200 (+) Anime Worth Taking With Us Into the Next Decade

Anime? This is a Damn Textbook! (When Anime and Manga Stop Being Anime and Manga)

So I was flipping through the Fall 2009 Anime Catalog that I get every season from Right Stuf when I caught this really oddly placed listing. GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class is not listed under ‘manga.’ Instead, it is placed farther back in the ‘books’ section under ‘Drawing & Crafts‘, which is situated between ‘Cooking‘ and ‘Learning Materials.’ The reason I find this odd is because, well, GA is a 4-koma comedy manga, and not a ‘drawing and crafts’ book. Other books in the section are ‘Drawing Manga‘ and ‘Manga University’s Manga Tarot + Cards.’ The surrounding categories are all made up of mostly reference material. So I had to ask myself, what does it mean to consider GA a ‘Drawing and Crafts Book‘ instead of a ‘Manga Book’?

Seiyuu Performance Highlight: Norio Wakamoto as Mechazawa Shinichi and Ramen Shop Owner + Mika Kanai as Mechazawa Beta – Cromartie High School

right: Mechazawa left: Mechazawa Beta

Cromartie High School is a lot like a SHAFT production in that all of the money went to hiring a cast of immense talent leaving none for the animation, which is handled nicely by unique budget-cutting techniques. There are a number of vocal roles probably worth note, but none stands out like The Great Norio Wakamoto’s role as Mechazawa Shinichi.

Quick Thoughts on Cromartie High School

Just finished with the 26 12-minute ep Cromartie High School which is one of those great comedies that in spite of being licensed has been largely overlooked. It’s one of the most manly and badass shows around, being as it is about a school full of punks, gangsters, and badasses. Also there’s a robot, a gorilla, and Freddie Mercury, only Freddie is like super manly. The most similar shows I can compare it to without using names no one would know of (Pugyuru, Gag Manga Biyori, etc.) I’d say it’s most like a SHAFT comedy and possibly could be considered similar to Azumanga Daioh (to use a show I  know you’ve heard of.)