For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting myself into an anime mood. Before this, I never loved or hated anime. There are some great anime movies out there, but not many. A lot of people seem to think that anime is silly, or cheesy, or a bad excuse for actual animation. I agree that not all anime movies are great. In fact, most of them are rather overdramatic and loud, but there are many times where I can safely say that the anime movies I’ve seen are better than most Disney and Pixar movies. I watched many anime movies during the winter break, but there are three that really stand out for me. These films are all incredible, and I believe everyone should watch them. Your Name I’ll start off with a film that most people know, or at least have heard of, which is Your Name. Just like everyone says, this is an incredible film. I’ve had many friends who’ve had their whole perspective on anime changed because of this movie. I can understand what they mean. This is a breathtaking and emotional film. The premise is simple. A boy and girl get their bodies swapped back and forth each day, and they are forced to live and communicate through messaging and calling each other. It sounds simple, but the film actually gets more complicated as the story goes on, and sometimes it becomes extremely difficult to understand. I think the reason so many people love this film, including me, is the characters. The relationship between the boy and the girl is extremely natural and realistic. This is something I tend to notice in all anime movies. Most movies typically focus on an entertaining plot, with action sequences and moments to always keep you on the edge of your seat. Anime movies are more character driven. Nearly all of them I’ve seen focus a lot on the characters, their motivations, and their goals. I’m the kind of person to always prefer characters over world-building. It’s why I loved the Harry Potter books so much. Yes, there’s a lot of world-building in Harry Potter, but it focused a lot on the characters and their development throughout the series. It’s why I’ve never really gotten into the Wheel of Time or Way of Kings series’. They’re good books, but they’ve never really hooked me in. Your Name is a simple story that has so many meanings. There are tons of messages that this film brings to the table, like love and youth. The dialogue is great and never gets boring. It always knows when it’s trying to be funny, and when it’s trying to be serious, and that’s one of the best parts of the film. The constant shifting tone combined with the witty dialogue makes this a very entertaining film. In most comedies, the film doesn’t really work so well when it’s trying to get emotional since the dialogue is still funny and light-hearted. However, this film has great dialogue that sticks to the mood. It never feels out of place. Both the subbed (which is the Japanese version with subtitles) and the dubbed (which is the English voices dubbed into the film) versions are great. While Your Name is fantastic, this is surprisingly my least favorite of the three films I’m going to be talking about. A Silent Voice This film takes the word emotional to a whole new level. It’s simply an amazing film, maybe even a masterpiece. It communicated with me so powerfully. It’s not just another film about how bad bullying is. It’s a film about self-esteem, self-confidence, and redemption, and it’s incredibly well done. The story will literally cut your throat throughout. A young man named Shoya decides to make amends with a deaf girl named Shouko that he bullied years ago. It sounds boring, but it’s surprisingly great. It conveys messages and themes that are very relatable like depression and self-hatred, but never goes too over the top to where it feels fake. The characters are all very memorable, and I never really hated any of them. They all have personality and don’t feel like unnecessary substitutes to the main character. They’re integral to the relationship of Shoya and Shouko, and they constantly develop and change. Part of what I love so much about this movie is the realism. It has zero supernatural or fictional elements, leading you to feel more immersed in the story. I’ve also felt that having the characters head into a magical world, or fighting a group of fictional monsters, lessens the themes of the story. It’s why I didn’t like Your Name as much. It’s a great film, but it has a lot of supernatural elements that we can’t really relate to as well, like body swapping and time travel. The movie is always entertaining throughout its two hour runtime. The dialogue is well written and communicates to not only bullies, but people around the world who are worried or anxious about their lives. It speaks so well to introverts. Shoya learns to love himself as he tries to gain a friendship with Shouko. He always imagines an “X” on everyone since he can’t properly look anyone in the eye, but as the film goes on, he starts to take those “X”s off one by one. A Silent Voice is realistic, emotional and brutal. It left a lot of my friends sobbing and sobbing, and almost left me doing the same. Every scene adds something new to the story that I can’t fully describe it all in one sitting. I loved this movie and I can recommend it to anyone. Be warned though: it tackles lots of depressing themes that can be a little saddening and frightening to some. But if you can deal with that, then you’re in for one of the best films ever made. Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms This is the type of film that I can’t describe in words. It’s so
anime
How to Draw Anime Art
Drawing is a skill you can always improve at. Everyone makes art and draws it in different ways. One style that is both common and very popular is anime art. Anime art uses thin lines and many details. Most people make anime art digitally, but some do it on paper! Today I will be teaching you all how to draw anime art digitally! (Or well, my version of it anyways!) Whether you are a newer artist or a complete newbie on this, it’s fine! The first recommendation I would make is to find a good art program like Firealpaca, Medibang, Ibis Paint X, Photoshop, Procreate, and more! However, do keep in mind that different art programs have different layouts, tools, and prices. Photoshop, Procreate, Clipstudio, and Paint Tool SAI are all amazing drawing programs but all cost real money. Some free alternatives are Firealpaca, Krita, Medibang, and Ibis Paint X, but Firealpaca and Krita are only on desktops, and Medibang and Ibis Paint X are mobile! Also, a little side note: for the bottom art, I used Medibang! Please note: The example drawing down below was made a few weeks ago, so this is a half body and not a headshot. STEPS: 1. Find a clear image or idea of what you want to draw 2. When drawing digitally, you should start with a large canvas size like 1000×1000 so you have room to add details and make those tiny little features that make anime art look like anime art. 3. You should also note that when drawing, just use a basic pen or pencil brush, nothing too special. Just keep it simple for now and experiment later! 4. Start sketching what you want to draw (sketching means drawing using very basic shapes like lines, circles, triangles, etc.) 5. Then start the more refined sketching—let’s put this into parts: 5.1 The Head: draw a circle, and then add 2 short lines to the sides and connect them 5.2 The Body: draw a rectangle (since this is a headshot, the rectangle is the whole body) 5.3 Hair: it is up to you how you want to draw the hair or if you want to at all. 5.4 Eyes- this is also up to you how you want to draw it or not What it should look similar to: 6. Now draw the lineart. Do one stroke at a time. Not many lines— just 1 line at a time to make it look clean. What it should look similar to: 7. Add color by using the eyedrop tool 8. Add shading (optional) What it should look similar to: At the end, you can add highlights if you like. Your final result should look somewhat like this, but you should always practice to get better!
