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On this episode of Bakacast, we follow up our Cowboy Bebop series review by talking about the movie. We also stretch the definition of anime a bit to cover the second season of Castlevania, which you should watch immediately.
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On this episode of Bakacast, we finally finish up Katanagatari and Cowboy Bebop. Find out if we felt Bebop still lives up to all the hype, and hear me struggle to decide whether to judge Katangatari’s ending with my heart or with my head.
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On this episode of Bakacast, we encounter the tonally-diverse middle section of Cowboy Bebop and go into detail about the beautiful tragedies at play in Katanagatari.
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On this episode of Bakacast, we review the delightfully entertaining absurdity of Batman Ninja; delve into Nisio Isin’s tale of swords and souls, Katanagatari; and I finally get around to watching the biggest shame in my series backlog: Cowboy Bebop.
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Will moe be the death of anime?
Last week, Dai Sato claimed that anime will disappear within the next thirty years, due to a lack of creativity in the industry. On this week’s Bakacast, we address that controversial issue. Is the over-saturation of moe to blame for the anime studios’ financial woes? Or is this just another genre craze that has overstayed its welcome? Does too much focus on merchandising limit quality storytelling? We debate these difficult questions and more.
After that serious business, we move on to lighter fare with this week’s anime reviews.
That’s it for this week. We’d love to hear your feedback, so let us know what you think in the comments below! [Opening music is “Invaders Must Die” by ChipDudeRoss]
Editorial Comment
Could we be living in the last days of anime? One industry insider seems to think so.
This article featured on ANN is from an interview with writer Dai Sato, credited with writing episodes for Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell. He paints a rather grim picture picture of the decline and death of anime within the next few decades.
Sato dismissed the idea of “Cool Japan” and complained that much of the in-between animation work in anime is outsourced to people in other countries, who may not be aware of or invested in the work itself. Similar to director Hayao Miyazaki, Sato criticized politicians and other who promoted the image of Cool Japan for their own purposes. Sato also decried series that were more about escape than about confronting real problems, and proclaimed that the anime industry in Japan is a “super establishment system” rather than a creative force, focused more on characters and on merchandise. He suggested that manga was “the last hold out,” and that if manga was lost then anime would not last without it.
While this reflects one person’s opinion, there are others who think the industry is growing. However given the subpar offerings for the summer 2010 season I can understand the reasoning behind Dai Sato’s statements.
Read my own opinion on this after the break.
If you get this parody, you are officially old.
Just kidding. Still, this video does bring back memories of the old-school anime days… like when Cowboy Bebop aired on Toonami. Remember that?
Hmm, I wonder how long it will be before somebody makes a K-On!/Sailor Moon crossover.