#attack no. 1

TOP LEFT - Attack no.1: This one is probably the hardest sell which is a damn shame. It’s a series from the 60s, there are pretty good fansubs out there but the manga has never been translated to my knowledge. Attack no.1 is one of the most important anime of all time, a volleyball shoujo made in the wake of the Japan Women’s team bringing home the gold in the 1964 Olympics. That sounds pretty mundane now, and a lot of it would feel that way on casual glance today too. But...it was the first. First shoujo sports series and really one of the earliest that wasn’t a kiddie magical girl show. Big, big deal that aired in primetime. Completely unafraid to touch on misogyny, racism, cold war tensions, and being one of the only anime I have ever seen call out Japan’s erasure of the disabled point blank. You’d also see the birth of so many sports anime tropes, but they make perfect sense couched in this epic that ties Kozue’s journey from middle school superstar to Olympian together with this saga of Japan undergoing massive social change. Can’t say enough good things about this one, it’s dated but still amazing. It also has this like, oddly hardcore edge to it. Kozue ain’t called “oyabun” for nothing.

TOP MIDDLE - Glass Mask: One of the bestselling shoujo series of all time. Still need to finish this one but as a former theatre kid I love it. Same format as so many others, rivals and challenges and meeting true companions...but the theatrical nature makes it feel so classy. Melodrama in the best way possible.

TOP RIGHT - Rose of Versailles: Yeah, it’s another one of the most legendary shoujo of all time. Lady Oscar, raised as a man and this captain of the guard added into the backdrop of the French Revolution. Is it entirely historically accurate? No, but still uses enough legit detail you’ll walk away with something. Beautiful, timeless. Oddly enough one of the first anime I got into outside of what I could find on TV. The one that kicked off a fascination with the history of anime and manga. A lot like Glass Mask, you’re getting a big, sweeping romantic epic. Both in the lovey-dovey and literary sense. Bara wa bara wa...

MIDDLE LEFT - Kanojo ni, Naru Hi: Or literally “The Day He Became She.” Figured fans of a blog that ostensibly started about Okiku might like some other good stories that use trans themes. Short but has good scans for it and the sequel series. Starts off a little weird but opens up a few chapters in and makes sense. Set in a world where physically transitioning can just...happen to some boys in order to keep balance. That’s just an excuse to handwave away the stupid points people get hung up on, which leads to the real strength of the series. Said this about Kiku, this is one of the few times I’ve seen a trans narrative that deals with “what comes next” so to speak. Also an amazing romance story in its own right that follows the Kare Kano tradition of getting the couple together early and letting them face hurdles as a pair.

CENTER - Kyou Kara Yonshimai: “Four Sisters, Starting Today.” Short series that executes a simple premise. Starts off as a family of three sisters buzzing with excitement to see their sole brother for the first time in two years. You can guess from the title what change makes for the inciting incident. What I like about this one is how well it executes; all four sisters shift believably around this new revelation. While it doesn’t sugarcoat friction it may cause in families, it’s always from a place of love. At the start, they’re all in proper “roles” for their family order. By the end, they’ve all followed their new sister’s example and ended up finding out where they fit in the best.

MIDDLE RIGHT - Full Moon wo Sagashite: This was like, the seasonal flash in the pan of 2004. Almost immediately forgotten when it ended but well liked at the time. It was the first series I pirated off of BitTorrent...over dialup internet. Patient process of letting it run overnight, took about two weeks for a 4 episode batch. Worth it, cute magical girl idol series. Not an uncommon blend. Centered around the hook of its young protagonist Mitsuki having cancer. Not afraid to be tragic underneath the sugary exterior. Songs are fun too. 

BOTTOM LEFT - You’re Under Arrest!: This one is deceptively good, think of it as a precursor to the “cute girls doing cute things” genre from the early 90s. But it’s about adults which is incredibly refreshing. Focuses on a pair of traffic cops, so its like a really petty police procedural. One of the major supporting characters Aoi happens to be that classy trans girl archetype a certain samurai we like here fits to boot! Comfy hand-drawn animation that sticks to the episodic format. A fluffy sitcom that can spruce it up with a little action when it wants to. 

BOTTOM MIDDLE - Paradise Kiss: Kinda forgot until I was writing this that it’s another one with a good incidental trans character in the main group. Unique series about haute coture fashion design. Ended up doing the same thing as Yu Yu Hakusho where it trying to be modern when it came out ended up making it a great period piece for the 00s. Fun cast, lots of pretty visuals, the fashion world is enough to keep things interesting given it’s a short series. Love the ending theme for the anime, funky animatic to a Franz Ferdinand song.