Breaking Nerd: Anime

As Game of Thrones begins to wind down, those souls awakened to the joy of nerdity may find themselves longing for hobbies and entertainment which will fill the void.

Take heart, for Breaking Nerd is here to help!  Come, gather round our fire, for nerds know more than most that there is always room for another and more than enough to go around.  In Breaking Nerd, it is our mission to offer guidance to those seeking safe passage to new lands.

This week, our journey takes us deep into the heart of a once misunderstood and benighted hobby which is enjoying time in the limelight: Anime!

Anime refers to cartoons originating from Japan which are either hand-drawn or computer animated.  Anime is the Japanese word for ‘animation’ and while not all anime is Japanese these days, Japan is the foundation upon which the art-form has been built.  Anime series contain unique combinations of art styles, color palettes, mature stories, and thematic oddities which set them apart from American cartoons in such dramatic fashion that they hardly quality as the same thing.

There are two separate ways to engage with anime: You can watch the shows with their original Japanese language audio and read the translated subtitles, or you can watch the show with re-recorded audio made by a separate English voice-cast.  The first is referred to as ‘subbed’, the second is referred to as ‘dubbed’.  Most major streaming services, and all purchased DVD’s / Blu-Ray’s, offer both viewing experiences for their shows.  Hulu is especially fantastic about making sure both choices are available.

Although there are differences of opinion on the subject of ‘subs vs. dubs’, the honest truth is that each individual will have different takeaways from anime based on how they watch it.  The minds behind Breaking Nerd prefer ‘subs’, but that preference is colored by the enjoyment of reading and a deep appreciation for Japanese culture and the Japanese language.

Some people prefer to watch their entertainment instead of reading it, and there is nothing wrong with that.  The English voice-casts do a tremendous job and you will lose nothing if you choose to enjoy anime in this fashion.  Do not let others dictate to you how you should enjoy your hobbies, because there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to watch anime.  We recommend you give both methods a fair shake to make sure you find the fit which is right for you.

Now that the nuts and bolts are out of the way, you’re left with a library of stories which has been five decades in the making.  There are thousands of titles with hundreds of thousands of episodes to choose from, and the genres within anime are so broad that some genres have sub-genres of their sub-genres made up of shows which parody all the genre’s above it.  Do not the dazzle of so many options blind you, for Breaking Nerd is here to offer you some excellent places to start.

As mentioned above, Hulu is a great place to begin your anime journey.  They offer a library that is probably the most complete outside of narrow streaming services like Crunchyroll.  However, that shall be saved for another day, because the titan of streaming has enough to be going on with.  That’s right, all you need to get started enjoying anime is a Netflix account.  Let’s face it; if you’re reading this article, you (or the person you’re stealing it from) has a Netflix account.

Netflix has done a good job of continuing to flesh out their anime offerings as the genre has swelled in popularity.  In a desperate attempt to keep this article from ballooning into a show by show review / breakdown of their entire library, we shall leave you with some of the agreed upon favorites within the community and why you will be able to enjoy them even if they are your first shows.  In no particular order:

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – This show is for all of you Game of Thrones fans.  Ever wondered what it would be like to watch all the gory, backstabbing, character-driven madness of Westeros as a lovingly hand-drawn cartoon with a tighter narrative structure?  Look no further.  A vast conflict consuming whole continents, full of intrigue and dramatic reveals, and a system of magic which is both amazing and structured.  Brotherhood is an emotionally gripping, action-oriented thrill-ride with some of the most memorable lines in anime.

(Breaking Nerd is not liable for any all-night anime binges caused by Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.  Please watch anime responsibly.)

Gurren Lagann -If you have not seen Hot Shots, Hot Shots: Part Deux, Airplane!, or Spaceballs and bruised your ribs from laughing, this might not be the show for you.  If, however, the thought of an intergalactic struggle with giant robots and mile-a-minute wacky antics makes you grin from ear to ear, you’re about to fall in love.  Gurren makes you laugh, makes you cry, and after that makes you laugh even harder by way of apology for the crying bits.

Fairytail – One of the biggest draws of Anime are the flagship series which take on a life of their own.  They are worlds which are born and shaped over the course of decades and you come to know characters so well its hard to imagine a world where they are no longer a part of it.  Fairytail is the most accessible of these monolithic entities, offering a rich fantasy landscape with likable characters, enjoyable relationships, and a pacing which is a brisk walk that gets where its going without missing out on the occasional chance to stop and smell the roses.  The episodes currently available on Netflix will give you the opportunity to lose yourself in the world of Fairytail and find that deep connection to engaging characters that you’ve been looking for.

That is a very brief overview of the series currently on offer at Netflix.  While there are dozens of other series, including Castlevania which is perhaps the best American anime ever made, for the sake of word-length and sanity we won’t cover all of them.  Should these offerings simply whet your appetite instead of satiating it, try looking into the most bitter of dark chocolates that is Attack on Titan. Want to see a dark take on warfare, children, and all the nastiness that involves the two?  Check out Gunslinger Girls.

Even if anime is not the right fit for you, on behalf of the anime community and the greater nerd culture, know that you are always welcome with us.  Be sure to tune in next week to find a new gateway leading to a different section of the great city of Nerd.  It may be there that you find your hearts desire.

Nerdfully,

The Unsheathed Quill