|
|
Anime shows & movies (at least the more mainstream ones the US is
familiar with) feature an attention to detail & quality in their
artwork and animation that far exceeds what the US is generally
willing or able to produce (with the possible exception of classic
Disney animation, which is really a category of its own). The
characters have a uniquely stylized quality with large eyes,
small noses and mouths, and frequently having oddly-colored,
gravity-defying hairstyles. The storylines & settings are
usually science-fiction or fantasy-oriented (though not always
-- there are shows that are as mundane as a day at the office,
though presumably more entertaining), and feature an abundance of giant
robots, aliens, cyborgs, monsters, magic, superpowered martial arts and the like. Action
sequences are spectacularly presented and frequently quite gory.
The hero in a typical anime story is often what I've come to think of as a "traditionally Japanese hero:"
a mysterious, anti-social loner of few words and unbelievably
deadly skill, who drifts into the movie in response to
an unspoken need, hacks up the hordes of villains threatening
some innocent people, then sadly walks off again. His
solitary and deadly nature means he'll never be able to
experience the simple pleasure of human interaction, yet he is
compelled to protect those he cannot love (Hokuto no Ken, also known as Fist of the North Star, is a prime example
of this). This grim hero is sometimes paired with a wide-eyed, innocent child or smart-alecky comedy-relief type for contrast . Anime villains are typically smug, gloating
sadists who are the heroes' match in power and/or lead armies of extremely brutal, extremely dimwitted
thugs. And then there are the girls...
Anime girls have been a fascination for me for many years.
There's just something about them that I find irresistable; they are at once cute & sexy, innocent and worldly, demure and deadly. And they aren't just window-dressing either (though they do make great pin-ups!); females are equal counterparts to males, or are
even the heroines of the story (there are even shows that
feature nearly all-female casts, such as Sailor Moon).
Whatever their role, I just love those big-eyed gals!!
Below are some links to anime-related sites; there are
likely many, many more out there I'm not aware of yet; if you find some good ones, let me know! One caution, though: at least a few of these sites are known to contain adult-oriented images and clips (known as hentai or ecchi anime:
The Anime Archive
Hentai Anime by Acid Junkie
Bigfire Anime
Randy's Anime Page
Japanese Animation
Anything-Goes Anime
Anime.Net
Anime and Manga Resource List"
Albatross! Japanese Anime Images
H Anime
Big Ed's Anime
