Nostalgia-Dragonball Z

Lately, having been swept by a wave of nostalgia, I became curious in shows that I liked as a kid. Were they really as good as I remembered them, or as bad as I remembered them? I decided to rewatch some of these shows to see if my opinion of them has changed since I was a kid.

Cars 2

As far as animation companies go, Pixar is possibly the most highly acclaimed. Their films are unique, well written and true examples of films for all ages. At its best, Pixar is sublime and meaningful, with powerful messages, beautiful and inspiring animation, and great casts of characters. At its worst, it's still entertaining and fun, with great animation with likeable characters. If that's the worst you can do, it's still pretty impressive.

Admittingly, I was disappointed when I heard that they were making a new Cars film. Pixar has only made sequels to one film of theirs, while it seemed like every single other studio was milking their franchises for all they were worth. I didn't want to see Pixar join in. I'm sick to death of sequels and adaptations. I want to see original films. However, with a Monsters Inc sequel in the makings, and even a possible Toy Story 4, it appears that Pixar is joining in the parade of endless sequels. And it's a real shame. Pixar has made it clear that you don't need to constantly make sequels to make money.

Let's be honest here, Cars 2 is not the greatest film ever made by Pixar. Not even close. That doesn't mean it's a bad film though. The idea of a world entirely inhabited by cars and other vehicles is ridiculous, and raises some horrifying questions if you think too much about it, questions that are never addressed of course. Absolutely nothing would change if the characters were humans rather than cars. It’s made even more ridiculous when international politics and espionage is introduced into the mix. It is a good marketing ploy though, and it’s hard to deny that Cars has made a bunch of money through merchandising, possibly only topped by Toy Story. In terms of making money, Cars 2 was a good idea. Of course, if there’s anything reviewers and critics hate, its obvious ploys to make money. Because, you know, people shouldn’t try to make money out of movies, especially when they do it for a living. And that’s what Cars 2 feels like.

Out of all the obvious ploys to make money however, Cars 2 is probably one of the most enjoyable. Yeah, it’s not the most intelligent movie out there, but it knows that. It’s not trying to be. It’s an affectionate parody of spy films, and you really get the feel that everyone involved was having fun making the film. The villains are at their hammiest, overplaying the stereotypical villains, and the British agents are every secret agent stereotype imaginable, down to the ridiculous array of hidden weapons and technology decades ahead of its time. I can imagine how they came up with this movie:
“So let’s make a second Cars movie. It’ll make a lot of money. In fact, we already know it’ll be a box office hit, so let’s do whatever the hell we want. What do you guys wanna do?”
“Well, I loved James Bond when I was a kid, let’s make something like that.”
“Dude, James Bond is freaking rad! Do it!”
It really does feel like everyone involved is just having a blast, and when everyone involved is obviously having so much fun, it’s hard not to enjoy it along with them.

The greatest thing about this movie is definitely the animation. One of the greatest strengths of the original Cars was how beautifully they depicted the American Southwest, and this sequel takes it beyond that. The international setting allows the animators to pull out all the stops, and the backgrounds are lush and gorgeous, filled not only with famous landmarks, and lovely details. Porto Cosso is a beautiful depiction of the Italian countryside, with its crumbling buildings and their architectural details, and probably the loveliest setting of the film. Japan is a dizzyingly crowded and bright, full of neon lights, posters with big eyed cars, saturated in technology but with a tinge of the traditional, with the kabuki theater and geisha girls. Buckingham Palace is beautifully rendered, and the brief time spent in the Radiator Springs and France is lovely as well. The background is endlessly great to look at, beautiful and even breathtaking.

It may be one of the weakest of Pixar films, but it’s still a great film. The backgrounds are filled with eye candy for anyone who loves rural settings, ancient architecture, urban landmarks and futuristic modern architecture. It’s apparent that despite being a money making ploy, everyone involved really did put effort into it, and enjoyed every minute of working on the film. And that kind of obvious effort and enjoyment is hard not to respect or like. It’s a great ride, and a fun film that is worth the time.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai

Lots of spoilers ahead.

Ano Hana is the story of a group of friends, who drifted apart after their group was struck by tragedy; the death of one of their closest friends, Menma. One day, several years after her death, Jintan, the "leader" of the group, has dropped out of school and become a recluse, and is suddenly able to see Menma. At first he believes she's a hallucination, but comes to believe that she is real, and that she won't leave until her wish is granted, a wish that she herself cannot remember.

This was the best anime I saw from Spring 2011. From the very first episode, I almost constantly cried. I cried because it was painful, because it was tragic, because it moved every fiber of my being. I laughed through my tears, and smiled despite the pain. Every emotion that was felt by the characters, I felt it too. Every tear matched my own.

Despite the fact that it constantly breaks your heart, it is also a feel good series. Yes, it's a story of tragedy, of a little girls death, and the constant guilt over it, but it goes beyond that, moving us through every stage of grief, until at last, we can move on past the pain and smile once again.

Every one of the characters feels responsible for the death of Menma, and they all deal with it in different ways. All of them put up big walls between themselves and others, all becoming very distant from the world. Jintan becomes a shut in, Anaru relies on others to shape how she dresses, expresses herself and spends her time, maybe in order to ignore the massive guilt she feels. Yukiatsu and Tsuruko immerse themselves in studying, and Yukiatsu begins cross-dressing as a way to feel closer to Menma. Possibly the one most affected by Menma's death was Poppo, because he actually saw her die and was unable to help her. He puts on a brave face and travels the world, trying to escape from the sight of her drowning in the river, but he keeps finding himself pulled back to the place he last saw her.

However, Jintan seeing Menma again sparks a revival of the group, even though they don't exactly believe him until near the end of the series. They begin hanging out again, using their old nicknames and realize that they hadn't actually changed as much as they thought, but come to realize that their fixation on Menma isn't healthy, and that they need to move on.

At its heart, this is the point of the series. Menma's mother most clearly exemplifies this, having become so fixated on her dead daughter that she practically ignores her own son. After seeing her is when they most clearly realize how dangerous it is to fixate on the dead, and begin working hard to grant Menma's wish so that she can pass on. Menma realizes that her presence is causing problems as well, and gets extremely upset when they go to see her mother, because all she wants is her mother to move on with her life.

The last episode is one of the most moving moments in anime I have ever seen. From when everyone admits the real reason that they wanted Menma to pass on, and everyone sobs like little kids, to right before Menma moves on and everyone gets one last chance to see her and talk directly to her again, the entire episode moves you completely, and fills you with peace, at finally seeing them make peace with their guilt and move on from their grief.

Yes, it does get contrived at times. It's crazy to think that someone would be in love with the same person from childhood to their teen years. The love triangle at the center of the group gets to be pretty ridiculous, but that's the point. From the death of a loved one, to rejection from the one you love, you need to learn how to move past that. You can't live trapped in a single moment of your life; you have to move forward and have new experiences, love new people and break new hearts. Because that's what makes you alive.

This is an anime I want everyone to see. For every person who's trapped in a cycle of guilt and shame, who feels their life had stopped at a single moment, this series reminds us that life continues on past death, and that we need to accept it. And one day, it won't hurt so much anymore, and will be nothing more than memories, bittersweet memories. And that's okay.