My latest 'addiction' is Gundam 00.
The Gundam franchise has been going on since the 1970s, and mostly focuses on humanity's expansion in to space and how it affects politics, war, and humanity in general... oh and giant robot mecha known as 'Gundam'. My introduction to the franchise came with Gundam Wing in 2001 (originally aired in Japan in 1995), followed by Gundam Seed in 2007.
Gundam 00 is set in our own era, about 300 years in the future. Fossil fuels have pretty much been depleted and the world has banded in to 3 multi-national factions: The Human Reform League (HRL - consisting of Asia and Russia), the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (The Union - consisting of the USA, Japan, and Oceania), and the Advanced European Union (AEU - basically the current EU). These three power blocks each have large-scale solar energy programs that provide unlimited energy to their allies. So of course, here comes the war! Countries who still relied on fossil fuels began to become bankrupt, and the Solar Wars began. A group calling themselves Celestial Being comes on to the scene, wishing to eradicate all wars by undertaking armed interventions - stopping war through war itself! Add in evolving humans, four main characters with complex back-stories, a large colourful cast of supporting characters, awesome Gundams, and beautiful High-Definition animation and you have Gundam 00!
Unlike the other series that I have seen (keeping in mind that G00 is the 11th installment a franchise that has been successfully running for over 30yrs), Gundam 00 has a believable element to it. It is set in 'our' world, and seems to be a reflection on current world events. The extraordinary elements come from the addition of the mysterious humanoid Innovators, and a brilliant scientist who had somehow forecast the technologies and events hundreds of years before!
From the 3 installments that I have seen, G00 and Gundam Wing are among my favourite anime/manga series.
Gundam Wing has just passed the 15 year milestone, and is being celebrated by a revamped story (which is being panned a bit by English-speaking fans, not too sure about Japanese fans). Set in a new era known as 'After Colony', humans have set up satellite colonies at the Lagrange points around the Earth and Moon to escape a crowded Earth. Suppressed by the Earth's forces, a group of Colony rebels have sent five teenage boys to Earth as Gundam Pilots to sabotage and halt the Colony occupation and subjugation. While originally working individually, circumstances force the pilots to work together to survive and to protect humanity from the atrocities of war. Between ideologies of Total Pacifism, Militaristic Philosophy, and the use of unmanned weaponry in combat, the story is richly woven together with the lives of war orphans, lost princesses, and the advancement of mankind in to space. The newest installment 'Frozen Teardrop' takes the story slightly further in to the future, where Mars has been colonised and a new threat looms that only can be stopped by a cryogenically frozen hero and a new generation of pilots (which is where the panning begins!).
I really have a soft-spot for underdog, misunderstood, knuckle-head heroes, and Naruto is definitely the embodiment of all that! With the manga series and anime still on-going after 10 years, its a series that has become one of the most popular (which is where the term 'Narutard' comes in).
Naruto lives in a 'hidden' ninja village, lead by an elite ninja known as the Hokage (fire shadow). Orphaned at birth, and given a burden that makes him the village pariah, the story follows Naruto's development from annoying bottom-of-the-class brat, to someone who is determined to protect his new-found friends and become acknowledged by those living in his hometown. The latest movie installment (out in cinemas in Japan in July) seems to throw the characters into an alternate timeline, where history has taken a very different path and the characters within have developed in different ways. If anything, it'll be a good departure from the main storyline which currently is embroiled in an all-out war between the allied ninja villages (previously enemies and tentative allies) and big bads wanting to rule over the world in order to create their own version of a peaceful world.
Studio Ghibli's latest release is an adaptation of 'The Borrowers'. There isn't really much else to say other than it is another stunning and awesome release by an animation studio that has released some great adaptations and originals such as 'The Tales of Earthsea', 'Howl's Moving Castle', 'Spirited Away', 'Ponyo', and 'Princess Mononoke'. The English language casting is, once again, brilliant and the animation beautiful.
Another of my favourite anime/manga series is being released as a live action film this year! Rurouni Kenshin follows the story of former assassin Kenshin as he settles into an era where the reign of the samurai is over. Set in the Meiji era of Japanese history (19th century), Kenshin is a wandering swordsman who helped bring about the political and societal changes but now attempts to atone for his past actions. In his travels, he meets Kaoru, an heiress of a school of swordsmanship that is facing difficulties due to a so-called legendary assassin claiming he was a student of the school. Definately cannot wait to see it!
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