How to Do Darkness the Right Way

I prefer to keep things positive in this blog, but sometimes one can only express disappointment about an anime.

Samurai Flamenco started out as a lighthearted send-up of the superhero genre, with likable male model Masayoshi Hazama moonlighting as a pretend superhero who actually becomes a real superhero. Along with his buddy, straight-man cop Hidenori Goto, Hazama brought his innocent sense of justice to every crime and villain he encountered.

At the end of episode 7 however—all of that changed. A number of insane and fantastical creatures started to show up, beginning with a gorilla with a head-chopping guillotine for a stomach.

It turned out that all of these creatures were the minions of a secret powerful villain: King Torture.

The King Torture arc lasted from episodes 7-10, and rapidly divided the fans who loved it from the fans who hated it. I marathoned episodes 8-10, to my regret. The King Torture arc basically killed the show for me.

A reviewer on ANN discussed the King Torture arc, and the comments section shows how divisive the arc was for the audience (here’s the link if you’re interested: Samurai Flamenco - King Torture Arc Discussion).

I’ve said that I’ve been dropping more shows in mid-stream recently, but Samurai Flamenco gave me good cause to. Not only was the tone shift drastic and unforgivably dark, but the King Torture arc wasn’t entertaining or inspiring enough (by which I mean – of course Hazama and Goto wind up defeating King Torture so good eventually does triumph over evil – but their triumph comes too late to save some important characters in the story) to justify its existence in the storyline.

I’m a writer, so I understand and appreciate the need for storytellers to take risks. If the King Torture arc had been darkly funny, or brilliant in its set-up and payoff, or simply executed extremely well and integrated into the story overall as part of the Samurai Flamenco canon universe that you could accept as necessary—I would still be watching the series.

But not only was none of the above true, but the producers seemed to be presenting the arc for the one reason I can’t respect—for sheer ugly shock value. Because in the episode after that, Hazama simply started a new adventure arc, with a shonen Power Ranger-type team. In other words: the show just resumed its usual silliness. I stopped watching at episode 11, and from what I’ve heard the succeeding episodes haven’t been any better.

If you’re going to take big risks with a story, fine. Just respect the audience that’s been with you up to that point... if you want them to come along with you.

Speaking of dark stories – up until recently I stubbornly kept BTOOOM! on my “still watching” list on MyAnimeList, even though it’s been over a year since the series finished airing.

BTOOOM! is—despite its silly name—a dead-serious seinen drama. Set in the near future when people can send their enemies to a deserted island to play a vicious game of survival, BTOOOM! is dark and desperate from the outset.

Despite this darkness, moments of humanity shine through the muck from the main characters and others. And the story has numerous solid dramatic scenes and great payoff scenes.

I stopped watching it because too many scenes literally turned my stomach - but it's an anime worth finishing. I’m currently stalled at episode 8, and it’s only a 12-episode series. I don’t know when I’ll finish BTOOOM! but I know I will finish it, because the story is strong and none of its darkness is out of place or unexpected.

Finally, I’ve found a new winter series that does darkness, well... in a light and funny way.

You’ve never seen Hell quite like this!

Hozuki no Reitetsu is set in Hell, or rather—one of the hells. In this crazy universe, apparently there are several hundred different hells.

In the Asian Hell (I’m serious – there’s also Western Hell, Egyptian Hell, etc.), Great King Enma rules over all.

Unfortunately, Enma isn’t very smart, so he often turns to his Chief of Staff Hozuki to resolve the problems that arise in administering Asian Hell.

Hozuki is ultra-competent and handles every situation that comes his way with a terminal look of bored displeasure on his face. ;-)

Although there are a few dark aspects, Hozuki no Reitetsu handles even those in a light way. For example, there’s Animal Tormentor Hell where humans who tortured animals in life get attacked by small enraged dogs, cats and monkeys (kind of a justified hell in my opinion).

The art is gorgeous, particularly when Hozuki leaves Enma’s palace and goes out into Asian Hell. Every background looks like a woodblock print. The beauty of the art reminds me of Mononoke.

In episode 2, Satan, the ruler of Western Hell, pays Asian Hell a visit. Of course, his secret motive is reconnaissance for a future invasion.

As Hozuki shows him around, Satan is increasingly unnerved by Hozuki’s cool and ruthless efficiency. The final straw comes when he sneaks into Hozuki’s room and discovers Hozuki’s plan to cook and eat him.

Satan runs screaming back to Western Hell as Hozuki picks up his cookbook, noting that he’d misspelled a word. He meant "Santa," not “Satan.”

If you find the concept of Santa Claus being cooked and eaten in Asian Hell more funny than, well—not—you might give Hozuki no Reitetsu a try. =D

Final Fall 2013 Watchlist

I’ve finally tried out all the new fall series I was interested in. Good thing too, as the fall season is more than half over. O_O

First, the continuing series. I’m still watching Naruto Shippuuden, Valvrave the Liberator S2 and Kuroko’s Basketball S2. Kuroko’s Basketball is the biggest joy of my anime-watching life right now – it’s just that good. =D

I dropped Meganebu! The series was too silly, or perhaps its brand of humor just wasn’t compatible with my own and I didn't understand it.

So, on to the ones I’m still watching, roughly in order from okay to good to the best.

I still don’t quite know what to think about Kill la Kill. The art style and character designs are jarring and unpleasant, and there aren’t any likable characters. But it is a dystopian world where the women appear to be more kick-ass than the men, which is pretty funny – so I’ll stick with it.

Galilei Donna features another dystopian – or at least oddly different – future world and an engaging action-oriented story, so it’s still on my watchlist.

A sports anime about a young pitcher from the countryside who is chosen to attend a big-city baseball training academy, Ace of the Diamond has been a nice enjoyable series so far.

All you have to say is “post-apocalyptic Tokyo” and I’m there. ;-) Coppelion’s characters are just okay and I haven’t watched many episodes yet, but the sci-fi type setting already has me hooked in.

Vampires and spirit swords and (as always) high school boys and girls who get caught up in supernatural warfare… It took me four episodes to decide whether Strike the Blood was too derivative to continue watching. It finally came down to the flirtation and romantic tension between the two leads Kojo and Yukina to tip the balance in the series’ favor. Sometimes it’s the small things that do it. :)

Finally, the two new series I’m enjoying the most.

Golden Time, about three law students and what I’m assuming will become a love triangle at some point, is a lot of fun. Banri Tada becomes Mitsuo’s friend on the first day of class. Neither young man realizes yet that Mitsuo’s childhood friend and stalker Koko Kaga has also enrolled at the school. The opening credit sequence seems to imply that Banri and Koko will pair up which seems unlikely given Koko’s total obsession with Mitsuo, but I guess that’s why it’s called a romantic comedy. Added in to the mix is that Banri lost all his memories in an accident. :-0

The set-up is different and refreshing and I have no idea what will happen next as I’m watching each episode, which is great.

Okay, no one is talking about Samurai Flamenco this season. No one seems to know it exists. So let me send some love its way and tell a little about the story and why I’m enjoying it so much.

Beat cop Hidenori Goto (Tomokazu Sugita) spends his days bored out of his mind in his police koban. One night he comes across a naked man shivering in an alley. The man is Masayoshi Hazama (Toshiki Masuda).

Hazama, a handsome but ditzy guy, works as a model because as he puts it: “I have no skills and can’t do anything else.” His agency pays for a glorious penthouse apartment, but Hazama is subject to receiving unannounced visits there from his tiger of an agent, Ishihara-san.

Since childhood, Hazama has been a huge fan of superheroes in anime and manga. He’s recently decided to become a superhero himself by dressing up in a costume and going out at night to see that justice is done. Starting small by going after teens who litter, Hazama goes for broke one night and chases after a man who takes Goto’s umbrella from the restaurant they were drinking at. Unbeknownst to Hazama and Goto, the chase is captured on video and posted online the next day—and goes viral.

Now everyone knows about the new hero, the masked man who calls himself “Samurai Flamenco.” But who is Samurai Flamenco? Everyone in Japan wants to know...

Samurai Flamenco is blessedly about adults. Both Hazama and Goto are in their 20s, Ishihara has a flirtation going with the producer of one of the variety shows she books Hazama on, and Goto is in a long-distance relationship with a woman. The relationship consists of the woman staying over once a month at Goto’s apartment and then they text each other the rest of the month. Hazama and Goto go to izakayas and drink. It’s just nice not to watch stories set in high schools all the time, you know?

And the leads, Hazama and Goto, are a lot of fun. Goto is one of Tomokazu Sugita’s straight-man foil roles. In other words, we hear his sardonic inner monologues as he bemusedly watches Hazama do dumb-but-brave things and it’s funny as hell.

I don’t know where the story is going or how it will wind up, but Samurai Flamenco has been a great ride so far. =D