It's hard to believe that this is the 4th week already, and read there are still six more weeks to go following this one! But it has been a lot of fun so far.
At number #35 is Satoshi Kon's latest film Paprika and boy is it ever a fun film.
Plot summary (from ANN): In the near future, a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment called PT has been invented. Through a device called the "DC Mini" it is able to act as a "dream detective" to enter into people's dreams and explore their unconscious thoughts. Before the government can pass a bill authorizing the use of such advanced psychiatric technology, one of the prototypes is stolen, sending the research facility into an uproar. In the wrong hands, the potential misuse of the device could be devastating, allowing the user to completely annihilate a dreamer's personality while they are asleep. Renowned scientist, Dr. Atsuko Chiba, enters the dream world under her exotic alter-ego, code name "PAPRIKA," in an attempt to discover who is behind the plot to undermine the new invention.
Paprika is one of those films that will be entirely too strange for some people. It doesn't always make perfect sense and Kon was incredibly playful and creative with this movie to the point that it just seems silly sometimes. Just think of the opening circus scene. It was the perfect way to start out the movie, but it also gives the viewer an early taste of just how strange the film will get later on. Even so, I love this movie. I love "weird" anime like this one, not to mention the plot is pretty good too. I had so much fun while watching it, not to mention I love Susumu Hirasawa's excellent score. I listen to the opening and ending themes for this movie all the time.
At #34 is the greatest magical girl show ever made: Princess Tutu.
Plot summary (from ANN): 13-year-old ballet student Ahiru (Duck) is clumsy, good-hearted and sweet... and has a big secret. The mysterious Drosselmayer morphed a young duck into a girl to give her a mission: help a Prince to get the parts of his heart back. With that in mind, she morphs into Princess Tutu, whose magical dances ease the pain and purifies the bad feelings.
First things first, don't let the series title scare you away. I made that mistake for a while before I finally discovered the error of my ways. Yes, Princess Tutu is a very girly shojo and ballet is a major element; but despite that, this is a series that is very close to my heart. It tells a very touching fairy tale of a story, plus the score is made up of numerous gorgeous classical pieces. This is just a fantastic series that anime fans of both genders can enjoy. Take this from a guy who usually hates magical girl shows.
At #33 is perhaps the greatest One Piece movie ever made. This is the only OP movie I have seen in my life, but I have a hard time believing that any of the others will top it. It is just that good. Plus, it is directed by the incredibly talented Mamoru Hosoda.
Plot summary (from ANN): The Straw Hat crew obtain an advertisement for a recreational island on the Grand Line run by the Baron Omatsuri. Luffy decides to take this opportunity to kick back and relax. Unfortunately, when they arrive at the island, they are asked to compete in contests through unity for access to relaxation. However, there seems to be a mysterious air on the island, as the Straw Hat Pirates begin to fight amongst themselves, while Robin, Chopper, and Luffy individually search for the secret behind Baron Omatsuri's island.
It took me a little bit to get into this film when I first watched it, because it starts out very crazy and over the top. However, I pushed on and eventually discovered that there was much more to it than the usual crazy OP antic-- I was soon staring a very dark tale right in the face. That's what do great about this film. It starts out light-hearted and fun, but slowly you begin to see a hint dropped here, a couple of more hints there, and so on. Hosoda's storytelling in this is so good that with all the dropped hints and such, the transition from light to dark is almost seamless to the point that it nearly sneaks up on you. It isn't like flipping a light switch like in a series like Trigun, it is a slow, methodical process. Also, this film has some of the most impressive visuals I have ever seen in an anime film. Mind Game is by far the most impressive, but this movie is high up on that list too. If you are a fan of One Piece (or a fan of Mamoru Hosoda in general), watch this movie.
Coming in at #32 is the first season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Notice how I had to specify the first season.
Plot summary (from ANN): On the first day of high school a beautiful girl named Haruhi Suzumiya introduces herself as having "no interest in ordinary humans". She asks for any aliens, time travelers, sliders or espers to join her. Watching her weird behavior is Kyon who sits in front of Haruhi and is the only person who talks to her. When Kyon comments about Haruhi's joining every club in school and then quitting he unwittingly gives Haruhi an idea to start her own after school club. Thereafter Kyon and several others find themselves dragged, literally, into the Save our world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya Haruhi's Brigade (the S.O.S. Brigade for short).
TMoHS may not be the deepest show in the world, but its sense of fun and wit each have very few rivals in the anime medium. Most of the characters are fascinating to watch, and the storytelling is actually very clever a lot of the time. Tack on great production values and you've got a winner. Of course, the reputation of the series will be forever tarnished by the second season, but the first remains a classic that will hopefully be remembered by fans for years to come.
Finally, we have Honey and Clover in the #31 slot.
Plot Summary (from ANN): Takemoto Yuuta, Mayama Takumi, and Morita Shinobu are college students who share the small apartment. Even though they live in poverty, the three of them are able to obtain pleasure through small things in life. The story follows these characters' life stories as poor college students, as well as their love lives when a short but talented 18 year old girl called Hanamoto Hagumi appears.
This show is an honest-to-goodness, down-to-earth tale of young people living their everyday lives. It feels so very real that I couldn't help but fall in love with all of the characters involved, not to mention the wonderful musical score and numerous insert songs. Honey and Clover is a unique experience that mixes comedy and drama expertly. I'm very glad the Viz Media is finally releasing this series in the States. Now more people can see it for themselves.
That does it for part 4 (of 10)! Misato hopes to see you all here again next week!
3 comments:
I have the pilot for Honey and Clover on my iPod. I love it! I've been meaning to download the rest of it, I just haven't yet.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya gave me one of my most memorable moments of anime watching ever. That band performance during the culture festival.
I hear ya, DonKango! That band performance was really something special. KyoAni rocks for being brave enough to animate the guitar playing, and actually pulling it off.
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