Best of 2009 – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea
December 28th, 2009So, 2009. I’ll admit right now that, for me, you were more a year of manga than anime. And you were certainly more a year for music, film and gaming in a broader sense. But still, there were a few notable moments that gave me a lot of joy and reminded me why I stick around to see what’s coming next. The list below is purely a personal selection – I make no claims that it is definite or even the slightest bit objective. I likes what I likes. Also, the blog’s title is a reference to the PJ Harvey album of the same name. I promise I’m not being an indie wank poseur by using it; rather it seemed apt considering the choices below.

Eve no Jikan (eps 4 – 6)
The latter part of Yasuhiro Yoshiura’s Eve no Jikan, or Time of Eve, came out this year and concluded one of its most unique series. Unique for its distribution, really pushing the streaming media method with an unholy alliance with Crunchyroll and unique for its visual flare, perfecting Yoshiura’s penchant for 2D/3D synchronicity with amazing effect. And while gorgeous to look at Eve excelled most at characterisation, achieving a fantastic level of depth in six fifteen-minute episodes.
Initially tipping all manner of hats to sci-fi tenants of yore, Eve quickly moved away from Azimov and became concerned more with the psyche of its characters, giving full emotional range to humans and robots alike. Primarily a consideration of how we would behave in a world where androids had become self-aware, Yoshiura and Studio Rikka took an authentic approach and ran the gamut of fear, empathy, intolerance and love. No flights of whimsy crept in needlessly, removing events so far from reality that we as an audience didn’t have to think about what we were watching. Fundamentally, like all good science fiction, Eve no Jikan took the familiar, offset it somewhat and asked us to consider what we would do if our moral and ethical compasses were challenged.

Children of the Sea (vols 1 – 3)
Another sort of pioneer of digital distribution, Children of the Sea is Daisuke Igarashi’s ethereal trip into the deep unknown and the flagship title of Viz’s SIGIKKI imprint. Notable for being one of the first series by the publisher to be released online for free before receiving a hardcopy release as well as being the first title of Viz’s commitment to straight-up-legitimate Seinen, by way of Japan’s IKKI anthology magazine.
Children of the Sea stands out because of its irreproachable distinctiveness. Igarashi’s idiosyncratic artwork seemingly flits between fantastically detailed to sketchy, almost cursory, while losing none of its charm or effect. His eye for natural beauty particularly stands level with Mushi-shi’s Yuki Urushibara and both share the same masterful flare for the cinematic. The story is as enigmatic as the characters it follows, but the journey they take and its ability to inspire awe from the natural world will move you and feels unlike you’ve read before. It’s environmental without being hamfisted, opting to show us why we should care about our surroundings rather than dryly lecturing, and the story takes a similarly indirect, visual approach. It feels special, all the more so once you get a copy of the lovely print edition in your hands, and needs to be read.
Other SIGIKKI titles to keep an eye on are Bokurano, Dorohedoro and Saturn Apartments — all of which are available to read on the site.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
The prospect of two children trying to be reunited with their parents Against All Odds sounds trite on paper, but in practice Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 moved away from cliche and focused more on how actual people would behave in the situation (warts and all). The two kids are completely convincing – Marai is a moody tween, too inclined to humour her immature pessimism, and her brother Yuki is a spirited little boy who finds adventure at every opportunity. The two offset each other fantastically while behaving in a believable and honest way. Miri, their makeshift guardian, has her own problems weighing heavy but still finds it in herself to protect them and be the kind of every day heroine you’d hope to meet in those circumstances. The series goes through all the emotional peaks and troughs you expect but still maintains a sophistication that avoids mawkish sentimentality.
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 was a natural disaster story with a lot more heart than most natural disaster stories; a considered and genuine look at the possible events that would follow a 8.0 scale earthquake in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and a sincere study of human endurance and heroism.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Everyone knows Fullmetal Alchemist is great, but I only took heed of the praise this year with Brotherhood and it was the best anime-related decision I’ve made all year. I’m including this purely to acknowledge how reliably brilliant it is from week to week and show love for the only show I remember to watch on the day it becomes, uh, available. I’ve written at length about the reasons for my love of this series elsewhere, so I won’t go on about it here. Just know it’s one of the best shonen anime available and should be on your radar if the ritalin-deprived child deep within is still thrashing about.

Darker than Black II: Gemini of the Meteor
Thus completes the BONES trifecta of excellence for 2009. The sequel to the beloved Darker than Black, it returned equipped with new characters, some old familiars and a wholly more tolerable narrative framework. My love and respect for this second series comes initially for its choice to jettison the frustrating two episode arcs of the first series. They worked fantastically for a DVD watch or marathon but man alive it was irritating when you followed the weekly schedule. DtB II opts to tell its story in a more continual way and lets the slow-burn develop more consistently.
Granted, those two episode arcs had many benefits, and the general lack of meaty character development in this series is its biggest fault, but I stand by it as an excellent companion piece to the main series and one that had all the highs and lows that attracted me to it in the first place.
Its ability to recast previously supporting characters into spotlight roles is particularly commendable. July takes the role of Yin in the retooled ensemble, somehow carving out his own sense of personality regardless of being an emotionless doll, and is possibly the most moe thing I’ve ever seen. Hei’s dramatic fall from grace gives his character a bit more mileage – as does Yin’s mysterious omnipotence. The new characters fit nicely into the established world, too, particularly protagonist Suou who is suitably existentially tormented. The brutality and headfuckery (oh, the last episode . . .) are as present and vivid as ever and it gave me everything I wanted from a sequel. Maybe just not a, uh, cogent, comprehensible conclusion. Thems for sissys anyhow.

Ponyo
What feels like the spiritual successor to Totoro and a complete achievement in unabashed children’s film making, Ponyo is a force of nature. That recurring sequence of Ponyo nonchalantly running across a maelstrom of waves seen in trailers is apt in summarising the spirit and vigor of this film. I’ve never been so swept up in Miyazaki film before and while not as sophisticated as his previous films, it’s no less magical. I’m not going to preach to the choir about why you should see a Ghibli film. All I want to do is encourage you to see it sooner rather than later. It’s a complete joy to watch.
Oh god, the puns. THE PUNS.
Gaijin Top Fives (based on UK release dates) after the break












Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys (because we apparently have to prefix everything he’s done with his name these days) is a worthy successor to Monster. It takes a huge ensemble cast and weaves them into a web of plot lines that would, reasonably, overwhelm lesser authors yet remains comprehensible and intriguing. Urasawa is Mr Manga Big Balls because of his ability to keep a firm handle of his immense ambition. Even two volumes in it’s obvious that Urasawa is making a point of his talents with 20th Century Boys, pushing them even further by incorporating a variety of timelines to keep us enthralled. It’s a little dizzying at first, but once the initial barrage of Mystery calms you know you’re in safe hands. Urasawa is a tender lover; he only wants to screw our minds in enticing little bits.
But yes, the main plot. It focuses on a shady cult who uses the same symbol devised by Kenji and his friends in ‘69, only rather than being a symbol of boyish fantasy it now represents something much more sinister. Rival cult leaders die mysteriously, the police force is infiltrated and a very creepy looking machine waits in the shadows, standing by for its destructive entrance. Kenji is pulled into the mess with the supposed suicide of an old school friend called Donkey, the snot-ragged super-speedy nerd who saved him from near death as a wean. Donkey’s death just doesn’t make sense and combined with some other strange occurrences, all linked by that ubiquitous childhood symbol, he’s dragged into something big; something apocalyptic.



