Living With a Nerd

I know, I know…Perfect Blue has been around for a while.  It’s not new, and it wasn’t really groundbreaking.  Its execution, however, was flawless.  Conjuring up unsettling images that provide the viewer with a sense of dread, it never really scares you…it just creeps you out in that “am I being watched” kind of way.   

For those that haven’t seen it, I will give a brief overview.  There is a girl who is part of a chart-topping trio music group who decides she is going to quit the music business and become an actress.  She lands a role in a movie that has all kinds of violent and sexual overtones, but it’s a solid role especially considering it is her first.  The inevitable happens.  She starts seeing and hearing things (or is she?) and being followed by some crazed fan (or is she?).  She slowly developes more and more signs that she is losing it (or is she?) as her world slowly becomes one scary encounter after another (assuming that they are actually happening).  The film tends to leave what is real or not up to the viewer, providing a unique anime experience that you definitely shouldn’t miss.  Be sure to watch it in Japanese, as the script doesn’t quite have the same impact in English.

I cannot possibly write about Perfect Blue without speaking of it’s soundtrack.  It has, in my opinion, one of the best and creepiest soundtracks of any anime I have ever seen.  Haunting synths, strange noises, and a splish splash of J-Pop here and there make it a well-suited and well-written soundscape to the experience of the film. 

It is also worth noting that it does contain a fair amount of nudity, however the violence is a bit subdued when compared to many other anime…I would put the violence at a heavy PG-13/light R level.

Like Blood: The Last Vampire, Ghost in the Shell, Biohunter, Devil Man, and a host of other anime, Perfect Blue is definitely more suited to being watched at night; a thunderstorm booming in the background makes it all the more atmospheric.  Pop the popcorn, snuggle up under a blanket with whoever it is that you do that sort of thing with… and enjoy the show.

Brittnie and I are total NetFlix hounds…we have the “four out at a time” subscription.  Suffice it to say, NetFlix is not making a single penny off of us given how much they must spend on postage.  The latest series we are getting into is Samurai Champloo.  I had only seen two or three episodes prior to us starting to get the series from NetFlix.  I must say, if you have never seen this series, do yourself a favour and start watching it now!

Created and directed by the same fellow that did Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo conjures up an interesting combination.  The series is a combination of Cowboy Bebop-style humour and dialouge, the “feel” of Afro Samurai (one of the best series ever), and modern day styles of hip-hop and graffiti into 17th century Japan.  Once again, make sure that you add this one to the list of anime series that you have seen.  You won’t regret it.

This past weekend I was bored out my mind and decided to actually use my On-Demand service from Comcast, and stumbled on a STARZ Entertainment Presentation called Anime:  Drawing A Revolution.  This has to be one of the best sub culture documentaries that I have ever seen.  It explores the impact of Anime/Manga on Western society, Anime’s origins from Manga, and the Revolution that Anime and its influences have sparked in almost every form of modern media or expression.  It contains short, yet, very knowledgable interviews with Stan Lee, Otaku USA supporting writer Jason Thompson, and the creator of (one of my personal favorites) Afro Samurai Takashi “BOB” Okazaki!!  This “documentary” helps shows you who the influential minds of Anime/Manga are, past and present, who they’ve influenced, but also explains to that Anime in today’s culture goes far beyond large eyes, ninja battles and subtitles.  But even so Anime has reached its long tenticled, big breasted, sword weilding, post apocolpytic, school girl uniform wearing hands in our pie, and we’re LOVING EVERY BIT OF IT!!!  If your just getting into Anime, have been a fan for a long time, or just love a well put together piece of work, this is it.

 Check it out

ANIME:  Drawing A Revolution