Baka Baka Baka!: JavaDevil's 10 Best Anime Films Spectacular!
Sep 13 '00 (Updated Dec 02 '00)
Yes, it's time for your old pal JavaDevil to pick his personal favorite anime films of all time. Unlike others who contributed lists in this category so far, I'm strictly limiting my choices to anime films for the sake of streamlining my possible choices. But I have to say that it is my opinion that most of the best work done in anime is through the series format, meaning either TV series or Original Video Animation (OVA) series. Because most casual anime viewers only see art house anime films, they miss some great stuff like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiment Lain, The Vision Of Escaflowne (not the edited Fox Kids version), Revolutionary Girl Utena and other such shows that you can't just sit down and be done with in 2 hours. I might do another Top 10 list for series anime though. But back to the movies....
You'll note that, as usual, many of my choices aren't what others would normally pick because that's the way I am. Also note this is going to be uncharacteristically long-winded because I'm a huge fan of the genre/medium/whatever you want to call it.
Honorable mentions go to the following features: The heart-wrenching Grave Of The Fireflies, the psychic-punkness of Akira, the chop-socky good Ninja Scroll, the space-opera Macross: Do You Remember Love? (and not the butchered USA version known as Clash Of The Bionoids), the overglorified reunion movie Nadesico: Prince Of Darkness, the pioneer-spirit of Wings Of Honneamise, and the mecha fun of Patlabor The Movie 1.
Dishonorable mentions go to these films: The hugely disappointing Escaflowne: A Girl In Gaea, the slow and boring Patlabor The Movie 2, the exploitative, tentacle sex of any of the Urotsukidoji films, the blah Macross II: The Movie, the rather generic Big Wars, the butchered Warriors Of The Wind (a horribly edited version of Miyazaki's Nausicaa: Valley Of The Wind), the plain awful Darkside Blues, and the regurgitated sequel Adieu Galaxy Express 999.
And without further ado, kiddies, here we go. Ikuze!
10. Memories (1996) - Here's a Katsuhiro Ôtomo project that the art-house anime crowd has completely overlooked thanks to its relative unavailability in the USA. An anthology film, Memories revolves around 3 separate stories. The first is Magnetic Rose, a futuristic thriller about the crew of a space freighter who receive a distress signal from a mysterious, derelict ship. A team goes onboard to investigate and finds it inhabited by spirits both real and imaginary. The second segment, Stink Bomb, is an amusing, comedic piece involving a witless laboratory worker who is looking for the cure for a cold and winds up with something quite different. It's like an intermission to buffer against the serious tone of the two bookend stories. The final and most distinctive segment, directed by Ôtomo himself, is Cannon Fodder. It tells the story of a society completely built around the concept of guns & war through the eyes of a child. Humongous-barreled cannons stick out of every building in sight, aimed in the direction of the unseen enemy they are waging a battle with. From what I've read, each segment is based on various manga (Japanese comics) written by Ôtomo so finding any sort of unifying theme amongst them seems fruitless. As the title of the film implies, these are free-floating tales that give us glimpses into unrelated worlds for a brief moment of their respective existences and then fade away. It very much reminds me of an animated version of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. As far as I know, Memories is currently only available to us Westerners through unofficial channels. *cough* fansub *cough*
9. Ghost In The Shell (1995) - Directed by Mamoru Oshii (who did various Patlabor projects), this film tells the story of cyborg Motoko Kusanagi, who works for a secret police force that is hunting down a notorious hacker known as the Puppet Master. When it eventually comes to the fore that the Puppet Master is actually an artificial form of life, Kusanagi begins to wonder about her own existence and question how human an individual like her is. While certainly not original in concept, it's the execution that's the important thing, baby. GITS melds some great, stylish action sequences in harmony with a plot built around basic, philosophical questions that don't have simple answers: What exactly is life? What makes an individual human? Why can't they invent a cloaking device for clothed people?
8. Harmagedon (1982) - Much hated by most anime fans, this is still one of my personal favorites. A psychic young woman, Luna, has disturbing visions on an airline flight when a meteorite crushes the plane and kills everyone on board except for her. She comes to learn through a vision that a malevolent force called Genma is racing through the universe, destroying everything in its path and that she must gather warriors on Earth with similar superhuman abilities to stop Genma. The first of these is a cyborg encased within the meteorite: Bega. While that sounds like pure cheese, director Rin Taro makes it work. In fact, I enjoy this anime purely for the visual and aural spectacle it is. You get people with psychic powers strong enough to make someone's eyeballs pop out, a crazy woman with blue skin ranting about the end of the world, a giant fireball that terrorizes New York City, and one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, done by the man who did Dario Argento's Inferno, Keith Emerson (yes, I love this flick's dissonant synth soundtrack with that great version of Bach's Tocatta & Fugue In D Minor and have been trying to hunt down a copy of it forever). I don't know if a subtitled version was released here but stay away from the lifeless-dubbed version if you can. Good voice actors make all the difference.
7. Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988) - Is it fair for me to pick an anime film that doesn't stand on its own? I'm picking it anyway. This feature is the finale for the storyline started way back in 1979's Mobile Suit Gundam TV series and continued in 1985 with the series Zeta Gundam. The original Gundam universe involves mecha known as mobile suits, latent psychics known as newtypes, and a feud between two pilots, Amuro Ray and Char Aznable. Taking place in U.C. 0093, the 93rd year of the Universal Century calendar, Char Aznable has now become the leader of a space-based group of radicals known as the Neo-Zeon. For reasons that are as much personal as they are political, Char plans to use the military force of the Neo-Zeon to drop an asteroid on Earth and create another Ice Age. Legendary newtype pilot Amuro Ray, who became blood rivals with Char during the massive conflict known as the One Year War, is called upon one last time to stop him. Made in the same year as the well-known Akira, the animation used to illustrate the gripping stellar battles is crisp & fluid. Since CC is meant to be the finale of a tale that began a decade before, no attempt is made to try and recap things for new viewers and the motivations of the characters are very much based in events in their respective pasts. A terrific film aimed squarely at fans of the original Gundam saga. Not yet available officially in the USA, Char's Counterattack will presumably be released some time after Anime Village puts out the just announced original Gundam TV series.
6. Macross Plus: The Movie (1994) - Often described as the Top Gun of anime, this sequel to the epic 1982 series Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (aka Robotech: The Macross Saga) is a much more ponderous side story set in the Macross universe revolving around two test pilots, Isamu & Guld. They have an old grudge that somehow centers on their respective relationships with Myung, the manager of an AI pop star known as Sharon Apple. Isamu & Guld are testing prototype mecha/spacecraft for rival companies on the planet Eden when the Sharon Apple tour rolls into town along with Myung and old wounds are opened. Things become more complicated when the computerized Sharon Apple herself gains true sentience and interferes in the triangular quarrel. With visuals that rival those of Ghost In The Shell, Macross Plus would be entertaining even if it had no story and just those neat jet-mechas whizzing around the screen. But it does and, like GITS, the well-worn sci-fi elements are made compelling through solid storytelling. The soundtrack, by the great Yoko Kanno, augments the atmosphere, especially the Loreena McKinnett-esque theme song "Voices". Macross Plus has the added value of being completely accessible to viewers who aren't familiar with other shows set in the Macross universe because of the fact that it is essentially self-contained from the main events in the original series. It's also available in 4 separate, 40-minute OVA parts that contain more footage but I feel that the 2-hour movie version streamlines all the excess material into a less overwrought narrative. And, praise Bob Dobbs, the dubbed version doesn't suck!
5. Galaxy Express 999 (1979) - The oldest film on this list is a childhood favorite of mine. Based on the anime TV series of the same name created by legendary anime/manga writer Leiji Matsumoto, the story follows poor, young orphan Tetsuro Hoshino and his mission to avenge the death of his mother at the hands of the sinister, robotic hunter Count Mecha. Because Count Mecha's castle resides on a planet far from Earth, Tetsuro has to get a ride on the interstellar passenger train nicknamed "The Three 9". Enter the shadowy waif Maetel, who takes an interest in Tetsuro's ambitious plan and gives him a ticket for the 999 so long as she can accompany him on his journey. Through their various adventures on other worlds, Maetel becomes a mother figure to Tetsuro but who is she and why is she helping him? With its unique mix of old style mechanics and futuristic technology (A train that flies through space? A pirate ship that does the same?), GE999 may be an acquired taste. But one of the appeals of the Matsumoto-verse is its ideally romanticized view of the future. With appearances by Matsumoto's most famous anime icon, space pirate Captain Harlock, GE999 is not only a coming of age tale but something of a tribute to young animation fans who grew up watching Matsumoto's creations. While people not familiar with his work can certainly enjoy this movie, I think the small references to Matsumoto's other projects are touches that enhance the film greatly.
4. Princess Mononoke (1997) - Of the Miyazaki work I've seen, I find this the most memorable. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for any flick which has shots of sprawling, green hillsides and landscapes. Or maybe its because the recorders in the fine soundtrack suggest Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" to me which, in turn, reminds me of Tolkien. Or maybe it's just because I like seeing groups of giant hogs being blown up. But, whatever the reason, this cautionary tale about the necessarily symbiotic connection between humans and nature has enthralled most everyone who has laid their eyes on it. Mononoke, if you don't already know, is about the young warrior Ashitaka, who is cursed to die after killing a demon in his village. Exiling himself from his home, he finds himself caught in a battle involving the overconfident Lady Eboshi and her attempts to destroy the animal gods of the forest. Aiding the wolf gods who raised her is the fierce warrior San, the Princess Mononoke of the title. Enough has been written about this film that anything I could come up with would be repetitive but I just wanted to mention that I like the simple adage uttered to Ashitaka after he discovers that he is supposed to die: "You can't change your fate but you can, if you choose, rise to meet it." A mantra for those who find themselves trapped in unavoidable situations.
3. Spriggan (1998) - The most recent flick on this list and, not surprisingly, the one with the most spectacular animation. This movie is, in a blurb, Akira meets Metal Gear Solid. An expeditionary team discovers the remains of what appears to be Noah's Ark on a mountaintop in Turkey. A rogue paramilitary outfit wants it for their own purposes but they are opposed by the Arcam Corporation, an organization dedicated to finding and confiscating dangerous ancient artifacts from around the world. Arcam employs special agents known as Spriggan for espionage and sends in one of them, Yu Ominae, to secure the Ark. Of course, the paramilitary team has special agents of their own. Unlike anime features that have enjoyed success on the art house circuit, Spriggan doesn't spend much time philosophizing about anything. It's unapologetically filled with action and, for that reason, is poised to become the next Ninja Scroll. Things blow up, people get killed, and mass destruction reigns! Good stuff. I want a sequel. And don't fret about the fact that it hasn't made it to the USA yet because AD Vision plans a wide-release for this film in theaters in 2001. It's the anime equivalent of a good big-budget Hollywood flick and deserves to be seen on the silver screen.
2. End Of Evangelion (1997) - For those who are familiar with this film, the obvious joke here is for me to inform readers that if they aren't familiar with the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series, they won't get it and, even if they are, they still won't get it. A bit of background: NGE was a 26-episode TV series that is perhaps the definitive anime series of the 90's and the first truly post-Gundam mecha show. The plot revolves around shy, antisocial teenager Shinji Ikari, who is drafted by the organization Nerv to pilot a mecha known as an Evangelion to help defend Tokyo-3 against giant extraterrestrial invaders referred to as Angels. Nothing unusual about that but the plot becomes more intriguing as you discover that the reason for the Angel attacks is because they are trying to reach the remains of what seems to be the Biblical Adam housed deep inside Tokyo-3's military base. So are the Angels real angels? What is Nerv doing with the remains of Adam? And what exactly are the mysterious Evangelions themselves? Even if you've watched the TV series and this movie, the answers to those questions are hard to come by. While the Evangelion TV series starts out simply enough, the show evolves into a demystification of Christianity and, towards the last episodes, you're steeped in surreal, philosophical monologues that would make David Lynch scratch his head. The TV series ends with Shinji learning to accept his place in the world but leaves a lot of things about the greater plot completely dangling.
Creator Hideaki Anno apparently meant for everything in the show to be a backdrop for the personal struggles of Shinji but a lot of fans were very disappointed by all the loose ends. The story goes that because Anno considered NGE some kind of catharsis for him as an individual, he was angered by the reaction of fans. The result is the film The End Of Evangelion: the work of an enraged man who didn't seem all that stable to begin with. The title is very apt. This is undoubtedly the end of the show and it's a bizarre, grim Apocalypse. The traditional conventions of storytelling disintegrate as many characters meet gruesome ends and the entire world collapses in on itself in a surreal, allegorical way that takes T.S. Eliot and smacks him upside the head big time. As I once heard someone mention, it's like Anno is essentially saying "Oh, so you want your little mecha anime? HERE'S YOUR DAMN MECHA ANIME, YOU PETTY FANS!!!" I haven't been this confused by a film since I saw the end of 2001 for the first time. But damned if it didn't keep me riveted the entire way through. Those of you who want to see an introverted young boy finally find his place in the world and then have it all destroyed in the most whacked-out way possible are advised to check out the Evangelion TV series and then wait for A.D. Vision to release The End Of Evangelion in America early in 2001. There's nothing else in anime like it. Hell, there's nothing else in the known world like it.
1. Mobile Suit Gundam The Movie 3: Encounters In Space (1982) - In the early 80's, a trilogy of theatrical films were compiled from the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam TV series. This movie is the last of those and recounts the adventures of the crew of the Earth Federation ship White Base in the final days of the One Year War of U.C. 0079. Their conflict with the Duchy Of Zeon draws close to a resolution as the Federation takes the fight to the Zeon's home ground. In the midst of the battle, the now experienced Federation pilot Amuro Ray meets a Zeon newtype, Lala Sun, and through telepathic communications with one another they discover that they are soulmates. But Lala, as it turns out, is the young protege and lover of Amuro's nemesis, Char Aznable. For my taste, this is classic mecha anime at its best. In fact, this is the archetype for the genre. I've been told by the rare few outside of Japan who have seen it that the original MS Gundam TV show this film is based on is even better than the movie trilogy since the trilogy had to cut out a lot of the character development from the 43-episode series to fit everything into 3 movies. While I suppose that's true, this last movie in the original trilogy features mostly redone animation and music and so it truly stands on its own as a film. The twin theme songs are, in particular, very good examples of Japanese pop music in the early 80's and underscore the climactic nature of MS Gundam III better than anything else I could imagine. And having two theme songs parallels the narrative choice of having two main characters: Amuro and Char.
One thing that I haven't seen anyone mention before is that they both seem to be searching for the same thing. Amuro, having become estranged from his family during the war, manages to find a surrogate family in his White Base crewmates. Char, who was torn away from his birth family as a result of the Zeon ruling elite's actions, also wants a family of his own but, as the direct result of his conflicts with Amuro, he never finds it. To me, this explains Char's actions in the subsequent feature Char's Counterattack perfectly, right down to the final line Char utters to Amuro in CC. But I guess I'm getting ahead of everyone who hasn't watched all this material, hmm? I'll leave it at that then. As usual, watch the subtitled version of the Mobile Suit Gundam trilogy as the dubbed version is said to have a horrible translation and bad voice acting to boot.
So there's my $10.95 on what the best anime films are. Whine and complain to me about my horrible choices in the comments section! Thank you!
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JavaDevil
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