Let Out a Wild Roar!

After seeing quite a bit of Tumblr pages devoted to the relatively new anime Tiger & Bunny, I decided to check it out.  After scrounging around the internet and finding a copy with English subtitles, I finally found the time to watch it.

Tiger & Bunny is a unique blend of the comic book superhero and anime.  This anime embodies one of the first real attempts of Japanese popular culture to create superheroes using Western conventions.  While Japan has plenty of its own superheroes, they all differ from Western superheroes in many ways (I can definitely go into more detail on this if people would like; however, for the time being, I'll leave it at that).  Tiger & Bunny, however, features around half a dozen superheroes who fit rather well into the Western idea of costumed heroes (aside from the mech use, which is a very Japanese twist).

Rather than spoil the anime for anyone who might be interested in watching it, I'd just like to point out a few of the things I greatly enjoy about it.  First of all, it's an anime about superheroes.  Who wouldn't love that?


Secondly, Tiger and Bunny are two of the coolest characters ever.  They're amazing partners (even if their partnership is reluctant at first) who show that teamwork and friendship are incredibly important.

And Kotetsu T. Kaburagi (Wild Tiger) is one of the best fathers in any medium of popular culture.  No joke.  He loves his daughter so much it's not even funny.  Sometimes I wish Kotetsu was my dad!

Kotetsu and his daughter, Kaede

Tiger & Bunny is currently being released in English on iTunes (sixteen episodes currently released).  However, I recommend the original Japanese with English subtitles (if you don't mind reading subtitles).  You can stream subbed episodes of Tiger & Bunny at VIZ Anime.  There's also a manga (which I haven't gotten around to reading yet), although the manga came out after the anime (which is somewhat strange; it's usually the other way around).  You can find the manga at mangareader.net.


The show is currently only one season long, but there's a movie that's already been released (Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning) and another movie in the works (Tiger & Bunny: The Rising) set to be released in Japan in Fall 2013.  The first movie will be released on Blu-Ray/DVD with English subtitles and will be on sale February 22, 2013. (Anime News Network)

The above examples are only a few reasons to watch Tiger & Bunny.  Honestly, getting into anything else would lead to spoilers, and I don't want to spoil anything.  I'll just leave it at this: anime + superheroes = AWESOME.  So go catch an episode and see what I'm talking about!  "It's time to let out a wild roar!"

What "Ghost Hunt" Taught Me

So I recently re-watched an anime called Ghost Hunt, and during my second watch-through I found myself learning some interesting information.  Sure, it's a supernatural anime like any other, where things happen that obviously couldn't happen in the real world.  And granted, since it's a piece of Japanese popular culture, some things (like the portrayal of Catholicism) must be taken worth a grain of salt.

Ghost Hunt anime

However, there's quite a lot of real-world knowledge to be gained from the anime:

• Ghost Hunt can offer a starting point to learning new things about different religious and spiritual beliefs, such as Buddhism, Shintoism, and Onmyōdō, to name a few.
• Of course, these are just starting points.  The anime gets a lot of things right, but (obviously) it's all adapted into a supernatural anime, so don't assume you'll be able to ward off spirits with a few obsessively-perfected spells from the show.
• The debunking that Naru does in the anime is pretty amazing, especially for an anime focused on supernatural happenings (where often the cases are caused by supernatural occurrences).



Looks realistic, no?

• For example, how can spoon-bending be faked?
• Or why is it that the planchette seems to move when you use a Ouija board with your friends? (You mean it's not ghosts?!  Paranormal Activity, you lied to me!)
• Or if ghosts aren't causing the poltergeist activity you're experiencing, what is?
• There are a few instances of interesting historical Japanese (and Chinese, and British, and American) information being explained, which is pretty cool, especially since most of the information is pretty accurate as far as I've been able to tell.
• The anime illustrates how religion, spirituality, and science all mix into one in many countries in the Far East, especially Japan.
• For heaven's sake, the team is made up of a ghost hunter, a shrine maiden, a Buddhist monk, a Catholic priest, a medium, and an Onmyoji!  If that doesn't show the mix of religion, spirituality, and science, what does?!

Oh, yeah, and then there's that guy.

The one huge downside I see to this anime is the fact that the anime alone doesn't finish the story.  Sure, if you're watching it casually and not really paying attention, it seems to end just fine, with everyone (relatively) happy and the story at a close.  But if you go back and really pay attention, you'll notice that there are pieces of the puzzle missing:

• Why was Naru surprised when Mai initially gave him that nickname?
• Why was Naru's name missing from the nameplate outside the door of his hospital room?
• What was Lin talking about that one time he mentioned to Mai that "someone once told me the same thing" in regard to his feelings toward the Japanese?
• What's with this Madoka chick hanging all over Lin?  Is there something more to that?
• Why is Lin protecting Naru so closely?  What do Naru's parents have to do with Lin and Naru's (working) relationship?
• And why, oh why, is Naru so much different in Mai's dreams than in reality?

Seriously, do they?

Searching for the answers to these questions?  Never fear!  You can always read the manga!

The anime actually follows the manga fairly well.  However, the manga continues for another three volumes after the end of the anime, covering in those three volumes another riveting story called "The Forgotten Children," along with the answers to many of the aforementioned questions.

Most of the manga has been released in America (volumes 1-11), but the final volume (volume 12) has not.  Of course, you can always read the manga online.  (I recommend MangaFox; great website with tons of manga!)  Rather than me spoiling the chance for you to find the answers on your own, follow the above link to read the manga for yourself!

So if you're interested in learning about spirituality in Japan, or learning some fun debunking of supposedly paranormal phenomena, or just watching some awesome supernatural butt-kicking, check out the anime (and manga!) Ghost Hunt.  You'll read a pretty great story (if you're not overly critical) and you might just learn a thing or two along the way.

~MyriahKamm
a.k.a. Bambi