#22 Bakemonogatari!

        If you've been paying attention to any currently airing anime then you might have seen something about Kizumonogatari Part 3 or Owarimonogatari. If you have, then you probably know that they're a part of the Monogatari universe. I'm going to say right now that the universe is a little confusing when it comes to figuring out which order to watch the different shows in. Luckily there are some lists out there to help you. (which are listed at the bottom) This post however, is going to focus on Bakemonogatari, which is the first season in the Monogatari series and came out in 2009. (in airing order)

        Bakemonogatari follows a high school boy named Araragi, and his interactions with the supernatural world. He finds himself in dangerous situations when he tries to help others who are experiencing supernatural problems. Bakemonogatari would fall under the genres of supernatural, comedy, mystery and romance. (Although, it's not romantic in the way you might think.) If you want to read the official description click here!

       Bakemonogatari's art style is unprecedented when it comes to the background art and character movements. Studio Shaft is now known for this style and it's sometimes referred to as the shaft head tilt.


      One of the interesting aspects of Bakemonogatari are the differences between the originally aired version, and the Blue-Ray version. If you've watched Bakemonogatari, and you're not sure which version you watched, it's pretty simple to figure out. If the background looked like the picture to the right, then it was the Blu-Ray version. If you want to see a few more examples, you can click here. If you want to watch a side by side comparison of the TV version V.S the Blue-Ray version, click here. (just so you know, it does include spoilers)


        A few more really great things that make Bakemonogatari unique are the eye fixation, head tilts, body pans, screen flashes, weird color templates, abandoned locations and real footage and or pictures. (If you want to read more about them click here.) Bakemonogatari also has an amazing music score. We get some elevator music like "Date" and some synthesizer songs like "Uzu". We also get some cool percussive music like "Rainy Devil". Most of the tracks include either piano, Xylophone, or marimba as the base with multiple other instruments and electronic mixing. We sometimes get to hear some vocals. There's also a song that's reminiscent of Ghost In The Shell's  "Making of Cyborg" called "Kekkai". If you want to listen to the entire Bakemonogatari soundtrack click here. 

        Bakemonogatari is such a unique anime, visually and story wise. It's story doesn't have a particular end other than helping each person with their problems, but it's definitely entertaining and worth a watch. (Bakemonogatari is also the anime used in one of my favorite AMV's and it's amazing, you should go check it out here.) Just a side note Bakemonogatari does include some violent and unexpected gore, as you can see in this iconic scene. 

If you want to watch Bakemonogatari it's on crunchy roll, hulu, and amazon prime.

(If you're wondering what order to watch the Monogatari series in, here are a couple of choices (here) and (here))
















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#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 

       

#12 Drifters!

          Drifters involves A LOT of violence and it also includes a lot of historical figures. Drifters takes place in a world that's in between life and death. Renowned warriors on the brink of death are taken to this world to fight in a war to end all wars. They're called Drifters.

          All of the warriors are well known somewhere, if not everywhere in the world. The three main characters are, Shimazu Toyohisa, Oda Nobunaga, and Nasu no Yoichi. All three are from Japan but there are others from different countries like Joan of Arc, Grigori Rasputin, Hannibal Barca, Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, and many others. If you want to look at who all is included click here.

          The animation style isa lot like Hellsing, the faces, teeth, and shading for example are very much alike. The only large difference is that in Drifters the animation style switches back and forth between hyper realistic and cartoonish. 
          The clothing and characters are extremely detailed and engaging thoughout the entire anime. The opening is especially highly detailed and includes a storyboard-like introduction.

          Many of the historical figures you might not recognize. (I know that I had to google some of them.) Even though these characters were once real people some of them are given supernatural powers. An example would be Joan of Arc, who is given the ability to control flames. If you're not familiar with Joan of Arc she was a heroine in the 100 Year War but was then betrayed by the people she was fighting for and was burned at the stake. Her anger at the betrayal sparked her hatred for people, causing her to join the Ends, instead of the Drifters.

          (If you want to read more about the actual Joan of Arc click here. If you want to read more about the character click here.)

          The Ends consist of people who have given up hope in humanity and would rather see them all dead. Rasputin, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, Gilles de Rais, and Hijikata Toshizo all joined the Ends. They are led by The Black King and their only goal is to destroy mankind and let the creatures and beast 'inherit the world.'

          The Drifters chose Shimazu Toyohisa as their leader, for his unmatched war expertise. From poisoning the enemies water, to setting death traps, he can come up with ideas whenever they're needed. The Drifters goal is to take back the world from the Orte Empire and free all of the people who have been enslaved, essentially liberating the entire country from the inside out.

          Drifters also included spots of comedy and characters who literally act insane. The comedy helps keep the show from becoming just another war anime and helps break up the dark overtones.

If you want to read the full description click here. If you want to watch the first episode 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