ANIME series that animated me

So this is a Geeky post, beware! Turn away right now if you want to stay cool. Although, geek is the new cool (they say...) (But if you like videos, stay put and read!)

I wanted to share this with you, people. Because I want to know who watches these kind of things. I never liked ANIME, you know, japan animation, I stuck with the american neatness. Toy Story, The Lion King, The Justice League, X-men, the classics Tom and Jerry or even classier Bugs Bunny. I didn't like the washed look of many of japanesse animation, I actually hated the messy and "real" way in which it was drawn. But then, came Pokemon, yes, I watched Pokemon. Why? Because it was interesting to see different "animals" have powers and battle, nothing different than the X-men. Pokemon has all japanese in it, the action, the melodrama, and mild violence... and no blood. Then I discovered Samurai Jack, an american show, from a russian creator, (the same guy who created Dexter's Laboratory) with lots of japanese influence! Oh, and even thought I didn't watch it often, I liked it a lot. Again, no blood. Then, my devirgination on Anime continued with the awesomely beautiful movie Spirited Away, so much poetry and vibrance in the drawings, I was... indescribably flabbergasted. So by now my resistance to it was waning. And finally came The Teen Titans, it is american animation japaniziced! If there is such a thing. The bright colors of american, with the abstractness of japanese.

Adultswim in Cartoon Network has corrupted me. I still am not too deep, but I'm going down hard. I was introduced to the series: "FLCL" (pronounced "foolycooly", you figure out what it means, and if you thought of sex, well, it may be). This is actually a miniseries of SIX episodes! My brother was like: "Joel, I think that even YOU would like this series". I don't know how he knew that it would, but he knew! Because I loved it! It is such a fast paced story. There are SO many details that if you look away you may loose, some little things that make the characters alive. And of course, the story! The first episode starts with an girl seducing a younger boy under a bridge. Then the boy narrates: "nothing happens in this town...". And then some weird, even older girl comes in a vespa bike and hits the boy in the head with an electric guitar. What the fuck!? And with that I was hooked. Then things started to sprout from the boys head. The boy falls in love with the girl. The girl uncovers her truth. A robot with an angelic complex. There is always a sexual tension in the atmosphere. And some lots of non-sensical shit that is simply the best characterization. And best of all, the comedy, the music and the beautiful drawings... You must watch it. And I happened to find a video! A comercial from Adultswim. Watch and judge.


This next one, is a montage with a song from the White Stripes, "I fell in love with a girl", but it's not from the show; but still it captures a lot of the crazyness and heart of this show.



Now. There is a second show I want to talk about, because it is the one that finally made me love ANIME. And this show is: Full Metal Alchemist. The same thing happened: "Joel, I think you will like this show". I was like: "Another one!" And, yes, ashamed to accept it, I loved it and I couldn't help it. This is a 52-episode show about two brothers who study alchemy and are trying to find the Philosopher's Stone (if you read Harry Potter you know what it is, kinda). They want it because they're bodies have been displaced. One of the brothers has no body, his soul is embeded into a suit of armor, while the other is missing an arm. How did this happen? Well, it is complicated. The whole show is complicated, is has a very tight plot with scheming political projects; inhuman bad guys whose names are the seven deadly sins; there is a vengeful, scarred guy who kills alchemists in the name of God; full of religious references, and morals; lots of blood; but there is also the subjects of "love above all things" and the rites of passage from boy to man. A very complete series, full of imagery, comedy and tears! you will cry, I'm sure! Gosh! I get goosebumps to even remember. I will leave you with the opening credits, of the second season of this show.



The song is so awesome! And it is a mainstream sounding rock, but the lyrics are quite profound! Just watch the last line of the french subtitles:

"Donne-moi ton corps et ton âme"
"Give me your body and your soul". That's deep. (sort of) (if you are not the creepy kind of people...)

I would translate the whole thing, but that would make this post geeky to tenth potency!


woah! Almost forgot! "FLCL" is played often in Cartoon Network, but it doesn't have a fixed time, since its only 6 episodes, so just go to www.adultswim.com and find "shows" and then schedules, or whatever. Sometimes they play them all together in one night, which is good, to keep the crazyness under controle.
While "Full Metal Alchemist" is played Monday thru Thursdays at 1:00 AM (Puerto Rico! Time) And on Saturdays at 11:30 PM.

And Now I'm fucked, because next Saturday 9th two new shows are premiering, and I can't believe I'm going to watch them. One is "Bleach", about a boy who can see souls, and a girl who gives him the powers to keep them at bay. And the other is "Trinity Blood" about vampires, but I don't know more...

Hope you liked. Hope you see them.