Anime, Cartoons, Comics! Plight No. 2, Vol. 17 - Heart Containers

PlightMainHeader.0.jpg

With this being my first of hopefully many Plights, I wanted to kick this off with something special, so I tried to pick a theme that would help tie it all together. This Plight, I will be talking about love (awwwwww) and three different incarnations of it (four if you count my love of these series).

bakemonogatari-header.0.jpg

Admit it; you all knew this one was coming. Truth be told, I was actually hesitant to write about this one because:

  1. I’ve already gushed about it so much,

and

  1. pretty much everyone who’s going to see it already has.

Then I thought to myself:

nekomonogatari-araragi.0.png

"Screw it, this is my chance to stand on a soapbox, I’m gonna tell people about what I like" and I’m going to do just that. I will warn that this has very slight non-plot related spoilers, because this discussion is impossible without them.

Bakemonogatari is a hard series for people to define; as it does an incredible job of pulling from a variety of genres, with comedy, supernatural mystery, a touch of ecchi, and some horror thrown in the mix. The central plot revolves around Koyomi Araragi, a former (though not quite completely cured) vampire who has supernatural encounters various girls he meets, and who in the end always tries to help them. Comedy is frequently based around and accented by rapid wordplay and misunderstandings. There’s a reason that the series hasn’t been dubbed, and that’s because so much of the humor is tied up in the original language. I honestly don’t think that there’s legitimately a way it could be localized while remaining true to the source material.

Dialogue is what drives this show more than anything, and assuming you understood Japanese you could honestly close your eyes and your comprehension of the story would be largely unaffected. Normally, this would equal "boring" for a lot of folks, but fortunately, this is a Shaft/Shinbou anime and they take full advantage of the visual freedom they’re accorded to go all out with their trademark rapid cuts, odd looks, and gorgeous artwork. The style is particularly well-suited to when characters are telling stories/flashbacks and visual style shifts to signal a jump in time as well as narrative style. Bake_02_-_hitagi_and_her_mother.0.jpgUnlike other shows, where Shaft’s trademark visuals may muddy/detract from the storytelling, in this case, it all enhances it. If Bakemonogatari is a comic, and the script is the penciler/inker, the Visuals are the colorist in this analogy, completing the picture and adding an even more dynamic element.

That said, that’s all just a description of what the show is, but in my opinion, it’s not what the show is about. What the show is about (as you may have guessed from the theme of this Plight) is love. In addition to every story being at least tangentially related to love (even if of a non-romantic sort), during each arc we see Araragi take tentative, halting (and sometimes verbally abusive) steps forward with Hitagi. Both are incredibly dysfunctional, and it’s really amazing to see them both (figuratively) dance around each other, earning the other’s trust and eventually starting to open up. Their dialogue in particular is well-served by rapid-fire delivery and the machine-gun cuts, and it makes the moment when they proceed to drop it have that much more impact.

Case in point: the most touching moment of the series comes at the end of the broadcast finale (episode 12 of 15) when they have their first date. Preceded by an awkward car ride out to the woods (which was in and of itself an excellent example of rapid cuts adding to the tense atmosphere) at the end of the episode, when they are completely open with each other, the dialogue slows down and the rapid cuts are gone. It’s just two lovers, staring up at a night sky, dreaming of what will be.

bakemonogatari-12-senjougahara-araragi-beneath-the-stars.0.jpg

I could rewatch this episode all day.

Saga-Header.0.jpg

Why should you care about Saga? How about 6 Eisner awards over 2 years (Best continuing series x2, Best Writer x2, Best Interior art, Best New Series), and one more nomination on top of that? (Fun fact, Saga has won every Eisner it’s been nominated for except for best covers, this year). Saga brings home the hardware, not just for Brian K. Vaughan’s (Y the Last Man, Private Eye) predictably spectacular writing, but for Fiona Staples’ sumptuous artwork too.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Hazel, the newborn daughter of Alana and Marko, two soldiers from two different sides of a war that fall in love while one is a POW. Hatred runs deep between the Soldiers of Landfall and its moon Wreath, with allegations of war crimes on both sides fueling generations of bloodshed between the magic wielding "Moonies" and the winged Landfallians. It isn’t long before the governments of both sides are after the happy couple, trying to bring them up on charges of desertion and cowardice and to capture the child that flies in the face of years of traditions of happily butchering one another. Sent after them are The Will, one of the most ruthless bounty hunters in the Galaxy and his companion Lying Cat on the side of the Moonies, and Prince Robot IV, the heir of a small planet under the rule of Landfall for the empire. Saga is equal parts commentary on the gruesomeness of war, the power of propaganda, and the vested interest the powers that be have in maintaining the status quo. It’s also just as able to point out how little the rest of it all matters when you have the people you love by your side, matter what baggage they may bring with them.

untitled-1-1344400879.0.jpg

Character designs are wonderfully varied, with excellent attention to the small details. Particularly worth noting are members of the Robot kingdom, either the color-tv upper-class, or the black-and-white display lower-class, and the fact that their thoughts/subconscious are frequently displayed on their faces. This makes for some wonderfully comic/ironic moments, many of which I can’t link here (and which got the series banned from itunes for a while).

ku-xlarge.0.jpg

All in all, this is a series that I recommend everyone read, since no matter what you like, you’ll be able to find something for you in this series, whether it is action, comedy, or drama. Plus it has one of the best first panels of all time:

bkv2.0.jpg

The miracle of childbirth is so majestic.

East-of-West-Header.0.jpg

::Plight intensifies::

Since I don’t watch many standard cartoons, I decided to double up on comics, with another current, critically acclaimed heavy-hitter. Suffering from a distinct case of "always a bride’s maid, never a bride" to Saga, this series is heavy on the Eisner nominations, but has yet to bring home the figurative gold. Don’t let that dissuade you though, as the series was nominated for 4 awards, including best writer for Hickman (shared with the excellent Manhattan Projects), best continuing series, best penciler/inker, and best coloring. All in all, this is a series that is exceedingly well written but also easy on the eyes.


The story is set in the future, but a future that stems from an alternate past. At some point in our history, the civil war was prolonged by the addition of the native tribes, who were united under the Lakota Chief Red Cloud. With the union stuck fighting a war on two fronts, the civil war dragged into a several-decades long war of attrition, until it was finally interrupted by a massive meteor which several took to be a sign of divine intervention. What is now the USA is split up into the 7 nations:

EastOfWest01_039.0.jpg

1) The Union: The northeast US, Land held onto by the Union after the civil war.

2) The Confederacy: much of the south not along the Missippi river.

3) The Kingdom: Land of the freed slaves encompassing what is currently Louisianna and some surrounding territories. Due to Oil deposits, this is the richest of the 7 nations, and though geographically the smallest, it is among the most powerful.

4) The Endless Nation: Land of the native tribes, encompassing what are now the dakotas, Montana etc. Though few in number, the Endless nation are the most technologically advanced of the 7 nations. They are also the most shut-off from the rest of the nations.

East-of-West-Endless-Nation.0.jpg


5) The Republic of Texas: Like Texas now, but bigger. And independent.

6) the PRA: People’s Republic of America. Land occupied by chinese immigrants, now with a zealous love a Mao and his glorious revolution.

They never explicitly state what the 7th nation is beyond a metaphorical one, though their are some theories bandied about, but ultimately, it’s not really known/stated at this point in the story.

Now all that is very pretty and all, but what is it about? Well, it’s about love, though likely not the kind you’re thinking of. Love and vengeance. Well, love and vengeance, and the apocalypse. Did I mention 4 of the main characters are the Horsemen of the apocalypse?

East-of-West-Revenge.0.jpg


Hickman gets a lot of flack for being confusing and high-handed with his treatment of the avengers, but his ability to build a world and its mythology works marvelously in this futuristic western dystopia. There are some wonderful nods to biblical mythology (as well as those of other cultures) worked in to the story if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do some digging, but even if you just sit back and let it all wash over you, it’s a wonderfully crafted ride. I don’t really want to say more than just basic thematic stuff since I don’t want to deprive folks of the experience. Just read it. Trust me.

EastOfWest-Love.0.jpg

Section Header

Title Header

Plight Schedule