I’m jumping the gun a bit in publishing an annual retrospective but according to my archives this blog is officially a year old…and I’ve managed to update with some degree of regularity for the full twelve month duration. Sooo…firstly thanks to you, the readers and commenters. I wish there were a way to search through the database and pick out your individual names so I hope you can settle for a “Thank you; you know who you are.”
It’s been an interesting year for a number of reasons, not least world events in terms of economies and finances which led to some sad incidents and a general feeling that the film and music industries are dying a slow and painful death. Granted, things have been rough but I don’t buy into the idea that there’s a Moe Cancer killing the anime industry and as for Japan as a whole…who knows what the political changes can do in the long term. In any case, here are my highlights of Interesting Japanese Things from the year.
Audition by Ryu Murakami is published in English
To my shame, the movie still sits on my to-watch shelf. The novel it’s based on hit UK bookshops this year, and it’s a really fun read. It saw me through a couple of exhausting night shifts too…
Bakemonogatari airs
Hey kids, do you like Akiyuki Shinbo? Do you like Shinbo when he’s doing weird-ass Anno-esque imagery, razor-sharp dialogue and the best first date evar? Yep, Bakemonogatari was all of these things, and as such I loved it. Senjougahara Fascination begins here.
Cutie Honey live action hits UK DVD
My inner Hideaki Anno fanboy talked me into buying this. It’s bad. Corny, overdone, breathtakingly silly…so bad in fact that it’s actually very, very good. I hope it’s the beginning of a trend into releasing more live-action J-cinema over here.
Dir en Grey release Uroboros
The latest LP from the Angsty Men of Osaka is dark, challenging and really quite good. More varied and less abrasive than their previous one, it follows their progression towards the heavier end of the spectrum while drawing on their layered, more melodic roots.
Eden of the East airs
The director of GitS:SAC, noitaminA, international terrorism and a few hundred unemployed naked blokes in shipping containers…who said anime was generic? I may have given it a bit of a lukewarm reception at points but Higashi no Eden was intelligent, refreshing and has tonnes of sequel potential. Just as well really since the two part feature film conclusion is on its way.
Kalafina release Seventh Heaven
The origins of this record can be found in Yuki Kajiura’s anime soundtrack work (see next item) but on its own that little girl group of hers made something really special. It turned out to be the soundtrack to my trip abroad and proved to be the best ¥3000 I ever spent.
Kara no Kyoukai finishes its run of seven feature films
Strictly speaking it started in 2008 but with the final instalment just around the corner I can’t not mention it, purely on the grounds of it being the first screen adaptation of a Nasuverse piece that’s truly great. Not just the soundtrack: the visuals and most importantly the decision to be more faithful to the source material were all outstanding. Now go licence the English translation of the novels already.
Mono release Hymn to the Immortal Wind
After being so impressed with their Gone compilation (see my recent post) I was looking forward to their tenth anniversary recording. I’ve seen a few of you voice your respect for this band but quite frankly I don’t see why they can’t be even more successful internationally given the instrumental and emotionally intense nature of their music. Right from Ashes in the Snow (easy to learn, hard to master) I was captivated enough to call it my favourite new album of the year.
Spice and Wolf season 2 airs
Remember how cute and heartwarming the first season was? Remember thinking “It’s good but I can see how it could be better”? I sure as hell did. Largely thanks to some sizzling character chemistry the second outing had all the charm of its predecessor but brought with it a certain je ne sais quoi that made a world of difference. It’s called character development, or something.
Summer Wars is shown at the Leeds International Film Festival
I’m holding back on blogging about this properly since 1. the version available currently isn’t particularly good quality and 2. not many people have seen it yet so the post I currently have in draft format won’t mean one hell of a lot. It certainly wins the Anime Movie of the Year award for its warmth, vitality and visual excellence. Pure win all round, really.
So yeah, it’s been one hell of a year. Perhaps the most important moment for me personally was the two weeks I spent in Tokyo – nothing satisfies the fascination for a country’s culture more than actually visiting the place for yourself. I’m planning to go back in approximately 18 months or so (and seeing some sights outside the city as well) but hopefully the double-whammy of jet-lag and culture shock from my first trip abroad won’t hit as bad next time. It was indeed epic so thanks to my fellow travellers who made it so special and also thanks again for reading. See you all in 2010!