Anime Facts

So, maybe you've read some stuff about anime, heard a few things, caught a glimpse on TV, something like that. Or maybe you're already addicted to this crazy Japanese phenomenon, and you'd like to get some other friends addicted (after all, the more people you know, the more anime you have access to!). What might be a good place to start off? That's certainly a valid question, so maybe I can suggest a few things and point out some things that someone getting into anime just might not realize. Let's start out first with a few quick facts about anime.

1. Kodocha Anime, a well-known fansubber, used to have the motto, "Anime - cheaper than crack, but lots more fun". A lot of people think that this is a great way to describe what happens to anime fans, but I think they leave out one important part. It's NOT cheaper than crack! Once you really get into anime, there's enough anime merchandise that you could have the GNP of a small country at your disposal and STILL not have everything you need. That said, it's not impossible to be a thrifty anime buyer. Good deals on anime DVDs are always to be found, and sometimes you can find good deals on merchandise on eBay (unlikely) or at conventions. If you're trying to get someone addicted, take care not to mention any of this until AFTER they've started buying things on their own, and if you're thinking about watching some, just remember to keep control.

2. Anime is a Japanese creation, and as such is best experienced IN Japanese. Many people seem abhorred by the prospect of watching anime in Japanese, but it just takes a few tries to get used to. Dubs have the tendency to be radically changed, especially by companies like ADVision, and you can get a whole different view of a character from watching the dub and the sub separately. Plus, if anything, watching subtitles will certainly speed up your reading time for English.

3. Giant mecha, tentacle porn, Pokemon, comedy, cute girls. None of this is anime in a nutshell (well, maybe the cute girls), but each of them is a part of anime. Most people don't realize that anime is a very broad medium and includes all of these things as well as much more. Cater to your tastes, watch things that sound appealing to you. Descriptions of practically any anime title are available online, and many places even list shows by genre. If comedy just isn't your style, there are plenty of dramatic series out there, in every flavor, to suit your tastes, and vice versa. And if tentacle porn IS your thing, well, you've certainly come to the right place!

Having said those things, there are always some good primer anime out there. Through experience, and discussion, I think there are some good series to start people out watching. As I said earlier, different people will like different kinds of anime, so I'll suggest a few, explain what they're about, and maybe who they would appeal to. Of course, opinions are opinions, and there's always the possibility that someone might NOT like anime even after being exposed to it (GASP!). So, with that in mind, let's take a look at a few good primer anime.

First I'd like to suggest, with some bias, that a great series to start people out on is Tenchi Muyo!, a good comedy series with cute girls, a cat-rabbit hybrid that can turn into a spaceship, light swords, magic, science, pretty much everything one could ask for. I say that I'm somewhat biased because Tenchi is the series that got ME into anime in the first place. The OAV (Original Animation Video) series or the first movie are both excellent first shows to watch, and both are available on DVD from Pioneer.

Of course, comedy isn't for everyone, and an excellent series for those who like more drama in their series (although comedy isn't absent), is Cowboy Bebop. A major hit released by Bandai, Cowboy Bebop explores the lives of the strange four-person crew of the Bebop, a spaceship traveling around doing various bounty hunter related things. Very powerful, great action scenes, and worthy of thought, this series is what convinces many people that anime can really be a valid art form.

A good way to experience a little anime without a big commitment like watching an entire series is a movie, and although anime has disproportionaly fewer movies than most people are used to watching, there are some real gems that are out there. One of these is the recently released Princess Mononoke, a story of the conflict between humans and nature in feudal Japan. It is also an interesting movie to watch to see the differences between American and Japanese movies of roughly the same genre. Another good movie in a completely opposite direction is Perfect Blue, a psychological thriller about an idol singer in Japan.

Here, I'd like to mention that not all anime is just for guys. There is a huge division of anime just for girls and women, called shoujo (girl in Japanese) anime. The market in America right now for shoujo is not as large as it is in Japan, but a few series have made it here nonetheless. A good shoujo series available here on DVD is Fushigi Yuugi, the story of a girl who falls into a world in a book quite similar to ancient China, and her adventures and romance there. Of course, Fushigi Yuugi is a long series (52 episodes), so perhaps a better primer shoujo series would be Please Save My Earth, a 6-episode OAV about a girl who realizes that she is the reincarnation of a persona of an alien race who lived on the moon and watched the inhabitants of Earth. The series reveals the secrets that are held in this fact.

And lastly, if you ARE into tentacle porn, I'd suggest "La Blue Girl", the anime that set the standard for tentacle porn in America.

Any of these series make wonderful series to start people out on, and of course I am missing many others that you can find if you look hard enough online. So, what are you waiting for? Anime is here to stay, and it's worth checking out! Otanoshimi ni! Any questions, comments, or sarcastic retorts are welcomed at charm@wpi.edu