awkwardpariah asked: Ok, so you're not a fan of Avatar, understandable, but I am curious if you are a fan of my favorite animated show of all time: Cowboy Bebop?
Well, yeah.
That is to say, I love Cowboy Bebop (and another Shinichirō Watanabe great: Samurai Champloo). That series was probably one of my first exposures to anime that carries both humor and very serious storytelling all at once. Everything about it is extremely compelling to me: the design, the music, the story, the characters… If nothing else, I have spent ages trying to fill the “great anime” void left by it (and a few others) since then. I’ve tried, but so many others never quite hit that same perfect note.
the-unfeminine-female asked: Hi, I would love some recommendations or good anime movies. What are your favourites?
I’ve gone back and forth on this. At first, I thought I had seen many films, but then I got stumped while trying to think back on them. “Maybe I’m not a good person to ask this about,” I mused to myself. Then, the more that I wrote and talked over with K, I realized we did have a few recommendations (popular films, and not-so):
Our Favorites
- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - You don’t have to know the Cowboy Bebop series to appreciate this movie (though it helps). It’s a great combination of action, excellent characters, and mind-blowing animation.
- Anything by Miyazaki, but especially Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away - ‘Spirited Away’ is K’s favorite for the set designs and detail, whereas ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ is mine for the characters and their personalities. What you should take away from this, however, is that you can’t go wrong with Miyazaki. Ever.
- Tokyo Godfathers - Made by the same studio behind Cowboy Bebop, this movie is fantastic. The animation is beautiful, but the characters and plot are incredibly moving. It’s the sort of movie you can watch over and over, and still miss little details.
- Akira - Has to be mentioned. Not only is it the most classic anime film out there, but it stands up to modern cinema. It’s still one of the best films out there, animated or not.
- Perfect Blue & Millennium Actress - “Perfect Blue” is a perfect mindfuck, with imagery that will take your breath away, while “Millennium Actress” is a hard left-hook to your emotions. Both similar in genre (and the same in creative team), but two very worthy films separately.
- Blood: The Last Vampire (2000) - There have been a few iterations of this film/manga series, but this is the only one I can 100% stand behind. A very visceral and action-packed film. There isn’t much explanation given for the characters or their motives, but you don’t really need one. You get sucked in (ha!) easily.
- Metropolis - I can’t say enough good things about this film. It’s done completely in Osamu Tezuka’s 1930s-inspired style and is an excellent tribute to the original Metropolis film while still adding its own distinctive spin on the story. As a fan of both films, I was thrilled.
Special Mention:
- The Cat Returns - An adorable, visually imaginative movie we only recently came across. It’s very much in the Miyazaki-vein of fantasy mixed with coming-of-age/morality tale. They really let the creative team go wild with whatever they imagined. Very much like an Alice in Wonderland tale, but without the stale tropes.
