Why Aria is my perfect anime

I’ve written quite a bit about Aria before, and I intend to write about it much more in the future. Aria’s been my favorite anime ever since watching it, but I’ve had many favorites over time. What sets Aria apart from not only other anime, but all other media for me, is my belief in its total and utter perfection.

Few things could be said to be perfect. Nearly anything you consume will have flaws, even if you consider those things to be masterpieces. Often your favorite thing will have flaws, but those flaws will be so inconsequential that they effectively don’t exist. My approach to Aria takes this one step further; not only do I ignore the flaws, I actively shape my perception of the show such that any flaws become positive purely due to the fact they are part of Aria.

My Thoughts on Utena

Watching Utena was an interesting experience. I’d watched both Penguindrum and Yuri Kuma Arashi over a year ago, so I knew what to expect when it came to Ikuhara. That said, it still surprised me both in how well it was executed, and in how much more it appealed to me compared to the others.

My taste has shifted somewhat in the last year, so I can’t say for sure how I’d react to a rewatch of Penguindrum or YKA, but I enjoyed Utena more than either of them. Thematically Utena was very similar to that of the other shows, but where Utena really succeeded in characterization. YKA was particularly hurt by not having particularly interesting characters, while Utena’s length gives room to flesh out less important characters. Nanami for instance was given far more time than necessary, but it contributed both thematically and to the show’s enjoyment.

Fate/Stay Night’s Appeal, and why the Anime was Unable to Capture it

Fate/Stay Night was a monumentally successful visual novel, bringing Type-Moon into the forefront of the industry after their initial success with the doujin game, Tsukihime. Due to a combination of factors, F/SN managed to become one of the most successful franchises in the entirety of the anime industry, producing a great number of spin-off novels and games. One thing it has never managed however, was a complete adaptation of the initial visual novel.

The 2006 anime by Studio DEEN was frequently derided for being inferior to the VN it came from, while also only adapting the VN’s initial route named “Fate”. In 2010 DEEN produced a movie adaptation of the game’s second route, “Unlimited Blade Works”, which was widely criticized for failing to adequately tell the route’s story. I won’t be talking about either of these, because I haven’t watched them, but generally they are not well regarded.