It’s been far too long since my last recommendations post, sorry!
Right Stuf is having another sale, this time for Memorial Day. Please keep in mind, only DVDs are on sale this time. So, if you want to purchase on Blu-ray, you may just want to add these to your wish list and wait for a Blu-ray sale.
And without further ado, here are some more recommendations from various genres:
Something with a Great Dub Performance
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi ($10, 13 episodes) – This is a bit of cross-genre Gainax zaniness. The English dub features (in my opinion) one of Luci Christian’s most impressive performances as the 12-year-old male lead. If you’re a Luci fan and you haven’t seen this somewhat older show, it’s absolutely worth checking out her work here. And who isn’t a Luci fan?
What Genre Even Is This?
Penguindrum ($15 each for 2 parts, 24 episodes) – It’s Ikuhara. If you know what that means, then you know what that means. Featuring the apple of destiny and social commentary on real natural and human disasters. Also, penguins.
Something Recently Rebooted
Kino’s Journey ($7.50, 13 episodes) – The original series is on sale for a bargain-bin price. This traveler’s tale was much beloved by fans, and got a reboot as Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- in 2017, which presumably prompted this re-release of the original. While some reviews of the re-release cite video quality issues, at $7.50, it’s a small investment that may be worth considering if you’re interested in going on a road trip.
Vintage Goodness
The Rose of Versailles ($40 for both parts in a collector’s box, or $10 each for the individual parts without collector’s box, 40 episodes) – This classic based on the manga of the same name informed many works that came after, and with its gender challenging themes that have become a key part of history in the depiction of LGBTQ characters in Japanese pop culture, it’s also a great one to watch for Pride Month. You can easily see its influence in Revolutionary Girl Utena, the best anime of all time, but it also gets explicitly referenced in more recent works, such as the Princess Jellyfish manga.
Something Your Child Could Safely Watch
Princess Tutu ($10, 26 episodes) – Don’t let the title put you off: this is one of the most beautiful and emotionally rich anime I’ve ever seen. I don’t know anyone of any age, male or female or otherwise, who has watched it and not cried. A fairy tale and a meta fairy tale at the same time, it features a beautiful classical soundtrack, amazing art, and yet another great Luci Christian performance. The female characters are powerful, vulnerable, and far more than stereotypes. The male characters are wonderful and far from what they seem at first glance. And although I’m not the first person to make this point, if you like Kingdom Hearts, I think you’ll like this. Everyone who worked on it on this side of the pond loved it, and I’ve been assured that was true of the Japanese cast and staff as well. It’s a personal favorite. (Disclosure: I translated the second half of this series. By the way, the translation is fantastic too! ;)
Something I’m Thinking of Ordering
Kids on the Slope ($15, 12 episodes) – I haven’t seen this show, but I’ve wanted to. The noitaminA programming block puts out some of the most interesting material going these days, and Yoko Kanno is a personal favorite composer. noitaminA and Yoko Kanno, together? Sign me up.
Bonus Personal Favorite, Again
Princess Jellyfish ($15, 11 episodes) – I know I’ve sung this show’s praises before, but I just can’t stop. It may start out making you think it’s an ugly-duckling tale, but it’s really about friendship, social anxiety, geekiness, and thinking outside of the box. Especially recommended for strong and strange women. (Disclosure: I translated this.)