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Over the past few months (mainly with the advent of summer vacation and lack of a full-time job) I have been watching a ton of animated stuff in a sort of homage to the wasted days of my youth where I spent more time in front of the tv then is probably recommended. Upon really looking what the purveyors of childhood entertainment (Nickelodeon, Disney, Cartoon Network) offer in the way of animated programs, it seems like a cruel joke at some point as it relates to someone like me. When looked through the forgiving lense of nostalgia, the programs that I watched as a child were much the same, but it honestly feels as if something has been lost along the way (Although Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends is pretty solid).

This point is perfectly illustrated in the way that the Star Wars: Clone Wars television series was handled. The original Clone Wars shorts, created by Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Lab, Power Puff Girls), featured stunning animation, a serviceable voice cast, and frankly didn’t suck at all. Coming off the success of Samurai Jack, which I would argue is by far the best American produced animated series ever, Clone Wars took everything that Tartakovsky had learned about pacing and implemented it into the best Star Wars narrative and execution since Return of the Jedi. Doing what he does best, Lucas threw out the best pieces of the animated series (mainly Tartakovsky’s involvement) and replaced it with a 3D animated style that seems to pale in comparison to the original.

Traditional animated features have become all but extinct in the US in favor of CGI animation, which has become somewhat of a bore. There are definitely quality films that are wholly computer animated, but the shear number of titles released over the last five years is out of control. Pixar has retained a high level of standard compared to the vast majority of other studios, and I think it may be time, especially after being acquired by Disney, to put the minds and talents at Pixar into developing a traditionally animated feature. Unfortunately if a film like Ponyo can’t make money in the US, Pixar will probably continue riding the CGI train well into the foreseeable future.

Cartoons that seem specifically aimed at adults in America really seem to vary in quality and relevance; I would even go as far as saying that Seth MacFarlane (Although this trend is nothing new, it just seems to have grown since his march to prominence) has contributed greatly to the weird and possibly irreversible stigma in the US that, as far as animated programs go, comedy is the only subject matter appropriate for consumption. I wholeheartedly enjoy Futurama and will occasionally get a good chuckle from Fox’s Sunday ‘Animation Domination,’ but after a while I’m continually left with an overload of jokes and no substance to accompany them. With the exception of the Boondocks, Adult Swim’s programming block provides little difference from its mainstream brethren as it recycles the same material in differing packages year after year.

The Boondocks is probably my prime go-to example of what animation created for adults should strive to be (I need to see more of it but Archer seems on the right path as well). Although still a comedy, The Boondocks presents it's humor in such a more intelligent way. Riley’s speech about the use of the term ‘No Homo’ makes this point loud and clear:

Well said Riley, well said indeed.

So I suppose that leads me naturally to where I’ll begin this little run down, as I have had to turn to Japan and it’s overly crowded and incredibly bloated animation scene. Don’t get me wrong, Japan has ten times the amount of garbage and pointless programming as compared to the US, but because of the shear amount of shows being produced, a few Boondocks-esque level of quality programs make there way to the surface. Some of these shows I’m quite new to and others I’ve known about for awhile, but I’m just gonna throw them out there in no particular order.

Cencoroll

The first piece I’m going to talk about is not actually a series (well not yet at least) and represents a one off piece of animation almost entirely made up of the efforts of one individual, Atsuya Yuki. Consisting of one 30 minute feature, created, animated, and directed by Yuki, Cencoroll follows the story of a boy who can control a shape shifting being and what happens when a classmate discovers this secret. The background animation of Cencoroll borders on the surreal in what seems to be a combination of photography and traditional animation in a style fit for the Photoshop generation. There has been talk about producing a full series (Usually 12-15 episodes) but nothing concrete has been announced, if I were running SyFy I would be throwing money at this immediately.

Bakemonogatari & Katanagatari

Next up is kind of a double feature with Bakemonogatari (Ghost Story) and Katanagatari (Sword Story), with both animated adaptations coming from works created by Nisio Isin. Both encompass really fantastic (yet completely different) art styles, great character development, and strangely compelling dialogue that takes center stage above action.

Bakemonogatari

Senjogahara: I wanted you to see these clothes first if possible, Araragi-kun.

Araragi: Hey, if you wanted to show them to me first...Well, uh, that makes it sound like a stroke of luck or an honor.

Senjogahara: I didn't want to show you them, Araragi-kun. I wanted you to see them. The nuance is completely different.

It’s a little hard to understand the context of the quote but in all honesty the writing in both of these shows draw comparisons to how Tarantino uses dialogue in much more conversational tones (Madonna– Reservoir Dogs, Royale with Cheese – Pulp Fiction) thus exposing narrative through character interactions as opposed to more in your face approaches to storytelling. Bakemonogatari is not a great starting point as it tends to pander to it's audience far more then necessary, but the good still outweighs it's negative aspects.

Katanagatari

Michiko to Hatchin

Michiko to Hatchin, somewhat of a spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo (Both of which are fantastic, especially Bebop, which is one of my favorite television series ever), sees an escaped convict liberate the daughter of a former boyfriend from an abusive foster family with the hope of tracking him down. The sticking point to Michiko to Hatchin comes in the form of it’s Latin American setting, and although the Japanese dialogue somewhat breaks the illusion, fantastic voice acting from the series leads (Yoko Maki – The Grudge, and Suzuka Ohgo – Memoirs of a Geisha) and music from Brazilian musician Alexandre Kassin (Who was also on my latin playlist from yesterday...SYNERGY!) make what could have been a disaster into a great series.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Lastly, and although pretty well known - I’m mentioning it only because it is a decent launching point for those unfamiliar with Japanese animation, or individuals with little interest due to the subculture that anime and manga fans in the US represent – is the Japanese cultural phenomenon, I’m talking Lunch Boxes, Figurines, Video Games, Music CD’s, Radio Plays, Body Pillows, a Macarena-esque accompanying dance phenomenon (Even the ever active and well choreographed Indonesian prisoners know it)...is it apparent that Japan digs it?

In what I would call Fringe/The X-Files meets Scooby Doo, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows the title character as she assembles a club at her high school to search for the paranormal and unexplained. Unbeknownst to her, Haruhi harbors the power to unconsciously manipulate reality, which sees a psychic, time traveler and cyborg all become members of her club, as well as the reluctant narrator. So a tad confusing to sum up in a single sentence, and although it doesn't break any new ground, Huruhi represents a lighter approach from the usual science fiction narratives that can feel overly heavy and convoluted at times.

Other Quick Recommendations:

Pretty much anything by Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers) is an enjoyable watch as they have a tad more meat and are much more serious then most animated films in the US. From what I’ve seen of trailers and a simple plot synopsis, Paprika and the upcoming film Inception seem to share similar themes and imagery as both deal with exploring individuals dreams and the consequences associated with manipulating the unconscious mind.

Akira - A cult classic - see this video for a specific example for the absurd level of detail.

Of course it goes with out saying, but anything Miyazaki is great, for one of his films that is under the radar for most fans, check out Castle of Cagliostro, a film he directed set in the Lupin the III universe.

Eve No Jikan – Miniseries examining the possible outcomes for human and android social interactions.

Grave of the Fireflies – Quite possibly the most gut-wrenching piece of cinema ever created, I’m not embarrassed to say I cried… Roger Ebert's take on the film

I suppose FLCL should go on here too as it was my first exposure way back in 8th grade to anime that wasn't Pokemon or Dragonball. FLCL is weird, Really weird. If I could think of something similar I would mention it, but it is pretty far out there.

Notice there are no giant robot suggestions? Well thats because they tend to be horribly awful, Evangelion is probably of the highest quality and best regarded, but while watching it you'll realize that it loves itself far too much.

Japanese animation shouldn't be intimidating, nor should watching it lead to a sense of embarrassment. Often times those unfamiliar with anime and manga tend to lump everything together in some sort of nebulous ball made up from whatever limited experiences they have had - Believe me, if it was all like Pokemon I wouldn't be watching either. Fanatics of any subculture tend to be annoying, weird, and just plain strange to the uninitiated or ignorant, be it anime, Twilight (Can you say creepy Twilight body pillow? I sure can!), or LOST.

BONUS TIME!

Clip from the Japanese DUB of The Boondocks... Amazing?