Since I got back into anime with Legend of Galactic Heroes, I can say that anime is back in my life. COVID-19 has also given me some time on weekends to watch anime more alongside other hobbies. I can see the progress it has made since I grew up and saw a lot of other media.
Anime has a not-unearned reputation as a prurient and often formulaic medium. Producers create animes to appeal to a small audience of fans who will spend money on expensive merchandise and media.
After many animes that relied on cliches, Anime is having a small renaissance. Streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon, host classics such as Neon Genesis Evangelion. They also produce and distribute their own anime series such as Castlevania. This is an opportunity for newcomers to easily enter the wide and diverse world of anime.
Here are a few new animes I recommend.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
This new comedic anime follows a group of schoolgirls who start a club to create animated shorts at their school.
The three protagonists follow the steps of creating a new venture based on an idea; putting in the work, finding an audience, and managing resources.
The three protagonists bring different views of creation and have different shapes to distinguish them. Midori Asakusa imagines colorful detail and worldbuilding. She emphasizes scientific explanations for vehicle physics and monster abilities. Sayaka Kanamori is stubborn, entrepreneurial, and manages the marketing, finances, and goals of the group. Tsubame Mizusaki is a young model from a wealthy family who excels in animating character movements. Later, a sound designer student Domeki joins the team.
Their journey included trying to balance realism with idealism. I’m anxious about Kanamori’s contempt for school government and administration, which showed the obstructive bureaucrat trope. The trope appeals to the right-wing libertarian view that government as a hurdle for the ambitious (or greedy). I assume right-wing libertarian anime fans will make Kanamori a mascot.
The big takeaways from Eizouken are the homage to anime and a view of the process of creating works of art. Many scenes include homages to animators like Hayao Miyazaki and a Katsuhiro Otomo. As a “maker”, I loved seeing the process of creation and the team working their strengths to bring their work to life.
Vinland Saga
Back in High School, My senior-level English class read the epic poem, Beowulf. After finishing the book, we watched the film The 13th Warrior, which adapted Beowulf and Eaters of the Dead by Micahel Crichton. I was inspired since the Arab protagonist was more civilized than the Scandinavians (yet by Spanish actor Antonio Banderas instead of a Middle Eastern actor. But I’ll grant the possibility that Banderas has Andalusian Muslim ancestors)
Also, we saw the 1958 film The Vikings, which featured actors of Caribbean and Jewish heritage as Vikings.
Since then, there have been many attempts to portray the Viking Age and Norse mythology in media; For example, the TV shows Vikings, Norsemen, and The Last Kingdom, the films Valhalla, Valhalla Rising and How to Train Your Dragon, the book Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, and Nordic folk music revival bands such as Wardruna, Danheim, and Heilung.
Are Vikings Racist?
Unfortunately, Norse mythology and media portraying the Viking Age have attracted white supremacists obsessed with purity, nostalgia, machismo, and violence. Furthermore, racists use the Elder Futhark runic alphabet and Thor’s hammer so often that others think the symbols are racist. Non-racist followers of Asatru religion and Viking enthusiasts face a struggle to take back those symbols.
I beg to differ. What I like about the Vikings is the reality that they were open to trade and settle alongside others, and adapted to other cultures and different religions. The focus on the Danish invasions of Britain reminds us that Great Britain was rarely a single entity that British nationalists claim. Different groups of invaders, immigrants, and settlers shaped Britain over time. To be petty, I also liked that Europeans were savages for a change. An anime about Vikings was sure to catch my attention.
Vinland Saga is an anime series based on a manga that takes place during the 11th Century. The series follows Thorfinn, an Icelandic boy who is driven by stories of new land to the West (the titular Vinland) and revenge against a Viking mercenary leader who killed his father.
The series refers to mythical sagas and figures, such as King Arthur, explorer Leif Erikson, and King Canute the Great. The action is gory exaggerated anime battles with superhuman feats of strength and agility. The anime also details the history of different kingdoms and empires in Scandinavia and Great Britain.
Kengan Ashura
In the fall of last year, I started a health kick. To this end, I tried out diets, bought kettlebells and went to the gym after work. I lost 10 pounds before moving to Texas. [UPDATE: from April to July 2020, I lost 35 pounds and am at another plateau for the last 5 pounds]. I looked for “fitspiration” from media that shows fitness and strength; including wrestling documentaries and biographies, men’s health magazines, and workout social media accounts.
Sports animes have had consistent niche success, with shows like Hajime No Ippo, Haikyuu, Grappler Baki, Yuri on Ice, and Slam Dunk. There is also a growing sub-genre of risque athletic anime like How Heavy are the Dumbells You Lift, and Iwa-Kakeru!: Climbing Girls (remember, anime can still be a prurient medium)
Despite its exaggerated fantasy approach to combat sports, Kengan Ashura fulfills a part of that fitspiration. In the show, large corporations settle their differences by selecting fighters to fight in gladiatorial hand-to-hand matches. The series follows a young fighter Ohma Tokita and his meek middle-aged manager, Kazuo Yamashita. The fighters in each match have detailed techniques and strengths that need to be countered.
While the other fighters have interesting traits, Ohma is something of a blank slate. Ohma’s “Niko” fighting style and four Katas (forms) are introduced in pieces to drive the plot instead of being a part of his character.
Another issue I have is that a character introduced later is portrayed as a depraved gay stereotype with a sadomasochistic crush on Ohma.
Nevertheless, I appreciate fighting animes where matches are decided by techniques and counters instead of power levels and a protagonist shielded from harm for the plot..