DAVID'S EXPOSURE - ANIME
by David Curry
Apr 15, 2018
I come into this exposure piece a total newbie. I have not, to my knowledge, watched an ‘anime’ programme, apart from a few episodes of Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z more than a decade ago.
My definition of anime would be a hand-drawn animated series originally made in South-East Asia, most likely of Japanese origin, aimed at a teen to a young adult audience.
I have a few preconceptions about what I'm going to see, but I'm willing to be surprised by what this very popular online genre has to offer. With that, here are my team's choices and my opinions on them.
Tom's Choice - Bleach
Bleach is what I was expecting to see from an anime. It's about a guy who can see spirits going about his daily life. In the first episode, Ichigo Kurosaki meets Rukia Kuchiki, a soul reaper, and finds out about the Hollows that devour people’s souls.
From the little snippets of anime I’ve seen over the years, I know its more dialogue driven than most TV shows and stories. At times, it can be a little overbearing in Bleach, as the characters describe what is happening through internal monologue in the middle of fight scenes.
Design of the characters is what I’d expect from an anime, jagged frizzy hair for Ichigo, huge eyes for the female characters. The Hollows are creepy antagonists, especially with the English dub that gives them posh British voices.
I wouldn’t continue. It’s a nice introduction to the anime genre, but one that sticks to the formula of anime a little too much – good guy looking out for everyone as the main character, chippy female sidekick.
5/10
Sophie's Choice - Paranoia Agent
A nice switch up from Bleach, Paranoia Agent has a starker and more serious tone. Tsukiko Sagi is clubbed in the back by ‘Little Slugger’ and tries to recap the incident to detectives, while also being followed by Akio Kawazu, who I think is a sleazy journalist.
The story follows quite a conventional path, whereas Bleach felt more out there. Less inner monologue and descriptions of what is going on. I think it helps the English dub is superior to Bleach, with voice actors like Liam O’Brien working on it.
I continued watching this and I'm currently on the second episode. It’s an enjoyable series that holds enough mystery to keep you engaged, while not being so mysterious you lose focus on what's going on.
8/10
Kit's Choice - Cowboy Bebop
Favourite of the three for animation style. I like the look of the rockets, stars and people. The English dub has some poor voice actors, but it wasn't a major watching deterrent.
The story is also the only one out of the three that has a proper ending. With Bleach, we are introduced to the demons and the second episode follows on from that. Paranoia Agent’s second episode is a direct follow on from the first. I like the idea of an episodic show about a rogue cowboy that hunts space bounties, without being bound to an underlying story.
I would like to continue watching this, it has an easy-going style that doesn't take itself too seriously, while not being as over the top as Bleach.
7/10
Final thoughts
Entering into this a newbie, I didn't know quite what to expect. I was worried I wouldn't "get it", in the same way, a parent doesn't understand their child watching endless hours of PewDiePie, but thankfully that wasn't the case.
All three choices provided a different preview of what anime has to offer. Bleach and Cowboy Bebop reminds me of cartoons I used to watch as a kid, the only major difference is in the animation style and the fact they were originally made for Japanese audiences.
Paranoia Agent was something different and unexpected. While it stuck to some of the things I expected for an anime, the story-line was captivating and felt like it was made for a slightly older audience.
I can't tell if I'd end up being a serious watcher of anime. Paranoia Agent kept me engaged through the second episode, but it may take some time for me to get through the backlog of TV shows and films I've been meaning to watch before I can take another serious look at the genre.