Sunday, October 28th, 2007...9:45 pm
Anime Films, Then and Now:
Anime commonly takes the form of thirteen, twenty-six and fifty-two episode series - with the majority appearing on Japanese, and increasingly on foreign television sets.
Most anime fans have also enjoyed the feature-length films that have come out of Japan though - which are a mainstay of anime, regardless of whether they are the standard or not. It’s hard, one will find, to separate thoughts of anime from the nostalgia caused by the more successful and controversial films of the past, from Ghost in the Shell and its sequel, Akira, Urotsukidoji and Ninja Scroll, to Voices of a Distant Star, the films of Satoshi Kon and the Studio Ghibli library.
Feature-length films based on popular and established series are also fairly commonplace now, even if they are generally less noteworthy - tending to round off a series or please the already established fanbase. The Vision of Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Dragonball Z (and likely the Naruto films to follow), Rurouni Kenshin and Conqueror of Shamballa movies all exemplify this trait, achieving a degree of success, but largely within their own circles, and failing to achieve the kind of notoriety attributed to standalone films.
It is true, however, that anime films have enjoyed a fairly illustrious history, with a number of accomplished and influential films worthy of citation. This inevitably sets a high standard for future productions, but even in this light the signs are looking good for the anime films we will be seeing in the next few years. The new Appleseed film, Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second, what we can expect from Goro Miyazaki, and the set of four films that will form the Rebuild of Evangelion, are all potential highlights.
It is a positive note that anime films are increasingly being exhibited to a Western audience, particularly in the United States, at the cinema - something that would be welcome more often here in England. There is also a trend - as in videogames - toward live action adaptation, such as in the examples of the upcoming Battle Angel Alita, Dragonball Z and Neon Genesis live action films, to name a few. Although this represents a growing mainstream Western interest in anime, it is perhaps less than favourable, rendering up our favourite series to Americanised trainwrecks such as the Resident Evil film series, which shows little concern for the original material. It does, however, remind of the more successful trend of reviving Japanese horror in the eyes of a Hollywood audience, with the remakes of the Ring and Ju-on (The Grudge) being prime examples.
No small number of live-action films would disrupt the continuing production of true, high-quality anime films, however, meaning that a few potentially awful films could be suffered, so long as the industry continues to churn out modern classics such as Paprika and the Ghost in the Shell films. These kind of films are also crucial in the continuing advance of animation technology, which will benefit future generations of anime, with films like Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Karas and Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children driving industry technology. The spectacle of high-budget anime films will of course remain one of the crucial advantages they have over the more strictly budgeted television series.
It is on these notes that my brief reflection on the state and presence of anime films in the history, present and future of anime is reinforced - leaving little doubt that despite being marginalised by the vastly more frequent television series, anime films will continue to be central to our experience of the increasingly cinematic medium of anime, and could become increasingly so in the times to come.
7 Comments
October 28th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
I actually ‘discovered’ anime through a series of films - Ghost in the Shell, Spirited Away, Akira. Movies are definitely more accesible than 26-episode series and so they serve a very important purpose in easing new fans into anime.
My favorite anime movie is probably End of Evangelion (something I’m surprised was omitted in that article). EoE is an amazingly powerful and inventive piece of cinema.
Also, I’d like to add that I really love this blog. There’s a lack of decent, serious articles on anime on the internet and I’m glad Nakama Britannica is filling that gap!
October 28th, 2007 at 11:54 pm
Anime movies are a nice subject to tackle, if just because they totally showcase the bleeding edge of animation talent in Japan, both in terms of technical animation quality and story telling ability.
I have to say the hottest director coming out of Japan right now is Mamoru Hosoda. I’ve seen most of his films, but his latest movie “The girl who leapt through time” is a fantastically emotional work that’s dramatic and funny, and should hopefully see him break through in the West. Masaaki Yuasa is another who has a distinctive style of direction that just stands alone from the conventional anime aesthetic and should find an audience outside of the limited otaku crowd.
Satoshi Kon, Makoto Shinkai, Mamoru Hosoda and Masaaki Yuasa will be carrying the torch once the “golden generation” of Miyazaki, Takahata and Oshii finally retire. It will be interesting to see whether or not anyone can sustain the level of popularity cultivated by Miyazaki. And talking of Oshii, I’m really looking forward to seeing “The Sky Crawlers”, all the promotional art and synopsis seem fascinating.
@CitizenGeek: Thanks for the nice comments. We’re trying hard to build up a decent archive of quality editorials and reviews. Personally, I’m really pleased with how it’s shaping up.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:46 am
@Paul: I think you’re forgetting Hideaki Anno! He’s got his own studio (Khara) now and once the 4 Rebuild of Eva movies are done, there’s a great possibility that he’ll move on to utilise the movie format in some fantastic ways. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what he’s capable of!
October 29th, 2007 at 1:54 am
@CitizenGeek: your kind of situation was what inspired the article. I remembered hearing people say that films like Akira and Ghost in the Shell were what opened their eyes to anime, and that made me think about anime films in general.
It just struck me as something that people take for granted, that anime can take the form of both television series and films (which are completely different in their quality of animation, publicity and story-telling techniques).
It took all of two seconds to come up with a list of noteworthy anime films to talk about, but you’re right, I did miss out the End of Evangelion, which is my favourite anime film as well. Other favourites - Grave of the Fireflies, Voices of a Distant Star and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence all get a mention though. I agree that the End of Evangelion is an incredibly powerful film - emotionally and sensually.
October 31st, 2007 at 5:23 am
It’s always seemed to me that movies focus much more on production values, and try to squeeze as much story in as possible, often to the detriment of character development etc. TV series suffer from uneven production values, but the stories are often more epic and worthwhile. The best or most extreme example for me would be X/1999. The movie was terrible. The OVA was thoroughly enjoyable, even great. I still re-watch it periodically.
I would give my right thumb for a fully animate Akira tv show based on the manga. It’ll never happen, but I can certainly dream!
October 31st, 2007 at 8:17 am
Sigh. I wrote my website URL incorrectly.
November 3rd, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Good work Ryan. I agree that it’s important to acknowledge how many of us got into anime through self-contained movies that can be bought and watched in one go - it’s a good way to ease yourself into the medium without taking on a full TV series.
Artistically, feature films are also the showcase for the latest in technology and talent - Advent Children was deficient in many aspects but visually it’s groundbreaking. Even the old favourites, such as Laputa and Akira, deserve to be remembered - it amazes me every time I watch them to think that they’re hand drawn!
I don’t think that the best times are behind us either - the duel efforts of Kon and Shinkai are a constant reminder of why I’m a fan and their work can be judged alongside the best of Hollywood and arthouse. I haven’t seen The Girl Who Leapt Through Time yet mind, but I’ve heard many good things.
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