What in the World is “noitaminA”?

Though only about 1-out-of-3 noitaminA series have seen the light of day in the US over the past 5 years, that fact may be changing; Funimation recently penned a deal with Fuji TV to simulcast video streams of the noitaminA series on their website, and while this doesn't necessarily guarantee DVD rights to any of these series, it can be assumed that enough video views may translate into DVD releases in the future (so please watch them!).

Fuji TV experimented briefly with a second timeslot devoted to more mature animation, called Noise.  Unfortunately, though I considered all three of the series featured in this time block to be truly excellent (in addition to the wonderful, original Michiko to Hatchin, both Ristorante Paradiso and Aoi Hana were broadcast as part of this time block), it was short-lived.  The time block was gone after just a year (October 2008-September 2009).

It's arguable whether series featured on noitaminA represent a major jump in quality from average anime fare, but I have to say, having seen all the series, even a so-called "bad" noitaminA series has been more entertaining and memorable for me than many other shows.  In short, I've enjoyed all of them to varying degrees.  Here are some of my favorites (you can see a full list of titles, including upcoming ones, here):

Nodame Cantabile (January 2007), Nodame Cantabile Paris (October 2008), Nodame Cantabile Finale (January 2010)

Total Episodes: 45, not including DVD specials

Nodame and Chiaki are two music students who meet in music school, fall in love (Nodame wholeheartedly and Chiaki grudgingly) and then travel to Paris to pursue their studies and musical careers.  The show's various incarnations are quite comedic, but later seasons also provide a deep, realistic look into the issues music students must deal with on the path to success, and how difficult it can be to maintain a relationship when both parties are so busy working towards their goals.

The anime is chock full of great classical music, and features an expansive cast of memorable characters, including other students and teachers.  While the the anime finishes up on an inconclusive note (partly due to the manga author's illness near the end of penning the manga), the story continues in the Nodame Cantabile Opera Chapter manga.  Perhaps there might be another anime adaptation in the future (I hope I hope I hope)?

Mononoke (July, 2007)

Number of Episodes: 12

A continuation of the "Bakeneko" story arc from Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror, this series features the Medicine Seller character from that story as he travels from place-to-place exorcising demons.

What's interesting about this series is that the "demons" are all the result of human lies and deception.  In one case, an innkeeper attempts to hide the fact that her inn was formerly a brothel and that she performed in-house abortions on the women who worked as prostitutes there. In another, a woman denies herself in order to fulfill her mother's wishes that she marry into a wealthy family.  The Medicine Seller uncovers the root of these problems in order to solve them, like a magical, medieval psychologist.

While all the stories are presented in a stylized, theatrical manner, often calling upon elements of Noh and Kabuki theater, the message they present is essentially very straightforward - that darkness in the human heart and lies that we tell can grow and encompass our lives and the lives of others.  The brilliant way in which these stories are presented provides a lot to chew on afterwards.

This is definitely one of my absolute favorite series of all time, period.  While those without some background knowledge in Japanese theater might find the show a bit daunting at first, there's enough visual punch going on to sustain even one watch-through.

Moyashimon (October 2007)

Number of Episodes: 11

Tadayasu Sawaki is a first year college student and son of a family that produces yeast-starter.  He has the strange ability to see microbial beings with the naked eye.  They don't appear as they would under an electron microscope, either; the microbes Sawaki sees are all cute little beings with their own personalities.  He attends college with his best friend Kei, and the two of them use their college experience to grow as people and come to terms with the parts of themselves that set them apart from others.

I was presenting this series at a convention one time, and someone in the audience asked me "so, does the main character use the microbes in battles or something?"  I'll remember that comment for all time because it represents just how well this series goes against whatever expectations one might have of it.  While the show does have the gimmick of cutesy microbial characters, it's really more about a group of people finding themselves and a place to belong in college.  It's also one of the few series I've seen which has a transgendered character that isn't merely used as comic fodder. 

I keep crossing my fingers for a US release of the anime, but in the meantime the manga is being released stateside and the noitaminA block itself is slated to start broadcasting a live-action drama series coming in July.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (July 2009)

Number of Episodes: 11

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 asks (and then answers) the question, "what would happen if a major earthquake hit the Tokyo metropolitan area?" Not content to stop with the thoroughly-researched and realistic depictions of the physical effects of such an event, the series goes on to tell a very emotional story of three people who survive the tremor and must make their way back home through the wrecked city on foot. Mirai and Yuuki are two siblings who left on their own to go to Odaiba Island for a robotics exhibition.  After the disaster strikes, they meet Mari, a motorcycle courier and single mother who becomes their caretaker on the way home.

I consider this series one of the better original productions in recent years.  While it deals with a natural disaster, it avoids becoming just like any other disaster movie spectacle by paying special attention to character development and not sugar-coating some of the more horrific after-effects of the quake.  Yes, people die in this show.  Mirai, the main character of the series, does a lot of growing up over the 11 episodes, and her arrogance dissolves into humility, a metaphor for Japan learning to deal with its loss of first-world invincibility in the face of a natural disaster that doesn't discriminate.  Very good and definitely worth multiple viewings (I've seen it three times now and I barely give myself time to watch most series more than once).

Trapeze (Kuuchuu Buranko) (October 2009)

Number of Episodes: 11

Dr. Ichiro Irabu is an eccentric psychologist who dispenses his advice out of a multi-colored office deep inside a hospital. His patients all come to him hoping for advice and perhaps some medicine for their ailments, but the Dr. prefers to get himself personally involved in their situation in order to help them reach their own breakthroughs (though often it seems like he's just goofing around instead of doing anything to help).

This series screams "weird" and in a lot of ways it is - in addition to the funky, colorful design sensibilities, the doctor himself appears in three different forms and the patients sometimes take on the visages of different animals during their diagnoses. At its core, though, Trapeze is fairly straightforward.  Much like the Medicine Seller in Mononoke, Dr. Irabu helps his patients uncover the root of their problems, but he also doesn't offer any catch-all cures - just as people in real life often have to reach a point where their disorders are under control rather than completely cured, so do the characters in this series.  Oh, and did I mention that many of the episodes are downright hilarious?

There are many more noitaminA series out there, and I would argue that most if not all of them are worth checking out.  It's definitely one time block worth keeping an eye on every season.