As stated by Hal Marcovitz in the book “Anime” “Ranma ½ is Takahashi’s most popular and probably her most quirky series. In Ranma ½ which is a manga, anime series, and a film, the main character falls into a magical spring; when he emerges Ranma finds that he changes into a girl whenever he is splashed with cold water. (He changes back after he is splashed with hot water; his father fell into the same spring, changes into a panda bear.) As a girl, Ranma encounters discrimination as well as unwanted sexual advances from teenage boys. But when he fights as a girl, he employs techniques of cunning, intelligence, agility and speed he does not think of using when he fights as a boy. But even that causes trouble. When Ranma, as a girl, wins a martial arts competition, he faces bitterness from his male friends because they still do not believe his fighting abilities measure up to what he could accomplish as a male fighter.”
Ranma ½ is a perfect example of what can surprise readers, as friends would normally support each other whether they won or lost. But Ranma’s friends were looking down on Ranma’s fighting abilities because he was in a female form.
The Anime series Bleach is a treasure trove of plot twists. A teenage boy, Ichigo Kurosaki, is able to see ghosts, and was given powers by a shinigami (death god) named Rukia, in order to save his family. What none of the audience members knew was that it was forbidden to give a human Shinigami abilities. Rukia is arrested for treason, and is sentenced to death. Ichigo and his friends Orohime, Chad, and Uryuu go to save Rukia from Soul Society, the sort of “government” of the spirit world.
But upon arriving in the spirit world, a conspiracy arises within Soul Society’s government, where Rukia’s execution date (traditionally ten days waiting) keeps shortening. Captains of the military divisions become suspicious of each other, and the death of a captain point to a traitor among the shinigami ranks.
Hayao Miyazaki is the master of storylines, turning even the most common items into very powerful materials. His most recognized Anime film, “Spirited Away”, which won several international film awards, was one of his most innovative stories ever to be placed on the screen. Chihiro is trapped within the spirit world after her parents foolishly eat ceremonial foods set aside for gods, and is forced to work for Yu-Baaba, a witch who runs a bathhouse. In order to be given the job however, Chihiro had to sacrifice her name, to which Yu-Baaba replaces with the moniker “Sen”.
Miyazaki goes on to explain “A word has power. In the world into which Chihiro has wandered, to say a word out of one’s mouth has a grave importance. At Yuya[the bath house] if Chihiro says one word like “No” or “I wanna go home,” the witch would quickly throw Chihiro out. She would have no choice but to keep aimlessly wandering until she vanishes, or is changed into a chicken to keep laying eggs until she is eaten. In turn, if Chihiro says “I will work here,” even the witch cannot ignore her. Today, words are considered very lightly, as something like bubbles… It is still true that a word has power. It’s just that the world is filled with empty and powerless words. The act of depriving a person of one’s name is not just changing how one person calls the other. It is a way to rule the other (person) completely. Sen becomes horrified when she realizes that she is losing the memory of her name, Chihiro [Miyazaki 2001a]” (Cavallaro 136)
Miyazaki explores the consequences of words, in a world where every letter you utter counts. Materials also matter in the spirit world, where a spirit, named “Okusare-sama” is smothered in dirt, grime, and rotting trash comes to the bath house. Miyazaki even takes emotions to a whole new level of reality as the spirit Kaonashi, who feeds off of the emotions of others, develops an appetite for greed.
As said by Noy Thrupkaew, “When [Kaonashi] conjures up fistfuls of gold, the bath house staff launch an all out hospitality offensive, stuffing the spirit with roasts and fish and soup and noodles to sate its ever-increasing appetite. One character performs a little ditty something like “The bigger its butt gets/the more there is to kiss!” And kiss it the characters do, until the customer starts eating them. In this world just like in ours, greed begets greed.”
Anime storylines can reflect the story of ones own life, whether it was a difficult childhood, or simply expanding on ones own virtues. I have learned many life lessons through Anime which I take to heart, such as forgiveness, perseverance, and a sense of right. The stories of these characters, as I have watched them grow, has helped me mature as well. The complexity of the storylines in recent years illustrates the “Coming of Age” of Anime as an Artform, showing there are no limits to the level of art that Anime can achieve.
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