Sakamoto and a bird [Sakamoto desu ga?]

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[WT!] Hidamari Sketch

"Slice of Life" is a strange genre. It's a term that is almost exclusively related to Japanese animation; it usually features your usual mundane tasks performed by number of characters in a story that is sometimes even hard to call a "story" - a snail crawls faster than slice of life progresses (which doesn't happen all the time, by the way). No wonder it's hard to discuss slice of life anime - "it's a journey that matters", that's what they usually say about such shows. Consequently, composing WT! for slice of life show is also a thankless, tiring task, because you constantly run out of things to say and go back to square one. However, there is one anime that made me want to try it out nevertheless - and it's a subject of today's thread, Hidamari Sketch.Anime: Hidamari SketchYears: 2007-2013Genres: Comedy, Slice of LifeTell me, tell me about it!Hidamari Sketch centers around a young girl named Yuno who finally is able to get accepted into Yamabuki Art High School, which she has longed for. To attend the school, Yuno moves and starts to live in a small apartment building named the Hidamari Apartments located across the street from the school. Once there, she quickly becomes friends with three other occupants at the apartments, including her classmate Miyako and two second-year students: Hiro and Sae. The events of the characters' everyday lives are shown as they attend the school together and get to know each other better. After a year has passed, the girls move up a year and two freshmen, Nazuna and Nori, arrive at Hidamari Apartments.Previous paragraph is as far as the plot in Hidamari Sketch moves. Well, it's slice of life genre, what would you expect from it? Lovely characters? Hidamari Sketch, as almost every other great representative of the genre, focuses on everyday life of tightly-knit group of characters - this time, residents of Hidamari Apartments. They say that only weirdos usually live here, and over the course of the series we get to know them better and better. We get to know Yuno, the main character of the story, who is extremely talented in arts, loves taking baths with her rubber duck and suffers from low confidence, always seeking pieces of advice from other people, especially those who are more self-sufficient than her. We get to know Miyako, best friend of Yuno, who is a very spontaneous moodsetter, has voracious appetite and enjoys to playfully tease her neighbors. We get to know Hiro, who is one year older than Yuno and Miyako; skillful cook who cares too much about her weight, not a morining person and is uncertain about her future. We get to know Sae, best friend of Hiro, who is a talented published author, has trouble with expressing her true feelings yet cares deeply about her friends. Finally, we get to know Nori and Nazuna, who appear later in the series and make the cast even more diverse and likeable."Get to know" is repeated here numeral times, and for a reason - Hidamari Sketch requires time to grow attached to the characters. Initially, you may find their personalities bland and boring (consequence of very slow pace), but don't drop the series, give it time - and you'll see all these almost invisible threads that bound characters together, as well as their traits, habits and ideas. Think about it - in real life we rarely encounter shining personalities whom we immediately adore, but only with time, as we spend more and more time together, we see how interesting they are. Slice of life, being closest reflection of real life, works with the same concept, and Hidamari Sketch is an epitome of that. It feels like a magic trick, like a miracle - you don't notice any difference to characters themselves, yet you seem to enjoy their antics a lot more.It doesn't mean that the characters do not change at all, however. Hidamari Sketch masterfully and gracefully develops its characters with almost every episode. It doesn't present impossible obstacles before the girls, it's completely drama-free, which allows the characters to move towards their goals and become mature artists. Insecure Yuno, carefree Miyako, attached Hiro and solemn Sae - all of them have their own bits of subtle development, but the main focus is still on their friendship. Only via interactions with other people can move forward, and Hidamari Sketch knows it better than any other anime - the girls always support each other, try to cheer in tough moments and share the joy when something good happens. Characters use the word "family" to describe their relationship, and it wouldn't be stretch to call them one. It's only further emphasized with large and colorful cast of side characters - exuberant art teacher Yoshinoya, the omnishaking Principal, Sae's sweet friend Natsume, jack-of-all-trades Landlady and many other. All of them not only act as foil to main characters, but have their own little stories, which are considered by many as highlights of entire series."Gram, grammar, glamorous!"- Miyako, about degree of comparison in EnglishIt would be wrong to think that life of Hidamari Apartments' residents consists only of developing skills in art and constant studying. Being high school students, they love to slack, eat delicious meals (thanks to Hiro, though other characters master cooking as well) and visit various interesting places. Comedy is an extremely important aspect of Hidamari Sketch, and as series at large, it's genuine and light-hearted. Admittedly, Miyako's peculiar sense of humor requires some time to appreciate, but once the characters become closer and closer, humor improves naturally - every girl is amusing in her own way, and they play off of each other extremely well. Ability to induce smile of Hidamari Sketch is second to none. However, anime doesn't consist only of jokes - there is a solid number of touching moments in the series, especially towards the end. It wouldn't be hard to guess what the ending has to offer, but thanks to smartly written characters it is a very moving and sincere moment.Hidamari Sketch is fairly known thanks to Shaft production and Aoki Ume's (mangaka) way to draw characters. You probably know her as the character designer of another Shaft series, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and... yes, their faces are a bit wide (oh, if you wanted slice of life-ish PMMM - you came to the right place). It could be viewed as offputting and weird, but it's ultimately here for comedic effect and usually perceived as trademark of Hidamari Sketch - cute scenes become even cuter, funny - funnier. Other features are characteristic for Shaft, especially pre-Monogatari Shaft - distinct minimalism, usage of real images and photos, lack of head-tilts (well... almost, and only in later seasons). With seasons passing, art improves and continuously manages to impress - after all, we're watching anime about art students, so abstract backgrounds and vivid colors makes sense in their own way. OST is pretty good as well, with number of catchy adorable openings and slower, gentle endings which are always pleasure to watch."I wonder what tomorrow will bring."- YunoHidamari Sketch is not an ideal anime. It takes its time to roll, it's very slow (at start), wants you to grow attached to its characters, has its own style and humor. But once you open yourself to its undeniable charm, you'll find one of the most bright, creative and imaginative slice of life anime out there which improves drastically with every season. Marathoning is no-no - stick to it a little bit longer and it will reward you with a shiny mood for entire day.It may be hard to write WT! for slice of life, but not to smile while watching Hidamari Sketch is even harder. http://ift.tt/1SClttx

Missed Some of [WT!] Threads? Here is a Compilation (& Scoreboard) for You! (February, 2016. Edition)

Since the introducing of a new [WT!] (Watch This) tag, these posts get a lot of well-deserved praise. We get to know some new interesting anime, remember some sweet moments about titles we've already finished some time ago, suggest shows ourselves. However, not everyone's browsing /r/anime everyday, and since we all live in different time zones, some very well-written posts may fly under the radar. I decided to make a little compilation of the posts that were posted here throughout past month. I took anime topics from February.Num[WT!] ThreadGenresAuthorUpvotes1.Samurai Champloo (MAL)Action, Adventure, Comedy, Historical, Samurai, Shounen/u/MartintheDragon2162.Initial D (MALAction, Cars, Drama, Seinen, Sports/u/ImCummingOniiChan1743.Sakamichi ni Apollon (MAL)Drama, Josei, Music, Romance, School/u/Zerms41574.Joukamachi no Dandelion (MAL)Comedy, Seinen, Slice of Life, Super Power/u/Iizbakaokay1515.Lovely Complex (MAL)Comedy, Romance, Shoujo/u/kaverik1366.Tetsuwan Birdy Decode (MAL)Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi/u/mmreviews1057.Flag (MAL)Mecha, Military/u/JBridge728.Persona 4 The Animation (MAL)Adventure, Mystery, School, Sci-Fi, Super Power, Supernatural/u/Vlayer609.Busou Renkin (MAL)Action, Comedy, Fantasy, School, Shounen, Supernatural/u/DracoCaeser21>>MONTHLY UPDATED SPREADSHEET/ARCHIVE OF ALL [WT!] THREADS<<Remember, fellow redditors, to read the reviews and to expand your horizons - best shows don't belong to one or two genres, and the column of 'genres' is here for you to make the table easier to navigate, not to quickly dismiss genres you don't like.Remember, fellow authors, the best comment in your thread is not "What a good anime, I can also suggest this", but "Thanks for suggestion, I will watch this anime".As always, leave what you think about the post in comments, any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!Previous Post http://ift.tt/1RAErjK

[WT!] Lovely Complex

February is a weird month. My country, as well as many other in Nortern Hemisphere, is covered with snow, and it's freezing rather badly, but people's hearts are already full of delight - not only because spring is approaching, but also thanks to wonderful day of 14th of February, also known as Valentine's Day. Sharing the joy with your significant other is great, but if you're a loner like me, do not be upset - we, anime lovers, have a decent amount of romance anime to choose from! Today, I want to tell you about such anime, which made me smile during the darkest times of my life - Lovely Complex.Anime: Lovely ComplexYear: 2007Genres: Comedy, Romance, ShoujoBoy meets girl, girl meets boy... There is hardly any novelty or revolution could be made when it comes to romance genre. You could only vary some basic conditions... such as, for example, characters' height. Let's make a girl very tall, and a boy, on the contrary, extremely short. To spice things up, give them snarky personalities and deep dissatisfaction with their height. Shape everything in the form of light-hearted romcom with funny faces and several moving scenes - and you have your romance anime! Doesn't sound too inspiring, eh? Or rather, how many such shows have we seen that never struck us as something special? What makes Lovely Complex the special romance anime, then? Let us find out!A bit about characters...At 172 cm (about 5'7"), high school student Risa Koizumi is way taller than most other girls. This makes her very self-conscious, which she tries to cover up by acting strong-willed and sarcastic, rarely showing her more sensitive side in public. That her name means "Little Spring" adds to her problem. Then she meets Atsushi Otani ("Big Valley"), captain of the basketball club, although he is short for a guy at 156 cm (5'1"). Otani's personality is a bit rough around the edges, so he and Koizumi don't hit it off well at first. Most of the time they try to one-up each other with snide remarks, giving them the reputation of being the high school's "All Hanshin-Kyojin" (referring to a comedy duo with one tall and one short member). Despite all this they become good friends, since they share the same musical obsessions and zany sense of humor, so they promise to help each other out with their crushes. But... you know how it's gonna end, right?Now, a bit more in-depth about our main characters. Risa has to be one of the best, if not the single best female lead in romance anime. Despite her laziness, sarcasm and tough character she's a honest, kind girl who just wants to be happy. Her inner thoughts are simple yet striking, but even when she is in doubt, she is always decisive and proactive. Risa changes when she at last realizes her feelings, and these changes are only subtle, never overriding her cheerful personality. She understands, however, that love is not something that comes for granted, out of the blue - her love is always a hard work, a struggle to get her feelings across, to reach out to her love interest no matter what obstacles are in her way. Lovely Complex operates with simple and plain matters, but because they are such it is easy to sympathize and relate to Risa's feelings. Cheering for her success is what makes the anime so enjoyable to watch.It's easy to overlook the other main character, Otani - not only "thanks" to his height, but also because how troublesome he is over the course of the series. His mischievous behaviour is also reasonable, however - girls consider him "cute" but never "manly", he's constantly being mocked for being chibi despite playing basketball, and on top of that he isn't the most intelligent boy around. Sometimes making situations even more absurd than they already are, he's still a kind, empathic and self-dependent person. Yes, he's easily irritated, but aren't we all, when something happens with your classmates and you're not grasping it? Even if he's angry, his intentions are always for the best of his friends.Despite constant fighting and glaring difference in height, Risa and Otani quickly become friends. They both love the same music, constantly play videogames and they won't miss a chance to order the newest coctail in cafe. They always make fun of each other, and refuse to believe they are close, and only their friends already figured out that they are ideal couple. Is it possible to make something more out of prolonged friendship, or should "the comedic duo" stay the same till the end of school? While everyone has right to be happy, the anime doesn't end with Risa and Otani - there is a cast of supporting characters who also pursue their love, and their stories, even if not as detailed as the main one, are still rather important in showcasing how different relationships could be, and what results they may yield. Someone broke up with his lover just to put up with him later on. Another person has to leave for other place - does the relationship ends here? All these little stories make sure that the small world where Lovely Complex takes place is self-sufficient and convincing. Not a moment wasted - everyone works hard to achieve what they want, something we don't get to see recently with abundance of harem series, where characters don't need reasons to fall for main character....comedy...All that wouldn't matter if the anime wasn't fun to watch. Good thing is Lovely Complex excels not only in romance department, but in comedy aspect as well. Imagine Nisekoi (hilarious facial expressions) or Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (funny character interactions), but with actual romance prgoression and satisfying ending. Should I say anything more here? I know humor is a personal thing, but when it fuses with adorable characters and heartwarming, sweet atmosphere entire anime blossoms. Just a fair word of warning - it is a bit random and expect some beating (not really violent). It's also a shoujo show, but with a twist - while you could expect such anime to be slow-paced and mellow, its pacing is very fast and is more comparable to shounen romances, so you will never get bored. Highly energetic, fueled by amazing main characters dynamics Lovely Complex slips not a single time, always staying bright and upbeat....and everything elseSadly, the anime fell out of favor recently, and I definitely can see why - in visual aspect the anime doesn't stand a chance when compared with the likes of Ore Monogatari!! or Ao Haru Ride, not to mention KyoAni works. With older aspect ratio (4:3), Lovely Complex requires some toleration and not always satisfies contemporary anime lover. Even then, Risa's outfit (as well as her hairstyle) always changes; not to speak of several breathtaking scenes, which are enhanced by powerful emotions that these scenes bring. Another interesting thing to note: our characters live in Osaka, so almost all characters talk in Kansai dialect. It's common to have one or two such characters in almost every show that take place in Japan, but when there are so many of them it sounds really interesting and somewhat refreshing.So, in the end, when and why watch Lovely Complex? If you want to see lots of drama, epic journey to save the world or harem with lots of cute girls and fanservice, this show is probably not for you. However, if you're looking for cute, simple romance with steady progression, hilarious comedy and amazing characters (who all live in normal families, have normal problems and normal relationships - is it even an anime that we know?), you've come to the right place. Lovely Complex is naive and a bit silly just as our main duo, but reminds us about the best feeling in the world - about trembling before confessing for the first time, about making mistakes, about heart skipping beats, about... Though every person's story is individual, Lovely Complex manages to resonate with everyone, and that's what makes the anime one of the best romances out there. You don't need time machines to travel back in time - just watch Lovely Complex and remember what cynical world makes us forget. Something sincere and genuine.Love is hard, painful, ungrateful labor - but if it's not for such labor, is there any reason to live? http://ift.tt/1QxcAhs

Missed Some of [WT!] Threads? Here is a Compilation (& Scoreboard) for You! (January, 2016. Edition)

Since the introducing of a new [WT!] (Watch This) tag, these posts get a lot of well-deserved praise. We get to know some new interesting anime, remember some sweet moments about titles we've already finished some time ago, suggest shows ourselves. However, not everyone's browsing /r/anime everyday, and since we all live in different time zones, some very well-written posts may fly under the radar. I decided to make a little compilation of the posts that were posted here throughout past month. I took anime topics from January.Num[WT!] ThreadGenresAuthorUpvotes1.Akatsuki no Yona (MAL)Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Shoujo/u/irisfang4572.Bakuman. (MAL)Comedy, Romance, Shounen/u/SonicSlayer2603.Eureka Seven (MAL)Adventure, Drama, Mecha, Romance, Sci-Fi, Shounen/u/Iizbakaokay2524.Kill la Kill (MAL)Action, Comedy, School, Super Power/u/Helghast-Killzone2235.Kekkai Sensen (MAL)Action, Fantasy, Shounen, Super Power, Supernatural, Vampire/u/cloudflow2126.Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou (MAL)Comedy, School, Shounen/u/Narsay1857.Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu (MAL)Drama, Military, Sci-Fi, Space/u/Zinegata1798.Paprika (MAL)Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-Fi, Thriller/u/7TeenWriters1699.Perfect Blue (MAL)Dementia, Drama, Horror, Psychological/u/7TeenWriters16710.Senjou no Valkyria (MAL)Action, Military, Romance/u/UnavailableUsername_14611.Arakawa Under the Bridge (MAL)Comedy, Romance, Seinen/u/kaverik12912.Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (MAL)Comedy, Harem, Romance, School, Supernatural/u/irisfang12413.Nazo no Kanojo X (MAL)Ecchi, Romance, School, Seinen/u/Procrastinating312114.Free! (MAL)Comedy, School, Slice of Life, Sports/u/irisfang11115.Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (MAL)Fantasy, Historical/u/Enigmaboob9616.Toaru Majutsu no Index/Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (MAL/MAL)Action, Magic, Sci-Fi, Super Power/u/Sir_Factis9317.Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to The Animation (MAL)Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Seinen, Slice of Life/u/BetaCowSSP9118.Juuni Kokuki (MAL)Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Supernatural/u/AnimeWasMadeForMe7619.Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider (MAL)Mystery, Psychological/u/KorStonesword7320.Noir (MAL)Action, Drama, Mystery/u/MartintheDragon5121.Senkou no Night Raid (MAL)Action, Historical, Military, Super Power/u/einherjar815022.Various SoL/ComediesComedy, Slice of Life/u/illtima4423.Vandread (MAL)Action, Ecchi, Mecha, Sci-Fi, Shounen, Space/u/stella_snyper4324.Tentai Senshi Sunred (MAL)Comedy, Parody, Super Power/u/BiGnoize2625.Nekojiru-sou (MAL)Comedy, Dementia, Psychological/u/define_irony2526-27.Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai (MAL)Drama, Historical/u/squanchy_562126-27.Chi's Sweet Home (MAL)Comedy, Slice of Life/u/irisfang2128.Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu (MAL)Drama, Josei/u/G-0ff7>>MONTHLY UPDATED SPREADSHEET/ARCHIVE OF ALL [WT!] THREADS<<Remember, fellow redditors, to read the reviews and to expand your horizons - best shows don't belong to one or two genres, and the column of 'genres' is here for you to make the table easier to navigate, not to quickly dismiss genres you don't like.Remember, fellow authors, the best comment in your thread is not "What a good anime, I can also suggest this", but "Thanks for suggestion, I will watch this anime".As always, leave what you think about the post in comments, any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!Previous Post http://ift.tt/1RVV2kA

[WT!] Arakawa Under the Bridge

If there is a creator, he surely made this world too large. This is inconvenient for us small, fearful humans. For all the world's vastness, we can't measure the distance between ourselves. There's six billion of us, yet still... everyone is all alone. That's why we're all frantically searching. For that one person we need no distance from- Kou IchinomiyaDo you even feel like running away from home? Like going away from your place where no one is willing to understand you, leaving without telling anyone, just to escape the social life that weighs you down? Or maybe you've these horrible memories of your past which are preventing you from moving on, and you want to start everything from scratch? Or maybe you don't have a good memory and just don't suit society, where everyone bullies and laughs at you because you aren't making a cut? Would you run away to somewhere else, to a place, where everyone is friendly, honest and achieves just what he wants to achieve, and start to live here... where? Ohh, let's say, under the nearest bridge. No? Well, I can't blame you for that - not only the place is full of complete freaks, it is also just freezing to sleep.Anime: Arakawa Under the BridgeYear: 2010Genres: Comedy, Romance, SeinenKou Ichinomiya appoached the bridge with the same mentality - after all, he had no reasons to quit his previous life. He's a scion of the Ichinomiya company, one of the world's foremost companies, who pays his own tuition and rent without relying on his parents. Selling stocks for 800 million profit is an everyday routine for him. Kou lived his life to its fullest, according to his family rule "never to rely on anyone", and was quite happy with it... before he mixed in rather awkward situation on the bridge. Being a brave and (self)reliable man, he chooses to climb the pillar and get his pants himself, just to ending up falling with the bridge pillar into the river down below. Coincidentally, a girl with blue eyes called Nino happened to fish near to the accident, and decides to save Kou's life, getting him away from water. Kou, coming to his senses, wants to pay her back ("never be in debt"), and Nino, struggling to come up with anything she wants from him, makes a very interesting offer... and from this moment on, Kou's life (and even name!) changes drastically.Hima Hima Hima Hima~- HoshiArakawa Under the Bridge could be many things, but first and foremost, it's a comedy. Main feature of the anime is, of course, its cast of characters - absolutely ridiculous human (human?) beings who chose to live a life under the bridge. The cast features: kappa, star, parrot, masculine priestess, the man-who-only-steps-on-white-lines, ninja wannabe and other species of people you try to avoid in everyday life. Oh, how did I tell you that Nino isn't an earthling?.. Crazy mix of weirdos accomplishes one very important thing - you don't know what next will happen on your screen. Number of hilarious, absurd, illogical situations goes way of the scale, and never stops to raise. Enjoyable cast is a backbone of every comedy, and Arakawa Under the Bridge offers vast number of ridiculous characters and their funny interactions. Despite everything, the humor is never crude (no jokes below the belt) or too offensive - the basis of the comedy is usually light irony or complete nonsense.I'm happy. After all, a lover's happiness is your own- NinoIf comedy is a backbone of Arakawa Under the Bridge, its romance must be its heart. Now, a fair word of warning - it's not a romance anime in its full sense, and there are a lot more comedic elements than romance parts. But the relationship of Kou and Nino never stops to evolve, sometimes obtaining rather awkward forms. Their interactions are just great - they are "absurdly-sweet" and very fluent, something to be expected from Shaft's way of presentation. Even though struggles await Nino and (mostly) Kou on their way of happiness, the anime never steps into dramatic territory, staying shiny comedy/slice of life all the time. Moreover, because under-the-bridge is a mini-society on its own, expect to witness some other pairs and characters feelings, both mutual and unrequited. The anime offers solid variety of best girls, guys and, consequently, pairings/shippings! There are always characters to cheer for and to laugh with, and even out of the most desperate situations hits could be born.What, do people save each other on this planet just because they want something?- NinoHowever, if Arakawa Under the Bridge consisted only of comedy, slice of life and occasional romance parts it would be just yet another Nisekoi enjoyable sweet little show. What makes the anime stand out above almost any other plotless comedy is its subtle yet ingenious and very organic social commentary. You laugh at the characters and idiotic situations they create on daily basis, you're amused by their funny chatter and smile when they try to support each other in difficult situations. But then, when you grow attached to the cast, a simple but important question appears in your head: "Why do they live under the bridge? Why did they choose such life, what drove them here?" And then you slowly realize that in this nonsense, absurd life under the bridge characters managed to avoid social pressure, staying true to each other and, most importantly, to themselves. All these eccentric people had their own reasons to quit society (voluntarily or not), they don't care about who you are, what's your background and how much money do you have - they only value you as a person, as a human being - something that "normal" over-the-bridge society cannot offer. Arakawa Under the Bridge contains surprising amount of self-reflection and features irony on all imaginalble levels, offering unexpected food for thought, but always stays light-hearted, sunny and charming comedy.Try to stay calm when you see my friends. You'll make them feel even more lonely. No matter who you are, rejection leaves you alone- MayorArakawa Under the Bridge was produced by post-Monogatari Shaft, so expect it to have distinctive features of sorts (it's not like it was any different in the manga though). Even if some techniques are way overused, the anime looks very stylish and fascinating. Every Shaft fan would immediately feel himself at home - moreover, if you happened to like Monogatari series or Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, there is a high chance you would instantly fall in love with seeming randomness and presentation of Arakawa Under the Bridge. For other people it might take some time to get used to the simplistic backgrounds and art style overall. It might be not the most colorful and rich Shaft's work, but it definitely holds the studio's high quality standards. Ultimately, scenes under the setting sun are always beautiful, even if the studio makes it a bit surrealistic.Soundtrack is probably not the most remarkable one either, but it suits the light-hearted mood perfectly, offering different upbeat tracks to your taste (one, two, three). It would be wrong not to mention amazing openings (first season, second season) permormed by Etsuko Yakushimaru (Mawaru Penguindrum OPs, Space Dandy ED) and this one bonus OP sung by Miyuki Sawashiro. By the way, Arakawa Under the Bridge features all-star cast of VAs (Hiroshi Kamiya, Chiwa Saito, Tomokazu Sugita, Takehito Koyasu, Maaya Sakamoto...), which is especially important in delivering jokes and only emphasizes amazing comedic aspect of the anime.Everyone here is fucking nuts!- Kou IchinomiyaIt's really hard to transmit charming energy of Arakawa Under the Bridge via words. It balances between smart and touching, hilarious and heart-warming, romantic and a bit melancholic; it's one of the best comedies I had pleasure to watch (multiple times). After all, Arakawa Under the Bridge succeeds in one thing, the most important one - to make you smile. Give it a try, let the kind nature of the show draw you away from this crazy everyday life, and maybe you'll find yourself watching under the bridge you're passing to see if any kappas or stars live over here.P.S. Pics with names on them - endcards. They are very beautiful.P.P.S. Manga (source) is finished, but alas isn't fully scanlated (10 vol. out of 15 are translated). http://ift.tt/1OKsBT3

Missed Some of [WT!] Threads? Here is a Compilation (& Scoreboard) for You! (December, 2015. Edition) + Results of the Year!

Since the introducing of a new [WT!] (Watch This) tag, these posts get a lot of well-deserved praise. We get to know some new interesting anime, remember some sweet moments about titles we've already finished some time ago, suggest shows ourselves. However, not everyone's browsing /r/anime everyday, and since we all live in different time zones, some very well-written posts may fly under the radar. I decided to make a little compilation of the posts that were posted here throughout past month. I took anime topics from December.Num[WT!] ThreadGenresAuthorUpvotes1.Ookami to Koushinryou (MAL)Adventure, Fantasy, Historical, Romance/u/giver_of_balderdash4412.Eve no Jikan (MAL)Sci-Fi, Slice of Life/u/Hecatonchair2253.Cross Ange (MAL)Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi/u/lukeatlook1884.Uchuu Senkan Yamato 2199 (MAL)Action, Drama, Military, Sci-Fi, Space/u/L33TMALICE1385.Tokyo Godfathers (MAL)Comedy, Drama/u/7TeenWriters1256.Gosick (MAL)Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance/u/Hunterm1011197.Gatchaman Crowds (MAL)Adventure, Sci-Fi/u/kaverik1128.Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (MAL)Fantasy, Slice of Life/u/giver_of_balderdash1119.Sennen Joyuu (MAL)Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance/u/7TeenWriters10410.Seirei no Moribito (MAL)Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical/u/einherjar819011.Hanasaku Iroha (MAL)Comedy, Drama, Seinen, Slice of Life/u/illtima7612.Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Agressor (MAL)Drama, Mecha, Sci-Fi/u/Thrasher4396913-14.Aa! Megami-sama! (MAL)Comedy, Magic, Romance, Seinen, Supernatural/u/speedfreek165713-14.Le Chevalier D'Eon (MAL)Historical, Magic, Mystery, Seinen, Supernatural/u/einherjar815715.Kimi to Boku (MAL)Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Shounen, Slice of Life/u/Iizbakaokay4716.Denshinbashira Elemi no Koi (MAL)Fantasy/u/__Mekakucity4317.Tetsujin 28-gou (2004) (MAL)Adventure, Mecha, Sci-Fi, Shounen/u/6MultiplyBy9is424018-19.Dantalian no Shoka (MAL)Action, Historical, Mystery, Supernatural/u/Taiboss2418-19.Natsu-iro Kiseki (MAL)School, Slice of Life, Supernatural/u/l3eater2420.Usagi Drop (MAL)Josei, Slice of Life/u/KorStonesword1921.Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perect Insider (MAL)Mystery, Psychological/u/SirLegolas131822.Love Live! School Idol Project (MAL)Music, School, Slice of Life/u/Gamerwhosucks14>>MONTHLY UPDATED SPREADSHEET/ARCHIVE OF ALL [WT!] THREADS<<Remember, fellow redditors, to read the reviews and to expand your horizons - best shows don't belong to one or two genres, and the column of 'genres' is here for you to make the table easier to navigate, not to quickly dismiss genres you don't like.Remember, fellow authors, the best comment in your thread is not "What a good anime, I can also suggest this", but "Thanks for suggestion, I will watch this anime".As always, leave what you think about the post in comments, any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!Previous Post http://ift.tt/1miUxEc

[WT!] Mawaru Penguindrum

"I hate the word "fate." Birth, encounters, partings, success and failures, fortune and misfortunes in life. If our lives are already set in stone by fate, then why are we even born? There are those born to wealthy families, those born to beautiful mothers, and those born into the middle of war or poverty. If that's all caused by fate, then God is incredibly unfair and cruel. Because, ever since that day, none of us had a future and the only certain thing was that we wouldn't amount to anything..."Shouma Takakura, episode 1.Steins;Gate, Fate/Zero, Usagi Drop, Mirai Nikki, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, Anohana, Ao no Exorcist, Hanasaku Iroha, Gosick, Nichijou... What do these such different anime have in common? First of all, they were released in 2011. Indeed, it was probably the most productive and great anime years recently. Many diverse and interesting shows appeared that time. However, one of the titles released in 2011 was met with rather timid praise not only because the year was so tightly packed, but also thanks to its complexity and weirdness. This anime mainly showed up in blogs with huge wall of text explaining in detail every event, symbol and character appearance. Slowly but surely this anime started to get wider and wider acclaim, and more and more people gave it a chance, often being satisfied by the result. Nowadays many people have Mawaru Penguindrum in their "plan to watch list", or at least heard about this anime once. Still, not everyone knows why exactly it's considered to be such a great series and what makes it stand out from the other seemingly identical anime out there.So what is Mawaru Penguindrum, anyway?Mawaru Penguindrum (Spinning Penguindrum, or simply Penguindrum) is an anime-original series released in Summer 2011. It was directed and co-written by Kunihiko Ikuhara, famous for his work on Revolutionary Girl Utena and later Yuri Kuma Arashi, and animated by Brains Base (Baccano!, Durarara!!, Oregairu S1).The story follows the three siblings of the Takakura family: twin brothers Kanba and Shouma, and their little terminally ill sister Himari. Their parents are gone, and they live in a small bungalow alone. Poor Himari dies during a trip to the aquarium in Ikebukuro; while Kanba and Shouma grieve over her death, she is suddenly brought back to life by a mysterious entity (one who apparently resides in a souvenir hat purchased at the same aquarium) who offers them a chance to extend Himari's life for a price: to bring her something called "Penguindrum." The brothers are confused about this task as much as you do reading these lines.At the same time, they receive three mysterious penguins who understand the orders of the Takakura siblings. The only clue given to them by the Penguin Hat is to follow a certain Ringo Oginome, a girl the same age as the boys who might possess (or at least know something about) that odd "Penguindrum".I got that this anime is very weird, but why should I watch it?Well, let's put it straight - Mawaru Penguindrum is a very bizarre show with a lot of things that you should keep in mind or simply tolerate. Plot is one of them. Prepare yourself to be confused. And yes, it's misleading. And yes, it's hard to perceive if you don't pay attention to it. It starts off as weird, and becomes only weirder later on, turning into absolute mind screw at the end. However, if you still follow the plot closely, try to remember previous events and characters' motivations you will be rewarded with astonishing story that is hard to compare to anything else. Every event, every flashback, every little detail falls into one big picture that reveals the complcated fate of Takakura siblings, their struggles and their ultimate destination. By its extraordinary presentation, Mawaru Penguindrum dares to be blunt and different from the medium. It never tells something explicitly, and it doesn't treat you like a child - instead, it tries hard to make you think, and draw your own conclusions. Mawaru Penguindrum respects your intelligence (something that most anime usually refuse to do), challenging it in a good way.This plot complexity is not in vain, and goes hand in hand with different themes, implemented by rich usage of symbolism. Japanese culture has special attitude towards the word "fate" - it is the word that defines mysterious nature of Japan, their rich culture and famous history. It's the word that could be found in their religion, literature and the very way of life of every Japanese person. Mawaru Penguindrum touches the topic of "fate" with very interesting, unusual angle - it incorporates ideas of classic Japanese novel Night on the Galactic Railroad, while also presenting it in a different light - it is not a straight up retelling, but rather major influence that ties the story together. If it was not enough, Mawaru Penguindrum also touches the problem of contemporary Japanese society, masterfully pointing out its flaws and the growth of young generation's despair. Here, the anime was influenced by famous author Haruki Murakami, but once again - it was not just an adaptation of his work, but mostly re-examination of his ideas. With such rich background, Ikuhara with his distinctive masterful presentation was able to tell resonating story about fate, punishment and... love.Ultimately, of course, almost every anime is about love, resolve and determination. However, Mawaru Penguindrum takes this notion to the whole new height. It tells love story without even mentioning it, and it's for sure not your ordinary story about love between man and woman. It's a story about family, about struggling to get across your feelings, about painful existence when you're all alone. Mawaru Penguindrum doesn't need to show it explicitly, with pointless drama and over-explaining - it's above it. What you have instead is group of characters regretting their old mistakes, trying to atone for their past, and not hurting the loved ones. Is it possible to save your love and yourself, when your opponent is no less than fate? Don't haste with your answers - Mawaru Penguindrum is not that simple, and it does give you a lot of food for thought after final credits.Imagine!Now you're probably wondering, how everything looks and presented to us. Well, it's absolutely gorgeous. The colors are vivid and bright, character designs are remarkable and distinctive, animation is also quite nice. However, even here you should make a note - often enough in Mawaru Penguindrum the boundary between real world and imagery is non-existent, and the show ends up being surreal, and sometimes simply absurd. It's just the way how Ikuhara makes his anime - with heavy usage or repetition, wild colors and symbolism. Speaking of the latter - yes, there are lots of symbols in the show, but they all make sense, and even then they are all rather simple to interpret. Still, don't feel ashamed if you did not understand something, or if it flew over your head - don't hesitate to use google or search option on reddit - you'll find out all the needed answers. I also didn't figure out all plot points after completing the show, and only after a bit of research and rewatching several scenes I got everything. It's normal - Ikuhara's anime are meant to be watched (and rewatched!) this way.Even if it's sometimes difficult "to get" the anime, Mawaru Penguindrum is extremely enjoyable to watch. Partially it's achieved by aforementioned presentation, and partially by incredible cast of characters and their certain quirks. Characters are memorable and easy to distinguish, with some of them having catch-phrases that will be stuck in your mind long after finishing the anime. And, of course, the penguins. People still argue about their true nature and purpose in the show, but everyone agrees on one point - they are super adorable. Their presence makes every scene cute, they lighten up the darkest parts of the anime, preventing it from becoming overdramatic. If there is a part where Mawaru Penguindrum truly excels at, it should be perfect balance between light and funny comedy and serious, mature drama. Comedic elements are very well placed and never ruin the mood of some heavy scene. And the whole anime, starting as upbeat and a bit odd adventure (so you could grow attached to the characters), later on turns into dark and even grotesque story.Finally, it would be crime not to mention outstanding OST. It varies from jazzy tracks to electronic, from faster pieces to more melancholic ones. It also has two stunning OPs performed by Etsuko Yakushimaru (first and second), myriad of EDs (ten, to be exact - here's the link to the first one). Also, it has the greatest insert song ever, or at least one of the most addictive ones in anime.ConclusionSo eventually, what is this anime, and will other directors try to create their own version of "Mawaru Penguindrum, but better"? Hardly. While impact of Mawaru Penguindrum might last long, it did not (and would not) spawn the new generation of anime. No one would challenge Ikuhara on his own field of surreal stories full of symbolism, deceivingly bright picture, yuri undertones and NGE-like endings. He's the master of his own genre, he creates truly unique stories that are impossible to replicate. He spent more than 10 years to come up with Mawaru Penguindrum, and the result was ultimately worth it.What else do I have to say?Let's Initiate the Survival Strategy!"I love the word 'fate'. Because, you know how they talk about 'fated encounters'? A single encounter can completely change your life. Such special encounters are not just coincidences. They're definitely... fate. Of course, life is not all happy encounters. There are many painful, sad, moments. It's hard to accept that misfortunes beyond your control are fate. But this is what I think: sad and painful things definitely happen for a reason. Nothing in this world is pointless."Ringo Oginome, episode 2. http://ift.tt/1MRWq0X

[WT!] Space Dandy, baby!

We live in the age of vivid variety of anime. We have stories about realizing one's destiny, shows purely focused on fanservice, anime which explores existential problems, nonsensial comedies, bright actions, breathtaking mysteries, melancholic dramas... And here is Space Dandy, which combines everything stated above, shakes it up and presents in the most funny, ridiculous and intelligent way possible.Space Dandy... So boobs or booties Space Dandy or not Space Dandy, that's the question. The anime that divided anime community, and some people call it as one of the greatest comedies ever and the other think it's a merely a soap bubble. So let's pose the question first - what is Space Dandy, anyway?Space Dandy is a dandy... in space. Yes, it's exactly like that. He's an alien hunter - no, he doesn't kill them, but rather captures rare species and is paid for delivering them into the data center. He, with his fellow companions vacuum cleaner robot QT and cat alien from Betelgeuse Meow, surfs the universe (sometimes literally) on his worn-out but proved spaceship Aloha Aoe and seeks for unknown life presence. More often than that, however, he gets mixed up in the most bizarre, ridiculous and hilarious situations ever, and usually spends his time in the bar Boobies rather than hunting aliens. Also, who are these guys, and what do they want from our hapless protagonist?It's worthy to note that the anime was created by Shinichiro Watanabe, who was responsible for such unknown projects such as Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo and (recently) Zankyou no Terror. First of all, friedly warning - please, do not expect Space Dandy to be reincarnation of Cowboy Bebop. It was a common trap for many people approaching this anime - no, Space Dandy has completely different accent and values. It's a comedy, after all, and not character-driven drama.For what it's worth, just like Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy is also quite episodic in its nature. Or... sometimes, I'd say, it gets too episodic. Anyway, Watanabe pushed this episodic nature of the show to the limit - every episode featured almost entirely different creative team behind it. Randomness, absurdity and ridiculousness of the series allowed these people to go ham and do whatever they want - and the result was stunning. Not only it allowed the creators to show what they are capable of, but as a result Space Dandy avoided the plague of every comedy - repetitiveness. Moving onto another episode, you can only guess what would happen next and what Space Dandy would offer you. You can see how much fun these people had creating episodes of the anime - words "artisitic" and "unique" would not describe the beauty and strength of Space Dandy. It presents whole variety of artistic styles and emotions.But above all, Space Dandy is a comedy. And in that department Space Dandy is unique once again. Everyone who thinks that this anime is only focused on "boobs" jokes have seen only first three episodes - there is more than that. Over the course of 26 episodes, Space Dandy references almost every single bit of popular culture - and! - that culture being Western. Of course, there are references for Japanese shows too, but first of all Space Dandy makes fun of old horror movies, MTV and Michael Jackson. In space. Do you expect something like that from anime now, when almost all comedies take place in high school setting and have a harem to back up without fail? Spiritually Space Dandy is closer to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy than to any other anime out there, and it only highlights Space Dandy as a huge experiment and its gentle, smart humor. Why did that happen, though? It's also a consequence of Watanabe's "episodic" decision - authors remembered their childhood years, what they thought was "cool", what impressed them the most, and presented it via Space Dandy's episodes. That's why the anime has sometimes a bit melancholic vibe to it - Space Dandy is saturated with nostalgia for that time, when disco music was the best thing ever and rise of the machines seemed to be inevitable.Despite everything's been said, Space Dandy has plot and follows it rather faithfully. Moreover, it does make (a bit of) sense at the end and has satisfying closure. Moreover, amount of foreshadowing that was put into it is staggering, which gets evident after rewatching. Speaking of it, Space Dandy is very fun to rewatch due to its episodic nature and variety of moods - adventures of Dandy and his crew do not leave one indifferent or unimpressed. That feel of adventure enhanced by different creative teams is very strong - you want to see how far Dandy would go, what would happen next with his friends, or what hilarious alien he would meet. Space Dandy is not a very short anime, but it leaves you wanting more, having fun with Dandy in this not-so-cold space. Which is beautiful, by the way - Bones did great job, and you would have hard time finding two similar aliens in this anime. Animation is smooth, picture is bright, Dandy is dandy - what else can you ask for? OST, you say?.....oh, then I want to assure you - Space Dandy has incredible soundtrack. It varies from jazz to post-rock, from synthpop to funk, from hip-hop to simply beautfiul songs. Here is a link to the whole soundtrack of the first season - not only it suits the show perfectly, it also a great listen on its own. And haven't I already said that Space Dandy has amazing OP and ED?Space Dandy was a platform for experimentation and the boldest ideas being animated. The result is funny and sad, gorgeous and trippy, hilarious and touching, but never boring. It is a work of art. No wonder this anime wasn't even noticed in Japan and didn't sell at all - even the authors themselves admitted they made Space Dandy mostly for Western market. Does the situation when one of the most prominent and honorable directors considers you to be the target audience happen often? I don't think so, and Space Dandy desrves every bit of your attention. Just be open-minded, don't take things too seriously and enjoy the ride - Space Dandy is so unique and different from other anime that it feels it came from some other universe....now, excuse me - I want to rewatch my favorite episode about zombie apocalypse. Hope you'll join me too.P.S. Here is a little chart of all people who were working on each episode of the anime. Check it up - lots of familiar names. Credit goes to /u/ChangloriousBasterds. http://ift.tt/1GXjfNY

Missed Some of [WT!] Threads? Here is a Compilation (& Scoreboard) for You! (September, 2015. Edition)

Since the introducing of a new [WT!] (Watch This) tag, these posts get a lot of well-deserved praise. We get to know some new interesting anime, remember some sweet moments about titles we've already finished some time ago, recommend shows ourselves. However, not everyone's browsing /r/anime everyday, and since we all live in different time zones, some very well-written posts may fly under the radar. I decided to make a little compilation of the posts that were posted here throughout past month. I took anime topics from September.Num[WT!] ThreadGenresAuthorUpvotes1.FLCL (MAL)Action, Comedy, Dementia, Mecha, Parody, Sci-Fi/u/kaverik5932.Gintama (MAL)Action, Comedy, Historical, Parody, Samurai, Sci-Fi, Shounen/u/Exodor541703.Sidonia no Kishi (MAL)Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi, Seinen, Space/u/MisterFleur1234.Kyokai no Kanata (MAL)Fantasy, Slice of Life, Supernatural/u/illtima1145.Anohana (MAL)Drama, Slice of Life, Supernatural/u/Spino921036.Hotarubi no Mori e (MAL)Drama, Romance, Shoujo, Supernatural/u/Anistisi887.Strike Witches (MAL)Action, Ecchi, Magic, Military, Sci-Fi/u/Aruseus493878.Kyoukaisenjou no Horizon (MAL)Action, Fantasy/u/Gammablitz429.Saraiya Goyou (MAL)Historical, Samurai, Seinen/u/Nokel30BONUS:Num[WT!] ThreadGenresAuthorUpvotes1.List of worthwhile OVAsVarious/u/BIGGEST_CLG_FAN56>>MONTHLY UPDATED SPREADSHEET/ARCHIVE OF ALL [WT!] THREADS<<Remember, fellow redditors, to read the reviews and to expand your horizons - best shows don't belong to one or two genres, and the column of 'genres' is here for you to make the table easier to navigate, not to quickly dismiss genres you don't like.Remember, fellow authors, the best comment in your thread is not "What a good anime, I can also recommend this", but "Thanks for suggestion, I will watch this anime".As always, leave what you think about the post in comments, any feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!Previous Post http://ift.tt/1KDO9i5

[WT!] FLCL

Instead of IntroductionFLCL is known for being confusing, misleading and ridiculous. Despite being rather popular series, many people still don't know wtf FLCL is and why people consider it to be so amazing and well-thought-out anime. It also has quite a few poor reviews on MAL. Recently FLCL became hot topic once again with a possible remake made by I.G, and because I love this anime so much, I decided to put down a thread that could be interesting for newcomers, those who "didn't get" FLCL and hopefully those who disliked the anime.So what is FLCL?FLCL (pronounced as "Furi Kuri" or "Fooly Cooly") is a 6-episode OVA produced by Gainax (NGE, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) in 2000-2001. It tells is a story about twelve year old boy, Naota Nandaba, and his ordinary life in an urbanized city. He goes out with high-school girl, Mamimi Samejima, lives with bizarre father and grandfather and everyday he passes by a huge iron-shaped factory. His life becomes even more ordinary changes when he is run over by Haruko Haruhara, a manic older girl who rides a Vespa, claims she is an intergalactic police officer, wields a Rickenbacker bass guitar with a chainsaw-like pullstring motor on the back as a blunt instrument, and has no qualms about harassing Naota both physically and sexually. After his initial contact with Haruko, Naota's forehead begins spawning giant robots - and the ordinary life wackiness grows exponentially from there.Sounds... strange, isn't it? How can it possibly make sense, all the more so be considered as one of the greatest achievements of anime industry? In order to answer these and other questions I present to you a comprehensive plan of what FLCL is and why you should watch it.So, you should watch FLCL if......you want to see one of the most original coming-of-age stories. Naota is cynical and rather wise boy despite his young age. He desperately tries to look as mature as possible, because all adults around him act like they forgot to grow up. Naota rightfully despises them, but... how can he become mature if there is no one to show him how to be mature? Is it good for a kid to stay that way? What it means to grow up? And what about Mamimi and her tragic story, her full dependence on other people around her? FLCL doesn't answer these questions, but it gives you just enough information to figure out your own answers. It's probably the main topic of FLCL, but saying that "FLCL is all about puberty" would be the same as saying "Serial Experiments Lain is all about identity" or "NGE is all about endless despair" or "K-On! is all about cakes". There is clearly more to FLCL than just one theme, however it's the anime about accepting yourself above everything else....you want to witness beautiful and endearing love story. Be careful, though - I said "love story" and not "romance" intentionally. FLCL can be viewed as just such story - story about that fiery feeling that lasts only few moments but lights your whole life. About this painful feeling that everyone comes across only once. About careless childhood, that through the pain and tears evolves into the maturity and responsibility. About endless lonliness that tears your heart apart and when you feel that no other person is able to understand you. FLCL is about pain, about happiness, about bittersweet emotions that always come along with every person. It's about finding someone special, about fond and torturous memory that she lefts behind and that you keep throughout your entire life. It's about this very first love, which strikes and leaves only funny-shaped scars on your heart. If you loved at least once in your life, you can relate....you want to see demented picture of human society. The small town here is a reflection of the ugly post-industrial society. It's a story about modern world with all its problems and sores that people usually avoid talking about. It's a playful satire of the world where pain and obedience is covered by sweet advertisements and slogans of the better life. We have a small town that lives only thanks to its medical factory. In order to make the whole situtation more absurd, the creators made the factory in the shape of the iron. Huge, colossal iron that hides the sun and all people's hope. It symbolizes cruel, ruthless machine that mercilessly destroys all your feelings and makes you an 'ideal' citizen. You are no longer a human, a personality - you're now a part of this machine. Of course, no one notices that everyone is already dead in this town - people lost their ability to think and to dream. In order to keep the situation the same way, every evening the giant iron releases poisonous clouds, which only seed lies and despair among the citizens. Everyday people breath this air and are slowly losing their minds. The only escape here is death. It's consumer society paradise. Nothing amazing happens here, in this world of people who lost their ability to wonder....you are eager to have a crazy comedy ride. This anime presents itself as absurd, surrealistic comedy that blows people's minds and makes it never come back. Crazy parody that in only three hours of screen time manages to squeeze every single anime trope and parodies every anime (of each genre), Hollywood, music, politics - nothing escaped from these talented and probably a bit freaky scenarists. Some people cry, some people laugh, some people turn off after the first episode, some people just stare at the screen for entire three hours and then turn it on again, trying to catch every scene, every frame. With every new rewatch anime becomes more and more enjoyable, because every single time you will catch something new that you've never noticed before. It's a bizarre, wild comedy which blends multitude of genres and ideas and manages to troll everything, FLCL is three hours of constant laughing, which are multiplied by N amount of rewatches, where N isn't limited by anyone or anything....you'd like to have some quality action series. Somehow, powerful alien civilzation becomes interested in the small town, where nothing amazing happens - only some big iron stands out abover everything else. Soon enough the town becomes a battlefield and the war between space corporations and pirates breakes out. Agents are now living among normal looking people, through some interdimensional canals fearsome robots are coming. Propaganda is omnipresent. Red flashes are here and there and all across the cloudy sky. Anxiety and fear now rule this small town, while people are preparing for the last battle. Who cares about one tiny town, or even planet, when two galactic factions want to decide once and for all who is superior? And who knew that Naota, ordinary twelve-year boy, would be mixed in the situation where two worlds collapse? And that the fate of the whole planet would be dependent only on his decision... This is not a story of superhero, but the story of truly galactic scale with epic battles and tremendous destructions....you want to hear one of the best soundtracks in anime history. You can argue as much as you want about value and quality of FLCL and its themes, but you cannot turn down its stunning OST. The Pillows with their energetic, full of life tracks fitted just as they should along with overall craziness of the series. Moreover, it's hard to imagine FLCL without its soundtrack - people usually downplay the importance of good OST, but here it enhanced the anime, making it more lively, bright and remarkable. It indeed became an integral part of the anime, chances are that with Naota's adventures you will immediately remember ED as well (or some other songs)....you want to be inspired. FLCL itself was heavily inspired by what was considered cool back in time when creators were child themselves. Take a look at Haruko - she's a charimsatic leader who excels at baseball, rides Vespa and wields Gibson guitar, doing whatever things she wants. These are all symbols of adolescent, of what is considered cool by teenagers, and Haruko symbolizes youth rebellion. Just like the authors drew inspiration from their childhood while creating FLCL, and just like Haruko inevitably becomes inspiration for Naota's town, FLCL is a big name in anime industry. Many various shows were inspired by it throughout years, and while there were great series, nothing ever came close to what FLCL is. Maybe it will leave you inspired too? Haruko is waiting....you don't want to be out of the loop. FLCL's presentation and ideas were so insane that it immediately gained cult following and its impact still lasts. People talked, talk and will talk about FLCL because its themes are eternal and presentation is unique. Most crazy and ridiculous anime would be automatically compared to FLCL. It's highly artistic and experimental work, and I would go as far and say that FLCL is the epitome of anime in general - it's insane, it doesn't make sense most of the time, you don't know why you watch it but you still keep watching it because it's so exceptional, because it's like nothing else you've experienced before, because it still manages to tell truly amazing story in the most obscure way. FLCL captures the whole spirit of what anime is and what it should be. It's Japan itself, for better or for worse....you don't have much time, but still want to watch something. Yes, FLCL lasts only six episodes. And yes, it indeed comprises all that I've described above. Moreover, if it slowed down just a little bit, it would immediately lose big chunk of its charm. Crazy story put together with insane action and rapid pacing - FLCL doesn't feel like a three-hour journey at all, and it leaves much more impression than many other 24+ episode anime. FLCL presents itself in a very weird way, but it wouldn't work otherwise - it would be too boring and ordinary.Instead of ConclusionI know where I'm coming from. After my first watch of FLCL I was scratching my head in useless attempts of understanding anything. Then I was told to read some material concerning the anime, and it got a glimpse of my attention. Later on, I decided to rewatch it, and it clicked. Suddenly everything fell right into place. Now, with every new rewatch, I constantly find something new - some new hints, symbols or other things that I failed to capture previously. Being highly experimental anime, FLCL has huge rewatch potential, and if you didn't like it for the first time, it wouldn't be that much of a time-investment to check it out once again. I hope this thread was at least a bit useful and you will approach the anime with right mindset. I don't expect you to like it as I do, but I really want you to watch FLCL at least once or at least one more time. It's like nothing else. If anything, it's not your ordinary anime. http://ift.tt/1L9eJDe