Lists
Top 10 Forgotten Anime List (part 3)
It’s the last part of the list, full of forgotten goodies that should be should be savored earlier then later. Before you read the last three titles, here’s a trick question: during the writing process of this list I’ve found an interesting pattern which all the of these forgotten series share. Have you noticed it yet?
Saber Marionette (including J Again and J to X)
Short introduction:
Summing up Saber Marionette is hard, but if I had to dilute it I’d say it’s a comedy driven action series with an apocalyptic science fiction background. Saber Marionette was an eye candy full of action, silly antics and girl harems. It also had a metaphoric side to it. It showed a world in which men have given up on women and have come to love women-shaped robots called Marionettes. At its core Saber Marionette mirrors Japan’s otaku society, in which people get attached to their favorite figurines/idols/series and give up on having a real-life relationship with women/men.
Saber Marionette was separated into three consecutive seasons, called J, J Again and J to X respectively. Saber Marionette J aired in Japan in late 1996 and early 1997. It was later released by Bandai Entertainment on VHS tapes in 1999 (and later on DVDs). The second and third seasons were also released by Bandai.
Current State:
The series is still license by Bandai Entertainment, and surprisingly enough Saber Marionette J is still in print today. Sadly, the same cannot be said for J Again and J to X, which have been out of print for years now and have practically vanished from the face of the earth.
Chance of revival:
Possible. The Saber Marionette franchise is old yet surprisingly sturdy. The demand for classics such as Saber Marionette has instigated the resurgence of several series from the 90s, including even older series such as Slayers and Fist of the North Star. However, Bandai Entertainment is not the one releasing these classics and has publically announced that it will not reissue any of its old franchises. Furthermore even if relinquished from Bandai’s hands (by the license expiring of course) it is questionable whether an old classic like Saber Marionette will be re-licensed in today’s waning anime market.
Short introduction:
A melancholic tale about angels who are born into a purgatory-like environment, Haibane Renmei asked hard questions about Christianity, salvation and the value of one’s life. Haibane Renmei wasn’t afraid to talk about or portray to true meanings of death, but did so gently and skillfully. The series aired in Japan during 2002 and was released by Geneon Entertainment (then still called Pioneer) in late 2003 and early 2004. Haibane Renmei is regarded as a masterpiece, and has recieved great praise in Japan and the U.S. alike.
Current State:
The series is unlicensed. The prices of the series box set as well as the individual DVDs have soared into the skies.
Chance of revival:
Very Good. Just like Lain, Haibane Renmei has recieved a retouched and extended Blu-ray edition in Japan in 2010. And just like Lain, FUNimation has been showing interest in acquiring the license to this evergreen title. Considering the artistic and intellectual values embodied in Haibane Renmei it is without a doubt one of those series that are sure to make a silent comeback in a year or two.
Short introduction:
A mature take on virtual reality and MMORPGs, .hack//Sign was a precursor to the upcoming popularity of massive online gaming. Instead of succumbing to shallow representations of actual role playing games .hack//Sign focused on the mentality of the players behind the characters. It delved deep into philosophical questions, such as what defines a human being? And can a game trick our minds into seeing or feeling things?
.hack//Sign was also a visual and audio wonder. There has yet to be another anime which uses its music in such a strong and influential way as .hack//Sign did. The series was released in Japan during 2002 and was released in the U.S. by Bandai Entertainment between 2003 and 2004. It was very successful and its plot was continued in an ever-expending chain of games, anime series, manga and books.
Current State:
The series is still license by Bandai Entertainment, but has gone out of print and is disappearing gradually. The reason the series has managed to remain available for so long stems from the fact that it received no less than 3 different editions in the U.S, in less than 4 years!
Chance of revival:
Possible? The entire .hack franchise, in all its incarnations, is the property of Bandai (Namco Bandai Japan to be exact). Hence Bandai cannot lose the license to a series which it itself created. That said, Bandai has opted to license its series to other companies in the upcoming years, which means the license to .hack//Sign can be acquired even today. FUNimation is currently set on releasing the latest iteration in the series, called .hack//Quantum, in February. Rumor has it that if .hack//Quantum performs very good FUNimation may consider licensing other series in the franchise. There might still be hope for this rare gem yet.
So what did we learn from this list? A lot of the (best) forgotten anime series are set on making a comeback in the upcoming years. FUNimation is possibly the only U.S. distributor with the will and power to relicense lost series, and I am thankful that it indeed intends to do so. Obviously, there are many more old forgotten series that fans hope will resurface eventually (Sailor Moon anybody?). This list is my personal interpretation and consists of series which I not only consider as anime but also conceive as art. Forgotten they may be, but demand for them has not been muffled by the dusty touch of time. I shall patiently await their return. And so should you.
Top 10 Forgotten Anime List (part 2)
It’s time for round two of the forgotten anime list. Just though I’d clear something up – this list is all about physical copies, so even if a series is still available on some streaming service somewhere if the physical copy is unavailable it can fit this list. Most anime viewers are not using streaming services. Plus, streaming a series only gives you a temporary “right to watch” that series. At the end of the day, you don’t own anything you stream and physical copies are all about owning that precious little thing. So without further ado, here are three more forgotten titles:
Short introduction:
A science fiction suspense anime with a post-apocalyptic gloomy setting, Ergo Proxy was a very intelligent take on the roles religion and technology plays in our lives and our future. Ergo proxy aired in Japan during the second half of 2006 and was quickly licensed by Geneon Entertainment, which managed to release its first volume at the end of the same year. The series was praised for its elaborate plot, futuristic character designs and atmospheric nature.
Current State:
Geneon still holds the license for the series, but Ergo Proxy has long gone out of print in the U.S., with prices hiking to the hundreds.
Chance of revival:
Good. Ergo Proxy was a sleeper hit and can still hold its ground today. Since Geneon is out of business and thus will not be printing new editions it’s safe to say that the series will stay dormant until Geneon’s license ends. After which an acquisition and revival at the hands of another U.S. distributor is possible. As a side note, although Ergo Proxy is insanely priced in the U.S. right now, Madman Entertainment has released it in Australia and England at a very good price point. Consider getting this version if your DVD can play other regions (remember: buying an anime series from an Australian or European distributor still supports the Japanese artists and the global anime industry as a whole).
Short introduction:
A prophetic cyberpunk anime that foresaw the irreplaceable place the internet will play in our lives long before all the modern social networks and MMORPGs existed. Serial Experiments Lain touched more taboos than any other (non-hentai) anime. It portrayed drug use, computer addiction, child abuse and rape. Yet it contains no obscene content. Everything it shows exists to give you food for though. To this day this series is highly regarded as one of the most famous anime masterpieces. Lain aired in Japan in late 1998 and was released in the U.S. by Geneon Entertainment starting 1999.
Current State:
Geneon has lost the license to Serial Experiments Lain. Although the series is long out of print it can still be found for a reasonable price if bought as singles. This stems from the fact that Lain had received countless rereleases during its life cycle in the U.S. and thus many copies of it still linger on. Lain has been retouched and rereleased in Japan on DVD and Blu-ray during 2010. This retouched version not only contains new material and was redrawn for HD, but was also priced very competitively. If not for the lack of English subtitles and an English dub this could have become a great import item.
Chance of revival:
Very high. In contrast to common believe FUNimation doesn’t own the license to the current iteration of Serial Experiment Lain. FUNimation only has the license for the old-looking VHS quality master Geneon used. FUNimation has no intention of reviving this old version when a better one was so recently released in Japan. In a recent interview for ANN FUNimation Entertainment’s marketing manager Adam Sheehan admitted that the company is very interested in licensing the Blu-ray and has already started working on the paperwork for obtaining it. Serial Experiments Lain was one of the first anime series to be released on DVD, at a time when companies didn’t master DVD authoring yet. It suffered because of it, a fact that FUNimation took note of when deciding not to use the master they probably received from Geneon. When released, the new high-end Blu-ray version is sure to attract old time Lain fans as well as newcomers alike.
Short introduction:
An action fantasy series with a Matrix flavor, Shakugan no Shana had an O.K. story that expended exponentially and became very rich as time passed. The series aired in Japan late 2005 and early 2006. It was hastily licensed by Geneon, which managed to release its first volume in late 2006. Shakugan no Shana was very popular in the U.S. and Japan, prompting a second season, an OVA, a movie (which is just a super-condensed version of the first few episodes of the first season) and a third season (which is currently airing in Japan).
Current State:
The first and second seasons of Shakugan no Shana are out of print and out of reach. The prices are laughably high. Similar to Ergo Proxy, you can grab the first season of this series from the Australian based Madman Entertainment for a more reasonable price. Sadly, the second season is gone for good.
Chance of revival:
Good. FUNimation currently holds the license for Shakugan no Shana, and the third season is sure to be a good stimulus for a rerelease of the first two seasons in the U.S. That said, the series’ OVA and the movie, which were released in Japan over two years ago, remain untouched in the U.S. – a bad omen if there ever was one. Moreover, releasing two seasons just to get to the now-hyped third season seems a little bit unreasonable.
Top 10 Forgotten Anime List (part 1)
Anime series tend to have subjective life spans. That is to say, some series are evergreen hits (aka Dragon Ball Z) while others are quickly forgotten and put to rest. But since demand and supply play an important role in a series’ life span, ill-received series which not many buy can actually stick around longer than those hit series which everyone and their sister bought a copy of. Not only that, the sad truth is some of the best anime series out there are currently out of commission and cannot be bought easily. These shiny gems were once highly praised and sought after. They now lay forgotten, covered in the dust of time, and are not licensed due to varies reasons. Today I’ve decided to share with you my list of top 10 forgotten series which should get a new breath of life and be reachable again. Because the whole list will fill the entire blog space if posted at once I’ve decided to divide it into 3 parts. Moreover, since this is a list of series that I strongly believe should be rereleased, and not a “best of” list, the series in it are not numbered. That said, I did include each and every title because in my humble opinion they are the best forgotten anime series out there. The series’ titles are linked to their respective entries over at anidb.net, so click on them for more information about the series. Let the listing begin!
Short introduction:
A beautifully animated series with great plot and many surprises to keep you watching, Scrapped Princess was a very high profile series both in Japan and in the U.S. It aired in Japan during 2003 and was later released in the U.S. in 2005 by Bandai Entertainment. Above all it was a very balanced anime, with a completely believable fantasy world. It even touched on political and religious issues.
Current State:
The series is unlicensed, and a bit forgotten. You can still find copies of the entire series on the net, but the price tags are in the hundreds.
Chance of revival:
Very high. This was a well-received series and it still has potential to sell today. Its license only expired recently so another company might license it soon. Scrapped Princess will probably resurface in a year or two.
Short introduction:
The most successful and memorable magical girl series to date. Despite being a shoujo series it managed to cross demographics and genders, and was highly popular. The secret to CardCaptor Sakura’s success lay in waving a complex backstory which slowly unfolds and matures as the series progress. CardCaptor Sakura aired between 1998 and 2000 in Japan. It arrived on U.S. shores in 2000 and was released by Nelvana across several years. Two very different series exist: (the original) Cardcaptor Sakura and Cardcaptors. Cardcaptors was a heavily censored and altered version, in which several episodes were omitted, the main character changed and themes recompiled to portray a different story. Cardcaptors was supposed to be the definite CardCaptor Sakura iteration in the U.S. However, due to demand by fans, the original CardCaptor Sakura was also simultaneously released. Eventually CardCaptors bombed, while CardCaptor Sakura became a huge success.
Current State:
The series is unlicensed despite lingering love from the fans.
Chance of revival:
Very high. CardCaptor Sakura was retouched and released on Blu-ray in Japan during 2009. As of now it is bound by an exclusivity contract that forbids its distribution outside of Japan. Nonetheless, U.S. anime distribution companies are probably on their toes and will snatch it up the moment the exclusivity contract expires (which should happen soon).
Short introduction:
A very charming and touching love story. While it seemed like a typical harem series at first it has been recognized for its complexity and lack of offending fan service. Ai Yori Aoshi was praised for its art and interesting characters. The series aired in Japan during 2002 and was released in the U.S. by Geneon Entertainment USA in 2003. A second season titled Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi was also created.
Current State:
The series is licensed by Funimation Entertainment, but no release date is available. The old Geneon DVDs have become very rare and expensive.
Chance of revival:
FUNimation received the licensing rights to Ai Yori Aoshi from Geneon when Geneon went under. However, FUNimation received it as part of a large bulk of series and has yet to announce whether it intends to release it or not. It remains to be seen if FUNimation will rise up to the challenge and bring Ai Yori Aoshi back at an affordable price.
Short introduction:
A pumped-up action series about lawless pirates, this series seemed frivolous yet retained a very realistic feel. Black Lagoon is the only anime series in which you can find people cursing each other in Japanese, Spanish, Russian and English!
Black Lagoon also had an unintelligible English opening theme. The main characters of the series managed to be likable despite being dirty scum bags to their cores. Black Lagoon aired in Japan during 2006. It was released as singles by Geneon in the U.S. starting 2007 and later picked up by FUNimation, which released it as a box set. A second series, as well as an OVA were later created.
Current State:
The Geneon singles are now a thing of the past. FUNimation’s box sets have gone out of print, and FUNimation has yet to reissue them. Legal copies can still be found around, but the prices are through the roof.
Chance of revival:
Very high. To commemorate the release of its brand new OVA (Black Lagoon: Roberta`s Blood Trail) both the first and second seasons of Black Lagoon were retouched and released on Blu-ray in Japan between 2009 and 2010. FUNimation will likely be issuing their own Bly-ray version of the series based on those Japanese masters in the near future.
That’s it for today. Look forward to the second part in a few days. Want to offer a different list or guess what I’ll be adding next? Head over to the comments section and write it up!
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