No.6

     Perfect societies always seem to get a bad wrap. Within the utopia there always is a supposed corruption that leads to it's inevitable downfall. With all fairness, who's the one to judge how masses upon masses of people should be managed? If a lie brings the dwellers happiness, then is it your moral responsibility to take away this sense of comfort from them? Well, to answer in short, "it depends".

     No.6 is one of the six pods that were created after a war that left the world desolated. The pod creators mission was to build a peaceful paradise, but somewhere along the way they became power hungry. They had very rightist/socialist views on the governance of their citizens. Just like how Kadafi oppressed his citizens, the mysterious people behind the curtain in No.6 had the same political ideology, but in a much less blatant way. Everything remained very hush-hush.
     But the government wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Before you even indulged to know what the anime was about, you (the reader) probably already knew that this was given the yaio stamp of approval. Here comes the inevitable, "I don't have anything against them, but..." no I won't do that, instead I'll just write that it wasn't particularly needed (more explanation on what I mean in a bit). Sion and Nezumi (The main characters) might have as many romantic moments in the series than you can count to on one hand.
     Their personalities actually contrast one another. Nezumi is the headstrong character with a grudge against society, while Sion is the compassionate world loving type. They come to meet each other by complete chance. Nezumi is a runaway who happens to run by a boy caring enough to provide him shelter from the rain. Sion is on the balcony screaming into the wind, until he sees a boy in distress who needs his medical attention.

     Unfortunately, the first episode is the best of mini-series that only carries nine episodes in total. The pacing of No.6 was far to fast to get attached to the storyline. The characters were all too dramatic throughout, especially Nezumi, who grabbed Sion by the collar repeatedly out of aggravation. Nevertheless, even during the light moments, your telling yourself, "You can't possibly be that happy to be cleaning a dog." Cliche is cliche. I'll give it this though, the animation was unprecedented.

Fooly Cooly

     Ever want to attend a Japanese rock concert, to only realize you live some two-thousand miles away from the Land of the Rising Sun? - Imaginary heckler screams, “No! your attempt at painting vivid pictures sucks.” from deep left field. - Well perhaps you haven't, but Fooly Cooly just may inspire that kind of reaction. Just about every scene is a strum conniption provided to you by the Pillows. But don't be put off by this arrangement to introduce the band before even getting to the mini-series - Fooly Cooly has a way of leaving its mark.

     You ever try to be cool? It's probably not a far cry from the truth to believe that most in the world try to fit in with others. Humans are one of the rare species that cannot instinctively fend for themselves at birth. Don't get me wrong, baby animals need their T-L-C too, but we're unable to do anything but suck and cry at birth. We actually come out so prematurely(when compared to primates), that the top part of the skull hasn't developed. So, we rely on our parents, guardians, the quote unquote village, in order to maintain our lives. Hence why evolution no matter which inhabited continent our early human remains were found, there are traces of a society.

     We tend to dub the cool kids with the rebel label and there are all the wannabes trying to conform into this group of people that's trying to distance themselves from everyone else. So try as you might, you may always find yourself playing a game of catch-up. Here's the reason for bringing coolness to your attention. His name is Naota. He's a kid that's only in grade school, but tries to be mature beyond his years. We the audience get the impression very early, that his brother who went off to the United States to play professional baseball, is likely the underlying reason for Naota's nonchalant behavior. As he it seems he doesn't want to live in the shadow of his big brother.

     That is until he literally collides with Haruko: a reckless, strange, Vespa rider, who claims to be from the Galatic Space Police Brotherhood. She wields a mighty guitar and is looking for the right person to thwack with it. Naota's life begins to be put in the spotlight, as everyone is wondering why he's hanging out with a girl that looks to be in her twenties. Per usual, rumors begin flying around school. But that's not the only thing giving Naota all this new attention, he also has a robot maid now living in his house.

     This anime is deserving of the action-packed branding. I like how you can breeze through this series as if it was a movie. It'll leave a lot of memorable, "what-the-heck" moments. Perhaps the producers could have tried a little less to make every dramatic pose into cool wallpaper(computer) type of picture. Also, in my opinion the perversion was unneeded. This is an anime I'd like to show to my younger brother, but can't because of the suggested content and brief nudity. If you are of age though, it's a true gem to see.

Ergo Proxy

     What is an Ergo Proxy? Lets take a closer look at the title from a 'linguistical' standpoint. "Ergo", gets its roots from Latin, meaning "therefore". You've probably heard of the saying, "I think, therefore I am" coined by René Descartes; it's a phrase used as a proof for one's very own existence. How is this relevant? The idiom in latin is, "cogito ergo sum". Now, as for "proxy", which you probably familiarize with computer I.P addresses, but its actual definition is "A person authorized to act for another; an agent or substitute." (from www.thefreedictionary.com). When combining the two you get "Therefore, substitute". The word substitute, replacing "I am". Assuming the title, Ergo Proxy, is related to René Descartes' logistical proof.
     However in Ergo Proxy, "proxy" refers to a monstrous looking creature. It's origins and it's purpose are shrouded in mystery. In the domed city of Romdeau there seems to be a cover-up by the government hidden in the mist of it all. Re-L first catches glimpse of it while investigating a murder case. From there on she's obsessed in finding the truth. Her auto-rave (also referred to as a companion and entourage)Iggy that is customized to serve her, tags along in her ventures.
     They come across Vincent Law, who is an immigrant from the outside the dome. The lifestyle for immigrants is similar to that of a serf. They're allowed to live amongst the community as long as they're serving the citizens. Doing enough good will eventually grant you citizenship. Though Vincent does everything that's wanted of an immigrant, there's an unexplainable correlation between him and the proxy sightings. He always just happens to be around when it shows up. Coincidence or not, the ones investigating become suspicious who Vincent Law really is.
     It can't be solved with a simple open ended question. Vincent seems to be suffering from amnesia and cannot remember his past. As far back as he can remember is that he is from the city of Mosk which was destroyed. The only one who understands Vincent is a curious auto-rave named, Pino.

     The pacing is a bit slow(3-filler episodes), but this anime will keep you watching. I like the fact that there are some mysteries in Ergo Proxy that you can solve before they present the answer to you on screen. The producers didn't aim to make Re-L and Vincent likable, which personalities distinct from other animation. And just like in Ghost in the Shell, the human-like androids ars on a fence straddling human and non-human. If you're into dark, gloomy, philosophical anime, then this is one you want to make room for.

Ano Hana

     Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, or Ano Hana for short, is a series built in a way to be relatable to all whom call themselves anime fanatics. If I was a plot and graphs man, I'd say the demographic average age of an anime fan is around 16-18. Giving you enough time to hopefully acquire a friend or two, have that friend go astray for some reason or another, to see them years down later in the human jungle, for you both to only walk by each other, and refuse to acknowledge the other's existence. You'll be taken back to your preadolescence years, when you were friends, and anxiety was the least of your worries, but eventually you'll be rejoined with the present, which in almost every case is grim and complexing compared to those younger days.
     The story begins with a teenager named Jintan, who has locked himself in from the outside world. His ex-friend proclaims he has Hikikomori, which is a diagnosis with the meaning a withdrawal from the society. It began with him not talking friends and gradually worsened, up until he dropped out of school without notice. Unemployed and a dropout, Jintan spends his days playing video games and cooking meals for his father, who uses a very hands-off parenting style.
     The Jintan of old and the Jintan of new couldn't be any more different. Once there was a time where Jintan always placed himself in the middle of adventures with his five closest friends. He acted as the leader of the Super Peace Busters, which was the title of the club they formed together. His friends use to look up to him, when he was still an outgoing person. What started this transformation into a boy that disguises himself in public, were the deaths of his best friend Menma and mother at relatively close times.
     Menma appears to him one summer as a hallucination. He labels her the "beast of the summer". Menma is a charasmatic girl, everyone seems to be drawn to her. Jintan's hallucination of Menma isn't from their preadolescence years, but rather a Menma that's "grown-up". Albeit her appearance, she still has the maturity of a little girl. Marked by the crying and nagging she's frequently doing.

     This anime will nearly bring tears to your eyes as you watch the struggle of friendships trying to reform themselves. I became so emotionally attached to Anohana, that I watched the entire 11 episode series in a single day. Since it was such a short series, there are no fillers, the sentimental parts of the anime build up well, with the exception of the very beginning of the last episode, which was a tad over dramatic on a couple of the character's parts. Another negative were the physical properties of Menma. There were times she could interact with the physical world, while there were other times it was suggested she couldn't. Any kind of art that arises as much emotions as this one, is deserving of top-shelf anime recognition. So, keep a tissue box handy, because "we still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day."

Haibane Renmei

     Angels are suppose to be mythological saints, that guide the living to making good moral decisions. Western religions would have us believing that angels live inside glorious pearly gates and have a lifestyle to be desired by anyone. In haibane Renmei our understanding for the angelic is mangled and stomped out. Instead, here we have angels who don't know what their purpose is. Also they're cuddled up in what looks like a rundown orphanage home, properly named, "Old Home". They work for the humans that live amongst them in the town of Glie. They receive hand-me-downs for the work rather than money.
     It's all apart of the Charcoal Feather Federation's rules that prohibits haibane (angels) from getting any money or any material that is new. And because of these mysterious people, dressed up in cloaks, you begin to feel the haibane are more like prisoners than citizens of the town. The fortified wall dressed along the outskirts of Glie, which they're not allowed to go outside of, does well in representing that. On the day they're free, known as their Day of Flight, is when they leave without anyone knowing. It's a realization of who they were in their past life, that enables them to go beyond the wall.
     The storyline follows a new haibane, named "Rakka". The meaning of "Rakka" is falling, which was apart of her cocoon dream. From their cocoon's haibane born the same age they died. Rakka can't piece all of her dream together, but she does remember falling and a crow trying to pull her back up. Haibane that cannot remember their cocoon dream are sin-bound. It's explained that sin-bound haibane are not able to achieve their Day of Flight, until after they are forgiven.
     The haibane are caught in this circle of sin, which goes "One who recognizes their own sin, has no sin. Then are you a sinner?". No matter how you answer this question, yes or no, neither are going to break you from the vicious circle. Answering no, would mean that you do not recognize your own sin, while answering yes, would mean that you are a sinner. An interesting question to chew on yourself until the conclusion of this series.
     My first impression of this series, despite all the appeal it has going for it, was that it's too bland. There's a hiatus in the middle for the series that lasts around four episodes. The sub-plots destroys the momentum you have for the main plot. Rakka and Reki are the two characters of importance, yet this being a 13 episode series and all, we have to get to know the lives of the other haibane. Perhaps, if the series was shortened I would put this on my goodie list, just because reminiscing about it was quite enjoyable.

Follow Us on Twitter