Behind The Nihon Review

Yes, it’s an inane question, but anyone watching this masterpiece-in-the-making is probably asking the same thing, and anyone who isn’t watching it is seriously missing out on what is, in my eyes, the best fantasy anime since Mushishi (and anime of the year so far… although time will be the true test of that title). But the fantasy genre has delivered its fair of brilliant titles over the years, including Mushishi, The Visions of Escaflowne and The Twelve Kingdoms, and many, many others. It’s also, like every other genre, delivered its duds.

Inevitably, the limitations in the genre are exactly the same as the limitations of every other genre, and the story can only be as enthralling as its characters. At the end of the day, it is a genre that is defined by its setting, just like sci-fi, and its up to the creators to paint a universe which is meticulously detailed, but also believable. I can’t argue in anything more than generalizations when discussing an entire genre, but personally I think the fantasy genre in anime has a better track record at doing this than the sci-fi genre, with the exception of the GITS series (and the movie as well, but that was lacking in other things), Cowboy Bebop and a few select others. Seirei no Moribito is the most recent fantasy title to excel in the way it establishes its universe and fills it with intricacies that manage to remain consistent, but allow it to remain complex, interesting and alive, but there are numerous others, many of which I’ve already listed.

It was The Visions of Escaflowne with which I had my first experience with an anime that managed to have a setting with all the political intrigue one sees in a good sci-fi drama, but also kept a cast of interesting characters with a complex web of relationships and an expansive universe that was diverse and contrasting. Time has propelled Escaflowne on top of the pedestal of greatness, and there really aren’t a lot of people that consider it as anything less than groundbreaking for its genre.

Berserk, another title I saw when I was relatively wet-behind-the-ears as far as anime experience is concerned, takes a slightly different approach and neglects the complexity of its setting in favour of strong, yet flawed characters pushing a story of ambition and a climb up the ladder of success (as well as the eventual downfall). Arguably, the difference between Berserk and Escaflowne is that Berserk‘s story could have worked in virtually any setting, but Escaflowne‘s setting being the way it was was critical to the story.

Epics aside, the fantasy genre also has some fantastic episodic series, the most obvious examples being Kino’s Journey and Mushishi. What both of these series do incredibly well (particularly Kino’s Journey) is establish an incredibly rich universe that, like Escaflowne‘s, is filled with diversity and contrasts (although arguably moreso than the latter) that also reflects components of our own universe and, thus, allows it to serve as a commentary of our own behaviour and humanity. The fact that Mushishi‘s setting is, in a sense, primitive, also allows its inhabitants to make an easier connection with nature, which meant that it could provide some incredibly poetic examples of mankinds interaction with nature in its particular universe… which obviously grew into some absolutely fantastic stories.

To allow this article to be a narrative, today’s fantasy anime of the moment is, for mine, Seirei no Moribito. Like many of the other titles discussed so far, the strength of this anime is a fantastic, intricate and beautiful setting and a story featuring strong, sympathetic characters. Although I’m not sure it will happen at this stage, I really hope there’s a journey component to this story, if only so we could get the chance to see more of this universe, which has, at this stage in starts and stops, grown out like an artist starting from the inside and working to the edges, painting an elaborate and colourful image, filled with complexity, on a gray canvas. It also helps that the art and animation in this work is arguably the best ever featured on the small screen (it’s better than anything Kyoto Animation has ever done, and I wouldn’t have imagined myself ever saying that not three months ago), and the compositions of the background art is just awe-inspiring.

The point at the end of the day (yes, this article has a point) is that, while the fantasy genre has gone to sleep somewhat over the last few years, it really has produced many a gem and really should be an essential component of the diet of any anime aficionado. Even some of the less-than-brilliant titles in the genre, like Zero no Tsukaima and Slayers turn out to be an entertaining way to pass the time. It is a genre, in a sense, that does deserve a bit more credit than it gets among most anime circles, and while I wouldn’t say it is my personal favourite genre, if it keeps producing anime of the calibre of Mushishi and Seirei no Moribito, then I can have no complaints about its form.