Horror Anime: Blossom, Butterflies and Breasts… Oh and food.

Posted by Ms Harker | Filed under Uncategorized

Lets start the weekend off in the correct fashion shall we? With a discussion about the glorious offerings that horror Anime can provide. I have always had an interest in Anime, more specifically within the horror genre but I am also a fan of the work of Hayao Miyzaki. The genius behind such Studio Ghibli classics as: ‘My Neighbour Totoro‘, ‘Spirited Away‘, ‘Howl’s Moving Castle‘ and who could forget ‘Porco Rosso‘. But I digress, I have been watching some new horror Anime of late as you have read I was in rapture with  ‘Hell Girl‘ and am now becoming intoxicated with ‘XXX Holic‘.

‘XXX Holic’ is described as follows on IMDB:

“Kimihiro Watanuki, a high-schooler, is troubled by monsters and spirits who are magically attracted to him. However, nobody else can see them but him. One day, Watanuki stumbles into a shop that grants wishes, and encounters Yuko Ichihara, a beautiful, seemingly all-knowing witch. Yuko doesn’t waste time, she offers to grant Watanuki’s wish to not be able to see those bothersome monsters and spirits any longer, however, there is a price. Yuko soon sees that Watanuki is a hard worker and would be useful for housework and other chores Yuko wishes for him to do until he works off enough to pay for the amount of power that needs to be used to grant his wish.”

There is some stunning imagery in this Anime and the stories attached to the lurking spirits and lessons that must be learned are very similar to that in Hell girl. However this macabre animation employs what I have become to know as Ms Harker’s  ‘Crimson Rules of Horror Anime’:

1: Blossoms: The symbol of the flowering cherry blossom appears often and through different transitions in the story and provides an opportunity for us westerners to say ‘Ahhh pretty’. Now listen up kids and get you some learning! The Cherry Blossom also represents the fleeting nature of life and was sometimes used to symbolise the suicides of young people in honour of an emperor. However they also have been used to symbolise extreme beauty or quick death. Which is how they are often employed within  horror Anime.

anime-blossoms

2: Butterflies: Whilst being a symbol for metamorphosis, or the change one has made to their evil ways. Butterflies also carry the souls of the dead, or provides answers to the living to solve mysteries.

anime-butterfly

3: Food: Rice, sushi, noodles, Beer and Sake. Characters eat, they eat often and they eat with gusto, leaving Ms Harker craving Gyoza and Edamame beans! However we also often see spirits eating the souls of the wicked, or chomping down on entire villages, creating a dichotomous relationship with food for comfort or greed.

anime-food

4: Breasts: There must always be a busty, raven haired woman, dressed mostly in traditional garb, however sporting large eyes and unusually large breasts for someone of Asian descent…

hell-girl-ladyxxxholic-1

So there you have it, a wild ride through Ms Harker’s ‘Crimson Rules of Horror Anime’. If you are looking to indulge in some Blossoms, Butterflies and Breasts I highly recommend ‘Hell Girl’, ‘XXX Holic’ and for those of you who do not cringe away from a little vagina dentata ‘Wicked City’.

Sayonara,

Ms Harker.

wicked-city-spider-woman

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Permalink | August 28th, 2009

8 Responses to “Horror Anime: Blossom, Butterflies and Breasts… Oh and food.”

  1. The Divemistress Says:
    August 29th, 2009 at 12:22 am

    Might I also recommend Blood+ and X? Blood+ is, I think, the series that culminates in or follows after Blood the Last Vampire–I’m not entirely sure what the relationship is there. I’ve only seen the movie X, and it delivers a lot of goth.

  2. Brian Says:
    August 29th, 2009 at 6:25 am

    I loved the “XXX Holic” manga. The anime you depict looks stunning and makes me want to give it a try. Thanks.

  3. Ms Harker Says:
    August 29th, 2009 at 9:28 am

    Thanks Divemistress, I loved the film, but haven’t seen the series, must chase it down.

  4. Ms Harker Says:
    August 29th, 2009 at 9:29 am

    Beware Brian, have gyoza or chicken rice on hand, it always make me hungry!

  5. Brian Says:
    August 30th, 2009 at 12:03 am

    Yup, pretty good stuff. Got hold of XXX Holic’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” last night. Amazing color and settings.

    Of course you get hungry! In both manga and anime Yuko is always having Watanuki whip-up something in the kitchen on her whim. He just happens to be an excellent (if spastic) cook. Note that she also sends him on frequent sake runs. How does that witch keep her figure?

  6. Sugarbeet Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 6:25 am

    I’m an on-and-off fan of studio ghibli. The images are interesting, but sometimes the plots have unsatisfying timing, or confusing aspects that might be symbolism that doesn’t translate well. Thanks for illuminating a few of those signifigant images. By the way, I just found xxxholic on hulu of all
    places. Do you suspect that they’ll edit it for content? Might I miss plot points or ambiance? The ad breaks are awkward, certainly. Do you recommend seeing it in some other manner?

  7. Ms Harker Says:
    September 4th, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    Sugarbeet it is available on DVD yu might be able to track it down. In relation to Studio Ghibli my favourite is still My Neighbour Totoro, I am interested to see if I like the new film ‘Ponyo’ as it is supposed to be heavy on the enviromental messages. I do hear you on the timing, I found Princess Mononoke a bit slow.

  8. Sugarbeet Says:
    September 5th, 2009 at 9:03 am

    Please do post a ponyo review! From what I’ve seen of xxxholic so far, you are so right about the boobage! I swear that yuko’s got bigger after the first few episodes. I’m having cravings for noodles after watching this stuff… I’ve been looking for a new pho place just because of this show! I like the darker, spookier, not-happy-ending episodes, but there is a good variety. I’ll see if netflix carries it. Thanks for the introduction.

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