Music Be the Food of Geeks

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Anime music is by far one of the most influential genres of our time. For some, it could be motivating, others it could be inspiring, and maybe for others it could be seen as soothing.

As for me, it’s a combination of those three. However, there are some anime soundtracks that I always find myself returning to for nostalgia, good music, and overall, a fantastic anime. Here’s my top three anime soundtracks.

3. “Howl’s Moving Castle”

Hayao Miyazaki is possibly one of the most influential persons ever to exist. His ideas are wonderful, his art style is whimsical, and even the music for his pieces is amazing. I solely chose “Howl’s Moving Castle” because it’s the first musical score I recall when I hear ‘Hayao Miyazaki’.

“Howl’s Moving Castle” follows Sophie on a journey of magic and her fateful meeting with Howl, the owner of a moving, enchanted castle. This movie has gone on to be considered as a Miyazaki classic next to “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro”. The iconic art style creates a beautiful tapestry while melding wonderfully with music crafted by Joe Hisashi. It’s a soundtrack that makes you feel like you’re floating. It’s an overall upbeat soundtrack with some mellow tones which exposes the mood of the movie.

Favorite song: Sky Stroll  - this song just oozes with whimsy that is spread throughout “Howl’s Moving Castle” and features some beautiful violins. It’s an uplifting piece that starts off slow and builds up to something truly upbeat and lovely.

2. “.hack//SIGN”

“.hack//SIGN” was an anime from my teen years, when Toonami was fresh. “.hack//SIGN” took place in an MMORPG called The World and focused on Tsukasa, a boy who can’t log out.  The music in this series is classical and pop themed which fits perfectly, given the location of the anime. The tunes surface old memories of late nights watching this series, relating to the characters who were finding themselves, and trying to understand life through my adolescent eyes.

Favorite song: Fake Wings – ah, the song of my teen years. I would play this nonstop until my speakers were worn out. It has a great harmony accompanied with a beautiful piano and tugs at the heartstrings.

1.”Revolutionary Girl Utena”

Where do I even begin with this soundtrack? With this show? The series revolves around Utena Tenjou, a tomboy at Ohtori Academy who finds herself through endless duels while winning the hand of the Rose Bride, Anthy Himemiya. The anime itself is a brilliant showcase of growing up, philosophy, life lessons, and comedy. The music is no exception.

Crafted by the Be-Papas, the music covers a ton of genres. It has a little something for everyone and it does not disappoint. Even the lyrics are strange, but enticing, riddled with deep layers that tie into the scene that they’re played during. The lyrics give way to hours of translating what it all means while jamming out to some amazing tunes.

Favorite song: Watashi Banbatsu Hyaku Fushigi – this song is raw. This song is every heartbreak you’ve ever endured, every harsh realization about yourself, every struggle you have with yourself, and every single roughness that you have ever encountered in your life. It’s powerful and mind numbingly emotional.

Overall, these soundtracks have shaped my musical tastes and inspired me to write or draw. I hope they give you some inspiration as well and open your minds.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you liked it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what’s your favorite song from an anime?

Connecting with Anime

Good evening and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tapping into my nerdy, anime side tonight I’m here to present you with the top three most relatable animes. I have seen a ton of animes in my life and I’m basing this short list off of the animes I believe to have a strong connection with viewers.

3.  Ouran Host Club

Ouran Host Club is about a girl who dresses as a boy to pay off a debt for breaking a vase. What does this have to do with life? Everything. This series deals with finding yourself and discovering that you don’t always need to be alone in life. That you can make friends who you can trust to be there for you and that you don’t have to face things alone.

2. Toradora!

Toradora! is the what if scenario of when a delinquent meets another tinier, delinquent.  Automatically you think a fight breaks out and that it has nothing to do with our lives; but there is so much more to this show than fighting. Toradora! is everything that will ever happen to you when it comes to love. You fall for your best friend, you hate yourself for feeling that way, you try to love someone else to get your mind off them, you realize that no matter what you’re still in love with your best friend, you grow extremely protective of your best friend, you get jealous of anyone that enters their life, you have break ups, and so much more. It’s also a story of coming to terms with yourself and your emotions and being strong in life.

1. Revolutionary Girl Utena

Revolutionary Girl Utena is about a girl who aspires to be a prince because a prince appeared in her past and pulled her out of a depressing situation. This series is filled with sword fights, transforming clothes, and nonsensical situations. But these things don’t exist in reality; our clothes don’t magically change nor do we engage in sword fights on a day to day basis. Behind these mystical features lies the story of growing up from a naïve individual into a grown, mature person. We see the main protagonist (Utena) completely clueless of everything around her and brushing it off, not wanting any part of it. She soon finds herself getting caught up in the world and realizing that she has a place in it: to grow up, to become what she’s always desired and not treat it as a fantasy, to become someone in the world around her. 

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, reblog, and critique.

So tell me, what’s your favorite anime?

Take My Revolution: Kill la Kill

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Having been away from most modern day animes and thinking I finally escaped; I was dragged back in by one of my friends. I used to love anime as a teen and grew up with the classics: “Dragonball Z,” “Dragonball,” “Sailor Moon,” “Pokemon,” “Wolf’s Rain,” “.hack//SIGN,” “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” “Lupin the Third,” and so many others. But I found that the more I transitioned into modern day animes like “Black Butler” and “Soul Eater,” the more I realized I just couldn’t do it anymore because it was hard to keep up. Life was what mostly blocked me from pursuing more programs, but it was also the fact that these new shows lacked something for me. What that something was, I still have no idea to this day, but it just felt wrong and incomplete.

And so my friend decided to drag me back into anime by recommending “Kill la Kill.” I had heard about this anime before on many web sites and from my other friends. I think his recommendation was the final nail in the coffin for me to give this show a shot and so I sat down not too long ago and began my binge. I literally finished my binge watching of this anime a half hour ago.

What followed was a series of references, insane (and logical) plot twists, lovable characters, and an addictively fun art style. I was not expecting any of this and immediately found myself caught up in the story of a young lady (Ryuko Matoi) wanting to learn about her father’s death and secrets. With nothing but a scissor blade and a talking uniform (Kamui Senketsu) by her side, she transfers to Honnouji Academy where the story begins.

After watching the series it was at then this anime made me realize two things.

1.  Not all modern anime lack that certain something for me. When I was watching “Kill la Kill,” it reminded me of how I used to feel when watching anime; completely excited, curious, and hanging on the edge of my seat.
   
   
2. “Kill la Kill” is a modern day “Revolutionary Girl Utena.”

The second note made me realize this because of the show’s premise and details. There’s the main protagonist (Ryuko Matoi) who wants to achieve knowledge to understand a fragment of her past. She is a tomboy, very unfeminine, and rough; much like Utena Tenjou, the protagonist from “Revolutionary Girl Utena”.  Ryuko has something (Kamui) that only a select group of people have and this is what entices them to fight; they also issue each other challenges (sometimes by paper, but mostly verbally). In “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” those with the rose crest ring are the only ones that can fight each other and often challenge each other with words or paper.

The challengers in “Revolutionary Girl Utena” consist of five student council members (Kyouichi Saionji, Juri Arisugawa, Miki Kaoru, Touga Kiryuu, and Nanami Kiryuu). Touga is the president and leads them, while receiving orders from the director of Ohtori Academy. The challengers in “Kill la Kill” are also five students (including Satsuki) who entitle themselves the Elite Four, but act as the overall student council; they consist of Hoka Inumuta, Satsuki Kiryuin, Sanageyama,Nonon Jakuzure, and Ira Gamagori. Satsuki is the president and leads them, while also receiving orders from the director. Each take on Ryuko in a single battle that brings her closer to fighting her rival, Satsuki. They each battle her on a platform similar to the platform from the movie, ”The Adolescence of Utena” which ties in with the “Revolutionary Girl Utena” program. Both platforms are a flat surface connected with a bridge that drops down onto the area.

The protagonist’s best friend (Mako Mankanshoku) even acts a lot like Wakaba from “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” being completely supportive, hyperactive, and even being taken over by the antagonist’s intentions. Wakaba was taken over by the black rose issued by Mikage and fought Utena. In “Kill la Kill,” the antagonist (Satsuki) allowed Mako to be overtaken by club status and a greedy lifestyle so that she had to fight Ryuko.

Ragyo Kiryuin, the very villain of this series also shares some tendencies with Akio (the ultimate antagonist from “Revolutionary Girl Utena”). They are both presented as tall, God like figures, looking down upon those who are beneath them in luxurious towers. Both Ragyo and Akio are very incestuous when it comes to their family; Akio and Anthy (his sister) have an abusive, yet sexual relationship. Ragyo and Satsuki (her daughter) also have the same type of relationship.

There’s also a matter of Ryuko’s weapon, the scissor blade. In “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” the main protagonist (Utena) has the sword of Dios. Though later on, we encounter its counterpart in the hands of a villain – much like in “Kill la Kill”, the other half of the scissor blade is in the hands of an enemy, Nui Harime. Even the ending itself is similar to “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” in which the protagonist is impaled with thousands of sharpened items (in “Revolutionary Girl Utena” swords, in “Kill la Kill” Ragyo’s wings) and falls to Earth after the battle.

I heavily enjoyed “Kill la Kill” and I love “Revolutionary Girl Utena” to death. To find such similarities between the two filled me with delight. Not only did the series rekindle my love for “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” but it also made me realize that I just can’t leave my love for anime.

Thank you for taking the time to read tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So tell me, what’s your favorite anime and why?