2004 Year in Review
Anime Highlights
by Carlo Santos,
If the state of anime in 2004 could be described in two words, those words would be "gratuitous Ghost in the Shell," but that's not two words, so too bad.
As always, the anime landscape shifts considerably depending on whether you're looking at the North American or Japanese market. Whichever side of the Pacific you skew towards, however, anime fans all share one common value: a love of great stories told through animation. (Or, yeah, maybe it's just about the gratuitous fanservice.)
Because of its no-limits visual language, anime has always been highly conducive to science fiction. Fans got a double dose of that this year with two high-profile franchises, Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell, making waves in video stores and in theaters. No story was bigger than Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series began its DVD run in July, and its debut on Cartoon Network in November gave fans no more excuses to miss it.
For those who like their mechas gangly and their heroes whiny, MTV Music Video Awards also proved that Gonzo can do music videos just fine.)
Of course, part of anime's appeal is also its diversity of genre, and there were plenty of major releases outside of the mechas-and-machinery field. Director Excel Saga Imperfect Collection.
For straight-up adventure, 2004's standard-bearers were Dead Leaves).
Old-schoolers who claim that they don't make anime like they used to could take refuge in some of 2004's conveniently packaged box sets. Gundam story through new characters and 21st-century eyes.
By the way, anime is still more expensive than doing crack, but some distributors are finally making inroads on the much-reviled $25-30 price point. ADV's Essential Anime and Central Park Media's Anime Test Drive, single-episode discs that allow fans to sample a series for pocket change. With these new price options for licensed anime in the North American market, the hobby is becoming ever more accessible.
The homeland of anime itself saw a surprising number of significant theatrical releases. Already mentioned was Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which hit Japanese theaters in March and helped build up the North American hype over the summer. Akira creator Mind Game. Even though screenings of this film were hard to come by, those that have seen it—or even just the trailer—will attest to Mind Game's groundbreaking visuals and storytelling that together present a pure explosion of imagination.
Looking at anime on TV, however, it all boiled down to everyone's two favorite words: Fullmetal Alchemist. As this series reached its gripping conclusion in Japan, fans came together in a way not seen since the days of big-name hits like Cowboy Bebop or Evangelion. The compelling characters, soaring plot and deep themes of FMA set a new standard for shounen adventure, and viewers following the series on Cartoon Network will discover these remarkable qualities soon enough. On the other hand, Inu-Yasha demonstrated how not to finish an anime, disappointing those who were following this series all the way to the end.
Sadly, some of the new releases in Japan did establish "gratuitous fanservice" as the principal theme of 2004, with titles like Girls Bravo, Tenjou Tenge threw in some extreme fighting along with the panties and boobs, but that didn't help much. Surprisingly, Mai-HiME also had the potential to fall into the fanservice abyss, but the primarily female cast generally managed to keep their clothes on and the show has evolved into a memorable adventure series that's now at its midpoint.
However, the year was not a complete bust for shounen romantic comedies, as the gimmicky Keroro Gunsō as the comedy that kept viewers of all ages laughing.
Female audiences had their share of anime goodies as well, with the irreverent Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.
The shadow of Fullmetal Alchemist hung so heavily over 2004 that many other promising action shows had to settle for second best. The start of the year saw the second half of the visually sumptuous Chrno (or Chrono) Crusade, with an ending that left many viewers depressed. In mid-year, Samurai Champloo, the unique "hip-hop samurai" work directed by Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichro Watanabe.
As always, anime had its fair share of sci-fi releases in Japan, with the more notable titles each presenting unique views of the future. Studio Gundam Seed Destiny.
The latter part of the year also saw a few new shows that deserve categories all their own. Rock 'n' roll anime otaku comedy" that's been surprisingly well received and pokes fun at the anime/manga subculture without insulting or pandering to it.
With so much anime being released in Japan and most of it being licensed in North America these days, it's hard to keep track of which ones are "important" and which ones you might like. Despite all the shows and movies mentioned above, there will probably still be plenty of other titles that fans would consider their highlights of 2004. So take these words with a pinch of salt, and that your anime highlights of the past year should be whichever ones you liked the best. After all, someone's got to stand up for the idiotically sugary Powerpuff-meets-Sweet Valerian. Because cute bunny explosions rock SO HARD.
As always, the anime landscape shifts considerably depending on whether you're looking at the North American or Japanese market. Whichever side of the Pacific you skew towards, however, anime fans all share one common value: a love of great stories told through animation. (Or, yeah, maybe it's just about the gratuitous fanservice.)
North America
Because of its no-limits visual language, anime has always been highly conducive to science fiction. Fans got a double dose of that this year with two high-profile franchises, Evangelion and Ghost in the Shell, making waves in video stores and in theaters. No story was bigger than Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series began its DVD run in July, and its debut on Cartoon Network in November gave fans no more excuses to miss it.
For those who like their mechas gangly and their heroes whiny, MTV Music Video Awards also proved that Gonzo can do music videos just fine.)
Of course, part of anime's appeal is also its diversity of genre, and there were plenty of major releases outside of the mechas-and-machinery field. Director Excel Saga Imperfect Collection.
For straight-up adventure, 2004's standard-bearers were Dead Leaves).
Old-schoolers who claim that they don't make anime like they used to could take refuge in some of 2004's conveniently packaged box sets. Gundam story through new characters and 21st-century eyes.
By the way, anime is still more expensive than doing crack, but some distributors are finally making inroads on the much-reviled $25-30 price point. ADV's Essential Anime and Central Park Media's Anime Test Drive, single-episode discs that allow fans to sample a series for pocket change. With these new price options for licensed anime in the North American market, the hobby is becoming ever more accessible.
Japan
The homeland of anime itself saw a surprising number of significant theatrical releases. Already mentioned was Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, which hit Japanese theaters in March and helped build up the North American hype over the summer. Akira creator Mind Game. Even though screenings of this film were hard to come by, those that have seen it—or even just the trailer—will attest to Mind Game's groundbreaking visuals and storytelling that together present a pure explosion of imagination.
Looking at anime on TV, however, it all boiled down to everyone's two favorite words: Fullmetal Alchemist. As this series reached its gripping conclusion in Japan, fans came together in a way not seen since the days of big-name hits like Cowboy Bebop or Evangelion. The compelling characters, soaring plot and deep themes of FMA set a new standard for shounen adventure, and viewers following the series on Cartoon Network will discover these remarkable qualities soon enough. On the other hand, Inu-Yasha demonstrated how not to finish an anime, disappointing those who were following this series all the way to the end.
Sadly, some of the new releases in Japan did establish "gratuitous fanservice" as the principal theme of 2004, with titles like Girls Bravo, Tenjou Tenge threw in some extreme fighting along with the panties and boobs, but that didn't help much. Surprisingly, Mai-HiME also had the potential to fall into the fanservice abyss, but the primarily female cast generally managed to keep their clothes on and the show has evolved into a memorable adventure series that's now at its midpoint.
However, the year was not a complete bust for shounen romantic comedies, as the gimmicky Keroro Gunsō as the comedy that kept viewers of all ages laughing.
Female audiences had their share of anime goodies as well, with the irreverent Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.
The shadow of Fullmetal Alchemist hung so heavily over 2004 that many other promising action shows had to settle for second best. The start of the year saw the second half of the visually sumptuous Chrno (or Chrono) Crusade, with an ending that left many viewers depressed. In mid-year, Samurai Champloo, the unique "hip-hop samurai" work directed by Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichro Watanabe.
As always, anime had its fair share of sci-fi releases in Japan, with the more notable titles each presenting unique views of the future. Studio Gundam Seed Destiny.
The latter part of the year also saw a few new shows that deserve categories all their own. Rock 'n' roll anime otaku comedy" that's been surprisingly well received and pokes fun at the anime/manga subculture without insulting or pandering to it.
With so much anime being released in Japan and most of it being licensed in North America these days, it's hard to keep track of which ones are "important" and which ones you might like. Despite all the shows and movies mentioned above, there will probably still be plenty of other titles that fans would consider their highlights of 2004. So take these words with a pinch of salt, and that your anime highlights of the past year should be whichever ones you liked the best. After all, someone's got to stand up for the idiotically sugary Powerpuff-meets-Sweet Valerian. Because cute bunny explosions rock SO HARD.
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