Month: February 2021

For five weeks I’ve been recommending anime series that are great to binge watch, and which provide something of an uplift while we’re in lockdown.

You can see my previous recommendations: the anime romcom of Toradora, the ‘Sci-Fi noir’ of Cowboy Bebop, the stunning beautiful drama of Violet Evergarden, and the ‘slice of life’ that’s Barakamon. And read my blog about why anime is worth watching.

I’ve faced a lot of indecision as to what I should present in this final week; there’s certainly a whole host of brilliant feel-good anime shows not covered, including Iroduku The World In Colours (Amazon Prime), Hinamatsuri (Funimation, Crunchroll), Spice and Wolf (Funimation), Bunny Drop (Crunchyroll) and many more… But instead, now for something completely different. My recommendation this week is a very strange comedy called Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid.

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

“...overall this is a quirky show that is warm-hearted, funny and with some unexpected emotional punches.”

Miss Kobyashi’s Dragon Maid: Kyoto Animation 2017, 14 episodes, 7.7/10 on IMDB

One morning Miss Kobayashi, who works for an IT company in Koshigaya, wakes up with a hangover. Things aren’t helped when she heads off to work to find a very large dragon outside her front door which is adamant that it wants to work as her maid.

Thankfully, the dragon (Tohru) can mostly transform into a human (although the tail may be a bit of a giveaway). It soon becomes clear that although she professes she wants to be a maid a) this is more because Miss Kobayashi helped save her a long time ago and b) she is not actually very good at being a maid. Miss Kobayashi’s neat ordered life, which seems to consist of work-drink-sleep-hangover, is well and truly disrupted. Things get even more complicated when yet more dragons follow Tohru and move into her life!

And that’s about it as far as storyline goes – if you’re looking for something deep and meaningful see my previous reviews. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is just a bit of frothy fun, with both visual gags and ongoing jokes which repeat throughout the show. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its finer moments – there’s some good character development, the overall message of the show is about family, and although the dragons make mistakes when they interact with humans, you’ll soon be wondering who’s more out of touch – them or Miss Kobayashi?

This show is from Kyoto Animation, so naturally it’s extremely well done, and the animation style they’ve deliberately gone for is vivid pastel colours, which suits Miss Kobyashi’s Dragon Maid’s off-beat not-trying-to-be-reality atmosphere just fine.

In terms of downsides, this show really isn’t too serious about itself so probably won’t suit everyone. And (fair waning) there’s sometimes gags about breasts in a few episodes (absolutely nothing explicit or insulting, and nothing like the Blazing Saddles-esque humour of Konosuba), so if you can’t ignore that you may find it off-putting. But overall this is a show that is genuinely warm-hearted, funny and with some unexpected emotional punches.

At the time of writing, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid is streaming on Funimation and CrunchyRoll, which you can either watch for free if you don’t mind all the adverts, or sign up for a free month’s trial. It’s also sometimes on Netflix. Note: whilst the English dub isn’t bad, I’d recommend the Japanese with subtitles on this one.

Thanks for reading and for all the comments on this mini-series of articles. Remember the aim has been to highlight some of the most uplifting anime series around (which may or not be the best or my favourites). So, if one person has found a new show to watch that has made them smile in these often gloomy times, it’s been worth it!

Page Updated 28/02/2021

For five weeks I’m recommending anime series that are great to binge watch, and which provide something of an uplift while we’re in Lockdown.

Read my previous recommendations: the anime romcom of Toradora, the ‘Sci-Fi noir’ of Cowboy Bebop, and the stunning drama of Violet Evergarden. Or read my blog about why anime is worth watching (and how it’s definitely not just for kids).

My recommendation this week is a wonderful ‘slice of life’ series called Barakamon.

Barakamon

“…this series has more than a little whiff of ‘Local Hero’ about it”

Barakamon: Kinema Citrus 2014, 12 episodes, 8.2/10 on IMDB

Seishu Handa is a young calligrapher in modern-day Tokyo. However when a famous curator is less than complimentary about his work, Seishu punches him. His father banishes him in disgrace to live on a remote island.

As a born-and-bred city boy, Seishu is very much a fish out of water in the small community. (The setting is the Gota Islands, off Kyushu.) He’s unused to not being surrounded by technology, struggles with the local accents and the inquisitive nature of the islanders. None of this is helped by the fact that the house he’s given to live in was previously empty and was used by the local children as a den. There’s a good host of characters in Barakamon that we meet, ranging from the island kids to the village chief.

Naturally, the background arc is very much about Seishu’s own development (including ‘finding’ his own style in calligraphy), but really Barakamon is a show of gentle humour and interaction between people, and a frankly beautiful depiction of life on the islands. And if this sounds a bit familiar, it may be because this series has more than a little whiff of ‘Local Hero’ about it. No, I don’t mean it was influenced by it – but the arrival of an outsider in a vibrant community, and for the first time properly experiencing nature, holds similar echoes.

The one downside of Barakamon is that it’s only twelve episodes long, and it feels like it could have gone on for a fair while longer – the last two episodes in particular make for a satisfying ending, but do feel a bit rushed. And like with last week’s review, the ‘slice of life’ nature of this series means kids may find it boring. But again, these are minor critisims, this is a relaxing, cheerful show to watch.

At the time of writing, Barakamon is streaming on Funimation, which you can watch for free if you don’t mind all the adverts, or take a month’s free trial. (Or you can borrow my Blu-Ray…) Watch out for it coming out on other streaming channels too. Note: The English dub version is pretty good on this series.

Last one next week, and again I’ve a completely different show lined up compared to those I’ve already recommended. (No, for those commenting, it’s not SAO…!)

Page updated 21/02/21

For five weeks I’m recommending anime series that are great to binge watch, and which hopefully provide a bit of an uplift while we’re in Lockdown. My previous recommendations were the anime romcom that is Toradora and the ‘Sci-Fi noir’ of Cowboy Bebop. You can also click here to read my blog about why anime is worth watching (and how it’s definitely not just for kids).

My recommendation this week is another completely different show, the fantastic drama series from Kyoto Animation that is Violet Evergarden. In a series of articles like this the normal trend is to save the best ’till last, but what the heck; it’s Valentine’s day, so why not feature a show that is as much about emotions as anything else?

Violet Evergarden

“…honestly, Violet Evergarden is the most stunningly beautiful anime series ever produced”

Violet Evergarden: Kyoto Animation 2018, 14 episodes, 8.4/10 on IMDB

Violet Evergarden centres around the title character; raised as a child soldier, Violet is invalided out of the army with prosthetic arms. She finds a job as a ‘memory doll’ – if you like, a scribe – and travels around the country taking on numerous commissions.

As you might expect, the show isn’t just about these tasks, but about Violet herself; given her background, she has no ability to emphathise with others, let alone to deal with her own emotions. Given the importance of her job in writing meaningful communications between people, this at first causes any number of confusions, but is a key point as the story develops.

The world Violet Evergarden is set in has a ‘light touch steampunk’ air to it (much as in Howl’s Moving Castle); there is much that looks like Europe between the wars, but there are other features – such as Violet’s almost robotic arms and hands – that are far more advanced. But in this world not many have the ability to write, and this is where people like Violet come in. (Those averse to sci-fi / fantasy, don’t worry – the world is merely a background setting for the story.)

I know I’m forever talking up the positives of books and shows, but honestly, Violet Evergarden is the most stunningly beautiful anime series ever produced. My own reaction when I saw it last year was, basically, ‘wow‘. The animation itself is of the calibre you would normally expect from a movie; the storyline and development of Violet is superb (fair warning, it does manipulate your emotions); the supporting characters aren’t just pale imitations; and even the music is spot on.

And this is all typical of the studio that produced it – Kyoto Animation, which suffered such a horrible attack a few years ago. ‘Kyoani’ is a studio that is possibly the most ethical in terms of the way it treats its staff, but also seems to produce shows and films which are both inoffensive and of the highest production quality.

I’m sorry, but I can’t offer any downsides to this show. (Kids will probably find it boring…?) Hopefully there will be a second series to fully close off Violet’s story, but even without that what we are left with is superb.

At the time of writing, Violet Evergarden is streaming on Netflix. (Or you can borrow my pre-ordered Blu-Ray, once they are released in April…) Note that the English dub version is great, but there’s just a slight difference in emphasis from the Japanese voice acting. Not better; not worse; just different.

Another one next week, and a very different show again… But in the meantime I cannot encourage you enough to watch the piece of art that is Violet Evergarden.

Page updated 14/02/21

For five weeks I’m recommending anime series that are great to binge watch, and which hopefully provide a bit of a lift while many of us are in lockdown.

Click here for my recommendation from last week, the romcom that is Toradora, or click here to read my blog about why anime is worth watching. (And how it’s definitely not just for kids!)

My recommendation this week is completely different from last, a laid-back Sci-Fi show called Cowboy Bebop.

Cowboy Bebop

“…Cowboy Bebop above all else is cool, an anime series watched by people who claim they don’t like anime”

Cowboy Bebop: Sunrise Studio 1998, 26 episodes, 8.9/10 on IMDB.

Cowboy Bebop is a series of stories about Spike and his gang; a crew of bounty hunters travelling around the solar system in their creaking old spaceship, the ‘Bebop’. And a confession upfront – I can’t claim everyone will find this show ‘uplifting’, but it is certainly high in entertainment value.

The show centres around the small key members of the cast. There’s Spike, who was once an underworld hitman; Jet, a former police officer; Faye, a con-artist; Edward, a talented female hacker; and Ein, a corgi with human intelligence. It’s quite a diverse bunch! In this murky future, the police give out contracts to chase down criminals, and it is these the crew follow, in a pretty much hand-to-mouth existence.

Unlike many anime, there’s not such an emphasis on an over-riding story arc (though there is one there), rather, it’s more a series of individidual adventures with each episode providing for a different setting, a different tale, a different contract. If you’ve watched Josh Whedon’s superb Firefly series, you’ll feel a lot of echoes. Cowboy Bebop predates Firefly, and although the wide rumours that Cowboy Bebop influnced Josh Whedon are just rumours, when watching it you can understand why people might think that.

There’s some downsides to the show, like with everything: compered to more recent series, the animation certainlu doesn’t look quite as slick; the final episode generated a very mixed reception; and given the nature of the crew’s ‘job’, this show may not be suitable for children.

But these really are fairly minor criticisms. Cowboy Bebop above all else is cool. It’s an anime series watched by people who claim they don’t like anime. This is popcorn anime that you can relax and watch, a jazz soundtrack pervading the series, and a hint of film noir.

At the time of writing, Cowboy Bebop is streaming for free on Channel 4. Note, the English dub version for this show is not bad, for those who don’t like having to watch with subtitles.

The third one next week, and it’ll be a very different show again…

Page Updated 07/02/21