surreal anime

[perigee]

One variety of anime I've always found interesting is that with strong elements of surrealism. To borrow from the wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism) definition[ QUOTE ]

Surrealism is a cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement oriented toward the liberation of the mind by emphasizing the critical and imaginative faculties of the "unconscious mind" and the attainment of a state different from, "more than", and ultimately "truer" than everyday reality

[/ QUOTE ]It's the kind of anime that makes you think beyond the immediate story and symbolism on a more abstract level.

Reading the Help! discussion brought to mind some of the more well known titles. Utena is an obvious choice with its transformation and dreamstate sequences. Melody of Oblivion falls into the same category. Cat Soup is perhaps the most ultra-surrealistic anime ever, with its nightmarish depictions and stream of consciousness motif. Haibane, Lain and Kinos Journey also qualify for having strong and recurring surrealistic imagery and themes.

Can anyone name other anime that fall in this category? A lot of works use surrealistic style or conventions, but I'm looking for stories which have a strong focus or underlying elements based on the subconscious.

[chloes_fork]

[ QUOTE ]
perigee said:
I'm looking for stories which have a strong focus or underlying elements based on the subconscious.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'd say Paranoia Agent would fit the bill, as would Kon's earlier Perfect Blue. Probably Boogiepop Phantom as well.

[ohtori_akio]

I'd say the last two eps of Berserk definitely fit the bill.

Saint Seiya Movie 5 has a strong dreamlike and surreal element to it.

Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer also does the trick.

But as you said Utena takes the cake, especially the wonderful movie!

[itsuka]

Old hat, I guess, but the last episodes of the Neon Genesis Evangelion (the TV series, not the movies) qualify in my book. RahXephon isn't too bad either. Now that I think about it, Gasaraki and Fafner also qualify a little. Guess it goes well with angsty teenage conspiracy mecha series.

The Big O, especially the second series, comes to mind, though that one isn't as obvious at first.

Much as I hate it, FLCL probably qualifies. Maybe. And Excel Saga definitely tries at times.

Another one bordering on such issues is Kino's Journey, or Texhnolyze.

And I guess Please Save My Earth and Ceres the Celestial Legend qualify more or less because of their reincarnation theme, at least making the question of whose life is more real very pressing for the characters.

Ghost in the Shell, both movie and TV series ask a lot of questions about reality and the state of the mind.

[Njr Scrawl]

Angel's Egg & Wind of Hermes are both in that category.

I also found "Tenchi in Love" movie surreal in its setting.

Some of Evangelion TV, EoE & the historical + final episodes of Gasaraki have surreality.

[perigee]

[ QUOTE ]
shounen kakumei akio said:
Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer also does the trick.

[/ QUOTE ]
Heh, forgot that one [sorry, Lum /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif]. I've avoided most of the recommended series because of genre, but knowing about this aspect may persuade me to at least check them out.

[frijoles]

Spring and Chaos - Directed by Shoji Kawamori, animated biography of Kenji Miyazawa, a famous Japanese poet. Highly recommended.

Labyrinth - the first of three on anthology Neo-Tokyo released by ADV. Directed by Rintaro, about a girl and her cat. Very sureal.

Angel's Egg - directed by Mamoru Oshii. There is no R1 DVD but the R2 would be easy to follow with a script.

[Darkseid]

Hmmm.... what hasn't been mentioned yet?

Night on the Galactic Railroad
Phoenix 2772
Robot Carnival
Neo-Tokyo (Manie-Manie Labyrinth Tales)
Katsuhiro Otomo's Memories

[JackProton]

Beyond what has already been mentioned, I would add:
Soul Taker
Le Portrait de Petite Cossette
Shamanic Princess
Kakurenbo: Hide & Seek
Requiem from the Darkness
I'm Gonna Be An Angel

And perhaps:
R.O.D.
Jubei Chan
Nurse Witch Komugi
Dead Leaves

[GanChan]

Hare+Guu fits the description for me. Heck, just the inside of Guu's STOMACH fits that description for me....

[ QUOTE ]
GanChan said:
Hare+Guu fits the description for me. Heck, just the inside of Guu's STOMACH fits that description for me....

[/ QUOTE ]

I love how she already knows how to use the whole "public" and "private" face to her advantage. But still...

She scares me... /images/graemlins/depresse.gif

[BonnKansan]

Tamala 2010 is like Cat Soup stretched out to feature length. With a weirder mix of animation styles. And spoken (but equally surreal) dialogue. Only available on R2 DVD I think, it showed in a few theaters in the U.S. a year or so ago (I saw at a convention). What a serious mind f&^* /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif.

[Captain Impulse]

Memories - more specifically the first "episode", Magnetic Rose
Le Portrait de Petite Cossette
Voices of a Distant Star
The Place Promised in Our Early Days
Haibane-Renmei
Gankutsuou

[pianocello]

Eureka 7

[gpn]

Yukikaze

[aquapermanence]

Blame is pretty surreal, although I don't know how much it differs from the tone of the manga.

Studio 4C has put out a lot of very surreal short movies and OVAs, few if any of which are licensed. Some that spring to mind are Comedy, The Diary of Tortov Roddle, and Glass Ocean. Many of their works use the fairy-tale or storybook style to show highly imaginative settings rendered with deceptive simplicity.

A couple others to mention would be Makoto Shinkai's The Place Promised in Our Early Days and Mamoru Oshii's Angel's Egg. Both are very slow, quiet movies that use very lavish backgrounds to create their atmospheres.

[Damaramu]

Not certain if this would fit the vibe you're after, but perhaps Princess Tutu could be a contender?

NeiA_7 also comes to mind as quietly oddball but with a reason behind it.
For some reason i can't identify, i get the feeling Alien Nine would also be a good title to recommend here...

Although i'll have to rewatch this one to come to terms with it, i got a bit of a vague uneasy impression while watching Giant Robo that there was more to it than i understood...but trying to wrap my head around 'surrealism' in the shows i've watched probably has me seeing spots of it everywhere.

[perigee]

Of the titles mentioned, I already have or plan to get

Shamanic Princess - backlog
I'm Gonna Be An Angel - backlog
R.O.D. - seemed like straight scifi
FLCL - seemed like straight scifi/fantasy
Kino's Journey - agree
Ceres the Celestial Legend - backlog
Tenchi in Love movie - hmm, must rewatch
Memories - on wishlist
Voices of a Distant Star - seemed like straight scifi
The Place Promised in Our Early Days - dunno, should discuss in GA
Haibane-Renmei - agree
Yukikaze - couldn't get past volume 1 /images/graemlins/depresse.gif
Princess Tutu - can't say until I finish

Thanks for all the help! I'll definitely be checking out some of the R1 licensed titles. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[Isuzu Inugami]

My Dear Marie (not to be confused with My Beautiful Girl Mari, of which I know nothing) is a three ep OAV, the first two of which are fairly straightforward comedy/romance. The third has robot Marie getting an upgrade so she can dream, and things get very strange. It sounds like what you're looking for (plus it's a fun little show).

[EWD]

[ QUOTE ]
perigee said:
Of the titles mentioned, I already have or plan to get

Shamanic Princess - backlog
I'm Gonna Be An Angel - backlog
R.O.D. - seemed like straight scifi
FLCL - seemed like straight scifi/fantasy
Kino's Journey - agree
Ceres the Celestial Legend - backlog
Tenchi in Love movie - hmm, must rewatch
Memories - on wishlist
Voices of a Distant Star - seemed like straight scifi
The Place Promised in Our Early Days - dunno, should discuss in GA
Haibane-Renmei - agree
Yukikaze - couldn't get past volume 1 /images/graemlins/depresse.gif
Princess Tutu - can't say until I finish

Thanks for all the help! I'll definitely be checking out some of the R1 licensed titles. /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

No love for Boogiepop Phantom? It ranks top in surreal anime series in my book, but I realize many people have trouble with the non-linear story telling. It seems people either love the series or hate it.

Also, I may have missed it, but I don't think anyone mentioned Millennium Actress, another favorite of mine.

[amaneaux]

I'd have to say Arjuna.

[Nani]

Serial Experiments Lain, which I'll describe as an existential cybergeeks drug trip.

A good one though.

Edit-Forgot Perfect Blue, what a great movie.

[theworld]

Here's a whole list of 'em.

1.) Perfect Blue
2.) Paranoia Agent
3.) Millenium Actress
4.) Serial Experiments Lain
5.) Revolutionary Girl Utena
6.) Neon Genesis Evangelion
7.) Texhnolyze (spelling?)
8.) Le Portrait de Petite Cossette

[joelgundam01]

[ QUOTE ]
EWD said:


No love for Boogiepop Phantom?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was wondering when someone was going to mention Boogiepop Phantom.

BTW, I really enjoyed that series. If you enjoyed Lain, then you'll enjoy Boogiepop.

[pianocello]

Sousei no Aquarion

[chloes_fork]

[ QUOTE ]
joelgundam01 said:
[ QUOTE ]
EWD said:


No love for Boogiepop Phantom?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was wondering when someone was going to mention Boogiepop Phantom.

[/ QUOTE ]
Post #2 in the thread. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[EmperorBrandon]

Probably one that gets overlooked, since many find the prequel OVA series (which is not particularly surreal) more notable, is Magic User's Club TV. There is a lot of stuff in the series that fits that definition particularly well and even a whole dream episode in there (one of my absolute favorites). Opinions seem to vary on the TV series, particularly with what people expect from the OVA series (I like both in their own way), but if you're looking for surreal aspects you might enjoy this series. Watching the OVA series first is recommended, but if you got the series through the most economical means (the box set), you'll have both anyway.

[joelgundam01]

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
[ QUOTE ]
joelgundam01 said:
[ QUOTE ]
EWD said:


No love for Boogiepop Phantom?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was wondering when someone was going to mention Boogiepop Phantom.

[/ QUOTE ]
Post #2 in the thread. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

OMG! I can't believe I overlooked that. I read every post in this thread too.

[perigee]

[ QUOTE ]
EmperorBrandon said:
Probably one that gets overlooked, since many find the prequel OVA series (which is not particularly surreal) more notable, is Magic User's Club TV. There is a lot of stuff in the series that fits that definition particularly well and even a whole dream episode in there (one of my absolute favorites). Opinions seem to vary on the TV series, particularly with what people expect from the OVA series (I like both in their own way), but if you're looking for surreal aspects you might enjoy this series. Watching the OVA series first is recommended, but if you got the series through the most economical means (the box set), you'll have both anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]
I just finished the Magic Box and while I found it quite entertaining, I'd classify both series as comedy. There are surreal aspects to them, as in the dream episode you mention, but that alone makes the categorization very broad and encompasses too many other general anime. If the show had ended with a flashback episode revealing that none of the earlier events ever took place, it might better fit my criteria. BTW, I thought the TV series did quite well in recovering from the abrupt ending of the OVAs which seemed the result of running low on time/budget.

Speaking to some of the other suggestions with which I'm familiar - Boogiepop Phantom may indeed qualify for surrealism, but the broadcast episodes I've seen failed to capture my interest. I'm not a major fan of "dark and moody" or psychological horror. As for Arjuna [cringing], it's buried in the deepest recess of my anime archive. /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif I do own My Dear Marie and don't recall the surreal being a dominant part, but it may be time for a rewatch. Know of any shows that lean toward dadaism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadaism), i.e., the deliberately irrational and random?

[chloes_fork]

[ QUOTE ]
perigee said:
Boogiepop Phantom may indeed qualify for surrealism, but the broadcast episodes I've seen failed to capture my interest. I'm not a major fan of "dark and moody" or psychological horror. As for Arjuna [cringing], it's buried in the deepest recess of my anime archive. /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Makes mental note: perigee and I have very different tastes. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[perigee]

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Makes mental note: perigee and I have very different tastes. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
No doubt. I observe that in an earlier thread you said you like several of "Kaleido Star, His and Her Circumstances, Noir, Azumanga Daioh, Fruits Basket and Haibane Renmei, and Rahxephon", so I guess there may be some overlap, though. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[JackProton]

[ QUOTE ]
perigee said:
Know of any shows that lean toward dadaism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadaism), i.e., the deliberately irrational and random?

[/ QUOTE ]

The first Jubei Chan series which includes, for example, a joke based on a Dumas novel - <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>Man in the Iron Mask</span> - combined with a certain Duchamp ready-made object.

[AmericanBeauty]

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
[ QUOTE ]
perigee said:
Boogiepop Phantom may indeed qualify for surrealism, but the broadcast episodes I've seen failed to capture my interest. I'm not a major fan of "dark and moody" or psychological horror. As for Arjuna [cringing], it's buried in the deepest recess of my anime archive. /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Makes mental note: perigee and I have very different tastes. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Ditto. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[jaylee]

i'll 4th... or 5th le Portrait de Petite Cossette.

[Yukino Miyazawa]

[ QUOTE ]
perigee said:
Know of any shows that lean toward dadaism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadaism), i.e., the deliberately irrational and random?

[/ QUOTE ]
These shows are really random and kind of nonsensical:

BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBo
Super Milk-Chan
Di Gi Charat (the original TV series)

[Teiresias]

Azumanga Daioh?***runs***

[Chloe]

Well, so far as what I have seen, Cat Soup is the clear winner, though Lain tries reeeeeeal hard. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Now Teiresias, it is odd you mention Azumanga; I've yet to see the show, but I just saw a preview the other day, and that little scene where the brainy young girl takes off her pony-tails and puts a different pair on made my brain twitch, ever so slightly. I'm hoping there is a lot more of that in the show actually. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

Night on the Galactic Railroad deserves a second mention. That one is a nice quiet ride to mind**** station, thank you. Actually made me break into tears at one point, and I'm still not even sure WHY. Definitely surreal in large part.

Cowboy Bebop the movie had a decent amount of this; this TV series had a bit too, but not enough to make it worth watching just for this.

I might be the only one who thinks this way, but .hack//sign was surreal in parts for me. Virtually surreal I should say? /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

Pet Shop of Horrors has a couple good episodes. There might be something in the Vampire Princess Miyu franchise worth looking at. A Wind Named Amnesia sure TRIED to be surreal, and Kai doh Maru looked surreal, but really wasn't.

[perigee]

[ QUOTE ]
Teiresias said:
Azumanga Daioh?***runs***

[/ QUOTE ]
I think azudai may be one anime that goes on every recommendation list. The opening and ending alone qualify it as surreal. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[ohtori_akio]

I don't know if anyone will agree with me about this but I think Sailor Moon Super S fits the bill with the strange relationship with Chibi Moon and Pegasus as well as the dream element. Sailor Moon, to me, works in surreal ways in many seasons but that one seems to be the strongest in this regard.

[JackProton]

[ QUOTE ]
Kingmole said:
Now Teiresias, it is odd you mention Azumanga; I've yet to see the show,


[/ QUOTE ]
Doooooo-ude! This is like mentioning forgetting to feed the dog for 2 days.

[ QUOTE ]

but I just saw a preview the other day, and that little scene where the brainy young girl takes off her pony-tails and puts a different pair on made my brain twitch, ever so slightly. I'm hoping there is a lot more of that in the show actually. /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif


[/ QUOTE ]
Much more. Much, much more. [insert insane cackle here] /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Chloe]

JackProton: I know, I know, it's not for lack of interest, trust me. Considering how much I liked stuff like Excel and Haunted Junction, I'm sure Azumanga is going to be a favorite. it's just this little problem of finishing UY that is like a sinkhole so far as available funds go. I'm putting off GitS 2nd Gig and Eva too, among other titles I still want to see. I had a feeling I was catching up on all the older series I wanted, until I fell into that money pit. /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif

Just one more possible for the surreal list: Spirited Away? I forgot to mention that one last night, but for sure there were quite a few minutes in that show where I just sat back with my eyeballs popping the first time I saw it. There is a LOT of blurring between fantasy and reality going on in that movie.

[DKL]

Cromartie High School...

Yeah, like a hazy dream full of badasses

[Minuit]

You should keep an eye out for the xxxHOLiC movie when it comes out. Admittedly, I watched it raw, which didn't really help with the whole making sense thing, but I do think it would fit the bill quite well. The visuals are certainly surreal enough; the dreamlike quality of the mansion where most of the story takes place reminds me of the Utena movie in some respects.

[Shsway]

Hmmm. Doesn't Cardcaptor Sakura qualify on some level? Not the entire series for sure, but there are a handful of hazy, dreamy (literally) moments in this. The first movie has some fairly strong examples too. It's not an overpowering element for this particular franchise, like it is for most of the others mentioned in the thread, but still...

[DKL]

...

I was actually planning to mention that at one point, but sort of hesitated &gt;_&gt;

[perigee]

I have a hard time classifying Cardcaptor Sakura as surreal, though like many magical tales it draws upon fantastic imagery and underlying mystery. Despite the occasional bizarre scene and story line, it somehow feels grounded in reality - at least a mahou shoujo kind of reality.

Last night I watched two shorts on the Spirit of Wonder disc that I would unhesitatingly call surreal. A character named Miss China is spun off from the main series and featured in a couple mini-episodes. She's the hot-tempered owner of a Chinese restaurant who is used occasionally for fanservice and comic relief. In The Shrinking of Miss China she is reduced to microscopic proportions after being caught in a mad scientist's shrinking ray. Then after traversing a landscape of light and shadow and blurry moving shapes, she suddenly becomes gigantic and bursts through the roof. There are a lot of other Alice in Wonderland allusions thrown in for good measure.

Even more remarkable is Planet of Miss China in which the scientist invents something called a reflective space telescope that looks suspiciously like a planetarium projector. It "reflects space itself to create a symmetric image of Mars". In other words, it allows people to travel to the red planet without leaving the earth. One unworldly event follows another until the most incredible scene occurs involving Miss China in a fight with the vomit-monster, a grotesque blue blob festooned with whiskey bottles, created by the upchucking scientist. Quite a ride! /images/graemlins/stunned0.gif