Wolf Children Ami And Yuki
So I was sitting here looking over my anime collection and though about the fact that mothers aren’t really focused on in many anime that I wind up collecting or seeing. But there are some great ones out there that should be viewed on a day like today. I’m coming at this from different angles though so hopefully you’ll bear with me on this. It’s a rather spur of the moment bit that just hit me.
Runner up; Gall Force: Eternal Story – This one hadn’t occurred to me until I listed my five other titles so it’s in a runner up spot. Also, the reasons for placing it on a list like this wouldn’t become clear until the last 1/3 of the film. The plot focuses on a race of humanoid females called the Solnoids who are in a war with the gelatinous exo-skeleton wearing force called the Paranoids. It’s a galactic sci-fi story in which one small ship full of women race to their next battleground but run into some terrible incidents along the way. It’s the 80s OAV format at its finest and there really is a reason for it being on this list. It’s entertaining enough if you can find a copy.
5. Neon Genesis Evangelion – Yeah I know, what the hell? Giant robots and judeo Christian references aren’t necessarily good focus points for Mother’s day… until you get to the later stages nof the series in which they discuss what happened to Shinji Ikari’s mother Yui, and how her death affected both Gendo and Shinji, not to mention the insane plans that Gendo developed over time as well as Rei Ayanami’s role in everything. Metaphysics ard more make this a possible worthy title to watch and discuss.
4. Hare + Guu (AKA Everything Was Nice in The Jungle, Then Came Guu) – This anime comedy focuses mostly on a little boy named Hare and a very strange girl named Guu who moves in with him and his mom, Weda. Strangely, Hare is reasonably well adjusted despite the fact that both ladies in his life like to torment him from time to time. As the show goes on though, we come to learn Weda left her family in the city because she was single and pregnant and the last couple episodes of the first season are about getting Weda reunited into the family fold. This is a very touching story that helps elevate the show above most anime comedies.
3. Galaxy Express 999 (The Movie) – Though technically, the lead female character Maetel isn’t a parent here, she becomes a surrogate one of sorts in the course of the story. The initial focus is on a little boy named Tetsuro who saw his mother murdered by a machine man, one of many people who’ve abandoned their bodies for the prospect of living forever. As a result, Tesuro wants to rid a galactic train to get his own mechanized body in order to be strong enough to gain vengeance on his mother’s Killer. Enter the mysterious woman Maetel who provides him with a pass aboard the said train and acts as a guide and protector at times, for Tetsuro, though she comes to have her own hidden agenda for doing this. In any case, the mother /son dynamic of sorts is there to be viewed and there is the fact that manga writer Leiji Matsumoto named his lead female Maetel after the Latin word for “mother.”
2. Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi Muyo In Love – I honestly wasn’t a fan of Tenchi Muyo or the harem anime genre at the time I saw this movie. I’m still not after all these years, but this movie totally grabbed my attention when I saw it and remains one of the better works for its time. The series’ focus character Tenchi gets very little to do in this move besides staying hidden initially. Instead, the focus is on his mother Achika who died soon after giving birth. An ancient alien force goes back in time to kill this woman so Washu leads Tenchi and his friends back there help her fight this menace, and one heck of a battle ensues.
1. Wolf Children – The single best animated movie of 2013. (Yes, I liked it better than Frozen or The Wind Rises.) This was a true testament to single motherhood as the lead character must endure the challenges of raising 2 children without any assistance, since they were sired by a werewolf. When joint-raising no longer is an option, this woman goes through a hell of a lot to make sure her kids are brought up safely, even as her own life never really prepared her for everything that comes her way. I can’t help but to think horror author Laurall K Hamilton would love this movie, given the obstacles that arise and the intelligent way the screenwriters handled them. If you’ve not seen this film I highly recommend doing so. During two big screenings at Otakon and Anime Weekend Atlanta, I saw many folks moved to tears by this story.