ReNe: ghost hound (神霊狩)

Another anime to recommend. Ghost Hound (神霊狩) is a mix of supernatural and mystery, set within a small Japanese town. However, there are modern elements such as VR games and biotech industrial intrigue, with quite a few psychiatry lessons thrown in. The anime was created by Production I.G. and Shirow Masamune, of the 'Ghost in the Shell' fame (another favorite anime of mine).

The initial few episodes were slow and the storyline confusing, but we kept on watching because it received good reviews on the net. We were glad we did, and the story soon picked up. The story revolves around three boys, who had prior traumatic experiences, and their newfound astral projection ability (to project their souls into the 'Unseen World'). Meanwhile, odd supernatural events appear to be taking place in their small town. The quality of this anime is very high, from the story and characterizations to the artwork and sound effects. Mike's opinion on the anime is that it's a bit confusing. I think it's a intriguing and excellent anime.

ReNe: densha otoko (電車男)

I've heard of this manga before -- made quite a stir on the Japanese forums, it seems, and there was a hot debate as to whether or not the love story was even true -- and recently came across the manga adaption of it. (There are quite a few manga adaptions, even a drama serial.) It's called Densha Otoko (電車男), and chronicles the experiences of a self-confessed otaku (something like an obsessive Japanese geek of a particular kind) as he struck up a romance with a woman he saved from a drunk guy on the train. He was 23 years old and had never dated before. Understandably, he was a wreck.

Along the way, he posted his thoughts and situation updates on the Japanese '2channel' forum, asking for advice on dating from restaurant choice and clothing to his relationship insecurities. Eventually, 'Densha Otoko' and 'Hermes' (after the set of teacups she sent as thank-you for what he did on the train) became a couple.

It sounds like an incredibly sappy love story, but it's done well and is funny and touching. I also think it's an insightful exemplar of otaku behavior and also of how the internet (in this case, a forum) created a different love story. And yet, in a way, it's not very novel for many otakus are shy and single; the success of Densha Otoko showed that it struck a deep chord with otakus. It's a love story that also has very uniquely Japanese elements and I quite enjoyed it.

ReNe: dennō coil (電脳コイル)

We're currently watching Dennō Coil (電脳コイル, Dennō Koiru) and am very impressed by it. Set against an aumented reality (AR) backdrop, it has the brilliant predictive flair of Ghost in the Shell, but it is not as edgy. I particularly like the way the technological tools, such as the glasses and earpieces, are woven into ordinary life as everyday objects. Often, a show attempts to create a futuristic world that is either bubbly and shiny (Jetsons) or post-apocalyptic (practically any mecha anime, really). I don't mind the latter, but it is refreshing to see a very ordinary take on the future, where AR is seen to overlay a world that has the old (shrines), present (current day styled buildings like homes and schools) and the future (toys like the glasses). I especially love the way the metatags look just like the japanese ofuda or the chinese talisman, you know, the kind you stick on the forehead of a chinese vampire. The anime drawing style is pretty pleasing as well; it reminds me of Studio Ghibli (the younger sister Kyoko even looks and sounds like the kid sister in My Neighbor Toroto).

ReNe: family compo (ファミリーコンポ)

Found an online manga today, Family Compo (ファミリーコンポ), by Tsukasa Hojo, and reading it reminds of one of the reasons why I love anime. Some anime series can be quite banal, though they are still fun to read, but once in a while, you get a thoughtful gem like this. (As far as I can tell, I think Family Compo is only serialized as a manga, but I use the term anime loosely to describe any form of Japanese animation, whether on screen or on paper.)

The story revolves around the story of a boy, who lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin; the interesting part is that both the aunt and uncle are transvestites. There's nothing magical about the storyline, it's about ordinary Japanese life, except from a slightly different perspective. Personally, I think it's a beautiful story.

When I was really young, around five or six years old, I remembered watching a mecha anime (whose title I forgot), and the protagonists were supposed to be meeting up with the latest member to their team, at a bar. There was a gorgeous singer on stage, and after her performance, the trio went backstage to meet her. Turned out, she was a he, and he was the person they were suppose to hook up with. In other words, s(he) was supposed to be a member of the 'macho' heroes that will pilot the mechas to save Earth. I remember watching the scene where the male character sat at his dressing table, in a long slinky gown, and casually unhooks his top to reveal his flat chest. Meanwhile, the other three guys were already in the dressing room. The leader knew, though the other two guys were quite shocked.

That was my first introduction to the concept of fluid sexuality. I was pretty all right with it, and thought it was perfectly normal and acceptable. After all, if girls can wear pants, why can't guys wear skirts?

So, what's wrong with gays, lesbians, transvestites, transsexuals? What's wrong with cross-dressing? What's wrong with guys growing their hair long or girls cutting their hair really short? For that matter, what's wrong with sex?

My question, rather, is: What is wrong with the people who find such things unacceptable, even when it's none of their business in the first place?

Now, conservatives might be up at arms over a six year old watching such anime, but I am glad I did. In fact, when I was older and watched as other kids came up with childish taunts like 'ah kua', I was disgusted. Children can be cruel, but do the kids really know what they are saying when they cry gay? Now I realize it's not the kids, in fact, it's the adults who teach the kids to behave in this way . If adults never taught kids to be so intolerant, the world would be a better place.

Such androgynous and gender bending characters are common in Japanese anime. And, as I said above, that's one of the reasons why I love anime. Even popular series aimed at kids do not shy away from this topic. For example, Bleach, xxxHolic, Ranma, Escaflowne, Fruits Basket, Cardcaptor Sakura, X, Fushigi Yugi, El-Hazard, Descendants of Darkness, Saiyuki, Legal Drug, From Eroica with Love, Kyou Kara Maou, Ouran High School Host Club, Revolutionary Girl Utena, El-Hazard, Sailor Moon, and so on. (And these are just the PG animes; let's not get into the even more interesting animes) The sexuality and behavior of the characters are often not plot points, but, very importantly, treated as normal and taken for granted. The other anime characters, and mangaka and readers, don't see any wrong at all. Because there isn't anything wrong.