Fall into yet another form of obsessive fiction

April 25, 2017 — by Adina Bidel and Leena Elzeiny

Sophomores provide a run down of anime. 

“Anime’s weird.”

“Their eyes are too big.”

“Anime is for kids.”

“You care too much about fiction.”

People often make these judgments about anime. However, we realize ignorance is to blame for these presumptions, so allow us to educate you.

Anime is, of course, a Japanese style of motion-picture animation, characterized by colorful art, futuristic settings, violence and sexuality, but more broadly, it includes any kind of animation made by Japanese people.

Episodes tend to be around 25 minutes and seasons can range from 12 to 26 episodes. For the most part, anime is adapted from an already existing manga work, which is a Japanese graphic novel, but anime can also be adapted from  games and books or be its own original series.

Anime appeals to a wide range of ages and interests. Common genres include fantasy, romance and slice of life (peaceful series showcasing normal people’s daily life). It has its own unique recurring genres as well, including robot shows like “Transformers,” idol anime about young performing groups, isekai, where the main character gets transferred to another world — you name it, it probably exists.

The show we watched was “Showa and Genroku Era Lover’s Suicide Through Rakugo,” a historical drama set in the 1940s to the 1970s about the Japanese art of storytelling, rakugo. It aired during the winter season of last year and ended up being not very popular but was still a well-received success among those who tuned in.  

The first episode follows Kyoji, an ex-gang member who was fascinated by the performance of rakugo master Yakumo the eighth and begged to be his apprentice.

The show, essentially a drawn-out flashback of Yakumo’s memories, centers around the story of Yakumo’s best friend’s murder.

The creators shied away from pretty boys or younger characters to focus on adults, taking on a more atypical style. Throughout the flashbacks, the characters sported different outfits and hairstyles, which is a rarity in any animated show. Their faces are long with impish smiles, resulting in a sly sort of look.

The animation is smooth and rarely off-model, and the background art is a sight to behold. The music wraps it all together with its jazzy tracks, pulling the more emotional scenes together, of which there are a lot.

“Showa and Genroku Era Lover’s Suicide Through Rakugo” goes against the false “cute girl” stereotype usually associated with anime. Instead it offers a tightly written drama that focuses on relatable characters and relationships that may very well make you rethink your own life.

Anime brings the audience into creative worlds, intricate and engaging plots and lovable characters. Truly, it is never a question of “should I watch anime,” but actually a question of “what anime should I watch.”

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