Ask John: What are the Best American Anime Releases of 2004?

Question:
I was wondering what US released anime you would give an award to this year for being excellent- from storyline to animation?

Answer:
When this year is over, there will have been roughly a hundred titles released to American home video in 2004 that had never been available on American home video before. Everyone likes different things, and no two people like the same anime for the exact same reasons. In fact, even bad anime can still have informative or entertainment value. So although this response will be unavoidably subjective, I think it will be most valuable if I am highly selective in my choices, identifying only the anime titles that I believe are among the top tier of shows that excel in virtually every aspect of cinematic storytelling. Regretfully, to do that I’ll need to exclude a number of exceptional 2004 debuts that, while all great shows, just don’t fulfill the ultimate potential of the anime format. Among those titles I even have to include AN Entertainment’s own Miami Guns, which I believe is a fantastic comedy, but not an anime that raises the standards by which we critique anime. Titles including Miami Guns, Requiem from the Darkness, Galaxy Angel, and Yukikaze, for varying reasons, are all titles which I believe meet, but don’t exceed our highest expectations.

Now, here then, are the 2004 American debuts that I believe do exceed our highest expectations and make us re-evaluate our expectations and presumptions about Japanese animation. Keep in mind, as I’ve already stated, my picks are my own, and they’re only based on the quality of the anime itself, not the quality of their domestic localizations.

The Space Pirate Captain Herlock: Endless Odyssey OAV series represents the culmination of nearly 30 years of Harlock anime, and director Rintaro’s most incisive exploration of the character yet. The OAV series’ story is suitably epic, and its animation quality appropriately moody and effective. But the triumph of the series is its tone of honor and heroism and the sense of great men moving through the world of the mere average. The Harlock in this series is the most unadulterated and striking depiction of Harlock’s trademark masculinity ever animated. This OAV series presents Harlock as a man among men, who lives by his own sense of justice and honor, fears nothing more than the betrayal of his own ideals, and takes responsibility for his decisions regardless of consequences. In simple terms, this particular OAV series is the definitive Captain Harlock anime.

The tremendously skilled and contentious Satoshi Kon has two titles on my list: Tokyo Godfathers and Paranoia Agent. Tokyo Godfathers is a marvel of magic realism- a film that makes the magical seem believable, and the mundane magical. It’s a Japanese film that speaks to all cultures with its subtle but unmistakable message of hope and love. On the other hand, there’s Paranoia Agent, which takes a realistic setting and turns it on its head with tremendous skill, slowly revealing more and more layers of wonderfully artistic artifice that constantly seems breathtaking rather that ostentatious or forced. Just as Tokyo Godfathers is a realistic cinematic treat for movie lovers, Paranoia Agent is likewise a gift bestowed upon jaded viewers seeking something satisfying, fulfilling and revolutionary.

Azumanga Daioh has its critics, but its proponents are far more common. This wonderful little show, in the sense that its an unassuming and humble series, manages to impress with its very simplicity. Attractive animation and character design combined with appealing characters and wonderfully witty writing prove that a show can be immersive and fun just by being naturalistic. Besides the fact that Azumanga Daioh is riotously funny, the show manages to create a peaceful and gently soothing setting that we want to be part of, and miss when we leave.

The world of SaiKano is much more difficult to immerse ourselves in, but its writing and character development is so intense and so emotional that it’s nerve wracking to watch. The drama of SaiKano is raw and personal and so brutally honest that we can’t not believe in it. And the story’s authenticity to itself ensures that we don’t feel manipulated. The story’s twists and tragedies are shocking and heartrending because they don’t feel arbitrary or scripted; they seem like the natural and inevitable outcome of circumstances, which is why we can believe in them. It takes a tremendous amount of skill, or integrity to make viewers wholeheartedly empathize with characters and an entire world of two dimensional art. SaiKano manages to achieve that empathy with a rare degree of competence.

The Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex TV series virtually forces its way onto this list like an 800 pound gorilla. With its colossal budget (by TV standards), and its favorable television broadcast schedule that allows for longer production time, comparing the Ghost in the Shell TV series to other TV anime seems like an unfair competition. The show’s extensive representation of its world is totally immersive and convincing. It’s stories are obtuse, probably more than would most benefit the show, but are still highly effective in enmeshing the viewer into the show’s cyberpunk zeitgeist. If nothing else, Stand Alone Complex is simply riveting anime because of its amazing technical achievement.

Similarly, but at the same time different, the second Ghost in the Shell movie, Innocence, is a visual masterpiece, and a skillful atmospheric dialogue on existentialism and the isolation of humanity in the age of artificiality and the absence of soul. The film, like the TV series, is worthy of recommendation if only to convey the potential of Japanese animation.

On the other hand, the severely overlooked and under appreciated Popotan is a wonderfully stirring human story. Besides the fact that it’s lovely to look at, and engagingly acted by its Japanese cast, the show does such an amazing job of revealing its secrets and building to a satisfying climax that it’s impossible to even offer an adequate story summary without giving away spoilers. Many shows try to balance fan service with storytelling, but few manage to succeed. Popotan is one of the rarities that not only succeeds, but excels. The combination of marvelous, emotive and affecting character drama, engrossing mystery, and enjoyable, playful sexuality make Popotan one of 2004’s most enjoyable sleepers.

Finally comes one more character driven piece that shows off stellar animation (pun intended). Stellvia reveals, to viewers that are observant enough to notice it, an amazing attention to detail in its animation quality. And it’s appealing characters are fun to be around, and fun to empathize with and root for. Stellvia is one of the rare contemporary shows that builds its foundation (pun not intended, but still very appropriate) upon its characters and creates a story around them instead of creating an easily summarized cliché plot then filling it with characters. This is outstanding character driven drama enhanced by outstanding animation.