Behind the Scenes: The Anime that Inspire Us (Patreon)

Back in August, we did a post on the games that inspire us as storytellers. This month, we wanted to talk about another one of our favorite subjects: Anime!

We both grew up in a time where our favorite anime was either on very specific times on Toonami, Adult Swim, or WB, or, alternatively had to be downloaded on a dial-up connection through services like BearShare or LimeWire. I remember the first season of Sailor Moon taking a full week of connecting in the early mornings and late at nights to keep the phone lines open for my mom during school hours.

Now, dozens of streaming services offer anime at any time of day, and new shows seem to come out every other month. What a time to be alive.

Without further ado, let's begin!

Impactful Narratives

Cat: As I mentioned in the intro, Sailor Moon was my first true anime love. My friend let me borrow the manga to read, and the relationship between Usagi and Mamoru spanning time and space was so beautiful to me. Also, suddenly I'm realizing that Mamoru looks a lot like the DoubleBlind avatar. Whoops.

Now, though, I have to say that my top anime and manga is Chainsaw Man. I know that it's a newer story all things considered, but I cannot praise it enough. I feel a deep kinship with Tatsuki Fujimoto's method of storytelling. One moment, you're laughing because it just feels so ridiculous, and the next you're in tears because now you really care about this ridiculous situation. I love the characters, I love their stories, I love how merciless Fujimoto-san is with his narrative. No one is safe. There is no plot armor. The art has so much symbolism and beauty inside of it, and if you blink, you'll miss it.

Ry: Cowboy Bebop. I feel like this show has a little bit of everything. It has your group of rag-tag friends who take on missions, there's a whole bunch of character development, they're very nuanced and complicated, the story doesn't overstay its welcome, and the worldbuilding is exceptional. By the time the story's over, you get a very strong sense of who each one of these characters are, and how they would react in any given situation.

Second is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. This show has it all. I love how over-the-top all of the character designs and reactions are, I love that it can take itself seriously one moment, and then in the very next scene, we're entering combat with a pylon. And yet, the entire time, I am 100% invested in what's happening.

Both: Extra credit to DanDaDan. This show has us hooked so hard right now.

Incredible Characters

Cat: Ah, this is where I can really give my all to Spice and Wolf. This was the reigning champion of my heart before Chainsaw Man came along. I love that Lawrence and Holo have a very adult relationship. He actually boots her from the damn cart the moment he sees her in there, and is so focused on his dream of becoming a merchant that adding a woman to his travels is little more than a liability. Their slow burn together is perfection. They grow together as characters as they learn more about one another, and when they finally do kiss, it's explosive.

A runner up for me here is Fruits Basket. I grew up on the manga and was so excited that they redid the anime to match. The newer anime is very close to a 1:1 with the manga, and I highly suggest it. It's easy to assume, "Oh, silly shoujo manga where the characters turn into animals." But Natsuki Takaya did the same thing we did with catgirls and asked, "But wouldn't this suck?" And it DOES. And all of the characters have such strong character growth and stakes over time because of Tohru Honda - a character who inspires me to find the light in every situation, no matter what.

Ry: Cardcaptor is a great anime for characters. Initially, it seems very simplistic, starting off with just Sakura, who is a very simple, easy-going, lovable little dork with a heart of gold. On her adventures, she runs into Syaoran, who is the polar opposite of her personality. He's focused, he's determined, and he's not above using under-handed tactics to win. This doesn't take into account Sakura's brother and his (eventual boy)friend, as well as Clow and his reincarnation. This show has more moving parts than it seems, and the character growth is spectacular.

Next is Clannad. I won't lie, Clannad is very dramatic and is not for the feint of heart. Primarily, it deals with love, loss, and regret. The main character, Tomoya, comes from a troubled home life and his father suffers from a problem that Tomoya will suffer similarly later. The after story completely wrecked me. It deals with how Tomoya raises his daughter. It is a roller coaster of epic proportions, and if you're in the mood for a good cry, I can think of few better shows.

Peak Worldbuilding

Cat: A second shout out to Spice and Wolf for its incredibly realistic medieval world and economy. But the one I'd like to focus on here is Wolf's Rain. This is another older anime that has stuck with me for many, many years. It's a post-apocalyptic setting where wolves have been dead for 200 years, technology has advanced way too quickly, and people are living in ruins. There's a lot going on, and there are so many details to catch in every city that the group visits.

Bonus points: The animation on this show is absolutely gorgeous, and the soundtrack is done by Yoko Kanno.

Ry: I've really liked Apothecary Diaries. I like how accurately it captures the Chinese Dynasty and the role of women in its world. The main character, Mao, is addicted to poisons, and she tests these poisons for the royalty. While she's there, however, she learns a lot about the emperor's mistresses, and there's a very real concern about who's going to birth his child and who will receive the most attention. It deals with a lot of complicated topics, and it's a great lesson in medicine!

Epic Subversion

Cat: It's no secret that we love subversion. I'm always chasing that high of a book, game, movie, or show neatly ripping the rug out from under my feet and taking my breath away. Not for the sake of subversion, but because it tightly fits into the narrative. And for me, there's nothing like Puella Magi Madoka Magica. I went in so ready for another magical girl anime, and by episode four, I was hooked. It's written by the same guy who wrote Saya no Uta and Psycho-Pass. When you watch it a second time, all of the hints are there, trickling in for you to catch them. It's one of my comfort shows, and Rebellion is a comfort movie. I can't wait for the next movie to drop.

Ry: Higurashi is the very first thing that comes to mind whenever I think of "psychological horror anime." It deals with a group of friends who, at first glance, act like they get along perfectly well. But, with each episode, the newest addition to the town, Keiichi, starts to get the sense that something's not quite right in Hinamizawa. Before you know it, people are getting chopped up, shot, poisoned, and having their nails ripped off. What starts off as a slice-of-life quickly descends into peak horror.

Thank you for joining us! Do you see any of these inside of our storytelling?

What anime have inspired you? Why? What have you been watching lately that you can't get enough of?

See you soon!