One of the reasons - the primary reason - I watch anime is the subject matter. Now that's a rather open statement, because - well to tell the bitter truth - like everything out there anime is governed by Sturgeon's Law. That ninety-percent of everything is crap. Until recently, even more so, because until rather recently, most of what was sent to the US were shows that were considered throwaway. Happily now that's changed and between Hulu, Netflix and Crunchyroll, not only are there legit places to stream anime, but their libraries are big enough for that ten percent, the ten percent of the really good stuff, to become much more commonplace.
What I mean by subject matter is that anime, when it's really good, will touch on subjects that western animation would not touch with a ten-foot pole. Or if they did it's a watered-down afterschool special whose Aesop is painted on the character's tummies. Luckily this too is changing and I am sure that there are great examples from around the world that prove the exception to my rather broad generalization.
Now, this is not to say anything against some very popular shows - Bleach, Naruto, Pokemon, Fairy Tale and One-Piece come to mind. There is a value to Saturday afternoon popcorn fare, be it action adventure, space opera, or simple escapism stories.
On the other hand, we have Psycho-Pass, which I've mentioned before. Solid cyberpunk that's also excellent science fiction. Neon Genesis Evangelion answers the question "is a teenager mature enough to pilot a giant robot?" and of course the answer is no. Puella Magi Madoka Magica does the same thing for the magical girl genre.
But the ones that have been up on Netflix for a little bit that I'd like to mention, are two:
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day - it is not a spoiler to tell you what this show is about. It is about a group of young kids, now in their teens. But their story starts years before the show open.
It's about death and how it can shatter a group of friends.
Not your usual Saturday morning fare. Or even your Remember Toonami action-packed teenage thrill show. It's a ghost story, but its the kind of ghost story the film "Ghost" could have been if it only looked deeper into the heart. The characters feel real. It's obvious that even after all these years they haven't gotten over the whys and hows of what happened. What follows is poignant, affirming and very human story on just how difficult this is, how hard it is to put the pieces back together and that, even if you can, even if you work, you work so damned hard to get your happy ending - or as close to a happy ending as possible - it's never going to be the same again, you are never going to be the same again, and while there may never be the closure you'd wish, there's closure you can live and move on with.
It'll never be perfect like it was when you were kids playing hide and seek in the woods, but then, life isn't perfect.
Anohana is highly recommended. Just make sure you have a big box of tissues as you start getting close to the end.
A Silent Voice - this is not a series, but a stand-alone movie. It too is simple, strong and both brutal and heart-rending. At its core, it is a story about redemption. It is about your typical middle school bully and the girl he picks on. He's your typical show-off and she's a nice kid with a severe hearing disability.
It does not make light of the bully. All it takes is a few minutes and yes, he is truly reprehensible.
His life should have been perfect, at least from his point of view, until he runs afoul of karma. In the end, (actually the beginning of the story) he gets what he deserves. And the rest is his attempt to turn things around and earn his redemption. What makes the film work is that this is no storybook make everything better turnaround. It is hard, he discovers that trust lost is very difficult to regain, and that while things may get better, they will never be perfect and that it takes very hard work to earn your happy ending.
Another well-recommended film.
