Anime: A Beginner's Guide

As I mentioned last week, there are going to be some ongoing changes to this blog. One thing that you will notice in 2015 is a definitive shift in focus from general discussion and literature to geek culture. Not that much of a change really since I often focused on Sci Fi/ Fantasy and anime anyway. So you can expect a lot more anime, video games, comics, science/tech, and science fiction/fantasy posts in the future. Not that it means you'll see less depth of content or rigorous discussion about relevant issues, but it will be brought about via the context of said topics.

Lately, I've been on an anime-watching binge with the start of the winter season this January. This is a fairly strong season, in my opinion, but I'll follow up with that in the future. First, I want to sort of introduce the concept of anime and help those who are interested navigate the multitude of titles to find a comfortable starting point. I know from personal experience that it can be a challenge to get into a new hobby or to explore a new medium. Especially since anime is looked down upon and dismissed by many, you might feel uncomfortable or unsure whether it's worth looking into. Anime ranges from heartwarming children's tales to incredibly adult stories filled with bizarre characters and abstract concepts. It can be beautiful, it can be crass, it can be subtle, it can be blatantly sexual. Depending on your interests, this can be very overwhelming.

For those who are nervous about starting something new, those who are curious but intimidated or embarrassed and really don't know where to start... hopefully this post can help guide you. And if you're already a fan, maybe there are even some new titles here that you haven't checked out yet. Or maybe you'd like to add your own titles in the comments. Feedback is always welcomed.

So, what is anime anyway? In Japan, the term anime refers to any animated film or television show. In the West, however, we generally consider animation created in Japan to be anime. There is often a distinct style associated with Japanese animation both in the artwork (characters with large eyes, vibrant hair colours and exaggerated emotional expression) and plot (frequently supernatural, strong character development, complicated and unexpected storylines). People debate this further - whether Studio Ghibli films are truly anime, for example - but for the purpose of this post, we will consider any animation originating from Japan to be anime. I will be talking about Western animation a little, but I will specifically point out which titles this refers to. Check out Idea Channel if you want a closer look at the Japanese vs Western anime debate.

To start, we come to that age old question... Dubs or subs? This refers to whether you choose to watch anime that has been dubbed over by English voice actors or anime with the original Japanese dialogue and English subtitles. I always recommend subtitles simply because the English dubs frequently change the dialogue to match the mouths of the characters as they speak. This is limiting and I can tell you from watching both versions, a lot is lost in translation. Now, of course, if you hate subtitles and it makes the difference between enjoying the show or not... then just go for the dubbed version. It's really personal preference that matters overall.

So where to start? Personally I recommend starting with films instead of shows. You only have to sit through a couple of hours rather than investing in a show that is 13+ episodes long. Plus, there are plenty of easy to find titles. I'd also recommend starting out with milder shows, more in keeping with stories you might be familiar with from Western film and television. Unless you're already really into weird and abstract film, starting out with an Akira or an Evangelion might be a bit jarring... 

I'd say it's not as weird as it looks, but it totally is...

 So here's what I suggest:

Studio Ghibli films - Hayao Miyazaki films in particular - come highly recommended and are distributed in the West by Disney, so they are very easy to find. I'd recommend starting with some of his simpler stories (often based on Western works) - Kiki's Delivery Service, The Secret World of Arrietty, or even Howl's Moving Castle - and working towards the more fantastical Japanese tales found in Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. All of these titles, Mononoke excepted, are family friendly and often have a socially and environmentally-conscious narrative.

Did I also mention that Miyazaki's films are stunningly beautiful?

From here I'd move onto Mamoru Hosoda's films. These are mostly stories about family and friendship, but are geared towards a slightly more mature audience than Miyazaki's. Again, they are all fairly easy to find at your local movie stores and on streaming services. Look for the titles: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars and Wolf Children. Each has a slightly supernatural element that is presented subtly and in such a way that it enhances the emotional, human elements of his stories.

Warning: keep the kleenex handy for this one (that goes double for moms and triple for new moms)

If you're an adult who already enjoys abstract and challenging plot lines, you may also be interested in Satoshi Kon's films. Fans of films like Inception will be interested in the movie Paprika, about a woman who must navigate people's dreams to investigate the theft of potentially dangerous dream-interaction technology. If you enjoyed Black Swan, you may want to pick up Perfect Blue. Darren Aronofsky, director of Black Swan, is himself a fan of Kon and you will notice plenty of parallels between the two stories (despite owning the rights to the film, he denies it as an inspiration). Kon is a master of blurring the lines between dream and reality, and his plots are simultaneously twisted and incredibly intelligent.

I could seriously discuss Perfect Blue for hours. In fact, I'm pretty sure I have.

If you're looking to invest more time and want to try out a couple of shows, you can always try some Western animation first. The Nickolodeon shows Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are Western shows that are often noted as having many similarities to Japanese anime. The stories, though geared towards a young audience, are still very deep and engaging for an older audience.

If you're trying to prepare yourself for some of the more bizarre elements of anime, you may be interested in checking out another Western animated show, Over the Garden Wall. I really don't want to tell you much about this one because its appeal is in its mystery. I will simply say it is a modern Alice in Wonderland story that pays homage to various eras and genres of animation. It's also only 10 episodes long so it doesn't require a massive commitment.

There is likely an upcoming post dedicated to this show. So watch it now. NOW.

From this point on, it really depends what you're interested in. Here are some Japanese titles based on various genre interests. I'm recommending each of these based on the reasonable length of the show, the lack of fan service (aka unnecessary nudity/sexual content) and a somewhat straightforward plot.

If you like science fiction, you've probably already heard of Cowboy Bebop. Reminiscent of Joss Whedon's Firefly, Bebop follows an unlikely crew of bounty hunters as they take new jobs and come to terms with their pasts.

 

Many people I know started with the incredibly popular Death Note, a great selection if you're interested in supernatural thrillers and crime drama. Light Yagami, a high school student, gains possession of a notebook which allows him to kill anyone as long as he knows their name and face. What begins as a quest to rid the world of evil, quickly turns into a battle between some of the brightest minds the world has ever encountered. 

If you're a fan of horror - particular Japanese horror stories like the Grudge and the Ring - Another is a gory, mysterious and creepy-as-hell show which I highly recommend. It centres on a cursed classroom and a couple of students who break the taboo protecting the class from a terrifying and deadly force.

Attack on Titan is another great title that has already won over many non-anime fans. It takes place in a world where humanity lives behind massive stone walls to protect themselves from the titans - massive humanoid monsters that seem to exist solely to kill humans. But when the wall is breached, humanity is thrown into turmoil and questions begin to arise about the nature of the titans and whether there might be an intelligent goal behind their mindless violence. A word of warning - this is an ongoing series and only one season has yet been released (the next isn't slated until next year). 

Likely you've seen this image (or parodies) even if you've never seen the show.

Maybe you'd rather shy away from the supernatural and are just looking for a good drama/ slice of life show. If so, Usagi Drop, or Bunny Drop, is a beautiful story about a man who unexpectedly becomes the guardian of the young, illegitimate daughter of his father. I'm also a fan of Kuroko's Basketball, an ongoing series about a high school basketball team trying to improve enough to challenge a group of prodigies known as the Generation of Miracles.

As you gain confidence and your interest builds, you'll likely start finding some titles of your own. Just don't give up if you find a title or two that aren't what you're looking for. Like any medium, anime is filled with a variety of genres and various degrees of quality. Check out www.myanimelist.net for a list of top-rated anime, reviews, and recommendations. You can find my user profile here: http://myanimelist.net/profile/AmyMaehem. I've found it to be a great resource for finding new anime to check out. Plus, I'm always happy to recommend titles and I'm sure I'll be talking about some new shows in the near future! 

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment here or if you have me on Facebook!

Happy New Year (a few weeks late...)

Alright... it's 2015 and I'm back. A little later than I anticipated but here I am nonetheless. In keeping with the theme of New Year and change, my little one finally seems to be changing her night habits. I am up much less in the night with her which means more sleep for me (YAY!), but also less late night blogging sessions. I still have time to write, but I've spent the last couple of weeks taking time to relax and to really think about where I want to go from here.

The traditional New Year's practice is to create resolutions - goals for the year ahead. This year, I want to shift the focus slightly. Instead of contemplating my future and the person I want to become, I want to first figure out who I am now. I believe that goal setting is a very useful tool and that humans are constantly changing, but I also believe that we're often so preoccupied focusing on our "desired self," that we take for granted the person we are in the present. How do we set goals for ourselves when we don't really know what we want? What we enjoy? What makes us happy?

I think we often resort to setting goals we believe we should set: to lose weight, to meet more people, to finish those renovations. If we work towards these goals without really understanding why, without genuine attachment, it isn't so surprising when we fail. Or worse, when we succeed and are still left unfulfilled. If we take the time to get to know ourselves by delving deeper into our desires - "Why do I want to lose weight?" or "Why am I unmotivated to finish this project? What would I rather be doing? What makes me feel motivated?" or even "What makes me happy?" - we can set more meaningful goals and appreciate who we are, instead of always focusing on some unrealistic goal of who we want to be.

Personally, I tried to lose weight for years. I was insecure and hated my body, and I thought that if I lost weight I would begin to love myself. The truth is, my self-hatred had very little to do with my body and more to do with my self esteem and confidence. As I came to love myself and become more confident, regardless of my body, I was able to eat healthier and ended up losing weight as a result. It's hard to take care of someone or something you have negative feelings towards. When I finally took the time to meditate on myself and separate who I was from the "should be's," I felt much more fulfillment from my choices, accomplishments and even failures.

So that's what I've been focusing on over the holidays. Who am I right now? What do I want right now?

Of course, I don't have all the answers. There are some things that I've thought about a lot, and some that are very relevant to the future of this blog:

• I am madly in love with my husband and daughter. They make me incredibly happy, excited, challenged and comfortable. I love spending time with them. I have plenty of thoughts and opinions about being a mom, but I decided a long time ago that isn't what I want to write about (unless relevant to another topic I'm discussing). Blogging is a place where I get to explore the parts of me that sometimes get left behind during my busy days being Mama.

• I have a passion for food. I like to eat, sure, but it's more than that. I love to cook. I love to bake. I love to learn about food from around the world, to experiment in the kitchen, and to feed other people. I want to pursue this further, but whether this means simply spending more time in the kitchen, creating recipes, or even blogging about it... I'm not sure yet.

• I still love to read. I want to always be reading at least one book. Daily if possible. And out loud when I can. I enjoy rereading books a lot more than I realized.

• I am a dedicated anime fan. I have seen over a hundred movies and shows. There are plenty more that I want to watch. I intend to make time for an episode or two a day. I intend to be more open about my interests, even if people don't understand them. Again, I still have to decide if there is a way I can pursue this interest further.

• I don't have one passion or interest. I have many interests and I want to try lots of things. I want to talk about many topics. I want to engage in a variety of activities. I am someone who enjoys being busy, but I have to carefully balance my time if I want to enjoy everything. And I have to rest.

• Finally, the one that is most relevant to this blog: I still enjoy writing. I don't want to stop, but the reality is that I can't continue the way I would like in my current situation. So I have to limit myself. I have to choose which projects stay, and which go. I don't want to delve into projects only to leave them unfinished. I don't want to drag out a project and therefore hurt its quality.

So what does this mean for the future of Idlewild? Honestly, I'm not completely sure yet. The fact is that Idlewild started out as a platform for my writing and a way to encourage me to write regularly through posts and short stories. Though I fully intend to keep writing, I don't feel confident that I can produce work to send into publishers at this time. Like I said above, I want to dedicate myself fully to those endeavours - but my family needs me right now. I will still write, but I do not want to set unreasonable goals for myself that lead to frustration. I refuse to put myself in a situation that will create resentment towards my family or my writing.

Blogging is something I feel I can dedicate myself to since posts are generally quicker to write than fiction and they often jive with my other interests (books, television, anime etc). However, I am not certain that its current format - incredibly varied and broad topics/ posts - are appealing to anyone but me. Perhaps I will reign myself in and narrow my content. Then again, I need to remain true to myself as a person who has always been intrigued by a variety of subjects. Perhaps there is a middle ground.

Anyway, like I said, I don't have all the answers today. For now, I will continue posting on Sundays and will add creative content whenever I have the chance. Just don't be surprised if you notice some changes in the upcoming weeks. To everyone reading this, and to everyone who has read my past posts and even participated with me in the comments here and on Facebook, thank you. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and 2015 is going well so far! See you next week.