Shameful Otaku Secret!

Brought to you by CCY, the 12 Moments of Anime 2009, and a lot of staples.

Whether you look at the online response or the crushing domestic sales of the DVDs, Bakemonogatari is not only one of the biggest shows of the year, it’s a huge win for SHAFT and Akiyuki Shinbo, the love-him-or-hate-him iconoclast director. Personally I think it’s one of his best works, and when you think about it, an adaptation seemingly custom made for him. And a big part of that success at large comes from the popularity of its lead haremette, Hitagi Senjougahara.

Now, whether you believe in her authenticity is up to you (thanks ghostlightning). And whether you believe in Shinbo’s version of protagonist Ararararararararagi as a vicious indictment of the viewer, well that’s up to you too. Personally, you can’t discount thinking about either angle. They make this scene that much more delicious. What is she getting at? Is it a giant joke? Why English? To emphasize the joke? Or is Senjougahara, underneath her scary stapler-wielding exterior, so uncomfortable expressing such a sentiment that she has to switch off to another language just to get it out?

Much of this was never quite answered, although Senjougahara finally showed more than just a hint of very real sincerity that gives us plenty of hints. In the end, she really was a girl, and a lovely one at that. And though that final episode was the crowning achievement in the whole surreal ball of wax, this bizarro world confession remains a standout moment that will probably stick in my head longer than most of this list.

Few figures in animation are more divisive than Wackiyuki Akiyuki Shinbo, studio head and famously iconoclastic director at SHAFT animation studio. Some love his visually bizarre work, others loathe it for its apparent pretentiousness. Very few people tend to be in the middle. Plenty across the internet have weighed in already – and they tend to do so again every season that one of his series airs.

So what makes this wingnut/auteur so appealing? Let’s pick 5 and run with that (please note that after the jump this post may contain images of animated girls in their skivvies!):
[show me the skivvies]

Anno-ism

There are plenty of moments so far in the current ef: a tale of melodies sequel to get into this list (“Warum” comes to mind), but I’m not sure any of them beat the first series’ phone card scene, which Martin described in the comments of this site as “Anno-esque” (best word for the text-on-blank-screen stuff I’ve ever heard). I watched ef: a tale of memories shortly  after it aired, all at once, so episode 9’s nail-biting climax can sit comfortably in an ‘08 list.

Usually romantic anime (especially VN adaptations) don’t even have much of a conclusion, but those that do tend to force the characters into dramatic confessions through horrifying situations reeking of melodrama. There’s no shortage of melodrama in ef, but for all its fantasy, its characters have certain ways about them that really strike me as realistic. It’s not just that they have sex or even, God forbid, touch each other (I’m looking at you, Okazaki), it’s how their obsessions and hangups affect the plot more than any outside influence (not so much with the current series).

Episode 9 was the perfect fusion of Shinbo-ism and melodramatic character-driven angst. As the saying goes, you’ll pay for your seat, but you’ll only need THE EDGE.