Essential Anime: Difference between revisions

The purpose of this entry is to highlight trendsetters in [[Anime]], anime of historical note, and series that epitomize particular genres. Specifically we are looking for the [[Trope Maker]], [[Trope Codifier]], and [[Deconstruction|Deconstructions]]s that affect future anime in that genre.

*** [[Magical Girl Warrior]] [[Deconstruction|Deconstructions]]s: ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''. Compared stylistically to Rose Of Versailles, Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena) aired in Japan in 1997. It couples a shojo dueling story with elements of chivalric romance, Jungian psychology, and a surreal thriller. Its post-modern narrative and feminist themes distinguish it from any other anime ever made.

*** [[Ranma ½|Ranma 1/2]]. Aired in Japan from 1989 to 1992, and based on the manga of the same name by [[Rumiko Takahashi]], Ranma 1/2 is a fusion of romance/comedy and shonen fighting, and was, along with Sailor Moon, one of the early-1990s gateway anime for North American fans. It is also a Deconstruction of the still [[Unbuilt Trope]] of the [[Unwanted Harem]], although most of this flies over the head of [[Values Dissonance|Western]] viewers, as they don't realize the [[Pillars of Moral Character|very real Japanese moral dilemma]] Ranma is in. (Being engaged to more than one girl is [[Serious Business]].) This series is also the [[Trope Codifier]] for the [[Love Dodecahedron]] sub-genre, with every member of the [[Unwanted Harem]] having his or her own unrequited love interest, and is often considered the best example of [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] -- the—the [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] trope was once called "Takahashi Couple" -- or—or even its [[Trope Codifier]].

* [[Trope Codifier]]: ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' (1997-present1997–present). A major multimedia franchise, ''Pokémon'' was the first major [[Mons]] series to be targeted towards children, and also the first to make it across the Atlantic; though the RPG series is the true core of the franchise, the anime tends to be the more well-known version. Since then, most Mons series have followed the graphical stylings and kid-friendliness of the ''Pokémon'' franchise. It's also something of a template insofar as the adaptation of video games to anime, of which it is by far the longest-lived and most successful.

=== Films by Release Date: ===

* ''[[Grave of the Fireflies]]'' (Japanese title, ''[[Hotaru no Haka]]'') (1988): Poignant story of two children trying, and ultimately failing, to survive in war-torn Japan after their mother is killed in an air raid. Based on a semi-autobiographical novel (the author, needless to say, survived, but much of the rest is directly from his own experiences) that was well-known in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s but almost unheard of elsewhere. Widely respected as one of the finest animated films, ever, but also widely reputed to be among the ''saddest'' films ever shown -- soshown—so much so that AVClub.com has included it in their list ''[http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/not_again_24_great_films_too/3 Not Again: 24 Great Films Too Painful To Watch Twice]''.

* ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' (Japanese title, ''Kokaku Kidotai'') (1996): A [[Cyberpunk]] thriller concerning cybernetic police operative Motoko Kusanagi and her struggle to uphold the law in a future where humanity and technology have merged. In this film, the first of a widely popular anime franchise that includes the ''[[Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' series, Motoko and her colleagues in Section 9 face off against an insidious "puppet master," a unique AI whose nature challenges every assumption theythey—and -- and she -- hasshe—has about what it means to be human. Notable for also influencing western sci-fi flicks, most obviously ''[[The Matrix]]''.