Ask John: Please Recommend Some Unique & Original Anime

Question:
What series would you consider original? Are there any series today that can be truly called original? I want something new and refreshing. Also, please say what your standards for “original” are.

Answer:
Anime fans typically use the adjective “original” to describe anime not based on an earlier published work. However, in this question “original” doesn’t necessarily mean originating; it means “unique.” I’m not the type to complain about an over abundance of shounen fighting shows or harem comedies, but I do understand that sometimes anime fans want to watch anime that’s different and unique. The list of suggestions that I can offer is neither comprehensive nor absolute. Think of it as a brief guide to be expanded and influenced by personal experience and preference.

My qualifications for “original” anime are works that can’t be easily summarized by comparison with other shows; anime that defy simple categorization, and avoid borrowing heavily from other titles. These examples may be adapted from other media, but they separate themselves from all other anime because of their distinctive attributes. I want to emphasize that I don’t want to specifically list intellectual or artistic anime. I’ll just cite examples of unusual, unconventional anime, some of which may not be especially intellectual or highly artistic.

Mamoru Oshii’s 1985 art film Angel’s Egg is one of the most visually striking, most overtly artistic anime pictures ever made. Apart from its sumptuous visual design, the film is a languidly paced drama with only two characters and minimal spoken dialogue. In effect, it’s the antithesis of conventional, commercial anime.

Gainax’s 1987 film Wings of Honneamise is sometimes called the anime version of “The Right Stuff,” but that comparison is too superficial to serve as an adequate description. While Honneamise is a film about putting a man into space, it’s really a film about a lazy and irresponsible young man who, through adversity and encounters with other people, matures and comes to the realization that he has an opportunity and a responsibility to do something extraordinary. There are anime which create and populate convincing alternate worlds, but Honneamise goes to exceptional lengths to not only illustrate its world, but also paint a picture of characters that struggle with their relationships with each other, and struggle to understand their own motivations, desires, and aspirations. Honneamise is a brilliant drama that simultaneously illustrates the parallels of personal and universal human nature and conflict with an efficacy and poignancy unlike any other anime.

1997’s Revolutionary Girl Utena draws some design inspiration from 1979’s Rose of Versailles, and represents a transmogrification of the traditional magical girl genre, but stands as a unique shoujo story unlike anything else in the history of anime. Utena merges school drama, magical transformation, deconstruction of fairy tale mythology, and an upheaval of conventional gender and sexual roles to create a literate, cinematic, and exhilarating creation that comfortably resides beside conventional anime, but feels completely different from every other anime.

I’m willing to concede that 1998’s Serial Experiments Lain sometimes loses its way narratively; and its climactic revelation seems to come without adequate explanation or foreshadowing, yet this award winning series is still fascinating, engrossing, and totally unique. The visual design of the anime is original and unforgettable. The series’ atmosphere of urban and technological alienation is thick enough to be virtually a physical presence. Lain may be confusing and convoluted, but it’s also exceptionally unique and guaranteed to make an unforgettable impression.

The little known 2002 television series Hanada Shonen Shi isn’t remarkably artistic or excessively intellectual. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite. This simple and charming lighthearted drama recalls the nostalgia and dysfunctional family comedy of Jarinko Chie, but adds a supernatural theme and transposes the city setting for a calmer, rural environment. In other words, Hanada Shonen Shi isn’t a conspicuously revolutionary anime. It’s a simple, amusing story that’s different from other anime because of its focus on character and story development in place of cute girls, global threats, angst filled romance, or typical anime slapstick. Hanada Shonen Shi, a nostalgic and humorous story about a young boy in rural Japan who wakes from a near fatal accident with the ability to communicate with spirits, is a delightful change of pace for viewers used to typical “otaku” oriented anime.

Studio 4C’s 2004 motion picture Mind Game eschews conventional logic in favor of theme and pure kinetic, cinematic fun. This film about having the courage to shape one’s own destiny involves a young man being killed, then deciding to (re-)live his life to the fullest by literally turning his back on God and running away from God’s plans for him. Unlike works such as Angel’s Egg or director Maasaki Yuasa’s later work “Happy Machine,” (part of the Genius Party anthology film), Mind Game doesn’t totally abandon a conventional, logical narrative; it simply bends the rules of conventional narrative to create an anime that’s unusual looking and has a bizarre yet enjoyable story and characters. Mind Game successfully lives in the realm of art film and disposable entertainment simultaneously, making it a very unusual anime production.

The 2005 television series Gallery Fake isn’t an artistic or cinematic masterpiece. In fact, it’s not even a program that I’d recommend in many circumstances. Certain episodes are significantly more entertaining than others. And certain episodes have noticeably better art and animation quality than others. But it is a very unconventional, unique anime series that may interest viewers looking for something different. This drama about a shady art expert who values appreciating and preserving fine artworks over trivial details like legality and authenticity is unique because I don’t know of any other anime title that it can be easily compared to. Gallery Fake could be described as a version of Black Jack that replaces the medical context with fine art appreciation. But while that analogy may be viable, I think it also establishes Gallery Fake’s difference from any other anime series.

The 2005 television series Mushishi is not only essential viewing for anime fans interested in unique and unusual anime, it should be considered mandatory viewing for everyone interested in the artistic breadth of Japanese animation. Mushishi is unquestionably one of the finest anime productions ever filmed. This travelogue series has the same fundimental structure as anime titles like Kino no Tabi and Aru Tabibito no Nikki, but Mushishi’s atmosphere of organic community and convincing mythology set it apart. Unlike “Kino’s Journey” or “The Diary of Tortov Roddle,” which observe settings and events from an objective distance, as though each was an isolated instance, Mushishi puts viewers into the midst of a living world that has its own traditions, history, and legends. So convincing are these supporting details that at times viewers may wonder how much has been created for the anime and how much has been imported from real life. Mushishi emphasizes a tone of melancholy, a constant compromise between co-habitating humans and nature. This elegiac atmosphere is tremendously affecting. The show’s atmosphere is enhanced by its lush color design and often exceptionally fluid animation quality. Mushishi is an artistic masterpiece of the highest order, which clearly sets it apart from most conventional anime.

Children spending part of their youth absorbed in virtual reality is a common theme in anime including Digimon, Corrector Yui, Treasure Gaust, and even .Hack, but the 2007 television series Denno Coil finds a unique approach to the concept. The children of Denno Coil don’t collect digital pets or fight evil monsters. They’re also not playing alter egos in a digital game. The kids of Denno Coil genuinely live in a simultaneously tactile and digital world. The show has a Ghibli-esque tone of whimsical naturalism and a manages to constantly tantalize viewers with the cusp of major revelations. Wonderfully individual characterizations, a multitude of mysteries, excellent animation and visual design, and a fascinating realization of imaginative technology make Denno Coil a hugely entertaining and impressive show with its own identity unlike anything else.

Finally, I’ll cite the recently concluded Oh! Edo Rocket (Ooedo Rocket) television series. The primary narrative involves an alien stranded in Japan during the 19th century who asks a young fireworks maker to develop a rocket that will take her (back) to the moon. That story structure serves largely as a framework for director Seiji Mizushima and the animators of Madhouse to decorate with their unrestrained creativity and humor. The show is filled with sight gags, anime and contemporary pop culture references, extensive character development for the large cast, and countless eruptions of pure creative energy. Oh! Edo Rocket feels like a decidedly non-commercial anime. It feels like an anime that the staff has made purely for the indulgent fun of making anime. There’s absolutely nothing else quite like Oh! Edo Rocket in the history of anime, and no other anime that Oh! Edo Rocket can be accurately compared to. It’s an ideal choice for anime fans in search of a contemporary alternative to conventional anime.