Do Not Fear Their Large Eyes…
Greetings. I am The Fractured Analyst. It is time I share my perspective with you…
I have found in my travels that many people, while they like current action oriented cartoons such as Young Justice, Star Wars Rebels or Disney’s Avenger’s Assemble, will not or have not taken a look at any of the Japanese cartoons that have proliferated the landscape. The reasons for this have been varied; some don’t like the character designs, fear/dislike subtitles or assume all of it is tentacle porn. If you are one of these individuals, I am here to try and put your fears to rest.
Japanese animation, or anime as it is usually referred to, is a varied tapestry of all kinds of art. Yes, there is Cinemax style adult entertainment, if you are into that sort of thing (I am not), but there is also action, comedy, horror… you name it. I have heard people say, “I want to see something different”, but many feel that anime is too different. It really isn’t, there are good guys and bad guys. There is an over-arching plot throughout the season (or series). And eventually there is a resolution. But like any show, the fun and enjoyment comes from going on the journey with those characters. Here are some journeys that I feel are worth taking.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – Available on Netflix
Story: Alphonse and Edward Elric are 2 brothers on a quest to correct a mistake. At a young age, the brothers attempted to bring their mother back from the dead using Alchemy, the act of transforming matter from one thing to another. But Alchemy has one rule: there must be equivalent exchange, you must surrender something of equal value to create something. In the attempt to bring their mom back to life, the price was the body and soul of younger brother Alphonse. Realizing this, Edward sacrificed his arm and leg to save his brother’s soul by binding it to a suit of armor. Edward vowed that he would find a way to get his brother’s body back, even if it meant he had to join the military and use their resources to do it. Alphonse would not let his brother go on this journey alone.
And that is just the beginning, the plot device that gets the boys out into the world. The adventure that follows is much more than that, and I won’t/can’t go into without spoiling too much. The use of Alchemy in the place of magic, amazing fight choreography, humor.. the series does a wonderful job of keeping you entertained and also wanting more.
By the time the series is over, you are a little exhausted and slightly disappointed it’s over. The series is available in Japanese with English subtitles but if that is not your bag the English dub is fantastic. I would urge you to give this a try, if you haven’t already.
Black Lagoon – Available on Hulu
Story: The easiest way to sum this up is if Quentin Tarantinio decided to direct a cartoon, it would probably look something like this. Now that could be good or bad, depending on your thoughts regarding Tarantino’s work.
The Lagoon company are a group of pirate smugglers, no job too big or small as long as the money is right. They work and live in the fictional city of Roanapur, a city of gangsters, murderers and thieves. The title of the show comes from the name of their retrofitted PT boat, The Black Lagoon. The episodes are more self-contained here, with a couple of 2 or 3 part stories thrown in. There are gun fights, fist fights, car chases and lots of explosions. It may not cause a lot of deep thinking, but the show is a fun ride. Not really for kids though, so if you have little ones, you may want to keep them away. This series is available in English or Japanese with English subtitles.
Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z – Available on Hulu
Story: Dragon Ball follows Goku, an alien from another planet sent to Earth as an infant. His mission was to destroy life on Earth (or at least subjugate it) but a knock on the head and being raised by a kind old martial arts master changed that. So Goku is basically Superman, but with fighting ability. The series allows you to watch Goku grow up, form relationships, get married, die, be resurrected, die again, come back to life again all while fighting monstrously strong people.
Like death and taxes, there is no real escaping this show.
It is possible that thanks to Dragon Ball, we have gotten serialized American cartoons. Some may point to Star Blazers (called Space Battleship Yomato in Japan) or Robotech (or Super Dimensional Fortress Macross in Japan), but I think it is Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z that helped show that a serialized animated series can work.
There are 443 episodes*, 15 movies and a new series (called Dragon Ball Z Super) that has just begun to air (so 443+35+15 = holy crap). I recommend giving the series a watch because as flawed as it is, there are a lot of things that the series does well. There are not a lot of female characters in this show, but the ones that do exist are usually pretty strong (character-wise). Videl, Chi Chi and Number 18 are not damsels in distress, or placed in the show to just fawn over the hero or be rescued. They have more motivation than that but there are mis-steps here and there. The fights are usually well staged, but can be a test of patience at times. The tournament sagas in Dragon Ball are where the show is at it’s best, until Vegeta is introduced later on in Dragon Ball Z. Vegeta is awesome. The series is available in English or in Japanese with English subtitles.
Those are 3 shows to start with. I would also recommend The Devil is a Part Timer, Attack on Titan and the classic Cowboy Bebop. Just give one (or all) a try. You might see something that you like.
*no one counts Dragon Ball GT. it is awful.
