#13 Beautiful Bones: Sakurako's Investigation!

          "Even in death the bones remain. Bones symbolize life, and embody death."

          If you love the crime tv show Bones then this is the anime for you! Just like Temperance Brennan, (from Bones) Sakurako isn't the best with people, and throws herself into her work. (Which can involve assisting the police when they find unidentified corpses.)


          The main character in the anime is actually a high school boy named Shotaro, who happens to stumble upon Sakurako and ends up becoming her assistant. They work together to resolve unidentified remains and she teaches him more about bones and death itself.

           Sakurako is an osteologist and likes to spend her time reassembling the bones of animals. While this pastime may seem macabre she does it because she really finds bones to be beautiful. (which is totally understandable)

          Beautiful Bones also includes a lot of good quotes and ideas like "Real death gives people pause." They make you think about how we see the dead, and how we view death in general. How we don't really want to think about our bodies once we're dead even though our bones can still tell our stories. 
          Although this anime does revolve around death, I wouldn't say that its dark or depressing overall it's mostly positive.

          Beautiful Bones includes a reverie for the dead and the willingness to solve how they died. Nothing gets over looked in this animation including scientific facts and figures. Beautiful Bones is not a fast paced anime nor does it have much action, but it holds unique ideals that I haven't seen in other shows.

If you want to read more about Beautiful Bones click here.

       I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy 

       

#9 Black Lagoon!

          From kidnapping to killing the Black Lagoon crew will do anything if they're paid enough. 

          The crew on the Black Lagoon are pirate mercenaries who aren't afraid to shoot anyone who tries to mess with their cargo. The members of Lagoon Company include Revy, our gun crazy, short tempered, foul-mouthed protagonist; Rock, a former salaryman, diplomatic, one time hostage, male protagonist; Dutch, the captain of the Black Lagoon, former marine, and cool character; and Benny, the mechanic, computer specialist and researcher. (If you want to read more about Black Lagoon click here.)

          All of the women in Black Lagoon know their way around weapons. From machine gun toting nuns, to a Thai E-nep knife wielding assassin. The women don't need anyone to protect them, even if it's from each other. While in most anime it's more common to see the guys starting violence, these ladies are willing to pick a fight with anyone.

          
          Rei Hiroe; creator of Black Lagoon, said that the series was inspired by Quinton Tarentino, Stephen King, James Ellroy, John Woo, and actual pirate cases in the 1990's in the East China sea. Some of the gun fights were based on spaghetti westerns and cowboy movies. Black Lagoon first aired in 2006 and was well accepted in the US due to the extreme violence and action.

          Black Lagoon is all about violence and money. It also takes the time to get the viewer invested in the characters. They all have a reason for why they do their job and why they act the way they do. Nothing is as simple as it may appear especially the characters. Black Lagoon is fast paced and bloody and I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like violence. But if you don't mind gun fights, explosions, crime syndicates, and kick-ass women then this is the anime for you.

(If you want to watch Black Lagoon click here.)

I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy 

#6 Cowboy Bebop!

"This is real mystic and all but do you have anything to eat here?"

          Cowboy Bebop can most accurately be described as a 'space western'. Even the characters call themselves cowboys. It's fast paced and most of the time each episode has its own story without overlapping into the next one. While there is an underlying plot, it seems to only become the center of attention at certain points in the show. Cowboy Bebop also has one of the most interesting music styles. Combining western, opera, and jazz music together. This new style of music was made by one of the most prominent artist in anime; Yoko Kanno. The fast paced and catchy opening isn't only fun to listen to, but to watch as well. 

         
           Cowboy Bebop isn't always fast paced, sometimes it seems downright slow, but keep in mind that there will be fast moments where you might have to rewatch the show to make sure you see everything. 

          'Cowboys' are another name for bounty hunters in 2071. 'Bebop' is the name of the ship that Spike, Jet, Fay, Ed, and Ein live on. 

          



          Spike's our main character and could be considered the one that usually get the rest of them in trouble. He's also a master of Jeet Kune Do, which he almost always has to use when they go after bounties.


           Jet's the captain of The Bebop and tries to keep order between the others. He use to be an investigator for the Inter Planetary Space Police (IPSP) until his former partner betrayed him and led to him losing his right arm. 


          Fay is a thief and joins the Bebop crew after repeatedly running into them. She was put into a cryogenic sleep and woke up 54 years later in 2071 not remembering who she is, and with an insane amount of debt.  


          Ed is a highly renowned hacker and does everything her own way. From walking on her hands, to typing with her feet. She joins the crew when she hacks into the Bebops navigation controls and brings them to her. Ein is a corgi that has the intelligence of a human. Ein joins the crew accidentally when they're chasing after a bounty. Ein is also referred to as a 'data dog' and can do things that other canine can't do; like drive a spaceship, or play shogi. If you want to read more about the characters click here.

          The Bebop crew may be bounty hunters but most of the time they don't have any money. Most of it goes to repairs for things that Spike breaks or is gambled away by Fay. Unsurprisingly that also means that they don't have money for food. Most of them can be bribed with food, especially Spike, into doing random jobs and even helping total strangers.

          Cowboy Bebop was a big step forwards for the sci-fi genre of anime and could even be considered a sci-fi anime classic. While it is old it doesn't lack in action or comedic moments. 

Until next time, 

"See you, space cowboy."

I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy 

#5 Baccano!

          "Cast aside the illusion that there is a beginning and end to the story. The story has no beginning. And it has no end. All there is, is a performance of people connecting, living, influencing each other, and departing." 

        One of my favorite things about Baccano is the opening. It has fluid and interesting transitions that go from character to character without missing a beat. It's also fun and quirky without really revealing any of the darkness that resides in the anime. 

          The first episode throws a lot of information at you and it makes so much more sense if you go back and watch it once you've finished the series. Don't get discouraged if it seems like there isn't enough action. When you're watching keep in mind that Baccano! likes to jump between years. 

          Even though the subject and execution of the anime is dark there is still some humor to it. The best example would be the characters Isaac and Maria. They're fun loving and oblivious and are never really tainted by what's going on around them. If you've ever watched Durarara!!! then you would have noticed their cameo appearance in it.

          
          Baccano! mainly takes place on a train called "The Flying Pussyfoot." Although these passengers aren't the ones that you would usually find on a normal passenger train; like the mafia, bank robbers, immortals, a bomb enthusiast, and an extremist group. 

          Baccano! puts together the excitement of a murder mystery, and the ruthlessness of human nature together into one series. It contains the subtle cues of the insane, the drive of the dedicated, and the crazy fun of the innocent. 

          If you want to read more about Baccano! click here. If you want to read the description click here.


          I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy

#3 The Classic Duo!

          In my opinion these two movies are must see animation classics. If you haven't heard of Akira or Ghost In The Shell that's okay! Akira came out in 1988 and went the extra mile by actually animating the mouth movements to match the words being said, pre recording dialog, and creating detailed background scenery. It was the final breakthrough that got anime noticed in the U.S. Akira is equivalent to The Walking Dead in getting its genre (or type of media style) recognized. While The Walking Dead opened up the zombie theme, Akira was the final step in making anime popular in America.

          If you want to read Akira's description click here. If you want to know more about it, like how it was made and who was involved click here.

           The Ghost in the Shell that I'm talking about is the original one made in 1995. (Ghost in the Shell has a lot of side series and stand alone movies.) If you want to know the best order to watch all of them in click here. 
          The music used in the movie is different than anything I've ever heard in any animated movie. If you want to listen to "The Making of Cyborg", which is the most recognized and (in my opinion) most awesome song in the movie click here.

          Ghost in the Shell likes to hint at deeper questions in its dialogue that you might not catch the first time you watch it. If you want to read more about Ghost in the Shell click here. If you want to read the movie description click here. 

          Both Ghost in the Shell and Akira take place in the future. They're also both in the science fiction scene, specifically the cyberpunk genre. If you're not a big fan of political insurrection, cyborgs, some gore, or military related action then these aren't for you. But if not, then I highly suggest you watch them.

          If you want to take a look at other Japanese animated classics click here.


I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy