Welcome back! I wasn’t originally planning to split my favorites up between multiple posts, but I realized while writing that there was just too much great anime that I wanted to talk about and it would have been unjust to cram them all into such a tiny space. It may also be that I can get a little long-winded talking about the things that I love… but that’s not necessarily a bad thing (at least if you enjoy my writing).
Just for consistency’s sake, I’ll reiterate that the anime series I’m writing about for my favorites were broadcast from Autumn 2017 through Summer 2018, rather than from the entirety of 2018, not only because I tend to watch things in fits and starts, but because I like to let my opinions crystallize a bit before naming something a favorite. There was obviously a lot of great stuff airing this Autumn… so some of it will probably end up as a favorite next year!
Read part 1 of this series here!
Spring 2018
Aggressive Retsuko
We’re taught from a young age that it’s not right to judge people on appearances, and yet I think even those of us who make a conscious effort not to form prejudices still occasionally end up passing judgment before knowing the whole story. The Sanrio company is known for its cute animal characters and wholesome charm, and based on Aggressive Retsuko‘s original animated shorts, even her death metal rage seemed to express itself within a very confined and palatable universe of cuteness that fit the company’s image. Enter Netflix’s limited series of lengthier episodes, a format which very unexpectedly took a one-note gag and expanded it into a funny and relateable story for anime fans of all types. There are definitely more to these cutesy characters that one might expect from glancing at some key art or spotting a plushie in a convention dealers’ room.
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to avoid the kind of blatant sexism and workplace harassment that protagonist Retsuko deals with on a daily basis, but many people I know have not. When people need money to survive, sometimes they don’t have the luxury to leave a job that makes them feel like dirt. Aggressive Retsuko provides fantasy fulfillment and catharsis for those whose bottled rage only shows itself privately. It also provides an opportunity for those lucky enough to exist in more pleasant circumstances to empathize with the Millennial workforce, a group that’s consistently dumped on for its laziness… while working multiple jobs and enjoying almost none of the benefits afforded to previous generations. Retsuko and her companions are cute, for sure, but their existence reveals a lot of the inner turmoil that comes with trying to exist on the bottom rung of the modern workforce.
Humans have been telling funny animal stories from the dawn of time, reflecting human nature in an allegorical mirror decked out in ears and a tail. Sanrio’s characters are definitely cute, but this one has some teeth behind her smile.
Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan
As a woman, one thing that I’ve come to understand throughout much of my life is that society has a lot of concern for my moral purity. Whether it takes the form of religious messaging, woefully-inept sex education, or picket lines outside the gynecologist’s clinic, my world is swimming with rhetoric about how best to live a so-called virtuous life. What if, as a wise person once stated, I reject your reality and substitute my own? As I’ve grown to become more comfortable in my own skin, I suddenly have very little time for people who think they know better than I do about how to exist in the world. Tradition only exists because people choose to perpetuate it, and some traditions, as it turns out, just aren’t really worth perpetuating.
Hisone and Masotan is notable for many things – its dragons-in-disguise, controlled by pilots who are literally ingested by the beasts, are memorable characters in their own rights. The series also has a quirky visual style that makes the entire series feel more whimsical than your average slice-of-life anime. Its examination of workplace sexism, while imperfect, cultivates the right amount of repulsion toward some of the characters who deserve it. But beyond all the visual trappings and slapstick humor is the story of several women, some of them forced their entire lives to believe that their existence virtually requires the sacrifice of their own hopes, their desires, and their very humanity, electing to reject tradition in favor of choices that benefit them all more equally. As we learn through Hisone Amakasu’s story, even the experience of romantic love, a feeling denied to women throughout time in exchange for some minor nuggets of social power, can itself be an asset; a small but important part of a person’s entire being. The fact that physical and emotional purity isn’t nearly as important as purity of purpose is a lesson that we could all stand to learn for ourselves.
Megalobox
Sports anime is filled with examples of scrappy heroes who come from humble beginnings; part of the joy these anime bring comes from watching a protagonist hone their skills and become a hero, no matter how average their starting point. It’s rare for an anime character to start from absolutely nothing, though; while an underdog story is fun to watch, a story which at its darkest moments, forces us to confront the truth of the social injustices we’ve learned to tolerate can be both a bitter pill and bountiful feast.
“Junk Dog” Joe, The protagonist of Megalobox, begins his story with so little that he doesn’t even have a “real” name. His one option to escape his life of mafia-rigged boxing matches is to take on a fraudulent identity and claw his way to the top of the standings in legitimate megalo-boxing, facing competitors with resources that dwarf anything JD has ever dreamed of having. For all his natural talent a drive to win, in certain fraught moments we get a taste of the terror that undocumented individuals must feel almost constantly; at one point late in the series, another character threatens to publicly reveal JD’s undocumented status, thus potentially stealing away his chance to participate in Megalonia. We realize that, for all his ability to inspire the people, Joe could be literally erased, tossed in prison to rot, all due to a fake ID and the hope for a better life.
I didn’t realize how much of an impact this series had had on me until I was talking about it at a convention over the Summer. In some cases, a sports anime’s fidelity to the sport it’s portraying is one of its greatest assets. In this particular case, though, its ability to cut to the heart of one of our society’s major ailments – its violent, racist outrage at people, the terrifying “other,” attempting to find opportunities for a better life – shines much brighter than even the exhilarating physical battles in which Joe participates. “Gearless” Joe, hero of the people… perhaps at some point we will learn to let go of the prejudices that define some human beings as “illegal,” and celebrate our heroes’ accomplishments without first requiring that they show their papers.
Summer 2018
Cells at Work!
The human body is a vast, interconnected system of bits and pieces that, through some miracle of evolution, manages to work pretty well together -most of the time. Even though most of us learn the basics about our bodies’ various building blocks, pipelines, and secretions in biology class, if we’re to be quite honest the majority of what goes on underneath our skin is still pretty much a mystery. I’m a big proponent of taking education beyond the textbook, and this is why I love series like Cells at Work! that reinterpret dry, complicated topics in amusing ways.
This series is not the most high-minded on this list. It’s got all the trappings of a more “typical” anime series – a quirky heroine, a cool hero, violence, humor, drama… it’s all there, wrapped up in the most unusual of packages. And yet, even considering that it’s never aiming to become the next dramatic masterpiece, what always struck me about it was its ability to make me feel things about characters who, in reality, number in the billions and don’t have the capacity to feel anything. Much like Moyashimon, which roped viewers in with the promise of cute bacteria and then pounced on them with a very human story of students growing into their interests and talents, Cells at Work! occasionally manages to drum up some real emotions while teaching us about the workings of our bodies. Who would have thought that the death of cancer cells could hit as hard as any legitimate tragedy?
Education works best when there’s heart involved, and this series proved to have more “heart” than most (both figuratively and literally). The different cells are all just doing their jobs, but their quirks and foibles do an excellent job of calling out their uniqueness and making them seem as sympathetic as any other great anime character. Before I go, it’s true that any mention of Cells at Work! would be incomplete without pointing out the cutest characters of the year, the hard-working platelets, so enjoy!
Planet With
“Change your perspective with love, and behold, the universe is filled with blessings.” As someone who’s struggled with mental health for years, I can’t tell you how many times well-meaning (or possibly just irritated and lacking-in-empathy) acquaintances have suggested that I just “look on the bright side” or “think positively,” as if these were actions I’d never thought of on my own and were as easy as flipping a switch. Sensei’s statement, imploring a powerful being to let go of its galactic-level hatred, initially rang hollow to me, a sour note at the conclusion of an otherwise powerful series finale. It wasn’t until some days later that I realized Sensei’s words weren’t an instruction to let go of negative emotions and be happy, something that I’ve thus far been unable to “just do.” Instead, they were a much broader call to look towards others with love and dignity, in order to halt the perpetuation of violence and hatred that thus far has defined much of human history.
Soya, the series protagonist, has every reason to be consumed by resentment. He’s the last of his race and witnessed the destruction of his home before being whisked away to Earth and adopted into a very unusual family of misfits. And yet, it’s the love he receives from that very family, along with the friendships he develops on his adoptive planet, which allows him the perspective to forego his revenge and seek salvation for his new home. This series is packed to the brim with action and emotion, and yet it’s Soya’s growth from a being filled with rage, to one with the capacity for forgiveness, that stands as one of its most notable aspects.
“Change your perspective with love, and behold, the universe is filled with blessings.” Look upon those among us, those seeking aid or help or the chance at a better life, not with suspicion, xenophobia, or hatred, but with the love we ought to afford the other members of our human family. Don’t hold unnecessary grudges, do not hoard wealth and power from the poor and powerless, and share with others the beauty of the love in your heart. Sensei’s words are a call to empathy, and more than telekinesis or dream manipulation, perhaps that is the greatest super power featured in this gem of a series.
Revue Starlight
Our world is filled with systems of power. Social, financial… there are innumerable self-help guides that aim to help those of us in various marginalized groups navigate these systems better, to get ahead in the business world or to navigate society more effectively. There is an ever-growing feeling, though, that these systems themselves, hierarchies that developed when society was even more based around various social, racial, and class injustices, are beyond saving. That now is the time to break down these systems and to develop a world that puts everyone on more even footing.
Revue Starlight is a fantasy that revolves around the theater, a magical place where song, movement, literature, and art come together to create worlds of human imagination. The stories are as variable as the number of people who exist and yet… the theater itself is a place with its own rules, canon, and expectations; another system into which people are made to mold themselves to an ideal. The characters in this series are forced to battle one-another for the promise of a glorious prize; becoming the “Top Star” means that immense power is within that person’s grasp – the power to mold the world into their desired image. However, Hikari and Karen made a promise that can only be fulfilled if they both achieve stage success; their quest to make their wish a reality eventually tears apart (and, hopefully, re-imagines) the results of the audition system into something less “all-or-nothing” and more collaborative and egalitarian.
Hierarchies develop in part because those in power want to retain it or ensure it passes to others of similar thinking. I find it telling that this series stars young women, a group often derided for their supposed vanity and frivolity (those things that the dusty upper echelons sneer at). It’s those young girls who turn out to wield a very great and threatening power – the ability to change the world to fit the image they desire. Theirs is a world in which we’d be privileged to live.
***
I found when writing these posts that the various anime series that stuck with me over the past year weren’t necessarily those with the most amazing animation, memorable action, or dramatic moments. While I enjoy anime series that take full advantage of what the medium has to offer, the aspects that truly appeal to me on an internal level are oftentimes more difficult to quantify. I realized that the stories that I find most powerful are those that speak to the true power of the average human being – the things that we all can think or feel or do. Our life’s experiences don’t always end positively, but consequence and failure is, at times, the most valuable teacher – a fact that we are often loathe to acknowledge. I also value hope over nihilism, kindness over violence, and change over tradition, and I think all of these series (yes, even Devilman Crybaby!) represent the power of choosing to assume and expect better from ourselves and others.
While these series were my favorites from the past year, I watched and enjoyed many more anime! I may pop in for an epilogue later on (assuming I have time) and talk about some of those other enjoyable anime that helped me round out another great year as an anime fan. In the meantime, thank you, as always, for reading!
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