The Lure of Anime

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. My kids gave me handmade items crafted at school, which of course I'll keep forever. Then they went out and played all day long, leaving me alone with Black Blood Brothers, a twelve episode anime series revolving around black bloods--vampires, and red bloods--humans.

I have to say, this one was pretty good. Eastern and Western sensibilities can be very different, and sometimes humor and concepts are lost in translation. But I managed to keep up with the storyline, which wasn't hard to understand at all.

I've found that a lot of anime have terrific concepts, philosophical treaties on everything from the individual to the meaning of life to what constitutes a monster. Many people scorn anime as mere cartoons, but they're actually a lot more, as I learned when I first started watching them.

I'm by no means an expert. But I really enjoy a well-crafted world, and the art and creativity that goes into good anime is astounding. I'm usually more blown over by how someone can think of such an idea than the art itself. It's good storytelling, and often it makes me want to write more. And write better.

So if you're new to anime and want to check out some fun, try Black Blood Brothers. Darker Than Black is also a good series, a new one I'm getting into. (Thanks to Netflix, I'm exposed to a lot more than I used to be.)

Happy Monday. Now I'm off to take an allergy pill before my sinuses explode. And then I can get back to writing on this sunny, beautiful day.