Hannibal- Lately there’s been a pique of interest in shows derived from from the big screen. Two of the most notable ones being The Bates Motel and Hannibal. Now it’s been some years since I’ve seen any of the Lectar related films, but Hannibal has always held a fascination for me. Part of it comes from my younger years of hearing about how horrific Silence of the Lambs is, and as any kid does, I rushed to find a way to watch such a “taboo” movie. The other factor which drew an older Jamison in was the psychology. CBS’ Hannibal plays up both surprisingly well.
While some of the gore exists for shock value, I’m still impressed by CBS for not shying away from the intimate brutality. Gruesome crime scenes don’t get me nearly as squeamish as seeing a human being living their daily life prior to a hard cut to Hannibal doing some cooking. The thought of what his prep work entails is far more unsettling than mutilated corpses constantly being shoved in the viewer’s face. And that’s the biggest issue. Sometimes it tries too hard to appeal to the mainstream with procedural episodes and shock value killings. Fortunately, much of that is absent by episode six and the remainder of the season is spent basking in psychological horror.
Despite what you may think, the centerpoint isn’t Hannibal, it’s FBI Special Agent Will Graham and his mental instability. Graham possesses what is known as pure empathy and because of it he is able to put himself in the mind of a killer, making the already unstable mind lose a grip on reality. His job, mixed with Hannibal’s manipulation under the guise of being Will’s psychologist, forces Will to be conflicted over what is and isn’t reality.
When not struggling to balance on the fence between procedural crime-drama and psychological horror, Hannibal leans towards the latter and is all the better for it.
Log Horizon- It’s no secret video games and anime posses an overlapping fanbase. Log Horizon focuses on a group of MMORPG players caught inside a game for an unknown reason. A similar premise to Sword Art Online, but actually handled with a degree of storytelling prowess.That’s not to say Log Horizon is great, because there are numerous flaws, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. Even as non-fan of the MMORPG genre, the intricate systems and subsequent world-building are thoroughly enjoyable. Watching is like diving into a mechanically deep video game.
Protagonist Shiroe's mastery of his world makes for a compelling near anti-hero. I say “near” because while the introspective into online games is compelling, the tone never becomes appropriately grim, which both hurts and helps. You’d rightfully expect the trapped gamers to be desperately trying to find a way back to reality; this isn’t the case. It’s mentioned, but a fourth of the way through the issue is mostly forgotten and there’s an air of content with making the world of Elder Tale their new home. Possibly, this is an intentional commentary on how easily people get sucked into virtual worlds more distressing than our own, but I suspect the opposite. The handling of game mechanics is smart, but Log Horizon is not giving any sort of social commentary.
The light-hearted happenings of the typical anime variety are entertaining. Akatsuki’s beating of Noatsugu after he makes some lewd remark, or how every bespectacled character manages to sinisterly push-up their glasses every episode provides plenty of comedic relief.
Upon death everyone but the NPCs respawn with zero known ramifications which removes the ever-important tension. Roughly half-way through this is resolved in a creative fashion of introducing conflict without having to rely on the biggest drama of all. I can appreciate a show managing to inject turmoil without having to rely on death or relationships too heavily.
Season one is finished, and season two has already been confirmed for this fall, so now would be the ideal time of getting into the series. It’s a little slow moving but the amount of knowledge about the subject matter and how it’s infused into the form of a anime is impressive.
Nisekoi- You know I’m not opposed to the cliched high school setting, but you’ve got to draw the line somewhere. There’s an interesting premise in the depths of Nisekoi’s school-hood schluck. Two teens who are the offspring of opposing Yakuza families are forced into a fake relationship to keep the peace. It’s essentially Romeo and Juliet, but in reverse. HOWEVER- and that’s a big however, shamelessly bathing in every single trope, cliche, and fanservice nonsense under the sun is unforgivable.
It didn’t start too obnoxiously. Watching the Yakuza's kooky attempts to expose the false love or pamper Raku and Chitoge in uncomfortable ways serve its purpose. Quickly, each ounce of uniqueness evaporates and what remains is bland regurgitation of the worst of what the anime industry has had to offer in recent years.
What does Nisekoi in is episode nine. Hot baths and teenage boys trying to spy on the girls is nothing new. Not terrible on its own but when paired with every other anime stereotype such as tsunderes, crushes falling over each other, and androgynous characters being confused for the opposite sex; it becomes head-bashing tiresome. If there was more to it than being a straightforward harem, then I could forgive Nisekoi.
But there isn’t; so I wont.
Trigun- What’s the best show I discuss this time? Trigun...easily.
A year or so ago I gave it a shot and the first episode, while not terrible, failed to enamour me like I hoped. This was the famed Trigun after all, an anime oft mentioned in top 10 lists all over the interwebs. One distraction led to another and I only just recently jumped back in. Turns out, I was kind of an idiot for not sticking with it.
Through the first eight or so episodes the goofiness greatly outweighs the meaty aspects, which cleverly reflects the character of Vash through meta-narrative. What initially appears to be a bothcer-led romp of episodic space-western goodness, reveals itself to be much more. Death and destruction follow the infamous outlaw, Vash the Stampede, wherever he goes. Curiously enough, he’s never directly responsible, as he prides himself on being able to get out of any situation without taking life. Even so, he’s always bearing the brunt of the blame, which is why two insurance agents have been sent to record his escapades.
Trigun, much like the other revered anime of 1998, enigmatically reveals its complexities the further you dive in. If its characters tell us anything, what you see isn’t always what you get. Milly’s brutish appearance, Meryl’s seemed bossy attitude, Wolfwood’s- my favorite- reflection of Vash in priest form, and of course Vash’s struggle to accept his past and how his power affects those around him, meshes together to create some of the most well written anime. From 13 and on, each subsequent episode ramps up the tension and weight of every fight as the final confrontation draws nearer.
I can comfortably claim the second half is among my favorite arcs on television. If only the conclusion was as satisfying as what led to it. The writers certainly took it in the ideal direction, but a single episode to wrap-up wasn’t enough. It’s a solid ending, but I was expecting Trigun to go out with more of a bang.
Barring some production value issues, and an ending hastily done, I can’t suggest Trigun enough. Much of it’s tones and themes are steeped in spoilers, so how about you go watch it for yourself.
Bates Motel- Yes, like Hannibal this a contemporary prequel to an enormously popular horror film. Unlike Hannibal, Bates Motel meanders with no clear purpose.
The first episode -this is a spoiler and I don’t care- displays a lack of tact. Eschewing any sort of tension, Norman helps his mother cover up the murder of the former motel owner. The idea of a prequel is to see the a transition from what was, to what we already know. What could be an interesting character development of Norman progressing from semi-average teenager to the mother’s-boy-murder he is in Psycho, doesn’t exist. Instead we have an elongated version of the film, but without all the talent of Alfred Hitchcock behind it.
This isn’t the kiss of death though. Hannibal Lecter is- for the most part- already Hannibal as we know him at the start of his show. Adding piss to the wounds though, Bates Motel takes a Twin Peaks approach. But again, without the talent of someone equivalent to David Lynch, it ends up coming off as a soap-opera. Every single character- and I mean every single character- has some sort of tie to the shady side of Generically Named Oregon Setting. It’s a small town, big secrets sort of thing but fails to be anything more than nonsensical. A hidden pot farm in the mountains, you say? Why wouldn’t there be? And why shouldn’t the cops be trafficking sex slaves? It’s drama for sheer sake of it.
There are fleeting moments where Bates Motel dares to be slightly above average, particularly when Norman is trying to fit in at high school, but for every minute of quality there’s 44 of so-so to utter bullshit.
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