A Big Day For Anime

I didn’t realize that would rhyme until I finished typing it. In the past 24 hours, I have downloaded and watched the Naruto Shippuden movie and the new Evangelion movie. These are things that I’ve been waiting for to some degree for years.

The Naruto movie was exactly the same as every other movie. All the characters only have two or three moves that they seem to be able to execute. There is a new character who is bossy and emotionally damaged but has recovered by the end because Naruto “doesn’t go back on his word”. The evil lackeys are powerful enough to win the first fight but inexplicably withdraw after one little setback and in the end, Naruto beats the big bad with his regular attack that has been infused with a special energy making it unique and super-effective. In short, the movie was formulaic and completely without surprise. The only really interesting thing is that the main character dies in the first two minutes but, alas, this is revealed to be a vision. The movie was certainly entertaining with great fight sequences and excellent animation but great art it was not.

The other movie I downloaded recently was Evangelion 1.01: You Are [Not] Alone. It is the first of several new Evangelion movies being made and as such is simply a condensed retelling of the first part of the TV show. Later movies are promised to be completely new material in the form of an actual sequel. This movie also goes pretty light on the mindtrips that ended the series (and the movie End of Evangelion) and which still confuse me to this day. There is new animation and it is all beautiful with incredible visuals and action but thats not way someone would want to watch this movie. It is the feel good movie of the year because it reminds you how good your life is in comparison. I won’t go into any of the details because I’m sure that alot of people have already seen at least some of the series but every character is fucked up. In a major way. There are enough psychological issues to fill a medical textbook. Everything depression to megalomanical manipulation that would make Charles Manson blush. This movie is a must for any fans of the original series and people who are contemplating suicide.

For a giant anime nerd like myself, this morning was something like a wet dream, as disturbing a visual as that is. Days like this only happen once in a blue moon when the stars converge and align. In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty stoked.