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Showing posts with label 5 Anime Films Worth Checking Out. Show all posts

This month is all about TV Shows, mostly ones that's I have watched recently and was able to finish the entire show. When I am able to watch a show a the way through to the end that means that's there was something in the show that kept my interest through out the show. That isn't the case for all shows unfortunately, but here all these are competent shows that I feel that's are worth recommending to others. Plus there is quite a bit on this list from Shinichiro Watanabe, who is the same person who made Cowboy Bebop. Let me know your thought of the list down below!

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

This was a show that I only checked out because it was on Netflix, I am glad I did because it was quite an entertaining show to watch. The stars off by following Ledo, who is a 16 year old in an Galactic Alliance, during battle his Machine Caliber is knocked out of battle and into an wormhole. When he wakes up he discovers that he is on an unknown planet to him and tries to figure out where he is. He turns out to be on the moving island city of Gargantia and meets Amy who is a girl living there and tries to assimilate him into the society. This leads to him getting accustomed to this new way of life while he still tries to figure out how he can get back into space so he can rejoin the battle he was supposed to have finished.

Its a good show with a simple message and character that you can care about enough to see how they make it through to the end of the show.

Terror in Resonance

This is a Anime that's has a different feel than most shows by having a more psychological thriller feel to it. The show is short, which can work in many cases but here not so much. Not that the show is bad, it just moves at such faster pace than most cases. Link to my analysis video here.

The show takes place in an alternate iteration of our present day where Tokyo is hit by multiple terrorist attacks. The culprits of these attacks turn out to be two teenagers who go by the name of Nine and Twelve. But a girl named, Lisa is caught in between one of their attacks and decides to join them in order to save her own life. This leads to an investigation trying to find them as well as the main characters trying to stop attacks from a competing terrorist.

Noragami

The show follows a girl named Hiyori who is hit by a bus while trying to save a by names Yato. But this incident causes her to transform into a half-phantom, meaning she can go into either world at once.

She makes a deal to help Yato in exchange of him helping her return to the normal state she used to be in. But at the same time other Gods are after Yato for the crimes he had committed in the past forcing him to try to make a good name of himself and protect his new friends along the way.

Its a very entertaining show that gets more fun as it goes along. With the show being back for Season 2 now will be a good time to check it out and catch up.

Kids on the Slope

After moving Kaoru Nishimi moves into a new high school, he is a person to keep to himself and isn't very good at making friends. Until he runs into Sentaro who is the bully/bad boy of the school, they are at odds with one another at first but begin to develop a friendship through both having the interest in Jazz music.

The characters are what make the show so interesting, especially the dynamic between Kaoru and Sentaro. There are plenty of character that come and go throughout the show and even a love triangle between Kaoru, Ritsuko, and Sentaro that is handle very maturely than I would have expected.

Its a very Slice of Life taking place in the 60s so things are very simple with no technology or anything like that, so all the interaction are made between characters in person. Making the tension all greater when they are not together. Recommended this show for anyone who likes music, especially Jazz and a good tale about three friends going through the high school life together.

Samurai Champloo

If you like Hip-Hop and cool Samurai action, than this is the show for you. This is the last of Watanabe shows that I had a chance to watch and it was definitely the most entertaining and wackiest of them all.

The show follows three characters named, Mugen, Jin and Fuu. They brought together after Mugen and Jin are arrested for trying to fight each other and become wanted criminals. Fuu offers to help them if they escort her to find a man who smells of sunflowers. This leads to a journey that three go to across the land to find this man and run into crazy situations along the way.

I really enjoyed this show, again Watanabe knows how to make great characters. Really making them likable and fun to be around. It also has a great mix of Hip-Hop style of music which is intertwine with the editing of the show, its something you just have to see to know what I am talking about.

What shows on this list have you seen? or Which ones interest you the most that you would check out?

This month I got new movies to talk about, one from a show I recently finished watching, and two from a director who I think has made some of the best Anime films ever to be released. *Video Version at Bottom of Post

5. Cowboy Bebop the Movie

Cowboy Bebop is one of the best Animes I have ever seen and this movies still holds it up. It takes place between some episode in the later half of the season, which means you can watch it perfectly along with the show. Unlike most movies based on shows, this one can stand alone as well. If you haven't seen the show before you can watch this movie easily and get into the world and characters and general feel and style. This movie feels like a much larger episode of the show, it has fantastic animation and is always doing something new and different to keep me interested.

4. Hal

Hal is a smaller film that focus on a robot who has to become a human. Unlike most films that portray androids becoming humans in a negative light this one takes it in an interesting directing of the robot replacing someone who had just died. There is a girl who is in need of comfort and the Hal tries his best to help out at the same time trying to find out about the life of the person he has taken over for. It has a lot of twists and turns that will make this movie and enjoyable watch.

3. 5 Centimeters Per Second

This is a Makoto Shinkai film that is comprised of three short films with connected stories. They are romantic stories, but not the typical Hollywood kind, these are much more realistic and not so much on the happy side either. The background visuals are suburb especially the colors used as well. This tends to be most peoples favorite film from Makoto Shinkai and I think its his most well rounded one as well. This is a great entry point to get into his films and its very easy to find online too.

2. Millennium Actress

Directed by Stashi Kon, Millennium Actress that surprised me. It tells a relatively straight forward story and uses Kon's style to really make it into something special.We follow two interviewers who interview an retired actress who hasn't been seen for quite some time. She tells them her story and we go along for the journey as her story is told through the works of her films. Its blends her reality and her films seamlessly making everything very dreamlike and fantastical.

1. Paprika

Another Satoshi Kon film on this list and this one could be in competition as being one of my favorite films of his. This film is a visual experience and takes Kon's style to the highest I've seen.You can see how much influence this film has had on other films especially in the visuals alone. It also has a great soundtrack that helps give the film a different and odd feeling to it. Its very bright and color and always showing something new and different. I was surprised how the film throws a lot at you but I was still able to stay engaged and interested in the story. If you haven't seen Paprika, this is one you should go check out as soon as you can.

Let me know of some Anime I should include in future lists in the comments down below.

Recently I have been watching more Anime and over the past month, I seen a few movies, that aren't exactly the most popular ever released. But at movies definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen them.

5. Time of EVE

Time of EVE is a smaller Anime film directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura. The film takes place in the future and has a feel similar to I' Robot and somewhat Ghost in The Shell. The story follow Rikuo who's robot maid mysteries goes to a cafe whenever she isn't around, and this leads to them getting to know the people at this cafe. It has some interesting twists and turns and a pretty good message at the end.

4. Memories - Magnetic Rose

Magnetic Rose is one of three short films in the Memories collection. This segment is directed by Kôji Morimoto and follows a few spacemen who land onto an astroid they decide to explore. The tone and atmosphere is what really makes this short shine as well as the fantastic animation to complement it. If you are into sci-fi and space this short is definitely worth checking out.

3. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

From Mamoru Hosoda, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a very creative film that both has a small feeling with hints of a bigger world around it. One day, Makoto stumbles upon a pebble that allows her to leapt through time to a certain point, giving her the ability to relive the same day over and over again. The lightness of the movie really makes it enjoyable to watch and has simplistic art style that just could be my personal favorite.

2. Patema Inverted

Also from Yasuhiro Yoshiura, This is a follow up film where a young girls ends up entering to the surface below here to find that that she is actually living upside down from the surface world. The concept is very original and the way its handle is very well down. The main story is pretty basic, but sometimes that a good thing, especially when you are showed such a rich world that has a lot of mystery to it.

1. Whisper of the Heart

More of an underrated Studio Ghibli film, Whisper of the Heart is easily on my favorite anime films of all time. The film is more realistic from other anime films but it knows how to include fantastical elements in the right moments. The story itself is simple and relatable with the way the movie plays out leaves you inspired. If you haven't seen it you should definitely check this one out.

Have you seen any of these films? and which ones sound the most interesting to check out? Leave your comments down below.

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