The time is out of joint. O Cursed Spite, that ever I was born to set it right!

Being an otaku is an extra fun thing when you're an English major. There are quite a few titles out there that borrow heavily from great literature, or reinvent well-known plotlines like Romeo and Juliet or Arabian Nights for the anime format. Knowing this, I'm rather surprised it took me so long to get around to watching Zetsuen no Tempest, which incorporates not one but TWO Shakespeare titles into its framework: tragedy Hamlet and comedy The Tempest. One wouldn't think pairing these titles would create something cohesive, since they are very different in nature. Hamlet focuses on a young prince who swears revenge on his uncle for killing his father, and The Tempest centers on the schemes of a sorcerer trapped on an island as he punishes the brother who deposed him and brings together two young lovers, Ferdinand and Miranda.

However, Zetsuen no Tempest makes several themes in these two titles gel together as best as they can. Zetsuen focuses on two young men, Mahiro and Yoshino, who align themselves with a young princess and mage named Hakaze who has been stranded on an island by her clansman, Samon. Hakaze's magic is created through the sacrifice of physical objects created by mankind, and since her lonely island has no such products of civilization, she cannot exercise her magic to free herself. Instead, she carves two wooden dolls and sets one adrift, a type of basic magic used to communicate over distance. As luck (or divine favor) would have it, the doll reaches the hands of Mahiro, who quickly takes the princess up on her offer to grant his wish in exchange for his help. Mahiro's younger step-sister Aika was recently brutally murdered in a home robbery, and lack of evidence prevented her murderer from being brought to justice. If Hakaze can find her murderer, Mahiro vows to help her stop whatever Samon is plotting.

Hakaze, Yoshino, Mahiro, and Aika

Mahiro's friend Yoshino also has a reason for helping. Unbeknownst to Mahiro, he was dating Aika in secret and was deeply in love with her. He realizes vengeance will not bring her back, so he decides to follow Mahiro to make sure he truly works to help Hakaze and save the world rather than simply single-mindedly chasing justice without a thought as to who gets hurt in the process.

The relationships between Mahiro, Yoshino, and Aika initially set up the basis for the Hamlet comparisons. Mahiro serves as Hamlet himself, a hot headed youth seeking revenge at any cost. He frequently quotes one of Hamlet's popular lines "The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right" in reference to the fact that he feels the logic of the world has been disturbed not only through the conflict between Hakaze and Samon, but through Aika's senseless murder. Interestingly enough, Mahiro also can be seen as Laertes, the brother of Ophelia. Aika, the seemingly innocent woman brought to a tragic death, has quite a bit in common with Ophelia in the beginning, particularly considering that she is torn between the love of her brother (which for Mahiro's part is romantic love) and the affection of her lover (in which case Yoshino becomes the Hamlet figure). Yoshino realizes Mahiro was in love with Aika, but frequently states, in the words of Hamlet, "40,000 brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum."

The murdered Aika. What brought her to this fate?

Of course, all of this is a conflict stewing under the surface. The main issue is that the Kusaribe clan to which Hakaze and Samon belong is wrapped up in a potentially lethal conflict. Hakaze adheres to the clan's deity, the Tree of Genesis, which maintains the logic in the world and grants its followers magic in exchange for material sacrifices. However, Samon and the rest of the clan betray the Tree and attempt to revive a rival deity, the Tree of Exodus, for unknown reasons. Their rituals to wake the Tree of Exodus spread the "Kurogane Syndrome," which turns everyone in the area of their rituals to black iron unless they are protected by the talismans of the Kusaribe clan. This initially is thought to be a curse originating within the Tree of Exodus, but is later learned to be an action on the part of the Tree of Genesis to stop its rival.

Hakaze may want the best for the world, but is
her path the right one?

The real battle is not so straightforward as anyone thinks. The loyalties of all the main characters undergo a transformation throughout the anime as they learn more about the natures of both Trees and where the greatest level of risk lies. As they decide upon the best way to act in regards to two rival Trees as well as the murder of Aika, the plot of The Tempest, one of Aika's favorite books, is added to the equation. Like Hamlet, it is a tale of revenge, but it is one that does not end in tragedy for any of the characters involved. The characters, particularly Yoshino, view The Tempest as a way of remembering that there can be more than one ending, and that fighting on behalf of someone like Aika does not have to bring about more tragedy.

Zetsuen no Tempest is a great show on several levels. It is not only very intelligent in its plot, but also incredibly emotional. The love triangle between Mahiro, Yoshino, and Aika is made even more powerful by flashbacks to Yoshino and Aika when they were going out, during which both characters show a deep and very emotionally mature relationship. The flashbacks also include meaningful communication between Mahiro and Aika, the by-marriage siblings. Though Mahiro was in love with Aika, he did not realize it before he died. She most likely did, but the real beauty in their relationship is their love as siblings, even though it was laden with unrealized tensions on Mahiro's part. It is later revealed that Aika was very much touched that they were able to have such a strong relationship given the fact that most people she knew were afraid of her (SPOILER: because of her powers as the mage of Exodus).

Trees ruin everything. Just ask Tales of Symphonia!

There is also a fair balance of plot and action in this title. However, there is a stretch of episodes following a SINGLE CONVERSATION, and the show is suspenseful and sharp enough to make the whole dialogue interesting. In fact, this intellectual and tactical debate between Mahiro, Yoshino, Hakaze, and Samon is great in part because it allows the viewer to take part and try to puzzle out themselves how their battle can be won without sacrificing the world and Hakaze in the process.  

The Shakespearean inclusions were also very well-done. Hamlet and The Tempest don't usually draw enough parallels to make a comparison strong enough to fill a 24-episode series, but the writers hone in on the true union of themes found in the fact that conflict does not have to end in tragedy. Having Aika as the character who draws and eventually spreads this understanding is also wise; though younger than both Yoshino and Mahiro, her emotional maturity is what leads to them to think and act more wisely as the story progresses.

Aika is already deceased when the story begins, but her life has far reaching consequences

As a female viewer, I also was moved by the characterizations of both Aika and Hakaze. Though Hakaze is a bit of a mess in the second half of the story when she falls in love with Yoshino, I was pleased by her leadership and wisdom throughout the series. One of the best scenes in the entire story is when she and Aika share the screen when the truth of Aika's death comes to light. I've never been more confused about which characters' views I stood behind in my life when it came to Aika vs. Hakaze.

Unlike Aika, she doesn't manage to stay cool as a cucumber when in love

If you love thinking while watching an anime, watch this title. It is excellently written, smart, suspenseful, and incredibly emotional and beautiful. There is action, romance, fantasy/sci-fi, non black-and-white morality, and Shakespeare! What more could you want? It's been awhile since I tackled a series where I simply could not stop watching, so I highly recommend this title for some brain food anime to sneak in before fall season starts! 

Lost in Translation: Androgyny in CLAMP's RG Veda and Wish

"I, you, he, she, it, we, you, and they." The eight pronouns of the English language which every grade school grammar student has drilled into his or her head as they begin to master the language. Each of the eight do their fair share of assuring that referring to oneself and others is a simple task without much complication, but these pronouns do hit a roadblock when it comes to the word "it." The English language forgoes gendering objects like other European languages such as French, so "It" is our genderless pronoun, the one that stands in the place of numerous objects, abstract ideas, intangibles,  etc. Even things that do have gender-- a squirrel on the side of the road, for example-- receive the "it" treatment for convenience.

But the usefulness of "it" as a genderless pronoun falls short when the matter of politeness is considered. Pet owners hate having their dogs and cats referred to as "it," and as long as the pet's name and gender is known, they'll be affronted if their beloved Sofia isn't given the dignity of being a "she." Naturally, it would be even ruder to refer to a human being with an androgynous appearance as "it." "It" does not designate a lack of knowledge of gender or even a lack of gender altogether; rather, it has come to differentiate between living and non-living, human and non-human.

While this is not a problem unique to English, many other languages have circumvented it through truly genderless pronouns. Fans of Japanese yaoi and yuri are probably familiar with scenes where the main character is referring to their same-sex partner among friends and can carry off the entire conversation using genderless pronouns to leave everyone thinking the relationship is heterosexual. This always comes off a bit odd in the translated versions. A uke, for example, will be shown complaining about his boyfriend, clearly using phrases like "I don't understand him" or "I wish he wouldn't be so clingy," and the person he is talking to will rejoin with "Your girlfriend sounds really difficult." ("Well, actually he's a guy" will inevitably cross the uke's internal thoughts.)

Sounds convenient? Genderless pronouns are a great tool, and are often used quite cleverly in manga and anime, particularly yaoi and yuri. But when it comes to translation, "it" once again falls short as a replacement. A little vagueness in gender can work here and there in English, but when a human character transcends gender completely, how can the English language compensate for it?

Enter CLAMP, our favorite sadistic lady mangaka and mistresses of gender fluidity. CLAMP has always loved the notion of androgyny, as evidenced by the physical appearances in their collection of bishounens. Subaru Sumeragi of Tokyo Babylon is a dead ringer for his twin sis Hokuto until he grows up a little in X, and X's Kakyou is so feminine that he ends up passed off as a woman in the translated Tokyo Arc of the animated Tsubasa. But while the appearances of these men embrace femininity, their gender itself is not in question. The true puzzles of CLAMP androgyny are the ones whose gender is unresolved: RG Veda's Ashura, Wish's Kohaku and Hisui, X's Nataku, and so on.

Kohaku of Wish

While Nataku's gender is openly discussed in X  due to it being a result  of a project to create an artificial being to replace a man's deceased daughter, characters like Ashura, Kohaku, and Hisui are assigned genders by the translators (TOKYOPOP) without any discrepancies further elaborated on. North American fans know Ashura as "he" and Kohaku and Hisui as "she," and without a little further examination of the Japanese originals, they may be unaware of the circumstances which makes these gender assignments false.

Of course, faulting the translators is hard. Under the constraints of the English language, I can't even manage this blog post without giving these characters gendered pronouns for the sake of convenience, and covering a whole manga would be even more difficult. Del-Ray/Kodansha managed to leave Ashura genderless in the Shara/Shura arc of Tsubasa, but professional translators and fan translators alike have struggled with dealing with the genderless main characters.

Some argue that "he" is somewhat of a universal pronoun, and that terms such as "mankind" or "policemen" are umbrella words that still include women. However, when the eyes see "he," the mind is already filled with connotations of masculinity based on how we've come to associate the word. God, for example, is supposed to transcend gender, but since we use "He" to describe God, we more often than not view him as a masculine being with masculine traits. God is a father to us before he is a mother, and the language we use in regards to Him is in part responsible for that. Even if a reader knows Ashura's background before picking up RG Veda, the presence of the masculine "he" will still change the way he is read as a character.

But why does it matter? The plots of RG Veda and Wish can both be enjoyed without bringing the issue of gender identity into it, and Ashura, Hisui, and Kohaku associate well enough with their assigned genders that a casual reader would hardly be confused by them. Even more importantly, the three characters come along with plenty of roadblocks to make romance a complication, and that alone helps them fit into CLAMP's style of writing about nontraditional relationships. Why is the subtraction of the androgyny factor such an issue when the complex natures of characters like Ashura, Kohaku, and Hisui are revealed in other ways?            

A "he" or a "she"?

RG Veda's Ashura and Yasha

To get a better grasp on the issue, it's important to look at how CLAMP chose to include gender identity issues with these three characters, especially since the translated manga tend to factor these details out. In the case of Ashura, the lack of gender is due to a curse on the Ashura clan. The young Ashura is foretold to be a god who will bring calamity and destruction upon the heavens, and as such,  he is considered a blight to the clan. As due punishment, Ashura is born genderless, assuring that upon the destruction of the Ashura clan, he will remain the last of his line. The character of Ashura is defined by a battle with fate and its supposed inevitability, and the absence of gender as well as his nature as the remains of a destroyed clan keep his role mutable up until the dramatic conclusion. He embodies both feminine and masculine, and has inclinations both war-like and nurturing. The question of which side of himself will manifest in the long term keeps the reader wondering to the very end, and the fact that the conclusion features Ashura as both a merciless war-God (in destroying the heavens) and a loving sacrifice (in protecting Yasha) reveals that the duality of his nature isn't something he is meant to perfectly overcome.

Kohaku and Hisui are themselves intentionally mutable beings as angels, transcending gender and human limitations much like the heavenly beings of the Bible are meant to do. Contrary to human societies which emphasize gender in determining how one ought to behave, angels are collectivized simply by being angels, and any divisiveness is caused by those who reject that nature in favor of the world of humans or demons, much like Kohaku and Hisui do. In any case, the original Japanese version brings this up frequently, especially since Shuichiro's grandfather continually assumes Kohaku is a woman. Kohaku responds in the negative to each of these gender assumptions, but doesn't bother pressing the point seriously.

This naturally leads to a few additional questions. If Kobato was an angel, is she genderless as well despite very obviously associating feminine in Kobato? As a demon, is Kokuyo from Wish also without gender? And what about the ame-warashi and zashiki-warashi inxxxHolic?

In regards to Kobato, she is the product of two lives merging together: that of an angel and that of a human woman. Unlike Kohaku and Hisui, she was from the beginning intended to live her life as a human being in order to complete her mission, and it's only natural that she would be given a gender accordingly. As for characters such as Kokuyo and the spirits of xxxHolic, mutability is less of an issue since they possess gender identity, or a willingness to associate with one gender over another. What sets Ashura, Kohaku, and Hisui apart is a fluidity of identity and a character which resists definition under limiting terms.

  

A different kind of love

As I mentioned earlier, CLAMP is all about questioning a narrow definition of love. Nearly all of their manga feature leading couples who are in some way nontraditional. CLAMP School Detectives and Suki feature age gaps, CLAMP School Defenders introduces a romance between aliens, Chobits tackles humans loving computers, Magic Knight Rayearth culminates in a forbidden romance which nearly destroys the world, and X is absolutely littered with destructive relationships, particularly Subaru and Seishirou's and Kamui's with Kotori and Fuuma. Nearly all of their titles feature implied homosexual relationships; RG Veda, for example has Kendappa and Souma as a lesbian pairing, as well as the elder Ashura and Taishakuten as a male/male romance.

However, it is arguable that gender or lack thereof is a small challenge in the relationships between Ashura and Yasha, Kohaku and Shuichiro, and Kokuyo and Hisui. In the case of Ashura and Yasha, they are challenged by fate: Ashura is the god destined to dismantle the heavens, and Yasha is one who not only stands in the way of its annihilation, but is someone Ashura loves too much to unquestioningly destroy. For Shuichiro and Kohaku, Kohaku's nature as an angel makes loving someone in the human world a challenge, and Shuichiro's closed off emotions due to a one-sided love in the past make him hesitant to give his heart again. Similarly, Kokyo and Hisui are the ultimate impossible pairing: an angel and a devil. Hisui gives up everything to be with him, even if doing so threatens both heaven and hell.

Wish's Hisui and Kokuyo

However, the lack of gender adds a new realm of consideration into the dialogue of what it means to love someone else. CLAMP is an advocate for love between souls as a more essential love than love between bodies. That being the case, it becomes important for characters to come to a fuller understanding of one another before being able to realize their love- in the more serious titles, this means looking beyond who they appear to be on the surface and seeking out their true self. And since CLAMP characters can reincarnate in any circumstances and still have the same true selves irrespective of gender or name, finding that inner person often means looking beyond their gender and instead determining the things which a person holds as most important and valuable.

Having no gender sounds like it would make this process easier, but it doesn't. Along with understanding how you view that person outside of the strict definitions of being a woman or a man, it also becomes necessary to understand how that person views themselves. When Yasha chooses to protect Ashura, for example, he is obligated to every side of Ashura from the bright and curious child, to the abandoned product of a loveless relationship, and at last to the cursed god of destruction lingering within. As Ashura's understanding of himself evolves, so too does Yasha's, and for much of the story both are kept uncertain of what Ashura's full capabilities are, and yet still are able to fall in love with each other as they little by little figure each other out. If we were Ashura and Yasha, would we be able to handle confusion and uncertainty on so many fronts and yet still love each other through it?

     

Family matters

Another subject CLAMP addresses in their relationships is the expectation of having a family. Homosexuality is challenged in Western society by the notion of the "Christian morals" in which it is supposedly in conflict with, but in Eastern societies such as Japan, homosexuality is an issue due to the importance of family lines and carrying on the family unit. Manga which seriously investigates homosexuality inevitably begs the questions "How can you live your life in a way directly contrary to the continuation of the human race?"

As women, this issue is problematic to CLAMP as it not only affects gays and lesbians, but women in general. Is our purpose in life to have children to contribute to the human race? Are we failing if this is something we can't do? Is it an even greater crime if we don't want to?

Shuichiro with Kohaku

CLAMP brought up this point at the conclusion of Chobits through the relationship between Hideki, a human male, and Chii, a female personal computer. Before being able to say he loves her, Chii (operating under the mindset of Freya) demands that Hideki consider the fact that not only will they be unable to have children, but he will be unable to have vaginal sex with her due to the location of her reset switch. This is not a simple request on her part. She wants Hideki to be fully aware from the onset that he is shattering several norms-- the need for a family, the drive for sexual relations, the very societal definition of love itself-- in order to be with her.

This also is a subtle issue for Yasha and Ashura. Ashura is cursed to be the last of his line, so no matter what choices he makes in his life, having children will not be a part of it. Yasha, on the other hand, is not limited in that way. His clan was destroyed for Ashura's sake, but as a remaining scion of the Yasha clan, he has the potential to rebuild it by having a family of his own. In fact, most people in his position would be obligated to. As the one responsible for the demise of the Yasha clan and the last member of it remaining, the legacy and continuation of the clan rests on his shoulders, and to give it up would serve as a second betrayal. All the same, Yasha still chooses Ashura and permits himself to join him in becoming the last of a line. With the heavens torn apart by Ashura, they also become the end of an era- the last of the gods ruling from the heavens.

A younger Ashura

For Shuichiro in Wish, living in the human world once again raises the issue of the "necessity" of having a family. His grandfather is thrilled to see him finally showing signs of settling down with Kohaku (who he assumes in female), but the fact remains that Shuichiro will also be unable to have a family with her. As a loner, this is not as troubling to Shuichiro, but he is also a member of a family, one who also longs for him to live a full life as a husband and a father. If they knew the truth about Kohaku, would her nature become a shortcoming, or would she still be welcome for who she is?

CLAMP's stories are deepened by their ability to find both good and bad and challenges and triumphs in the families they create. Families do not succeed or fail based solely on whether or not they are hetero or homosexual or between a human man and a human woman, but rather on how the individuals approach them. Akira from Man of Many Faces gets by just fine with two mothers, and Sakura Kinomoto from Card Captor Sakura is able to have a happy life with her widowed father even though she deeply misses her mother. Chii and Hideki make it work as a man and computer, but Shimizu-sensei's relationship with her husband is destroyed by the presence of Persocoms. Sakura and Syaoran receive unlikely parental figures in Kuro-daddy and Fai-mommy and form a hodge-podge family in Tsubasa, but the scattered marriages between Shashi and Ashura and Taishakuten end in tragedy through the children they produce, as well as the deadly promise made between the forbidden lovers Ashura and Taishakuten. No set arrangement works in these families- they flourish or fail on an individual level. Ashura, Kohaku, and Hisui cannot have traditional families, but CLAMP does not take that to mean that the lives they build are consequentially societal failures.  

A lover's tough decision

Hisui

Of course, the challenges of these relationships do not fall solely on the genderless characters. These relationships give the chance for romantic interests such as Yasha, Shuichiro, and Kokuyo to prove their mettle. In Chobits, CLAMP emphasized the importance of considering all the things a person can and cannot do before loving them, and this is major part of the roles of these three characters. Each has quite a bit to consider. Ashura is a god of destruction, a cursed child, the last of his line, the reason behind the destruction of the Yasha clan and many other tragic deaths, and contains the possibility of losing himself to the urge to destroy within him. Kohaku is an angel who does not belong in the human world, and cannot stay there without defying the people important to her. Hisui is the least suitable mate for a child of Satan, and is so beloved by heaven that her being tainted by demons is the worst possible sin. That Yasha, Shuichiro, and Kokuyo can accept these relationships for what they are is a beautiful thing, and it becomes even more beautiful when you consider that they made this choice knowing that their lovers are "otherly" and cannot provide them with traditional families and traditional lives.

The fact remains that there is only so much the English language can do with this set up, and there's quite a bit lost in translation when the words and ideas cannot properly carry over. All the same, CLAMP's use of androgyny is important to understand when looking at their overall view of love. Though CLAMP specializes in different kinds of love, the truths apply to all of us. How much are we willing to accept in someone else? How do we define ourselves and others around us? What roles do we fall into because of our gender, and how do we challenge or rise above them? And the fact of the matter is that even if we hide ourselves under a rock and shriek that male is male and female is female and that's the only way it is and will ever be, our world is continuing to question gender identity, and with every question we ask, the more our ideas grow and change.

Sure, there are different kinds of love out there, and CLAMP uses characters in their manga to teach us to afford dignity to these nontraditional lovers. But whether traditional or not, love is love. Let's hope our ability to respond to and react to it isn't something else that gets lost in translation. 

Get Back to Where You Once Belonged

Ever wish you could figure out where your mysteriously missing socks ended up in order to return them back to your freezing feet? Don't: the dryer probably ate them, and it will only take a few dollars out of your wallet to buy a new pair at the convenience store. But for those precious and valuable things you lose hold of, it can be a bit depressing to think that you may never see them again. But never fear! The Get Backers are here!

Meet the Get Backers: Ginji Amano and Ban Midou!

The Get Backers of the titular show are a recovery business with an (almost) 100% success rate at getting back what shouldn't be lost. For a fee, the surly and temperamental Ban Midou and his happy go lucky partner Ginji Amano will go all out to determine the location of your missing/stolen item, person, or thing, and get it back no matter the risk. Sounds fairly simple, right? Unfortunately, the people with the item don't always want to give it up, and more often than not, the requests for the Get Backers lead them through rather dangerous territory. Luckily, Ban and Ginji aren't just regular guys off the street who can't hold on to money to save their lives: they're high-skill fighters with special powers on their side.

Get Backers is a 49 episode series based off the manga title of the same name, and is one of those lucky few series where I actually greatly preferred the anime to the manga. The manga isn't bad, but as a slightly squeamish female reader who also doesn't like female characters to be boobs on legs, the anime did a much better job of keeping the violence and sexuality more at the Teen level while still delivering a great story. The character designs for Ban and Ginji are also more mature and crisp in the anime, which made my eyes very, very happy.

Now here's my kind of show!

The anime starts off episodic, but eventually develops two major arcs which take place in Ginji's home field, the mysterious and complex Limitless Fortress. At the beginning, we're introduced to Ban and Ginji as two penniless and goofy dudes who struggle to find work, mooch of their buddy at a small cafe called Honky Tonk, and engage in cheesy tricks like dressing up as pizza guys while working their investigations. However, when their first job of recovering a sentimental gift for high school student Natsumi gets a wee bit dangerous, they start manifesting their true powers which make them worthy opponents capable of beating even the baddest of bad guys. Ginji can conduct electricity through his body, electrocuting his opponents with high power volts, and Ban can make his enemies go into a dream like state for one minute using his evil eye called the 'Jagan.' When he uses Jagan, the bad guy thinks he's still awake and the actions in his dreams are reality, meaning that Ban and Ginji can use the time that he's dreaming to do pretty much whatever the hell they want without the bad guy realizing. It can only be used 3 times within 24 hours, however, and can't be used on the same person twice in a row.

The episodic parts of the story are quite fun and fairly lighthearted, with my personal favorite being "Get Backers vs. High School Girl." The episode features Ban and Ginji attempting to recover a client's briefcase from a catty teenage girl who prefers to talk on her cell phone rather than lend them a hand, and who also gives them lip whenever they try to get information out of her. When armed and dangerous criminals show up on the scene, the self-centered juvenile even goes so far as to yell at them for getting in her way and being rude. Forget moe comedies which show high school girls as the cutest most darling things on the planet. As a former high school girl, I'm much more in favor of the Get Backers version being closer to the real thing.

Angry high school girl for the win!

However, the real meat of the story comes with the introduction of the Limitless Fortress. This massive mish-mash of high rise buildings- an abandoned construction project gone feral- serves as a not-so-safe-haven for the outcasts and homeless of society. Formerly controlled by Ginji's gang of talented fighters VOLTS, the Fortress fell into the hands of one of his former sidekicks, a computer whiz kid and prodigy named MakubeX. While picking up the pieces of the VOLTS which Ginji was forced to abandon, MakubeX discovers a terrible secret about the Fortress and the group of people who quietly rule from on high in the Bablyon areas of the tower, manipulating and shaping the lives of its citizens. However, his violent and dangerous solution to the threat brings him into conflict with Ban, Ginji, Ban's friend/foe Himiko (talent: poisons or debilitates enemies with perfumes), Ginji's former right hand men Shido (talent: can call upon animals for assistance, and can make his body take on the powers of certain animals) and Kazuki (talent: attacks using thread to bind people and cut through their skin), and Akabane (talent: fights using magnetic needles and a specialized sword, and is also a backstabbing creeper badass).

Kazuki, Ban, Ginji, and Shido. Akabane is lurking in the back, being awesome.

This is the main arc of the Get Backers, and is a bit on the long side, so those watching for the episodic goodies might not be too thrilled. I personally found it to be pretty gripping, and I also loved how it introduced some fantastic new characters to the plot: Emishi and Juubei, former members of VOLTS, MakubeX himself, his "henchwoman" Sakura, and the kindly medics Gen and Ren. The action in this arc is highly reminiscent of Bleach during the Soul Society sequence: each of the "good guys" encounter an enemy, fight them off individually or in teams, get their butts kicked for awhile before figuring out a winning strategy, and then proceed onwards with their mission.

The truly beautiful part of the arc is near its conclusion when Ban uses a Jagan on MakubeX during their fight. I was nearly in tears at the vision Ban took him through of what is meant by an ideal, happy life, and what needs to be done to obtain that reality. Overall, it does a great job as the show's main arc, and is rife with fascinating plot points and battle scenes.

MakubeX, my new brooding bishie!

The second main arc is fairly similar in content, and introduces an additional crop of former VOLTS members, as well as more shady figures from the Babylon division of the Limitless Fortress. This arc was decent, but not as good as the first, mainly because I spent the whole time a little bit baffled by Ren's behavior. She's depressed because she can't leave the tower due to her nature as a person created by "data," and is led to work for the side of the invading forces seemingly because she has a crush on Kazuki (sorry, sweets, but I'm pretty sure that guy is gay for Juubei) and can't be with him... even though the guys she is working for are trying to kill Kazuki and the others. Huh, Ren? I'm hoping I missed some dialogue during those scenes, because it comes across as Toshiki noticing she likes Kazuki and recruiting her because he likes Kazuki, too (and wants to kill him!) 

The characters are by far and away what makes Get Backers a great title. Ban and Ginji are hilarious (Ginji spends half of his time in chibi mode when acting childish or terrified at the creepiness of Akabane), but can also be deadly serious when threatened or taunted. The former members of VOLTS are also enjoyable and diverse (Kazuki and MakubeX are my favorites), and everyone luckily follows the "grey" principle rather than the "black and white," meaning that very few characters, even the "bad guys" in the Limitless Fortress arcs, are outright evil, but rather have complex and intriguing systems of morals.

Kazuki! Yup, he's a dude!

As I said earlier, the anime is a much tamer version of the manga, but doesn't reach the full span of the volumes released in Japan. The characters are fairly true to their manga originals, however, and I found the anime to be more appealing to a male/female audience, while the manga seemed to aim more at males. That being said, both anime and manga do have treats for both genders: there is heaps upon heaps of fanservice for the dudes, and a cute romance between Shido and Madoka plus subtle homoerotic subtext between Juubei and Kazuki (if you add Toshiki, it makes a love triangle!) for the ladies.

 Get Backers is a title I would recommend to both male and female anime fans. The plot does a good job of appealing to both, as do the characters. The cast is dominantly male (1 point for bishounen fans), but the female cast hits on all of the male favorites: busty (Hevn), innocent (Madoka), action/Tsundere (Himiko), cute (Natsumi), androgynous (Ren), and could-potentially-fight-but-prefers-to-sit-around-doing-nothing-at-the-side-of-a-dude (Sakura). The idea of a recovery service perfectly lends itself to the episodic parts of the show, and the recurring cast of likable characters makes it effortless to stretch it out to a full 49 episodes. I breezed through it in three days, and still didn't want to stop watching!

Get Backers is chibi Ginji's favorite show!

Surprisingly, my least favorite parts were the themes, most of which weren't all that interesting compared to the show itself. The score and OST are amazing, though, and I highly recommend tracks like "Gymnopedie" for your anime playlist!

Fun Stuff: 30 Day Character Challenge

Time for another 30 day challenge! This time I'll be exploring the many characters of my favorite anime/games/manga, the ones I've loved, the ones I've hated, and the ones who give me nosebleeds all over the place. Once again, I'll be squeezing all 30 days in one post so you have all the questions at your disposal, but feel free to do it at whatever pace you want. Maybe one day I'll actually do one over the span of 30 days, too!



1. A character from your current favorite fandom
Kurogane from Tsubasa: Fai and Yuuko are technically my two favorite characters from the series, but Kurogane continually amazes me with the depths of the heart he keeps so well hidden. Even when the other characters fracture and fall apart around him, he always has his eyes open to what is making them suffer- particularly with Fai and Syaoran- and tries to get them to see the light and work through their difficulties. He really is Team Dad of the group. He may act gruff and distant, but more than anyone else, he cares about what happens to them.

2. A character from a previous favorite fandom
Ranulf from Fire Emblem: Still love him, in fact. He's a cheeky little scamp, but he really does get the short end of the stick when it comes to having to deal with people who are a lot bigger, stronger, and more idiotic than he is. Luckily, Ike proves to be a good pal, and he's got two very devoted followers in Lyre and Kyza- and me!

3. A character who looks like you
Hermione from most doujinshi of Harry Potter: Most Japanese anime characters don't have big 'ol curly hair, so I'll go with the Japanese fan art versions I've seen of Hermione Granger. My hair is a wee bit blonder, but it's voluminous and hard to tame!

4. A character who acts like you
Winry from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: I consider myself as having aspects to me that are both feminine and masculine, and I prefer to be independent, even though I don't mind having a small number of people around me that I can sincerely trust. I also give the guys in my life a hard time on a regular basis. It's how I show them I care- just like Winry!

5. A group of characters who is most like you and your friends
The main cast of Natsume Yuujinchou! We can get a bit odd and excitable at times, but when it comes down to it, we're there for each other, try to talk each other through our problems, and even when we don't understand each other's viewpoints and experiences perfectly, we try to put ourselves in each other's shoes.

6. The most annoying character
I'm tolerant towards most characters, but Shirley from Code Geass drives me crazy, as do Amarti from Spice & Wolf, Delphine from Last Exile, Van from Tales of the Abyss, and Ruka from Vampire Knight. 

7. The hottest character
Sebastian from Black Butler. A picture is worth a thousand words. 

8. The funniest character
Nodame from Nodame Cantabile. She never fails to crack me up! One of my favorite moments is when she's practicing French in a restaurant and works on a phrase to call for help against a rapist, making everyone believe her date Chiaki is the culprit! I also love Father Kanae from Maria Holic

9. A character who could be your best friend if they were real
For a guy friend, I want Ginji Amano from Get Backers (because as long as I'm cute, he'll put up with ANYTHING). For a gal pal, I'll take Ruki Kuchiki from Bleach because she's blunt and awesome and tries to explain complicated concepts with horrible pictures.

10. A character who taught you something about real life
Richter from Tales of Symphonia: "Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality."

11. A character who taught you something about love <3
Homura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica: "Even though I've lost my way, I will save you." And oh, how she does...

12. A character with the best quotes

Yuuko from xxxHolic: "Sincerity with respect to yourself! No matter what your objective…no matter who you are…if you are going to do something or not do something, that is a promise to yourself. And the one who keeps the promise, or breaks the promise, is you."


13. A boring character
Centers of harems or reverse harems can run into this problem if everyone loves them with little provocation. I had this problem with Yuki from Uragiri wa Boku and Touma from A Certain Magical Index among others. 

14. A character you wish was never introduced
Chii in the anime version of Tsubasa: Because Bee Train took her charming existence and forced it upon Fai in a filler episode even though it goes against one of the most beautiful CANON pairings of all time, Chii/Hideki, and not to mention the implied canon KuroFai. She's fine in the manga, though.

15. The smartest character
Holo from Spice & Wolf: Of course, being an ancient deity may have something to do with it, but she's absolutely running circles around Lawrence at the beginning of the series. He catches up with her in the second half, but she puts her feminine wiles, natural smarts, and craftiness to good use.

16. The dumbest character
Chiaki from Sekaiichi Hatsukoi: Your best friend hints that he has someone he loves. He asks to draw you nude. He gets all up in your personal space when talking about love. He practically tries to kiss you. He constantly puts down his rival for your love to your face. He confesses to you, asks you to take him seriously, and eventually pushes you down when you don't give him a clear answer. HOW DO YOU NOT REALIZE HE SERIOUSLY LOVES YOU?!?

17. The most awful, mean, evil character you know
Ni Jianyi from Saiyuki: A jerk of all trades. He was a jerk as a monk, a jerk scientist, and a jerk as one of the bad guys. Kami-sama and Kougaiji among others should deck that loser in the face for having not a single redeeming quality to him.

18. An animal character you like
Nyanko-sensei from Natsume Yuujinchou. A fat, butt ugly cat who doubles as a badass youkai who loves to get drunk? Oh, heck yes!

19. A sci fi character you like (alien, robot, etc.)
Ichika from Ano Natsu de Matteru: She may be an alien, but she's a beautiful, warm hearted individual above all else. And that's the way I'd like to think of anyone who may exist in this universe other than us.

20. A fantasy character you like (elves, dwarves, etc.)
Dirk from Tales of Symphonia: Not only is he an avid over-sharer of inspiration advice like myself, but he's a dwarf cool enough to raise a human child bigger than him and still send him sailing across the room whenever he acts like an idiot.

21. A paranormal character you like (vampire, werewolf, etc.)
Touda/Mokkun from Shounen Onmyouji: My favorite Shikigami! He has a lot of guts to align himself with Masahiro and serve as his defender, even though he struggles fiercely with his volatile nature and past betrayal of someone who trusted him.  

22. The best singer
Mio from K-on!: Sorry, Yui! I love Mio's lower range voice, especially on the rock based closing themes of the show. I also love Shuichi (vocals by Kinya) from Gravitation, since every song on that OST is AMAZING.

23. The best dancer
Tiger/Bunny/Blue Rose from Tiger and Bunny: Even if Tiger was off by a beat, that dance routine they practice together is great. Especially when Kotetsu and Barnaby perform the whole thing in their hero suits, including the sexy head throw at the end!

24. The character with the best laugh
Light from Death Note: That laugh when he finally reveals he's Kira... it is the stuff of legends.

25. The character who makes you cry when they cry
Subaru from X: Because nothing is sadder than when he is forced to kill Seishirou in the same manner his sister was killed. In fact, everything about Subaru makes me want to cry. And give him a tight, never ending hug.

26. An underrated character
Sakura from Tsubasa: After kicking ass in Cardcaptor Sakura, she's rendered pretty ineffective through the majority of Tsubasa, and gets a bit of grief for being in a coma or told to stay out of the way when anything major happens. Let it be known that this dramatically changes after she wakes up in the Tokyo arc. That girl goes on a suicidal mission all by herself in Tokyo, and then becomes tougher than nails in Infinity to prepare for the future she wants to unfold. Even though she comes off as cold during these events, it's not at all without reason.

27. An overrated character
Hmmm, tricky. I'm going to say Misaka from A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index, not because I dislike her per se, but because her sisters and Last Order are a million times cooler AND way more honest. 

28. A character you absolutely hate
Ruka from Vampire Knight, as mentioned earlier. She does improve with time, but I don't know how many times I screamed at my TV because she was acting like a bitch because of Kaname when the perfectly amazing Kain was around and more worth her notice.

29. A character that makes you flashback to your childhood
Little Sam and Max after you drink from the fountain of youth in Moai Better Blues: The things they say... I love how they suddenly start calling everything stupid and dumb, just like I did when I was little.

30. A character you will love and remember for the rest of your life
Fai from Tsubasa: I really could go on and on and on about why I love him, but to keep it simple... I'm inspired by his growth as an individual, and how Kurogane, Syaoran, and Sakura take him from a person willing to treat his life like nothing into someone who can see the value not only in others, but most importantly in himself.