ser humano II

Randomly i decided to watch the new Netflix anime: romantic killer. I didn’t have any expectations, sincerely i thought that it was going to be a cliché shoujo anime, which i don’t mind at all.

But as i kept watching i was thrilled with the story, and i loved the bizarre ending of it, so i went on with more and more expectations. 

Romantic Killer is a manga created by Wataru Momose, adapted by Netflix and directed by Kazuya Ichiwaka. 

I was surprised when i finished it. Actually, it made me cry. 

So, i will superficially develop my favourite things about it.

First of, i just loved how it was a constant mock and a exaggeration of shoujo genre and it’s unrealistic concept of love and romance. Anzu, the protagonist, was a girl who did not care at all about love and relationships, she was just fine with videogames, chocolate and her cat. And, as a way to change her destiny and well, basically her personality, Riri appears, some sort of fairy magical being, and takes aways her three favourite things. 

Thats a technique that Riri uses for Anzu to have more time to flirt and fall in love, which Anzu hates so she makes an active effort to not fall into this random and frankly a bit disturbing situation. 

So, it’s interesting how this artificial “otome videogame” circumstances start to happen and how the protagonist react to this, being the clear image of “not like the other girls”, which does not sound too appealing but surprisingly does not feel forced and is very funny. 

Every situation is so cliché and absurd, clearly taking romance situations to the extreme, that is somehow refreshing to see. And i think that is a strong reason to watch this anime. 

But the second and most touching thing in the anime was how it developed. 

In the course of the plot Anzu ends up living with two classmates, Junta and Tsukasa, who are very attractive and charming and, well, basically every girl wants to be with them. 

In that scenario, Anzu develops a precious friendship with both of them, specially with Tsukasa. 

I was surprised by the incorporation of more complex and deep situations nearly by the end of the season only then realizing that they were slowly developing by the beginning. Themes such as severe stalking, depression, social anxiety and sexual abuse are there, shown with no soft words, and i find that remarkable. 

I mentioned the relation between Anzu and Tsukasa because it’s through her sincere friendship that Tsukasa manage to voice out his trauma, were he finds support and someone who believes in him, who doesn’t question his experience and his unresolved fears. 

What i strongly recall by the end of the serie (and the reason i cried lol) is how important a good friend is in order to be able to heal your inner afflictions. Is vital and is represented in this anime: positive presence in your life can change it. 

At the end, the premise is quite constant, but the incorporation of these topics makes the plot richer and more intriguing.

The experimental art of Belladonna of Sadness is remarkable. The film is a free reinterpretation of The witch of Jules Mitchel in a experimental and phsycodelic way, creating a journey of art, music and a fully immersive experience. 

The genre of Belladonna of Sadness is catalogued as an “adult film”, but personally I think that’s just a small fraction of the uniqueness that this piece of art overall has.  

Under Mushi Productions and distributed by Nippon Herald, the director, Eichii Yamamoto gives life to this film that takes part in a trilogy conceived by Osamu Tezuka but in which he only participated in the first two films. 

The film was presented in the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in 1973 and didn’t had such a great response due to his eccentric animation and raw history. 

The mixture of styles, inspired by Art Nouveau, artist like Gustav Klimt and the distinct art of Tarot cards creates a space in which the viewer can either lose the track of the story or be amazed by the infinite stimulation of colors, shapes, movement and details. 

In the narrative, Yamamoto clearly inspires his art in a wide range of influences. Going from impressionism, through medieval art, psychedelic and modernism art, he develops through the story an atmosphere that wants to embody the feeling of trance and anguish that the protagonist feels. 

Constructing concepts of religion, sin and evilness, empowerment and misery, it has a deep analysis and quite a philosophical print.

It is simply an audiovisual gem in japanese animation that is completely worth the watch if you are into cult movies, slightly bizarre and mesmerizing films. 

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When i think about the first anime that i saw i can recall exactly that it was Saint Seiya. The history had an impact in my life. The way the characters had such strong values, objectives and the great persistence that they had in order to achieve their goals was just impressive to me. But the most meaningful and valuable memory that i have is the music. 

Composed almost completely by Seiji Yakoyama, the sound of Saint Seiya is filled with emotions, complexity and ethereality. 

Yakoyoma had his signature sound, with the combination of classical orchestra and modern instruments such as electric guitar and drums. With great influence of Baroque music, especially Johann Sebastian Bach, romantic and a slight influence of traditional chinese music, he made a marvellous soundtrack for Saint Seiya. 

The unique melody, the strong presence of violins and harps, the suprising appearance of a angelical voice and, well, the unification of every element just creates the perfect aura for every scene in the anime. 

When characters are in pain, anguish and sorrow, the music slows downs, the instruments become the feeling, they represent it. 

When they’re in a heroic and challenging scenario, you can identify the horns, the trumpets and the percussion increase, expressing the sensation of danger and adrenaline. 

For that complex synergy that Yakoyoma along the Symphonic Orchesta creates through music is unquestionably the main reason why I love Saint Seiya. 

I personally think that art in any expression is beautiful on it’s own, and when so many expressions of art and emotions comes together in one place as in animation and all the work that has behind, i just find myself grateful for the capacity of perceive them. 

And, well, the music was so good that i just wanted to find the same feeling in other animes, so i kept watching and watching and i’ve found plenty of gems with excellent soundtracks and plots.