On Being a Recovering Otaku, Part III

As promised, here are a few recommendations for anime movies and series that I feel haven't gotten the attention they deserve. A quick word of warning - though all of these shows are adult-friendly, several are definitely not for kids. Read those rating labels, and happy watching!

Movies

"Memories" - A science-fiction anthology, based on the comics of Katsuhiro Otomo, the creator of "Akira." The film contains three segments: "Cannon Fodder," a fable about a world obsessed with cannons and warfare, "Stink Bomb," a black comedy where a man accidentally turns himself into a deadly biohazard, and finally "The Magnetic Rose," a spectacular ghost story that takes place on a derelict spaceship. "Memories" has some of the best visuals I've ever seen in anime, and though there is no obvious mature content, it's one of my favorite examples of animation made for grown-ups.

"Whisper of the Heart" - Studio Ghibli is best known as being the home base of the great director Hayao Miyazaki, but they've also produced films by several other directors. "Whisper of the Heart" was the only feature film directed by Miyazaki's longtime collaborator Yoshifumi Kondo. It follows a budding young writer named Shizuka, whose curiosity about a chubby neighborhood cat leads her to a chance at romance and new inspiration. Though it takes place firmly in the real world, we're treated to a few eye-popping fantasy sequences, later expanded on in the so-so sequel, "The Cat Returns."

"Tokyo Godfathers" - I miss director Satoshi Kon already. His most underappreciated feature is "Tokyo Godfathers," a riff on the John Huston film "3 Godfathers." Instead of three cattle rustlers, this time it's a trio of Tokyo's homeless who find an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve and take it upon themselves to look after her. One might be tempted to ask why a film like "Tokyo Godfthers" needed to be animated, but Kon uses the animation to very good effect, especially in the comic action scenes, flashbacks, and dream sequences. Why shouldn't it be an animated film?

"My Neighbors the Yamadas" - Another Studio Ghibli director, Isao Takahata, is best know for his WWII tear-jerker, "Grave of the Fireflies." The comedic "My Neighbors the Yamadas" is completely different in every conceivable way. Based on a no-frills four-panel comic strip, the visuals are very simple. With its highly caricatured characters, soft colors, and limited backgrounds, it looks like no other Ghibli film. The plot is a collection of domestic vignettes about the Yamada family, full of little daily frustrations and anxieties. But there's also a lot of humor and a lot of love there too.

"Project A-ko" - An older comedy title from the 80s, about rival superpowered schoolgirls who do battle with each other daily, leaving massive destruction in their wake, until an outside threat prompts them to join forces against the new enemy. The typical anime heroine has gotten younger and more timid over time. I prefer the action girl pinups of the 80s who never held back. "A-ko" is high energy fun and mahem as only anime can produce. It's also a parody of many other science-fiction anime series of the time, and gets funnier the more you know about the genre.

TV Series

"Mushishi" - A supernatural procedural with a pleasantly low-key mood and atmosphere. The series follows Ginko, a man who is able to see creatures called "mushi," supernatural beings that can interfere with the human world in strange and unusual ways. Each episode chronicles Ginko's encounters with the various mushi and the people whose lives they affect. The series is set in an alternate version of Japan's feudal era, and many of the stories are based on traditional folktales. The visuals are likewise simple, but very striking, especially the depictions of the mushi themselves.

"Paradise Kiss" - One of the niche genres that rarely gets any attention in the West is josei, anime and manga for young women. Imagine "Gossip Girl" crossed with "Project Runway," and you've got something close to "Paradise Kiss," which is as far as I know, the only animated series ever set in the world of high fashion. Our teenage heroine, Yukari, falls for a wannabe designer named Jouji, and promptly gets swept up in his complicated life. Will she abandon her straitlaced, ordinary life to become a professional model and Jouji's girlfriend? Or is she getting in over her head?

"GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka" - Can a violent, ill-mannered, reprobate biker and gang member be a good junior high school teacher? Onizuka-sensei isn't going to let anyone stop him from trying. At first the show's formula is simple. One of the students has a problem, so Onizuka does something totally outrageous to fix it. Eventually the problems get harder and the solutions get more creative. Onizuka, however, never changes. He’s a borderline delinquent himself, but his heart's in the right place and really does care about his students – after he’s done hitting on their moms.

"All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku Nuku" - Only in Japanese animation could you find a premise like this one. The brain of a dying cat is transplanted into a super-strong android girl body, creating the Nuku Nuku the catgirl. Her scruffy scientist creator charges Nuku Nuku with looking after his son Ryunosuke, a little boy at the center of a contentious custody battle between the scientist and his fiery wife, who happens to be the head of a major weapons manufacturing company. As Ryunosuke's mom and dad do battle, often literally, it's up to Nuku Nuku to keep the kid out of harm's way.

"Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water" - Kids' anime never get any respect, but they remain a staple of Japanese and Western television programming. One of my favorites is the "Nadia" series from the early 90s, a science-fiction adventure serial loosely based on Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," that puts three runaway kids on the Nautilus with Captain Nemo. It was produced by GAINAX, the studio that would be made famous by the grim giant robot show, "Neon Genesis Evangelion." "Nadia" is far more lighthearted and fun, though it has its darker and more intense moments.