Shelf Life

Fool's Gold

Every episode starts off with the same narration—that humans have co-existed in Kyoto with tanuki and tengu for thousands of years. And indeed, we're privy to sights that could only exist with the help of the supernatural—transformations, flying, booze-fueled floating tearooms, storm-summoning fans. But despite the obviously fantastical elements in the series, everything else about The Eccentric Family is exceedingly normal. The problems that the characters face are similar to those that anyone could face. Yasaburō and his siblings grieve the loss of their father, despite his unfortunate end as a hotpot dinner. When truths are revealed about the circumstances surrounding the event, characters openly display their regret and their life-changing guilt. In the meantime, there are other character narratives that swirl through the series. Big brother Yaichirō is consumed with the idea of taking over his father's role as the leader of tanuki society. Reputation is of utmost importance to him, and he can't help but be upset at his family for their deficiencies, like Yasaburō's irresponsible attitude, and his middle brother's sad existence as a frog. Their old and disgruntled mentor Akadama frets about the loss of his tengu powers, refusing to succumb to old age.

In a way, it almost reads like a fairy tale. After all, what kind of death involves being stewed in a hotpot? But that's the magic of The Eccentric Family. It's wholly relatable and believable, even without any surface semblance to the reality that we know. Instead, we're left with the emotions and everyday situations that do allow us to get closer to the characters. That they happen to be tanuki, with tengu and half-tengu friends, is simply their eccentricity. That, and the handful of issues that make up any troubled family.

I first watched The Eccentric Family when it was streaming and already loved it then. I was surprised by how much more I loved it the second time through. Somehow, it was even more melancholy. Afterward, there was one image that kept popping back up in my mind. It's of the tanuki family cuddling together in the shelter of a shrine. It manages to be endearing and sad at the same time. Endearing because it ultimately involves a huddle of cute tanuki, but sad because of the fragility of the scene. Despite their great transformation powers and positions of respect in the tanuki world, here is a family that at the end of the day, only has its own members for comfort.

If you haven't watched The Eccentric Family yet, you can still catch it streaming on Crunchyroll. If you do go with the NIS America release, though, it's well worth the money. The video itself is beautiful, and perfectly showcases P.A. Works' breath-taking artwork. The packaging is on point, with stunning reversible covers and a gorgeous artbook. And considering how much better The Eccentric Family was already for me after a second viewing, I can only assume that it will keep getting better with time. This is one series worth the investment.[TOP]

Even to those who didn't contribute to the Kickstarter campaign (and thus didn't receive the many, lengthy emails detailing every minute step of the BD production process), it should be immediately obvious that this video set is a labor of pure love. Everything about it reflects the pride of those who worked on it, from its smart packaging decisions (glossy box art, art-only covers), to its copious mountain of extras, to its crisp and beautiful video, to its extensive library of subtitles (English, Japanese, Finnish, French, German, Italian), available in both multi-color and greyscale. And it's not surprising, considering almost every step of the project was open to input from fans.

For those unfamiliar, the eight-episode OVA was released in 1987, and it shows in the best way possible. Those who love the quirky jittery-ness of old cel animation will feel at home watching Bubblegum Crisis, with its twitchy eyes, over-expressive faces, and sometimes silly hand-drawn "computer" fonts. Even now, the animation is impressive, simply for how ambitious it was. Background characters have independent movements of their own, with passers-by fiddling with their clothes, or putting their hands in their pockets. Action scenes are well-choreographed and generously animated, and even the copious dance scenes are given their due attention. Everything is hand-drawn, from the spinning car wheels to the fight scenes, and it looks good for what it is. The whole series is constantly in motion, and it's one of the main things that gives the show the energy and momentum that keeps it hurtling forwards.

I'm spending much of the review talking about the animation and the overall presentation because I think its aesthetics is one of the best things that Bubblegum Crisis has going for it. The OVA series (and the extensive franchise) has never really felt complete, and that doesn't change with a modern viewing. Its eight episodes are a little scattered. A big chunk of the episodes largely center around the shady GENOM as the primary antagonist, but it's never as grand as it had the potential to be. We're introduced to the Knight Sabers, bad-ass, hard-suit-wearing ladies who are specially trained to fight androids known as Boomers. They're cool, but they're still human, and we get the benefit of seeing them in vulnerable situations as they interact with those around them. But it doesn't necessarily go anywhere. For a variety of reasons, the original plan for 13 episodes was scrapped, leaving fans with just eight. It feels that way, too.

But it's less so about what could have been than what did result. And that's a property with so much sass and energy that it spawned a myriad of spinoffs and sequels, each trying to recreate the lightning-in-a-bottle that is Bubblegum Crisis. It had all the ingredients that make an entertaining series. The women were strong and independent, without being heartless machines concocted just to look cool in high-heeled robot suits. They had real personalities, and reacted to their situations in real, believable ways. They could have been fleshed out more had the series been allowed to run its course, but for a project that was born from a stand-alone episode and structured around nefarious corporations and androids gone bad, it has enough heart that one can't help but enjoy the ride.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend Bubblegum Crisis to someone as an example of a solid, impenetrable viewing experience. But I would recommend it to those who are looking for a hard slice of nostalgia and a beautifully-preserved memento from the days of 80s cyberpunk and cel animation. For that alone, I think the set is worth the $60.[TOP]