Good anime for non-otaku

When we enter unknown waters (e.g. we begin to explore a new art form for us - series, music, anime, movies), it is easier to find them when the work has a low entry threshold. Anime, like any art form, has things that can delight or push new viewers away. Due to the emergence in a completely different cultural circle, by people with a different mentality (but ironically, the Japanese like us more than most European nations), the reasons for admiration and complaints may intensify. We will like / unlike the likes of unnatural hair colors, a language that comes from a completely different language family, a high-pitched voice, a more liberal approach to sex, a different value system. This second reaction often results from ignorance and poor knowledge. For example, in fact, Japanese can make us laugh and seem to be incomprehensible gibberish, e.g. in the style of "sfahlnjyslkanb olivloa abylla doeba", but we can feel the same when talking to, for example, Bulgarians (when I worked in the UK, hardly anyone understood them except them and their neighbors). And vice versa, sounds close to our ears can be just as gibberish for Asians. If the person/creature we want to meet does not cause us problems (does not annoy us, does not suddenly spoil the mood, says things that play in our soul, in a voice that we perceive as pleasant to us) and you do not need to meet specific conditions (large time investment, e.g. watching anime that has> 150 episodes, a series with 10 seasons, several factors have to work together so that we can watch the creation - e.g. be in a good mood, have time, be well rested to be able to enjoy seance), we usually have no reasonable reason to refuse. On the other hand, the less things that irritate us, the easier it is to enter the current of history.

As for the beginnings of individual people from M&A, for years I have most often encountered such reasons: older siblings got younger ones into their hobbies, we liked cartoons from Polonia 1, RTL 7, TVP, Polsat etc. (Polish TV channels), we watched some anime, after which we lost a backhoe (eg "Akira" or GitS were such films at a time when my age was single-digit). My beginnings do not differ much from this - I liked Chinese fairy tales, I got into the topic for a long time. I had something to read, what to play, but I had nothing to watch. Repetitions went almost constantly on FoxKids, rarely adding anything new. There was always some nice movie to watch, and the series did not interest me for many years. Once I noticed Kawaii magazine (which presented a much higher level than the current defeat) in a kiosk, I remembered that I used to watch these cartoons on Polonia1 / RTL7, so I decided to give it a try. I started the network and began to slowly download the TV series "Hellsing", "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and somehow it went. The connection was slow, but I left my computer for a few nights and had something to watch. In addition, I watched all Japanese fairy tales on FoxKids (or at least MAL classifies them as such).

Somehow it was still - I watched the beginning of "Naruto", but I stopped at some stage, because I did not want to wait for the next episodes. There were several new titles, after some time I began to understand mango jargon more freely, as well as I got to know new species and learned how they differ. I didn't notice, and I already had several consciously watched anime. For several years, wanting to share great stories like some Japanese animations, I was looking for titles that I could recommend to others. I had to filter them on several levels - the plot, audio-visual attractiveness for the viewer and the language, which for many is too high-pitched, I have encountered the opinion that in some it even causes headaches. I basically didn't have much of a problem with it, especially later, as I watched "Sailor Moon" or "Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne" in the original soundtrack. Quite a lot of shouneny-battle games, in which female voice actors often play the roles of young boys. Another reason is the unnatural hair colors of the character and other things that are unnatural for us and do not fall within our standards (a different approach to children - Japan is much more liberal in the sexual field, a different approach to faith and religion, a different type of humor - for many Europeans, many things that laugh at the Japanese are ridiculous biscuits). This, in turn, never bothered me - comic / film / anime / book can be totally unreal, not have the slightest connection with reality, but if it is internally coherent and its strangeness is justified, then I have the rest in my nose. I am myself, I am tolerant, although sometimes my chat may suggest that it is different. Most do not necessarily have to be this way, especially in the context of an unknown field of art. That is why I was looking mainly for ones that show universal values ​​or are close to us (like cyberpunk, like popular MCU super heroes). Sometimes one or a few attachment points are enough to get in, even as the anime form makes us a little nervous. If you like it, I'll make a version with full-length fairy tales from Japan. Well, not prolonging ...

Berserk

We'll start with a fat blow. Extremely bloody and hardcore manga, which unfortunately has not yet been thoroughly adapted (Netflix, we trust in you!). There's an old series, a movie trilogy, and a new TV series that looks like shit. Apart from opening and ending, because these are supposedly good. The classic TV series has its fans, the movies in total were not the worst, and in particular the third part, but neither they were widely praised and some criticism was accurate. Fortunately, you can ignore the anime and buy yourself a legal comic book that is published in Poland by JPF. And it's worth for a few reasons, apart from the brutality and cross-line, Berserk is dark-fantasy. I don't know much about fantasy and its subspecies, but it seems to me that there are not enough works that would be commonly associated. The only such title that I can recall from the march at any time is "Berserk" or "Dark Souls" when we talk about games. There are many elements in it that we can associate with horror movies, movies or games with similar themes. I am talking here about the ubiquitous ill, manifesting itself inter alia in the bloody torture of the Inquisition, the brutal murdering and use of weaker individuals by these stronger, pagan / satanic rites, which sometimes refer to those known to us, e.g. sexual orgies, as in less developed cultures. Also, at some point in history, an event known as the eclipse occurs. To put it mildly, almost without any problems - it is a ritual of summoning demons who are slaughtering them. Through this event, Kentaro Miura shows his creativity in portraying and inflicting suffering, be it the reader or fictional characters. Watching the sharpest frames (especially those with Casca during the Eclipse), sometimes it was difficult for me to stop sadness, feelings of powerlessness or anger. It is very rare for me to have these or other feelings when browsing static comic pages. It happened with DBZ (fight with Freezer) or HxH fragments with arc with Chimeras, but I felt it so intensively only with "Berserk" and "One Piece". Although in the case of the latter they were completely different emotions, definitely warmer.

I often say that I have a hopeless sense of taste and I can't often appreciate really nice drawings and all in all it doesn't take much to meet my expectations. In the case of the Kentaro Miura line, you do not need to have a good taste or any knowledge in this area. His frames are beautiful and many of them are suitable for printing on special paper, framing and hanging on the wall. Many of these shots contain scenes full of pain and suffering, few show episodes from battles or individual sword fights. Once, my friend and I had a little too much time and reviewed the Golden Age battles in the manga. Warriors and knights often had a different outfit and you had to try to get those dressed in the same. Yes, they were not colossal differences, but you can see that Miura quite well licked the atmosphere of the European Middle Ages. In the sense, unification of costumes, armor etc. these are later times, earlier the warriors took what they had or found in the battlefield. I rarely read comics and I won't change much in this respect, but in the case of "Berserk" I made an exception and read a dozen or so volumes of manga a decade ago. For sure there are some better and more accurate cartoonists, but when it comes to my private experience, I was delighted only with the work of Yusuke Murata from "One Punch Man". However, I am closer to melee weapons, magic, monsters and medieval climates, and OPM, although it has a cool concept, could never buy me for long.

The story reportedly breaks down at some stage, and if that was not enough - we will probably never end this story. The author rarely releases the volumes of "Berserk", so the action slowly scrambles forward. The direction is also not very satisfying for many fans, and more and more often I hear comments full of disappointment, and less often those with delight. Nevertheless, there are still a dozen or so volumes of a very good comic book worth reading.

My Hero Academia

I'm not a fan of this title. Of course, most of the episodes were really nice to watch, I didn't have any big reservations about them, but the title is not too surprising for me and too linear. I rarely watch something or play something that does not offer me new impressions or at least a new, different perspective on a given problem. Sometimes it happens that I watch something repetitive, but I have to feel at least nostalgia (Dragon Ball) or have some motivation. Most of what I saw in BnHA, I already knew from the previously viewed titles or other mangaka he presented it better in his comic. This does not mean that the rest of the fairy tale is poor, just most of her things do not impress me. I say the majority, because there are several elements in which Horikoshi managed to surprise me, e.g. I don't remember any battleman who would put such emphasis on dealing with normal people who do not have super-power. In the sense of saving them, evacuating from places that may be dangerous due to their construction and e.g. limited escape routes (e.g. sports stadium). I have never seen a Hulk as well portrayed as All Might in any anime. Sure, I like more from Gon with HxH in its large form, but this is only a temporary power-up, a form that increases its power, and All Might is such a coke in the base version. Well, he was, because in the first episode we learn, it's history. And what is most visible - well-made references to American comics from Marvel and DC, which added some Japanese.

The plot is not particularly complicated or excessively original. One day something like Quirk appears in the world, thanks to which some people gain different powers. The ability to create objects move quickly, invisibility, control ice and fire, such a standard for American and Japanese comics designed for children and teenagers. The main character is Deku, a young nerd who is fascinated by All Might, a hero reminiscent of Captain America crossed with Duk with "Duke Nuk 3D". They are both charismatic, able to keep cool even in extreme situations, and do not hesitate to smash their opponent when he threatens innocent or his friends. Wise heads decided to create schools that would allow young people to embrace their powers and teach them control. Unfortunately, Deku can't go to her because he had the misfortune that he was born without his power. Fortunately, one day he came across his idol, who gave him his One For All, thereby enabling him to go to an educational institution. There is also a standard stand still, to which battle battles for teens got used to us. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, but by the end of the third season I did not come across something that would have the effect of strong Wow.

Outside of animation and line. Although sometimes it annoys slightly that damn knows why, it darkens some of the staff, but apart from this smallness, it all looks and moves in a very pleasing way. It is hard for me to refer to how it looks with fairy tales coming out in the same season, because I rarely watch anime during the broadcast, but it looks quite ok. It's difficult to fault anything in the drawings, colors, or the dynamics and effectiveness of the animation. The final fight from the first season to this day makes a much better impression on me than a certain start, which many BnHA fans have been waiting for. I haven't started watching the latest one yet, but I have not heard that it is uglier or has animation deficiencies, so I assume it is at least as good. Anyway, it's worth watching the first season. Even if you don't like it in the end, it's worth getting over these few episodes for one of the best-done battles in battlefields. Two Hulks - one with the power to absorb damage (something like Maribel Vibranium), the other is All Might. It's superbly directed, edited with music, sound effects and actors' voices. Feel the power of each blow and the speed at which it is delivered.
Continuing the thought from the first paragraph - I am a bit sabotaging recommending BnHA, but ... I can't resist. If you don't have much time, I recommend "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" or "Hunter x Hunter (2011)" more - I don't know better titles from this genre when it comes to mix of fights, interesting plot, self-development. Both will be great if you liked to watch DBZ or other supernatural murders when you were younger. Well, unless you like Marvel-like atmosphere very much, then BnHA will be good too. Maybe I'm too critical of this cartoon.

City Hunter

As I wrote in a recent text about "City Hunter", I first encountered her as a small child, being away with my parents on a trip to Western Europe, but I only met her in the second half of 2019. And all in all it's good that it happened that way, because I wouldn't have appreciated it before, and certainly not so much. The series looks a bit inconspicuous, among others by perverted humor, but in terms of writing dialogues, presenting emotions, characters and showing relationships between them, it does not depart from the anime on the level of eg "Nana" or "Monster". I can even say that Tsukasa Hojo is the best male mangaka (of those whom I know and / or associate their creations) in terms of showing the emotions of men and women, our mutual relationships, coming up with dialogues between a man and a woman in various situations. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I compare it to my colleague, the author of "Nana". There are probably authors who portray feelings and relationships better than Ai Yazawa (or so I heard from girls with incomparably greater experience in manga / anime from the Jose genre), but I don't know better. The creator of "Beastars" IMO works better in other aspects, while Hiromu Arakawa did not devote too much space to such matters in the FMA (but I strongly suggest a well-written relationship between Edek and Winry).

Continuing the broken thread, Ryo has the mentality of a small child and often behaves like a foolish clown, but it's a camouflage that he had to wear because of the nature of his work. Saeby's Fucha is about being a private detective, bodyguard, and expert in solving dangerous criminal cases. As in life, creating the appearance of being a medium competent case makes life much easier. It draws us less problems and causes people to leave our guard against us, thinking that Ryo is just a pitcher. Nothing could be more wrong, Saeba is always alert, compact, ready and sure of his shooting skills, He is also a composed man who rarely externalizes with his emotions and in principle does not even have to try to pick up whether it is a young girl or a mature milf. It is enough for him to start behaving normal, or slightly lower the tone of the voice, and women fly to it themselves.

As a last paragraph, a few words about graphics, animation and direction. Although "City Hunter" has its years (the first season was from April 1987 to March 1988), I can hardly feel it. The animation is ok and there are no defects, the colors for this age are not so faded, the music has not aged, the narrative and way of writing episodes, surprisingly not. As often I have a problem (or I have to prepare myself, i.e. switch to such a session) with watching movies from other times, so here it went very smoothly. I'll tell you more - I have a problem with watching many older anime, because they have a musty appearance - be it because of humor, scriptwriters' skills, a slightly different way of writing the script, less often animators. I prefer not to watch some anime too loudly or be covered by non-topic friends. Not that it is terribly embarrassing, but I do know that it's often fairy tales for young teens who are stupid or too abstract. In the case of "City Hunter" apart from some scenes from the opening or individual gags, I have no objections to this fairy tale. Musically, it is fine for me. I felt at home hearing the sounds and some songs that reminded me of the first decade of my life. Most gags, surprisingly, am honestly amusing me and I think they grew really old, although some may bother that the creators are exaggerating with Ryo's tentacles. Nowadays, metoo etc. many jokes would simply not pass, and certainly would be met with the pain of the footprints of certain groups. Due to the episodic form and lack of story continuity (i.e. the subsequent episodes are not a consequence of the events of previous episodes), this is watched quite loosely. There are a lot of typically comedy episodes that don't have too many serious stories. As usual, I hate such filler episodes that do not push the action too much and I usually avoid them, so in "City Hunter" I didn't miss a single one. I just start the episode and watch some new movie or series on Netflix and I have a good time. They are watched as if this series was made ... a few years ago? And it's not about the technical side, but about the level of directors and screenwriters. Animation is ok, music is also listened well outside of the anime, b. I rarely feel slightly embarrassed by any idea or stage. I don't know how it compares to fairy tales coming out at a similar time, but from today's perspective I don't feel embarrassed.

If you like the atmosphere with a gun and are looking for a loose, not stupid comedy with very good relations between characters, then "City Hunter" is the best position I've ever seen.

Death Note

Every time I think of anime that you can recommend non-otaku, DN is one of the first titles that comes to my mind. A fairy tale that I have criticized many times and I like to emphasize on almost every occasion that the author of "Kaiji" has a much better grip on things for which DN is praised (twists and turns, tension, characters, deaths, emphasis on the psyche and thoughts of the characters). On the other hand, I often give DN as one of the best anime to start my adventure with Japanese cartoons. It has an intriguing content and seemingly intriguing plot, which is wrapped in a nice form in the form of a soundtrack, lines, general graphics (animations, colors, effects), and up to a point it holds up so well that it has no problem stopped many viewers at the TV.

The backbone of the plot is probably as old as the first human cultures, and maybe even older (assuming that people have actually been looking for God or his equivalent in the form of Nature or Chaos since the dawn of time). As many mythologies or cultures show, man has always longed for Divine power, or at least a substitute for it in the form of an object. And speaking of the present times, as a young teenager, sometimes I dreamed with my peers that it would be nice to have such power or get some divine attributes (e.g. the ability to fly, read minds, give / take people's life, etc.). After a few years I got a tip about such an anime as "Death Note" and ... it was difficult not to get caught up in it. Although this anime did not match the popularity of "Dragon Ball", "Captain Tsubasa" or "Sailor Moon" in the country on the Vistula, it has gained a group of fans. There was a lot of discussion in the Polish part of the internet, a few nerdy buddies from my 10,000 cities asked about episodes, because they heard about such a cartoon, I even came across some texts in magazines outside the manga industry, which juxtaposed "Death Note" with good American TV series. As a teenager, I nodded to these comparisons, today I treat them with light pity. Well, but back to the story - an extremely intelligent student, Yagami Light, one day accidentally finds a mysterious notebook. It turns out that it is the property of the God of Death, who got bored with life in his world and decided to tear himself apart. He got it right, the Japanese quickly came up with the idea of ​​how to use the power of the notebook and they both stopped bored.

A super detective with a mysterious nickname came up with their trail. L challenges the hiding Kira (the name given to Yagami's Internet users) and promises to bring him to justice. As a teenager, I was excited about this scenario, but as I grew up and learned more, better and worse titles, I noticed that DN is nothing special. Most mental clashes between characters are not particularly sophisticated (apart from the thread with the FBI agent from the first episodes, my personal choice for the best segment of this story) and contain many fields that could be filled more effectively. For example, a deeper penetration into the psyche and emotions of the characters, a more accurate representation of the reactions of themselves and the people around them. Or adding more content that would enrich the story and make it much more interesting. Audio-visual aspects alone are not attractive enough for me, and the plot ceased to be 13 years ago. Well, I was the one who had seen better things, for someone entering the world of M&A, "Death Kajet" is one of the better positions. And it's time for "One Outs", "Monster" or "Kaiji".

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Although I watched this anime in one of the most important moments in my life, I rarely think about it or feel the need to watch some scenes / launch songs on YT. It wouldn't be weird for me if it was just a good story, the "problem" is that FMA is the best battlefield I've ever seen. A perfect synthesis of what I love in various battle-shounenach / fairy tales intended for teens, but in an extremely rare form. Great story? Check. Characters who are strong, full-blooded, consistent and hard to forget about them? Check. A lot of melee combat? Check. Well-written characters who sensibly avoid plot-no-jutsu and the abuse of magic (or in this case alchemy) to solve fictional errors? Check. Theory of conspiracy? Che ... and no, it's a different topic, but yes, you can see that Arakawa at least licked the topic a little.

The story is about two brothers who want to regain their normal bodies. They lost them by using the forbidden alchemical technique, i.e. trying to bring life back to their beloved mother. They paid a high price for it, mainly Alphonse, which disappeared. Edward paid with his foot, and seeing that his brother's body was gone, he decided to try to restore his soul to this world, thereby sacrificing his hand. The boys collapsed after all the action. After a few days, they are visited by Roy Mustang, one of the officers of the Amestris army, a country inspired by Nazi Germany. He was disappointed because he expected to meet young, full of life and talented alchemists. Instead, he saw live armor and a mentally damaged cripple. Motivated by the talk of the fire alchemist, they decided to get back in shape and take the exam for the state alchemist to get the appropriate license (which opened new possibilities for them and facilitated a lot of matters, something like MP's status). With her, they fell into an unusual adventure that will decide the fate of the world.

DB has Ki, Bleach Reiatsu, swords, Naruto chakra and various ways of using it (illusions, elemental techniques, the power to summon animals, objects) etc. etc. and FMA has alchemy. Alchemy is the art / science of creating and / or influencing matter, by using energy and sacrificing something on an equal exchange basis (to produce something, we must sacrifice something of equal value). For example, Roy Mustang uses, among others sulfur to produce fire, and Ed and Al use the minerals they have on hand. We know three stages of using it. Understanding, the better we know the structure of given raw materials / minerals, as well as their characteristics (e.g. weakness of a metal under certain conditions), the better we handle it. For example, one opponent of our heroes had unique armor that made him insensitive to blows. However, after making a few adjustments, the blond began to chop it hard. Deconstruction, here you do not need to explain too much - it consists in using energy to destroy the structure of the object / raw material. If we master the third stage, i.e. Reconstruction, then thanks to Deconstruction we can give a new shape to given raw materials or objects. E.g. You can use a stone to create a golem / paw fighting for us or sand to make glass.

As for the fights themselves, Arakawa has probably created the best power system when it comes to all battles I have seen. Anyway, it's so good that you can easily compare to titles from other forms of art - books, movies, series. It is consistent, gives a lot of room for maneuver, the weaker characters are able to threaten the stronger, if, for example, they get a philosopher's stone (an object thanks to which we can avoid the principle of equivalent exchange, the power is drawn from the life energy of the pebble, not the matter that the alchemist devotes. And there is a lot of this power, in practice it is a mini god-mode) or they will undergo transformation, e.g. they will become chimeras, gaining animal strength or their natural attributes, of course appropriately strengthened (super-strength in the case of chimeras-monkeys, sharp fangs and claws in the case of chimeras-lions, chim-hedgehog spines). Of course, a properly skilled and skilled alchemist should deal with most opponents, but if he makes a mistake or lets the enemy dangerously close, he may fall dead. Or it can be done by an efficient soldier, who, for example, supports himself with automail (metal prostheses that can be a weapon or improve people's motor skills). Anyway, if a warrior is really experienced and strong enough, he doesn't need such metal tinsel. Olivier Mira Armstrong knows something about this - a strong woman with balls like watermelons and an iron character. Generally feisty and characteristic bitch (character trait, not without reason has the nickname "The Snow Queen"), which kicked a few hard male buttocks.

Arakawa did the same with many male colleagues. Few of the mangaks I know of are able to show melee or short-range combat so well and richly. Just as few can show emotions in such an authentic way. When we see the pissed off King Bradley, Scar or Mustang, it shows on their faces and the way they fight. Fast, brutal attacks, without unnecessary offensive. Roy smokes his opponents alive, Scar smashes them with Palpatine's thunderbolts, but in direct contact, and Bradley slashes with his sword. You can see the difference in this field between Arakawa, or Kishimoto, Tite, Mashima, or even Oda and Togashi. Few guys can describe emotions in such a way, depict with the help of an image even less. Just as the above-mentioned thing happens to draw something well (and Clothing and Togash even more often than "happens"), so Arakawa has dozens of such cases. I don't know anyone but Tsukasa Hojo who could compete with the author of the FMA on this issue. Togashi and Toriyama, in turn, better show the speed of the blow or its strength, but IMO does not do so well in drawing melee fights. That I would be well understood - clear, in terms of choreography, readability etc. DBZ and HxH can be really nice manga. Especially DBZ, when Akira had those good times. If Toriyama had a better talent for writing a plot and more enthusiasm, then his flagship title could be really good, more in terms of quality than sentiment. I just have more fighting styles at Arakawa, and the duels themselves are not so repetitive. In HxH, although there were a few, it was less than in the manga of Mr. Hiromu.

And how do we add to this awesome audio-visual setting, which keeps the level to this day. The music is epic, well-composed and it's difficult to talk about it differently than in superlatives. There are songs that properly build a serious mood, battle-themes that give the appropriate mood to fight. When it is to be sad, it is sad, when the characters rejoice, we hear what is needed. It is difficult to point me to some unsuccessful piece and if I had to search, it would probably be looking for a hole in the whole. It is the same with the visual setting, it has not aged a bit. At most, some may complain that some additional effects are missing. However, if you do not pay attention to such details, then my opinion will not differ from what I wrote about music above - it is difficult for me to find a weak cgi or worse drawn drawings. The latter may have appeared a few times, but since I don't remember it, it was hardly strong. In one sentence - sensational battle-shounen from all sides.