#(today is bully mariko time)

[saiyanandproud]

@synthetixviola​

“Oh Kais-- Here’s another one!”

“No, I don’t! I work undercover for him, that’s all!”

“If anything, I might ask you the same-- aren’t you two always flirting while fighting and stuff like that?”

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: What Makes The Existential Dread Of Flowers of Evil Work So Well?

  Flowers of Evil is a story that grapples with difficult material: adolescent perversion, bullying, depression, and self-harm. But when the anime adaptation aired in the spring of 2013, the topic du jour was the rotoscoping. Director Hiroshi Nagahama and crew made the decision not to simply replicate the character designs from the manga but to adapt them via an aesthetic designed to make the viewer uncomfortable. The final character models, based on real-life actors playing the parts in each scene, evoke the uncanny valley between fleshy humans and simple, noseless anime characters. Critics couldn’t make up their minds: was the Flowers of Evil anime "an utter trainwreck?" A masterpiece that looks and sounds like no other anime ever made? Or a bundle of great ideas foiled — or, perversely, strengthened — by bad execution?

  With the passage of time, we can look back on Flowers of Evil as it was, rather than what it could or should have been. For instance, we can discuss how wild it is that they managed to convince both Noko, the lead vocalist of underground rock band Shinsei Kamattechan, and Mariko Goto, lead vocalist of jazz-punk band Midori, to guest on the show’s theme song. We can discuss how the show predicts Nagahama’s future career, with later projects like The Reflection and Uzumaki stretching the boundaries of what is traditionally considered “anime.” But today, we’re going to talk about how the series develops its setting: a small town in Gunma prefecture surrounded by mountains.

    Flowers of Evil’s backgrounds were created by Studio Pablo, one of the most famous background art studios of the past decade. Their sizable body of work includes contributions to shows like Penguindrum, Revue Starlight, and Sonny Boy. But nothing else they’ve ever done looks as worn, rusty, and scummy as their work on Flowers of Evil. This is not a story set in the exciting Tokyo neighborhoods or picturesque tourist spots of other Japanese anime. It lacks the nostalgic haze that livens up FLCL’s crappy town of Mabase. The signs are bent. The metal is rusty. The roads are dark. It’s an old town, a dying town. A town that, in the eyes of the protagonist Kasuga, is festering with evil.

  Each shot in the first episode is framed in the most oppressive way possible. Here, Kasuga is framed through the iron bars of a fence. There, Kasuga and his friends are held within the reflection of a traffic mirror pole. The structure of the episode itself is repetitive, so as to drive home the banality of each day. The same city landmarks repeat. Even Kasuga himself notices, taking a moment at the doors of his school to look away toward the mountains. What lies beyond those mountains? In the anime adaptation’s 13 episodes, the viewer will never find out.

    It’s not hard to recognize and even sympathize with Kasuga’s feelings of alienation. Unfortunately, Kasuga is a jerk. He believes himself to be better than his classmates because he’s read Charles Baudelaire. He crushes helplessly on his classmate Saeki, revering her as a saint, but then steals her gym clothes and wails about it. Depending on your perspective, you might see Kasuga as awful, sympathetic, or even ridiculous. But he is understandable because, from the very first episode, we are taught to see the world through his eyes. The rust, the back alleys, the faded brown signs. The environments of Flowers of Evil reflect an outlook. They are the show’s ace in the hole, an empathy generation device constructed through careful world-building. It is through this world that we learn the stakes.

  Flowers of Evil is a horror story. There are no monsters or killers. The horror is far more banal. It is the horror that Kasuga feels as he walks the same route to school each day. It is the horror that torments Kasuga’s tormentor and friend Nakamura as she futilely looks beyond the mountains surrounding their town. They act out because they are horny teenagers, but also because they are afraid. The fear that drives them is the fear of suffocation. The fear that the world is a locked box and that there is no other option but to die without ever being understood. That in the spring of youth, there will be nothing else.

    It’s a distinctly adolescent nihilism, the fear that nothing will ever matter. It’s a fear I can’t help but remember from my own teenage years — the feeling of walking through a dark train tunnel, futilely searching for the exit while knowing you might never make it to the end. Flowers of Evil grapples directly with this nihilism but refuses to be defined by it. The world built by Studio Pablo, Hiroshi Nagahama, and his crew is infected by Kasuga’s fears and biases, but it is not his. With time we learn that his crush Saeki is not a saint but an ordinary person. We learn that Kasuga and Nakamura, who are convinced nobody will ever understand them, are capable through great effort of understanding each other and sharing each other’s joy. Were the Flowers of Evil anime renewed for a second or third season, we would learn that the story of the comic is not a tragedy but a coming of age story. 

  The ultimate cruelty of the Flowers of Evil anime adaptation is that we were never given that second or third season. Kasuga and Nakamura remain trapped by those mountains, left hanging between liberty and despair. I couldn’t help but be frustrated when I first saw the show’s final episode. Now, I think about the mountains surrounding my own life. The melting of the ice caps, the instability of democracy in the United States and abroad, the societal inequality that enriches a few and abandons many more to suffer and die. Just like the last episode of Flowers of Evil is haunted by flashes of future catharsis deferred, the years in which we live are stalked by visions of an ending. I remind myself: surrounded by those mountains, Kasuga and Nakamura are friends. Is that enough? I don’t know.

  What’s your favorite anime that made you feel bad? Are you excited for Hiroshi Nagahama’s new series Uzumaki? Have you listened to Mariko Goto’s wild album Aratamemashite, hajimemashite, Midori desu? Let us know in the comments!

      Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he isn't thinking about Shinsei Kamattechan, he sporadically contributes with a loose coalition of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can find him on Twitter at: @wendeego

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a feature, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Adam Wescott

[sugarsourgoat]

All of the 90s (& 80s) Anime You Need To Fill Your Nostalgic Heart

There’s is no greater feeling than running into something that makes you remember a fun time in your life. For me, that is the 90s. Even though I didn’t experience a lot of the 90s, I still have those times where I feel like getting out some popcorn and indulging in the things that make me feel as though I am back in that time. One specific way for me to do that is through watching anime that came out in the 90s. 

The typical art styles of 90s anime are something I sometimes wish was still a feature in today’s animation. The haziness of the animations (mostly because of the lower quality resolution of televisions during that era) takes me back to a time when I was a child. 

In this post, I hope that you will find an anime with a story that will pique your interest, as well as help you feel as though you are back in the 90s (or the 80s because I couldn’t help myself). If you were born in the 2000s, then hopefully this list will help you understand why some of us began to love anime in the first place or will open you to anime you never heard of.

If you have any 90s (or older) anime recommendations, let me know! I’m always happy to watch some old anime. 

xx, Sai

1. Oniisama e

When 16-year-old Nanako Misonoo enters the prestigious all-girls Seiran Academy, she believes a bright future awaits her. Instead, the unlucky girl finds herself dragged into a web of deceit, misery, and jealousy. On top of that, she is chosen as the newest inductee of the Sorority, an elite group whose members are the envy of the entire school. Having none of the grace, wealth, or talent of the other members, Nanako quickly draws the ire of her jealous classmates—especially the fierce Aya Misaki. To cope with her increasingly difficult school life, Nanako recalls her days through letters to her former teacher, Takehiko Henmi, whom she affectionately calls "onii-sama" (big brother). She also finds comfort with her four closest friends: her childhood friend Tomoko Arikura, the sociable but erratic Mariko Shinobu, the troubled musician Rei Asaka, and the athletic tomboy Kaoru Orihara. An impassioned drama about the hardships of bullying, Oniisama e... chronicles a young girl's harsh life at her new school, as she endures cruel rumours, heartless classmates, and countless social trials.

Aired: Summer 1991

2. Angel’s Egg

In a desolate and dark world full of shadows, lives one little girl who seems to do nothing but collect water in jars and protect a large egg she carries everywhere. A mysterious man enters her life... and they discuss the world around them. 

Aired: Fall 1985

3. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

In a world filled with planes and airships, Sheeta is a young girl who has been kidnapped by government agents who seek her mysterious crystal amulet. While trapped aboard an airship, she finds herself without hope—that is, until the ship is raided by pirates. Taking advantage of the ensuing confusion, Sheeta manages to flee from her captors. Upon her escape, she meets Pazu, a boy who dreams of reaching the fabled flying castle, Laputa. The two decide to embark on a journey together to discover this castle in the sky. However, they soon find the government agents back on their trail, as they too are trying to reach Laputa for their own greedy purposes. Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa follows the soaring adventures of Sheeta and Pazu, all while they learn how dreams and dire circumstances can bring two people closer together.

Aired: Summer 1986

4. Sailor Moon

Usagi Tsukino is an average student and crybaby klutz who constantly scores low on her tests. Unexpectedly, her humdrum life is turned upside down when she saves a cat with a crescent moon on its head from danger. The cat, named Luna, later reveals that their meeting was not an accident: Usagi is destined to become Sailor Moon, a planetary guardian with the power to protect the Earth. Given a special brooch that allows her to transform, she must use her new powers to save the city from evil energy-stealing monsters sent by the malevolent Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom. But getting accustomed to her powers and fighting villains are not the only things she has to worry about. She must find the lost princess of the Moon Kingdom, the other Sailor Guardians, and the Legendary Silver Crystal in order to save the planet from destruction.

Aired: Spring 1992

5. Akira

In 1988 the Japanese government drops an atomic bomb on Tokyo after ESP experiments on children go awry. In 2019, 31 years after the nuking of the city, Kaneda, a bike gang leader, tries to save his friend Tetsuo from a secret government project. He battles anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists, and a powerful military leader until Tetsuo's supernatural powers suddenly manifest. A final battle is fought in Tokyo Olympiad exposing the experiment's secrets.

Aired: Summer 1988

6. Burn up! 

To the unsuspecting eye Maki, Reimi and Yuka may not look like ace crime fighters, which might explain why they're stuck on traffic patrol instead of more "exciting" police duties. All that changes when Yuka gets herself kidnapped by a white slave organization run by a politically connected businessman who's got the rest of the police cowed. Now it's up to Maki and Reimi to don skin-tight battle armor, liberate a tank, and make sure that a certain slaver learns that when you play with fire, you're going to get your ass burned!

Aired: Winter 1991

7. Neon Genesis Evangelion

In the year 2015, the world stands on the brink of destruction. Humanity's last hope lies in the hands of Nerv, a special agency under the United Nations, and their Evangelions, giant machines capable of defeating the Angels who herald Earth's ruin. Gendou Ikari, head of the organization, seeks compatible pilots who can synchronize with the Evangelions and realize their true potential. Aiding in this defensive endeavor are talented personnel Misato Katsuragi, Head of Tactical Operations, and Ritsuko Akagi, Chief Scientist. Face to face with his father for the first time in years, 14-year-old Shinji Ikari's average life is irreversibly changed when he is whisked away into the depths of Nerv, and into a harrowing new destiny—he must become the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01 with the fate of mankind on his shoulders. 

Aired: Fall 1995

8. Battle Angel Alita

Doc Ido, a doctor, and mechanic who lives and works in the hellish, post-apocalyptic "Scrapyard", finds the—miraculously preserved—remains of a female cyborg in a junk heap. After he revives and rebuilds her, the preternaturally strong, amnesiac "Gally" begins to forge a life for herself in a world where every day can bring a fight for life.

Aired: Spring 1993

That’s all for my nostalgia-giving anime list for now! If you have any suggestions for me on what anime I should watch send me a message! Let me know if you will/have seen any of these anime and what you think about them! Also, feel free to suggest topics you’d like to see from Sailure Artemis in the future (you can also submit posts).

See you next time!

[thebibliomancer]

100 Days of Comics! 043/100: Wolverine #82 (1994)

Today is second Wolverine day and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t make a Hitchhiker’s reference last time.

So today’s rummage into the box of 100 mystery comics brings us another Wolverine. Except we’ve gone backwards many issues. But he still has his bone claws and his life is still pretty not great overall. But he’s let his hair and sideburns grow out so much, he looks like a bipedal lion.

I have to say, this issue has a pretty striking cover.

Anyway. Wolverine recently lost both his adamantium skeleton and his healing factor and is fairly certain he’s going to die soon. As such, he has headed to Japan to say good-byes and set things right.

At least in this issue, Lion Wolverine starts with a visit to an ancient temple on the outskirts of Tokyo to light some incense for Mariko, his dead deceased never-quite bride.

But old friend and totally Storm’s girlfriend Yukio finds him there and if she found him, others could and did do too.

The Hand has tracked down Wolverine to get revenge for him maiming one of the Hand higher ups. But after Wolverine gets his ass kicked a little, Yukio convinces the Hand ninjas that Wolverine isn’t really Wolverine because he has bone claws and no healing factor. And if this isn’t Wolverine maybe Wolverine is looking to finish the job with Matsuo.

With his ass totally saved despite him insisting that he didn’t need the hand, Yukio invites Logan to her crappy apartment and they crack open a bottle so “you pour me some drinks, Logan-san, and we’ll sing a few songs and tell lies about all the good times we had!”

Meanwhile, a creepy guy called Bloodscream finds some creepy robots in a corpse pile and recharges them with a car battery. The androids are Pierce-built and one is Elsie Dee who is a terrifying child with Elmer Fuddism and the other is Albert but looks like Logan. And they are looking for Logan.

Back in Tokyo, Amiko. Her mother was killed when a dragon from Battleworld knocked a building onto her but Amiko was saved by Logan and he promised her dying mother that he’d take care of her.

He has done a not super great job.

Anyway, she’s getting bullied for being an orphan and for believing that a mysterious samurai protector protected her (it was Logan). And then she gets beat up.

Lionman Logan shows up to interrupt the beating but Amiko runs away, not recognizing him with a glorious mane.

Logan goes to her foster home, in the guise of an inspector for Landau, Luckman, and Lake the group that handles Logan’s money, including the money thats supposed to be paying for Amiko to have a nice life.

Her foster parents are dicks and are using all the money to buy nice things for themselves.

Actually, its funny how Logan passes himself off as an inspector. He has his agent Zoe Curodan’s business card so he just introduces himself as Zoe Curodan, claiming that Zoe is the Scottish spelling of Joe.

He asks to interview Amiko alone and the fosters say he has five minutes but they really only give him three panels. Logan disguised as Zoe tells Amiko that her benefactor didn’t know about her horrible life situation but Amiko says that her samurai protector is far away and saving other people from dragons but he’s TOTALLY going to send a fierce ninja to take her away to a nice place.

And why crush a child’s dreams if you already live in a ridiculous world?

Since apparently Japanese social services won’t let him relocate Amiko OR even stop the fosters from stealing all her money, Logan comes back at night in his X-Men uniform with pantyhose over his head. Y’know, dressed as a ninja??

Amiko immediately assumes that this ‘ninja’ must be here for her and yup.

So Logan takes Amiko downstairs and tells the fosters that SECRETLY AMIKO WAS A WARD OF THE HAND AND BOY YOU’VE PISSED OFF THE HAND.

The fosters are assholes but not idiots. They immediately realize its ‘Zoe’ with pantyhose on his head and try to hit him with a golf club and one of those ski toothpicks. Which he just slices through with an honor sword and tells them to GTFO of the country.

So Logan takes Amiko to Yukio and asks her to become her cool ronin mom. And the money that was going to the jerks would go to Yukio and help her get some stuff like a nicer place to live. Just saying.

There’s still the problem of social services but Wolverine has solved that problem by making a deal.

IN BARGES SILVER SAMURAI.

He’s the deal.

“The child welfare authorities are petty bureaucrats... who are easily bought by one as powerful as the Oyabun of the Yashida clan!”

In exchange for the return of the Yashida honor swords that Mariko gave Logan a whiiiiiiile back, Silver Samurai will throw his weight around until an unmarried assassin/mercenary is allowed to adopt an orphan. And between Yukio probably being a cool adoptive mom (who promises Logan to raise Amiko as if she were her own) and Silver Samurai honor-bound to see to the welfare of Amiko, things are probably going to turn out alriiiiiiight.

For Amiko. Logan still thinks he’s going to die. But he won’t. At least not yet.

This was another pretty good Wolverine story, what the heck. I liked this. No real fights. No real strictly comic book elements once Yukio succeeds in bluff checking the Hand. The most ridiculous thing is probably Logan’s shitty ninja disguise but he was doing that just to match Amiko’s expectations because she deserved to believe in dreams... OF VENGEANCE.