Hiroyuki Imaishi is a Japanese key animator and anime director. His style is marked by fast and frantic animation combined with elaborate storyboarding and punchy direction. A former animator and director at Gainax (otherwise known as the studio that Neon Genesis Evangelion made popular - not to discredit the Appleseed and Casshaun: Robot Hunter OVAs for helping that as well), he is currently the co-founder of Trigger.
What I want to do in this article is just look at a few samples (while citing his role in each example) to show why I love his works so much.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
So don't act like I didn't warn you.
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Neon Genesis Evangelion (Key Animator) |
If you call yourself a fan of anime and have not seen Neon Genesis Evangelion in its entirety - the original NOT the remake OVAs - then I have NO respect for you as an otaku. This is an anime that has held up to the test of time brilliantly and is highly regarded as one of the best animes of all-time.
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FLCL (Animation Director) |
Unlike some of the other anime on this list, FLCL is one of the more light-hearted ones on this list. I like to describe it as the anime equivalent of Family Guy, South Park, and The Simpsons tossed into a bender. It's pop culture references such as this is why we love FLCL so much.
It used to be staple part of Cartoon Network's anime block for years, even before and after the revival of their beloved Toonami programming block.
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Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Director) |
I know people are going to complain in the comments about using the English dub instead of the subtitles, but get over it. I don't mind this anime in both versions. It's still freakin' amazing.
This is one of my favorite fights in the entire series, other than the two other notable moments that I dare not spoil for those who haven't seen this anime in its entirety. I will say that the final battle will freakin' blow your mind from how over the top it is.
Cartoon Network's Toonami block is set to debut the series on it's weekend anime block, so if you haven't had a chance to watch this anime in its entirety, do yourself a favor and check this out. Even if you're not a fan of giant robot/mecha-oriented anime, there's something for everyone to enjoy here. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
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Kill la Kill (Director) |
Whereas Gurren Lagann served as Imaishi's spoof on the mecha anime genre, Kill la Kill is a spoof on the "magical/pretty girl transformation" (i.e. Sailor Moon, Cardcaptors, etc.) genre. At first glance, it seems like it's going to be a pretty bare-bones anime in this genre, but you get to Episode 3 where everything is kicked up a notch.
If the video above isn't enough to perk your interest, then the epic opening sequence should convince you even more to give this anime a chance.
If you don't watch only ONE anime in 2014, you need to watch Kill la Kill. This is one of those rare occasions where I have to suggest the subtitled version over the English dub any day of the week too. From the few episodes of the English dub I have seen pop up online after the Japanese version aired in its entirety, the English dub is going to butcher and censor this to hell. Ugh, it's going to be Code Geass R2 all over again...
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