villains and even more intense mind battles. Fukumoto gets better with every part, in his writing and his artwork, and it shows.

Also, Studio Madhouse made a season 2 for once, hurray! Therefore, Season 3 never. But you can immediately pick up the manga for Part 3 after finishing Season 2, if you so desire. The adaptation is very faithful.

(And stay away from the live action movies. They’re bloody awful adaptations. But that is a rant for another day.)

Influence and Conclusion

Kaiji was highly influential for the mid-nineties, by having a humane main character, who has his own flaws and occupies the position of an underdog. He is not overpowered, he has to work, scheme and think hard in order to win. And there is no way to tell if it will work out.

The ending for Season 1 conveys this feeling quite beautifully. The slow walk with a grave, Western style song, that nearly feels tarantino-esque, is delightfully elegant. Simple, yet effective.

In contrast to other gambling manga from this time period, Kaiji’s gambles are all original games. There is no Poker, Uno, Roulette, or Black Jack – everything and anything can be a gamble. This makes it easier for the audience to understand the situations, as no previous knowledge is needed and we, the audience, can figure out a way to beat the game with Kaiji together.

And little references to “Kaiji” are still present in anime today, either in direct form or as parody. Kaiji recently even got a “Monster Hunter” DLC, complete with little word clouds of ZAWA that surround your character. (Trailer, Attention: Little visual spoilers for Kaiji!)

It is a cherished franchise, still today, after 20 years.

“Kaiji” is a unique, intense, historically important manga, winning the Kodansha Manga Award in 1998. It has been treated and remade with great care and love in anime form, and I think that you will enjoy it. Both seasons have great ratings, but they are criminally underwatched. Maybe it’s your turn to check them out!

Watch this if…

– you like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. As already mentioned above, it’s an old manga series that has been brought to life again with a lot of care and love for the influential, beloved source material. The mix of intense battles and manly emotions is similar – just with a lot less muscles and longer hair. Important: If you loved the D’Arby Brothers fights in “Stardust Crusaders”, this is absolutely for you.

– you like Gen Urobuchi, especially Madoka Magica. Yes, you read that correctly. Both series share a common theme of likable characters going through a lot of pain and suffering. You might like Kaiji if you enjoyed Madoka for this melancholy feel. Get ready for another form of despair: Urobuchi is more tragedy and personal destiny, while Fukumoto is more human drama and moral dilemmas. It’s different, but in the same tradition.

– you like Sports Anime: Gambling is a sport! Just with more “card-throwing” and less “ball-tossing”. Some episodes feel as if only 5 minutes had passed. The hype soundtrack and insane cliffhangers will have you on the edge of your seat, as per usual for the genre. I can’t possibly fathom how people could have watched this series while airing. Kaiji is highly binge-watchable.

– you like Mind Battles: “Death Note” or the manga “Liar Game” are some examples that fit the genre. They are cat and mouse games, where the roles can easily switch from the hunter to the hunted.

– you have been feeling down lately. There is nothing more cathartic and supportive than watching a character who is in an equal, or even worse position than you are. You are not alone. Aren’t we all procrastinators? Do you also just work when somebody forces you, or gives you a deadline? Haven’t we all got hope that our lives get better? Instead of looking for escapism – go for confrontation.

TL;DR Kaiji is a long-running manga, starting from 1996 and still ongoing today. It currently has 5 parts, Part 1 and 2 both got an anime series. Kaiji has ludicrous amounts of debts that he has to pay back to the yakuza. Join him in his adventures and his life-or-death gambles to get money. It’s a depressingly uplifting tale, with an endearing, overly-emotional protagonist who is all too relatable.

UPDATE July 2023: Kaiji was mentioned as one of the main influences on the Netflix hit series “Squid Game”, and the anime has a US Bluray release! Please enjoy!

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The End.

MANLY MONDAY: “My Brother’s Husband” – LGBT Slice of Life with a Big Heart

29. Aug 201620. Jul 2023 / ElenaDS / 1 Comment

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In the vast landscape of manga, there is a niche. A tiny one, apart from all the others: The Bara genre, or Gei komi. Gay manga for gay men – far away from the feminine bishonen look of Shonen-ai and Yaoi. This is a genre of sexual content that the favours all male body types. From big to short, to curvy or hairy. Generally: A lot more “manly aesthetics”.

To understand this niche, you need to know: Being gay in Japan is not easy. Traditional world views are still in place, heterosexuality is the norm, homosexuality is seen as just “something silly” on TV. It is not being talked about, and swept under the rug. Coming out is hard, and parents will be highly disappointed or flat out destroyed at the prospect of not having grandchildren.

How does one deal in this environment as a gay person? What is this society? How can we talk about this? Here, Gengoroh Tagame comes in.

The grandfather of Bara/Gei Komi is Gengoroh Tagame. Born in 1964 and openly gay, he is the one that brought the overlooked, tiny genre to new heights – with explicit drawings, historical settings, and a lot of BDSM works, ever since the 80’s. (Please do not “Google Image Search” his name lightly, his art is extremely explicit NSFW.)

In 2014, Tagame would start his first mainstream, not sexually themed manga, in Monthly Action – the magazine that recently published “Orange”. A manga about LGBT issues in Japan, that was the plan. But he would not be angry or preachy, do something shocking, or try to disrupt the social norms – no.

He decided to do a Slice of Life manga.

This is “Otouto no Otto” or “My Brother’s Husband”.

Story

Yaichi and Ryochi were twin brothers, but their parents died when they were young, and so, they tackled life and its difficulties together.

But one day, Ryochi outed himself as gay, and went to Canada, to live his life the way he wanted to, leaving Yaichi alone in Japan. Apart from each other, they lived their lives. Yaichi is now a grown man, and a stay-at-home single dad, living with his daughter Kana.

Unfortunately, Ryochi died just one month ago, leaving Yaichi in grief. But right now, this is not his biggest worry. Someone he doesn’t know is about to visit his house.

It’s his late brother’s husband.

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Unfortunately, initial awkwardness happens.

And thus, Mike, a big, bearish Canadian man, enters his household for a holiday. He was married to his twin brother Ryochi, and, now a widower, he wants to visit his late husband’s family and country, to see how he lived and to share memories.

Yaichi is not really amused by this. Of course, family is important, he can’t simply ignore his brother-in-law … but he is not comfortable with having “this homosexual foreigner” under his roof.

His daughter Kana, however, is different.

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His daughter Kana is experiences her first culture crash.

But in the end, she is happy!

And so, the slice of life story of Ryochi, Kana and Mike begins.

Culture and Understanding

This manga is a cultural and social observation, from three different point of views. Ryochi, the rather reserved and lightly traditional Japanese man, sad about his brother’s death; Kana, the young child who sees no problem in having a new uncle; and Mike, the gentle grieving widower, who wants to experience his beloved partner’s culture and explore the past.

The main strength of “My Brother’s Husband” is the portrayal of culture and society. It would be way too easy to say “Japanese society is bad!” and just leave it at that. Instead, this manga becomes a story of sharing: culture, stories and memories.

Mike is interested in visiting Japan and its culture, he is very happy about it, although he sometimes still makes cultural mistakes, like hugging people, or pronouncing names wrong. Ryochi hadn’t seen his brother in many years, and he is interested in hearing how life was in Canada.

To present his country in the best manner possible, Ryochi integrates Mike into his household, doing day to day things togther, and going on trips, to explore Japan and to explain this new, interesting culture to Mike who only knew it through his husband.

Slice of Life goodness.

Mike has seen a side of Yaichi that Ryochi never saw, while Ryochi has only memories of his brother when they were younger. Kana never got to know her real uncle.

Hence, the dialogue becomes important in the story. It evolves slowly into more than sharing history, and both men soon start talking about their feelings of loss and sadness, as they open up to each other. The two very different men become friends.

While the “slice of life moments” are really heartwarming and lovely, this manga can really hit you hard with emotion. Both men are in grief – one has lost his brother, the only family he had left, the other one has lost his beloved partner for life.

The shadow of his former twin brother…

… and the image of his late husband.

Conclusion

“My Brother’s Husband” is a melancholic, yet heartwarming slice of life manga, about a topic that is not often talked about. It approches the theme of LGBT in Japan with great care and love, without ever being preachy or condecending.

There are other themes explored as well, and the cast gets bigger as more people are introduced. I do not wish to spoil the manga here any further, as it is best read blind. It is currently ongoing, with 20 chapters in 3 volumes, and will most likely continue. I am normally not the type to recommend an ongoing series, but the future looks stellar.

If you don’t like slice of life, this is a very skilled and warm approach to it, that may introduce you to the genre. Some people are scared away from SoL, as they often see it as just a genre where “cute girls do cute things”, but this is really not the case here. (You can still see Tagame’s Bara roots just by the detailed and careful way he draws body hair, or men’s physique in general.)

If you like slice of life, I can more than recommend it. The themes of family, sharing and heartwarming togetherness are a beauty.

The manga won the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Award in 2015. With other family themed manga like “Barakamon” and “Sweetness and Lightning”, I can only hope that this manga will have an anime one day too, be it just a short series, or even a movie. It fits well as a “slightly more muscly” entry into the Slice of Life “Golden Age” that we are now in. It would not only be a unique take on the genre, but the first time that the genre and authorship of Bara would be recognised in anime – a huge step for LGBT in Japan.

Do yourself a favour and read “Otouto no Otto” or “My Brother’s Husband”, and enjoy the wonderful, not so traditional, lovely family of Ryochi, Kana and Mike.

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The End

MAL “My Brother’s Husband”

Wikipedia “Gengoroh Tagame”

Wikipedia “Bara”

Edit: An English Omnibus release is out now! Amazon Link!

And a TV series was announced to air in March 2018!

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MANLY MONDAY – “Baoh: The Visitor” OVA or “Jojo before Jojo”

22. Aug 201620. Jul 2023 / ElenaDS / 1 Comment

Before there was the phenomenon “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”, there was “Baoh: The Visitor”.

By the same mangaka, Hirohiko Araki, this manga was “Jojo before Jojo”. The series ran in Shonen Jump in 1984, for just 9 chapters, or 2 volumes as a whole, in only five months. And yet, in this short period of time, Araki would show his craftsmanship that would fully shine in the future. From the art, to the story, to the characters, this is a unique and fantastic piece of history.

With a manga this brief, an OVA that tells the whole story was made in 1989, by Studio Pierrot. We’ll take a look at the story, the animation and reoccuring ideas of Hirohiko Araki. This is “Baoh: The Visitor”.

Story and Characters

An evil corporation tests out a new biochemical weapon, an alien larva called “Baoh”, that turns any living being into an over-powered killing machine. They tested it on animals, and now for the first time, on a human. Unfortanetly, this human, named Ikuro, escapes when being transported by train.

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The lighting and angles give it a great grim sci-fi vibe. But it wouldn’t be Araki if the muscular guy were not in a fabulous outfit.

“Excuse me, madam, I need to get through here. Don’t mind the leather and general nakedness.”

Our protagonist jumps off the train, but gets hurt by electric cables that he tried to hold on to. He is saved by a little psychic girl, Sumire, that has visions of the future.

Araki can do moe!

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BLEH! Araki’s creative visuals are already here!

It turns out that an assassin has been hired to kill Ikuro. He is now on the run with Sumire, and a lot of fight scenes ensue, where Ikuro starts to realise the potential of his newly gained supernatural powers. When a SWAT team led by a cyborg sniper comes after him, Ikuro a.k.a. “Baoh” goes on a violent blood-drenched rampage.

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That is practically harmless. The violence in the OVA is much more graphic.

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But what has he become?

The evil corporation kidnaps Sumire, in order to lure Ikuro back to the laboratory. Here, the action gets even more intense, with a psychic villain called “Walken”.

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He has fire powers that are animated in impressive swirls.

And so, a big battle takes place, the laboratory is destroyed, and “Baoh” goes down with the explosion and the debris. The final fight between him and Walken is well animated and serves as a great climax.

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Big laser cannon, big muscles, big explosions. Yes!

And so, the anime ends with Sumire standing on a beach, waiting for Baoh’s return. He’ll be back one day.

While the story seems simple and easy, the scenes in itself are crafted with care, as great action set pieces. I have excluded a lot of scenes here, in order not to spoil them for you. But we are not really here to discuss the story, let us take a look at the themes and the style, which are all very “Proto-Jojo”.

Jojo before Jojo

Araki has a love of naming characters after songs and artists he likes, like “Killer Queen” by Queen, “Speedwagon” as in the band “REO Speedwagon”, and most famously, “Dio”, after heavy metal legend “Ronnie James Dio”.

For the name of the Native American psychic warrior, he went for “Walken”, named after actor “Christopher Walken”.

Perfect!

The concept of “Baoh”, a perfect immortal being and what it would mean, was revisited in several parts of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, mostly with the characters of “Dio” and “Cars”.

Hirohiko Araki, when he started the series in the 80’s, was really fascinated by the idea of macho and strength, and asked himself: how strong do they get, and how is strength measured? And what if a person is immortal? Are they then unbeatable? This is a prominent theme in the first parts of JJBA, and it appears already in “Baoh”.

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Hirohiko Araki in an interview about the story of Part 1 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

(Source. Warning: Araki is too pure for this world.)

Also, Araki took the design of Baoh and redid it for Cars, the one of the main villains in JJBA Part 2, complete with lots of muscles, long hair, and arm scythes.

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Cars in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency compared to “Baoh”.

“Baoh” easteregg in the JJBA anime adaptation by David Productions. Joseph Joestar is reading the manga on a plane.

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Baoh also makes an appearance in the “JJBA: All Star Battle” video game as a DLC character.

As Araki has a deep love for Western pop culture, other references are found as well, like the melting of faces in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, an alien larva seeking for a host from “Alien”, and the cyborg villain aesthetic of the “Terminator” movies.

Only two of many references. Not pictured here: very graphic face-melting.

Tiny observation: The investors wear masks, not unlike the mask from JJBA.

Animation & Early “Posing Style”

The animation still holds up very well for being 27 years old, with outstanding sakuga moments fit for an action series, featuring debris, explosions and gunfire.

Scenes from Sakugabooru:

Impressive shot of Baoh escaping the military and Walken in a cave.

Shot of Baoh getting hunted down by a SWAT team.

Shot of ocean waves in the ED.

(WARNING!) The fight scene between the Baoh monster and the tiger is gruesome, with trademark 80’s hyperviolent gore and blood, and Araki’s odd habit of “animals getting hurt to show how evil the scene is”, which would appear in Jojo prominently as well.

But a special highlight are the early forms of “poses” that would become one of the beloved main attributes of “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”.

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All of Baoh’s fighting moves feel very stylish!

Even those inbetweens!

On a side note, I cannot really recommend the dub of this OVA, except if you really want badly acted voices, which have a strange, campy charm in itself. (Baoh himself unfortunately sounds like he was dubbed by someone who happend to stand in the recording booth by accident.) The original voices give the anime more of a proper, serious feel.

Conclusion

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“Baoh: The Visitor” is a fantastic trip to the past. Not only to see Hirohiko Araki’s evolution as an artist, but also to revisit the age of 80’s anime. It is only 48 minutes long, but time really flies by in this action packed OVA. The hyperviolence and gore are very much in the zeitgeist of the decade, but the Araki spin on it makes it all the more entertaining. Instead of being just a boring gallery of violence, this anime becomes a camp celebration of 80’s. From the animation, to the character designs, to the music.

If you are a fan of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, give this anime a watch. If you just want to check out the 80’s aesthetic, I recommend this as well. While today is the age of “moe” and “slice of life”, this was the age of musclebound men and hyperviolence. It is interesting to see how preferences, overall artstyles and the general anime culture change. You may just need a strong stomach for all those strong visuals. If you do, sit back and enjoy this little gem from Hirohiko Araki.

The End.

MANLY MONDAY – Riki-Oh: The Wall of Hell OVA

15. Aug 201620. Jul 2023 / ElenaDS / Leave a comment

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The 80’s are a wonderful time capsule for media. It presents an aesthetic that is out of fashion now, but still beloved by the general consensus for its zeitgeist of the decade.

In this age, the manly, hypermasculine hero was the protagonist to have. Muscles, Justice, Violence and lot of Punching – this is the formula most of 80’s media pieces follow. Not only in films, with well-oiled Arnold Schwarzenegger and Silvester Stallone, between Robocop and the Terminator: The same goes for anime and manga, where “Fist of the North Star” and “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” were born and would take the world by storm. But many of these series are forgotten by time and widespread media, sitting still placidly in the 80’s, waiting for someone to come and look at them.

And this is exactly what we will do now!

“Riki-Oh” is one of these series. Published in Buisness Jump, a Seinen magazine from Shueisha’s Jump family, this is a manga that has all the tropes you could wish for: dystopia, yakuza, martial arts, manlyness galore, and prison hell. The manga ran for 12 volumes, between 1988 and 1990. Two OVAs have been released, and a live action movie as well, that received a cult following for being an over the top, trash, silly gorefest with a lot of mindblowing practical effects. But this is a story for another day, we will focus on the first OVA, from 1989. Off we go!

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Story and Characters

In a post-apocalyptic Japan, everything is awful. People are dying, injustice is roaming the streets and the air is polluted. In this dreadful world, Riki is one hard dude. A mysterious vibe is around him, he bears a star on his right hand, and he is insanely strong. After his girlfriend dies by the hands of the yakuza, he battles the man responsible, but gets caught while performing his revenge.

Screw your car!

Our protagonist finds himself in a Tokyo State Prison that is now privately owned. Injustice is a daily matter, people are hurt or killed, and life is hell. Riki makes some friends, but loses them to the cruelties of prison pecking order, and therefore, tries to take the bad guys down.

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Prison life is not lovely.

Everything escalates as Riki finds out that the prison is using the inmate’s workforce as a drug producing factory. He burns down the greenhouses and confronts the bosses of the prison, the chairman, his yakuza boss and their right hand fighter. More on him later.

After a lot of violence, a prison riot, and people getting hurt, Riki punches through the prison wall and leaves, towards new adventures.

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This is how you exit.

The story is streamlined and not as complex as in the manga, there is for example only one main prison fighter, instead of four, and characters are omitted, while others are changed completely. But it does not hurt the story, it becomes its own thing.

As you can see, the story is explained pretty fast, but it is not the main focus of the OVA anyway. When you watch Riki-Oh, you are here for the spectacle.

Artstyle and Visuals

There is no point in denying that this OVA puts a great emphasis on bodies and the presentation thereof. Given that the violence involves a lot of body horror, it makes sense, but the amount of half-naked men in a prison is through the roof. The hypermasculinity of the 80’s comes with a fetish-isation and cult of manlyness that ends up being so over the top that it becomes ridiculous. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Naked fight in a prison shower. Man gets punched in boobs. I never thought these two sentences go together.

Riki gets punched and his clothes explode, leaving him topless.

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His sit-ups sparkle!

Naked Riki is in chains, BDSM undertones included.

The 80’s fetish of men, and the muscles they have are one thing, but another aspect impressed me, a trope that I really much like in these types of shows: The feminine guy. If everybody has gigantic muscles, strong jawlines and incredible punching power, the nimble, slender and soft-faced guy visually stands out. And that can only mean one thing: That guy is going to kick immense amount of ass. Contrasting gender performances seeing eye to eye and are to be taken seriously!

OH SHIT

Now that is one badass man who can rock those fingernails! (Not pictured here: His superdeep voice.)

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On the matter of framing and presentation, Riki-Oh has some beautifully composed shots, that really do shine in the fight scenes. The animation is not extraordinary, but it gets the job done. Gory shots and violence are animated well, the rest is very static, but still pleasing to the eye. The cinematography in those scenes is lifted straight from the manga and it really shines.

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Simple, clean, nicely framed shots that look good. What more do you need?

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X-ray “impact frame” that shows up only for less than a second. A nice touch.

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The final fight in the burning greenhouse. Visually pretty impressive!

Conclusion

While Riki-Oh is a neat OVA that is very much a child of its time, I would personally love to read the manga some more, for the “way-too-realistic”, yet “too-over-the-top” violence. The violence in the OVA is toned down. Yes, the OVA is tame in comparison to the manga. Eyes get stabbed, people get skinned and the violence never stops. It becomes an insane gallery you walk through and go “Oh, no I never thought you could actually do that!” In addition, it does seem that the OVA does not give the original artwork 100% justice.

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The balancing of black and white, as well as the artstyle are stylish. The OVA loses a bit of the “oomph”.

While the original story is a lot longer and features more characters, the Riki-Oh OVA does not waste your time. The pacing is fast and it trims the fat so strongly, that you are only left with the crucial plot points and main fights. Is that bad? No. Instead of an epos, it becomes a snack-sized anime of condensed 80’s that you can watch in one go and think: “Oh yeah, that was a nice trip to the past!”

If you are interested in the time capsule that is Riki-Oh, give it a watch. It is not a landmark of the genre, but a cult classic – well, that title would rather go to the manga and the live action adaptation – but it is a nice short action flick for a rainy afternoon, when you craving fun and camp goodness.

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This has been Riki-Oh: Toukatsu Jigoku (The Wall of Hell)

MAL

Wikipedia

The Anime of Second Chances – Finding your “Want” and “Need”

7. Jul 201620. Jul 2023 / ElenaDS / Leave a comment

We are in a good time of anime. The slice of life genre flourishes, there is a newly-found appreciation for animation and love of sakuga, independant studios and kickstarters can produce unique and interesting works, and the possibilities of legal streaming have opened the doors for a whole new set of fans.

One could say that all seems fine and dandy in this age of japanese animation. But I see a worrying trend in the choice of stories that get anime adaptations.

I call them “The Anime of Second Chances”.

They are things the audience “wants”, but not necessarily “needs”. More on that later.

Let us start by looking at them first: They can be broadly split into two groups: “The Change of Setting” and “The Past Redone”.

The Change of Setting

Mostly a trend with light novels, this type of genre takes a protagonist and throws him into a new world. As a blank slate ha can start a new life, make his own adventure, and have many girls fall for him. No ties to the real world will hold him back, he is the protagonist. Maybe he even gets plot armour, that protects him from all harm. The nerd is victorious.

“Sword Art Online” may be the crowning jewel and starting point for this genre – as most setting changes involve “getting trapped into an MMORPG” in some form.

The more recent adaptations try to show faults and mistakes of the protagonists, making them a bit more grounded, but one thing never changes: They get a second chance at life. Without any merit, rhyme or reason, a person who has failed at life gets a new start.

Wouldn’t it be so much more fun to press the reset button and start anew, with your knowledge intact? With a whole new world to explore, far away from the shackles of reality? To use your nerdy wisdom, that is practically useless in the real world, in order to succeed? And have all the girls fall for you, just because you are you?

No matter how you twist and turn it: It is pure wish-fulfillment.

Is that bad? Well, we humans do love escapism! Switch your life off, and switch another one’s life on. Imagine yourself as the self-insert protagonist and come back refeshed. And as I have gathered from most discussion forums, it is a guilty pleasure for a lot of people. The genre tropes are obvious and play by the numbers, although with some variation. It is easily digested entertainment. Blazing action, juicy fanservice, intersting story, and a familiar, yet newly done setting of MMORPGs. Of course a lot of anime fans will watch that. It appeals to the “nerd” demographic.

These animes are the equivalent of Hollywood entertainment, and they will always exist. One can easily avoid these series if you don’t like them. (You will just run into a Kirito and Asuna couple-cosplay in every convention. That is unavoidable. It is a rule of the universe that you will run into them! It must happen!)

But those are obvious “wish-fulfillment” series. The next one is more subtle.

The Past Redone

This is another form of “Second Chance”, but this time, the setting stays the same. Through to some plot convinience and supernatural/technical/medicinal help, the protagonist gets a chance to change the past, in order to succeed in the future. Go back to the past and fix the mistakes.

But I have this odd feeling that these kinds of anime series are not there to show growth or understanding for one’s current situation. They just give a second chance, in real life, and that is even more wish-fulfillment than the first case. It still has an element of video games: Are you stuck in that visual novel we call “Real Life”? Just reload one of your saves and make some other decisions! Maybe you’ll get the “good ending” this time! Haha!

Instead of dealing with the consequences of the choices the protagonist has taken, he or she can redo all of the past! It is escapism done wrong: running away from your problems and the decisions that led up to it. Smash it all, do it again.

I was tricked twice by the current season of anime, Summer 2016. I rarely read any of the descriptions for upcoming anime, maybe I’ll watch the first PV but nothing more, I want to jump in as blind as possible. And I was taken aback by two series: “Orange” and “ReLife”.

“ReLife” was obvious, right from the title. Our failed twenty-something protagonist gets a second chance at high school, he takes a pill from the government, gets younger, and gets to relive the glorious days of high school, hopefully getting a job at the end. Am I interested in this? No. For me personally, going back to high school would be hell on Earth. I am happy being in university and doing the things that I like. This is not my dream, nor my kind of show.

“Orange” was the one that made me want to write this article. I only knew that this was going to be a character drama with a group of friends. Having enjoyed “Kiznaiver” just a season earlier, I was on board to give it a shot. And it threw me off within the first minutes.

I was terribly excited to see 26 year old protagonists, digging out a time capsule, with letters from their 16 year old selves. Would it show the rift between the ages? Would it have clashing world views and futures? How are these friends doing now? What happend in the past and how does it look now? I want to know!

Finally! Some characters that are not … in … high … school. Oh.

It was a flash forward. The series actually plays in high school, with the female protagonist getting letters on how she can improve her future life by taking different decisions.

That was not nice, “Orange”. Not nice. Now I am stuck with an high school anime again. I know, you are probably a good series, I will probably continue you, but don’t throw a curveball at me like that!

Maybe if you like high school, this show is for you. But this setting has been done to death for me. Most series are fueled by this nostalgia that high school was the greatest time of your life – romanticising the setting through the heavens and beyond. And if you have no nostalgia for it, just experience it again as somebody else! Get the first love you never had, meet with your group of friends or join the club that you never dared to go to.

Go back, reload the old save file! Come on!

But there are no secondary save files in the “Real Life” VN.

The Twenty-Somethings and Consequences

One vital part of growing up is taking responsibility and facing the results of personal decisions. Understand consequences and learn from them. Yes, you will fail in life sometimes, but you will learn from these experiences.

And there is anime about exactly that. Two series that are very close to my heart for this very reason are She and Her Cat: Everything Flows and Kaiji.

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“She and Her Cat: Everything Flows” is a short format 4-part OVA series that ran in March 2016. It’s the story of a young woman, living with her cat that she had since childhood. She is struggling with life, going from job interview to job interview, being alone, finding a new appartment to live in, and having arguments about her future with her single mother. And it is all told from the perspective of the cat.

The cat understands her emotions, but not the reasons, as he cannot understand human speech. It is a reduced story with a small focus, but it will aim straight at you and your position in life. A soft, emotional, heartwarming series, that will move you to tears.

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“Kaiji” is the story of eponymous Kaiji Itoh, a young man being a failure at life. He is in his early twenties and lives alone in a tiny apartment. With huge gambling debts and no job, he is suddenly forced by loan sharks to take care of his life. And he does so by entering the underground gambling world of the yakuza. He finally wants to take his life into his own hands. But this world is not beautiful. Every decision he takes will have consequences, ranging from “very good” to “hellishly gruesome”. He portrays life struggle like no other protagonist. He must take every step on his own responsibility, and the result will be even more emotional, as it was all his personal decision, consciously taken and planned.

Combine this intense concept with an overly emotional, possibly depressed, underdog protagonist, that you will root for and suffer with, and you have a series full of hype and melancholy. It will hit you hard, reminding you of the real world through a mirror of visual and narrative expressionism.

–

Both series were intensely supportive and have taught me something about myself. They had relateble protagonists without being self-inserts and they were both in insecure positions in their lives. But they fight, onwards, no matter what the future may hold. I don’t want to go back into the past, I have already learned from it. I want to look into the future. I am not a teenager anymore. I am 24. Life goes on and so do you. And you are not alone.

Maybe I am just getting older. Or maybe I just need more Seinen and Josei in my life.

I still haven’t seen “The Tatami Galaxy” and “Welcome to the NHK” yet. From what I’ve read, I’m already sure that I will love them. And they will give me something in return.

Conclusion – “Want” and “Need”

If “The Anime of Second Chances” help you in your life, that’s great. But the “teenage fulfillment” and “high school nostalgia” may just not be enough – without the audience noticing. And as the anime fanbase gets bigger and, consequently, older, I see an upcoming niche that nobody notices was there before.

In the end, it all boils down to a question of “Want” and “Need”.

What do you want in an anime? Action, fanservice, high schools, violence, splatter, romance, mechas, idols, moe, tsunderes, danderes, yanderes, harems, manservice…

What do you need from anime? Emotional catharsis, support, help, understanding, advice, happyness, companionship, courage, sympathy…

Knowing what you “want” is easy. You know the genres and tropes you love. But you have to know yourself well in order to figure out your “need”. Be honest to yourself. Outside of that pool of same genres lies something that you didn’t know you needed. Once you are ready for it, you will be happier and learn something about yourself.

Watching a series that you “want” is not wrong, absolutely not! For godness’ sake, I am watching “Baki: The Grappler” right now, because I “want” more manly men, as Jojo Part 4 once a week does not fill the quota of manly manlyness. I don’t “need” it, but I sure as hell “want” to watch it.

But right now, most new anime only give the audience what it “wants”. More light novel adaptations, more manga that redoes the past, more shows that tick all the popular genre boxes.

My opinion on the matter? Maybe, what we need in anime is a bit less “wish-fulfillment” and tiny bit more “confrontation”. For example, this season’s “Sweetness and Lightning” came to my surprise. A story about a single father raising his daughter, struggling after his wife’s passing, but giving his best. He deals with the consequences life has thrown at him – and the portrayal is realisticly melancholic, yet intensely heartwarming. It was not a show I wanted, but once I started watching it – I knew that it was a show I needed.

…

That “Real Life” VN is going on right now.

You only have one save file. Use it well.

Grappler Baki – First Impression

25. Jun 201620. Jul 2023 / ElenaDS / Leave a comment

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A lot of anime viewers have a weekness for the “cute girls doing cute things” genre, and I love the “manly men doing manly things” genre.

I have a soft spot for that certain aesthetic in anime and manga. There is nothing more entertaining than seeing over-the-top burly, muscular characters fighting over something very, very important – the love of their life, the name of the family, execution of justice or plain old “saving the world”. I simply adore it. It fills me with hype, power and happiness.

But if you know your manly stories, you know that they come in different flavours.

Some are straight up serious Seinen. Berserk and Fist of the North Star fit the bill, with dark stories and adult themes, where characters are hurt and justice must be served. A dystopian setting helps and the main characters themselves are not without sombre back stories. This is intense and serious.

Some others are fun Shonen. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Toriko would fall into this category. There are serious moments, sure, but the main attraction is “fun”. Strong characters having big fights and a lot of comedy on the side. Have fun, sit back, enjoy the sillyness!

And then there is Grappler Baki.

I picked up this show because it was a special offer at an anime convention. Both boxsets, 48 episodes, for about 20€. I couldn’t argue at the value, and the guys at the booth were really happy when I bought them. “This was the first anime we ever licensed! We didn’t know what to do back then and we have way too many around! Thank you for buying them!” They are now the German distributors for Akame ga Kill, Free!, Assassination Classroom, Kill la Kill and Sword Art Online, and, well, they had to start somewhere.

Look those covers. I couldn’t walk past them.

I had heard of Baki before, on the the AnimeHERO, an English-speaking hispanic anime reviewer, who specialises in MANLY anime and Seinen. Of course I am subscribed to him, what do you think. It’s right up my alley!

Anyways, here I am with my two DVD boxes. And I decided to check them out – what is this manly show? I have now watched 7 episodes out of 48, what are my impressions?

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Baki and his dad. Not the best of relationships.

The series falls oddly between those two previously mentioned groups.

There is a family drama going on. Baki, a young 13 year old delinquent, is overshadowed by the legacy of his father and the protection of his mother. His dad was the hardest arsehole out there, and after he disappeared and left the underworld in ruins, the yakuza are out after his son. Baki’s mum has a big buisness and wants to do everything for her son. Baki himself cannot be bothered with all of this. He simply wants to be the strongest, on his own merit. And defeat the yakuza that simply want to kill him because of his father.

And thus starts the story. Baki wants to be strong, and for that he has to defeat many foes. So, a battle anime it is. The concept is also nothing new. Baki himself is strong, but small, of compact build. And right on episode 2, he goes into a training arc in a forest, to fight … a mountain gorilla.

You see, this series tries to be serious and then it doesn’t. It stikes a very strange balance between the two, while being visually over-the-top.

We need to talk about the character design.

Baki himself is a great protagonist. Happy, but strong-willed if the situation calls for it, and a delinquent with a heart of gold. He will find his way through life, even if that means getting beaten down once in while.

Look at that happy face.

Small, but not to be underestimated.

So far, so good. He is the burly version of the protagonist of Haikyuu! Small, with flaming orange hair and incredible jumping power. Just with less volleyball and more gangsters.

I also love the design of Baki’s mother. This is something I have always loved about those “manly” series. If you have strong guys, you can’t just make women frail and weak. (Looking at you, light novels.) No, they have to be badasses as well.

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Like “Lisa Lisa” from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

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Baki’s mother. Hard buisnesswoman with a softer side.

The happy boss of everything.

The idea of “manlyness” transcends gender. Everyone, man or woman, gets badass. I love this concept. We all get “badassery equality” over here.

Well, that poses a question: How much is “too much”?

That dude is 13 years old?

The inside of the first box. Baki fighting the mountain gorilla, but what is this background? Are we looking at someone’s back or front? Do these muscles even exist?

WHAT THE

WE HAVE REACHED THE OUTER LIMIT OF MANSERVICE

WAT

SO MANLY THE DOOR BROKE

WOLF HELICOPTER PUNCH

JUST HOW HUGE ARE YOU JESUS

I FORGOT ABOUT THE GORILLA

And I am only 7 episodes in. The design and situations are ridiculous. Too much. Of everything. With the two of my other favourite series that are visually different, I know which artstyle I am at. Kaiji and Akagi are pointy and expressive, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is colourful and fabulous, but this is just: muscles. Muscles everywhere. So many.

And the series is not attempting to be anything supernatural! It is essentially a family drama set in the underworld. And yet: gorilla fights. Baki is simultaniously too serious and too silly, stuck in an odd limbo balance.

Baki is a 90’s manga and it shows. But this over-the-top attitude has something really charming to it. The anime is from 2001, but they respectfully kept the cheesy nineties feeling. The eurobeat soundtrack that occasionally shows up is fantastic, straight out of Initial D. And as I am enjoying this anime in the German dub, that is equally over-the-top, I am really having fun.

I like this series. It has everything I wanted from it, big and small muscly men fighting for a bigger cause, a lovely protagonist and a lot of episodes to dig myself into. I can even continue to read the manga afterwards if I want to! I am excited to see what is about to come, as at the end of episode 7, it is revealed that Baki’s father comes back! Now the story really starts! The artstyle is not fantastic, but, hey, it actually fits the story! If it finds its balance and knows what it wants, this series will become really great. But even now, I am having fun!

I am glad that I bought this series. Because sometimes, what you need in life, is just a lot of manly men doing manly things.

My 3×3 Favourite Anime

14. May 201620. Jul 2023 / ElenaDS / 2 Comments

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This is my 3×3 of “My Favourite Animes”. What are they and why do I love them? What makes them special to me? Here are my thoughts, come and join me!

Kaiji

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I have a weakness for remakes and old mangas getting new adaptations. Seeing classics being brushed up, cleaned and given a fresh coat of paint makes me happy. It often shows how timeless a series really is, how it precisely captured a zeitgeist, or what beauty is hidden under timely dust. “Kaiji” is one of those.

In the financial crisis of 90’s Japan, Kaiji, a young good-for-nothing dude, is failing at life. Racking gambling debts with friends, drinking and smoking, jobless, living alone in his tiny apartment, he lives a sad life that he wants to change. Due to a stroke of tragic destiny, he suddenly gains a lot more debt, as he absent-mindedly signed a contract for one of his co-workers a few years ago. Now a loan-shark stands in front of him, telling him that he is 3,850,000 Yen (~35,500$) in debt. And they want their money back. Now.

Thus starts the adventure of Kaiji, through a lot of manly tears, addiction, tragedy, happiness, gambles, pain and twisted gameshows. It’s a depressingly uplifting tale, with an endearing, overly-emotional protagonist who is all too relatable. Aren’t we all procrastinators, who will only work if pushed to the extreme?

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Another classic in a new dress. From the 80s, that brought you the manly action genre starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Silvester Stallone, comes this blast from the past.

Stretching many generations and many story parts, the Joestar family will be involved in bizarre incidents, starting in the 1800’s in Victorian England. From there, we will see vampires using ice powers, undead Mayan gods being incredibly fabulous, a French muscly man wanting to be a mangaka, Japanese high schoolers solving crimes Scooby-Doo style, Italian mafia with superpowers and all-female prisons with Spiderwoman. And that’s not even all the parts and settings!

The series knows exactly what it wants to be, and has gigantic amounts of fun rolling around in its lore. It works simultaneously as a parody of Shonen, while also being a straight-up Shonen. And its importance for the whole manga and anime, and even beyond that, towards fashion and video games, is mind-blowing. It’s fun, it’s fabulous, every part is different, and there will be a big universe for you to dive into.

Kill la Kill

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This series refuelled my love for anime. I came back to anime in 2013, and this was the hype-filled beauty that I didn’t know I needed.

Poking fun at anime tropes and fanservice, while slowly evolving from a simple revenge story to a Greek tragedy was beautiful. The characters, from their designs to their story arcs, were all fascinating to watch. The middle part dragged on a bit, but the ending picked itself up so well, that I was literally on the edge of my seat. Trigger has become my favourite studio next to Madhouse for making this series. A satisfying ending, and a lovely final OVA make this series a round, well-polished treasure.

Saint Young Men (The Film)

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Jesus and Buddha, after hanging out for millennia in the afterlife, are best friends – as Nirvana and Heaven just happen to be next to each other. They want to take a break from all this being-gods business, and take a vacation on Earth. So, they decide to live in Tokyo, as they are so many Shinto gods there, they’ll surely don’t stick out, do they? (Also, Buddha gets ill from the water in India and Jesus cannot live without a decent internet connection – well, Japan it is.) Living together in a little flat as roommates, we will see a whole year in the life of Jesus and Buddha on Earth, from spring to winter.

The main strength of this film is the double lead of the two gods – as they are canonical to their religious selves. Jesus is a man of simple carpenter background, a happy-go-lucky bachelor, who writes reviews of TV shows on the internet, loves Santa, and is generally outgoing and caring. He loves people and people love him. (He is also often confused by people for being Johnny Depp.) Buddha is an aristocrat, who threw his privileged life away in order to become in ascetic. He is very calm and overly caring, very careful with money, prefers loneliness and meditation, and is a vegetarian, as he can command all animals, even if he doesn’t want to. Both protagonists respect each other, admire each other’s approach to life in general and support each other. For example, Jesus takes loneliness-loving Buddha to Disneyland for a fun day and Buddha has to stop tech-happy Jesus from buying a new gaming PC. (Heaven has a tight budget, you know?)

It’s a beautiful friendship, two foreigners discovering the culture of Japan, and an acoustic soundtrack that is so soothing, you want to smile through the whole day. The sketchy artstyle with strong colours paints a dazzling, gorgeous image of Tokyo. This is one of the most heartwarming slice-of-life masterpieces I have ever seen.

One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island

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“One Piece” has been a big part of my life. I discovered the anime and then the manga, and I have been in love ever since. I own all the books, including all the making-of books and some artbooks, and I am intensely proud of my collection. It is my #1 manga of all time.

One day, young teenage me discovered that my local anime/manga store had a section on Japanese DVDs. I went through it and saw some One Piece movies. Overly happy with joy, I picked the one with the pretty flowers on the cover and went home, in order to watch some new Strawhat Pirate adventures! Hurray!

What followed was one of the most harrowing experiences of my film life. It felt as if I was had been smacked in the face, with a unique artstyle, overwhelming sakuga, finest voice acting, an excellently executed story and some of the heaviest themes I have ever seen touched upon in One Piece. And that means something. Little did I know that this was the work of a certain Mamoru Hosoda.

I think this should tell you everything you need to know, as Hosoda also did my favourite Digimon film: “Our War Game”. This man knows how to add gravitas to a light-hearted series, keeping the spirit of the original without feeling like a grimdark rip-off. Thank you, Hosoda, for showing just how good anime can be.

Nichijou

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Ah, Nichijou. You marvellous bundle of joy. Before I start talking about this series, let me tell you something about comedy.

I love comedy. I really do. I loooove it. Intensely. Monty Python and Edgar Wright are my personal heroes. I specified in comedy during my film theory classes, analysed many films, know a lot of theory, have written many papers on comedy, started playing improv at my university and read way too many books on the topic. But as it often is… if you specify in something, you become a snob. A big one. My taste has become extreme. Either I love the humour and it clicks immediately, getting gigantic laughing fits out of me, or it collapses right there on the spot, not even wringing a chuckle out of me. I noticed it strongly at a screening of the “Love Live: The School Idol Movie” at an anime film festival. Everyone was laughing and having a blast, and I am sitting there thinking: “Yes, I recognise that this was a joke. It fell flat because of reasons A, B, and C. It wasn’t funny. I am not laughing.” I laughed once during the entire film, due to a fantastic, unexpected line by best girl Rin. Rinse and repeat for other “comedy” series. I sit there like an addict: Only the really good stuff gets a reaction out of me. Which is a bit sad. But that reaction will be amazing. It’s hardcore black and white.

And then, I found the series which hit exactly that sweet spot of comedy that I had yearned for so long. It came in the form of “Nichijou”. The surrealism, the adorable characters, the slow twisting of loose story strings, the overstatements, the intense animation, the relatable situations, the perfect execution of comedic rules: it is a masterpiece. The laughing fits I had from this series were hysterical. The charismatic, heart warming cast of characters makes this anime shine like sun. The longer this show runs, the more you understand the universe, and the whole structure that keeps this world of “Nichijou” going. This is, to this day, my favourite show by Kyoto Animation.

Redline

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Well, one of my favourite studio is Madhouse, as I already mentioned above. (Come to think of it, 4 out of my 9 favourite series are Madhouse. Huh.) And this may be one of the most visually appealing work of art they have ever done. If you were to ask me how much sakuga is in it, I would say: “All of it.” Every shot, every camera movement, every little character animation is filled to the brim with charm, talent, and pure beauty.

The story is simple, yet effective. A young man, called J.P., is the best race driver around, yet he cannot take off, as his friend and business partner is entangled into illegal betting deals. These races, akin to Star Wars Pod Races, just with more speed and hype, are the most watched sport in all the galaxy. The eponymous Redline race is the main event, but the film takes time to introduce all the racers and gives them personality and backstories. By the point the race actually starts, you know them all, and are in for the most hype ride of your life. See it in the best quality possible, with a dub, as you, believe me, do not want subtitles with this crowning jewel of animation.

Paprika

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If there is one thing that a film student will go crazy about, it’s “editing”. Satoshi Kon was one of the greatest in this field, and his talent did not stop there. His scene transitions and shot compositions were nothing short of amazing, and his stories are in-depth character studies.

It is only natural that one of his films would feature a psychologist one day. But not any old psychotherapy is presented here, the central theme is dreams. The main protagonist enters her patients dreams to analyse and help them – but one day, one of the dream-entering devices is stolen. With this machine, it is possible to simulate dreams and making people think that they could do anything. What happens when the border between dream and reality is broken? What is real, what can be trusted, how does this dream logic work? How do you hold on to yourself? Can this power be used for good?

All these many questions are wrapped into a colourful, vibrant, eye-opening film which is so densely edited, that you have to give it several watches just to catch the whole scope of this movie.

Akagi

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Another Fukumoto adaptation? Another Madhouse series? Another character with a big nose? Didn’t we have “Kaiji” already?

Well, the 9th spot was hard to pick. My guilty pleasure “Symphogear” was a contender, but I haven’t seen the third season (GX) yet, and I have been told that all goes downhill from there. I have to watch it for myself before I can judge. Another runner-up was “Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu”. I acknowledge its beauty and narrative craftsmanship, but in the end, it felt like an extended prequel for season two, that got announced immediately after S1 finished. If season two continues with the same quality, it will catapult itself into the godly heaven of anime. Don’t screw this up, Studio DEEN!

Anyways!

“Akagi” is, to me at least, a little miracle. It should not work and yet it does. It’s Fukumoto at his best: angular artstyle, thick outlines, sharp character design, gambling, psychological and hard-boiled, serious Seinen. It’s essentially “Kaiji’s big brother”, from the source material to the anime staff. Both protagonists even share the same voice actor.

But it is so radically different. In post-WWII Japan, everything is awful. Gambling runs rampant, violence is in the streets, yakuzas control nearly everything, and politicians are corrupt and dysfunctional.

Out of a dark storm, in midst rain and thunder, a young boy, 13 years old, enters a Majong parlor. He doesn’t speak much, he is soaked in water, he has an uneasy vibe about him. And he starts obliterating his opponents in a game of Majong. This is no ordinary boy. This is Akagi. This is a demon. From there on, we follow Akagi, on his self-proclaimed quest to destroy the yakuza. He hits them where it hurts the most: their wallets.

This is how you do an “overpowered main character” right: By showing the surrounding people’s thoughts, not the MCs inner monologue. Akagi is flat out a creepy, scary character. Always speaking in monotone, with narrow, piercing eyes that will never let you go. He is screwed up, he doesn’t care about his own safety, and will always be cold and calculating. If he doesn’t risk his life, he is bored. This is the perfect character for this twisted setting and he is an absolute blast to watch. He makes Majong interesting. Full of hype, even. How does this even work? It does, with perfect characterisation, intense OST, and interesting mind games. I just never want to meet Akagi in person. He gives me shivers, guargh. With Kaiji however, I want to share a beer and give him a huge pat on the shoulder.

Conclusion

I love all of the above series and films, and they all hold a special place in my heart. This is just a little overview, as I could easily write full reviews on all of them, which I will hopefully do in the future! I hope you enjoyed this little overview of my 9 favourite series. I will continue watching anime and discover new favourites to love! Have a wonderful day!