Aoi Bungaku Series

For a long time now, the psychology genre has been dominated by the likes of Elfen Lied, Higurashi, Monster and Requiem for a Phantom. All these anime looked at psychology as the mindset of a murderer or the troubled past of the protagonist, and there were also shows like Death Note, which focused on the psychological warfare of two geniuses. This has been the way anime have defined the psychology genre for years.

But, as always, along comes a player that changes the way the game is played.

Aoi Bungaku Series thrusts you into the shoes of the protagonists and synchronizes their brain to yours. ... It gives you a spectacularly detailed insight into their thoughts and feelings, all while following an intense storyline.

The show is the anime adaptation of several literary masterpieces in Japan (much like Ayakashi Classic Japanese Horror), some of them dating back to the late 1920s. ABS portrays six such immortal classics, each of them highlighting the complex and fickle nature of the human mind. Except for the first arc, each arc lasts only two episodes. Writing an in-depth analysis of each of the stories would be giving away too much and might ruin the experience. If you want absolutely no spoilers, then I recommend you do not read the MAL synopsis either, as it contains nearly half the story. Here’s a quick breakdown of the basic elements of each of the stories, while keeping the spoilers to a bare minimum:

(NOTE: Each arc is a completely different story, are in no way interrelated and can even be viewed as a standalone anime. That’s the primary reason why I’m reviewing each arc separately.)

1. No Longer Human – This classic, written by Dazai Osamu, focuses on a psychotic and troubled mind – that of a congressman’s son. Set in 1929, this dark and gloomy arc was the longest, lasting four episodes, which proves to be more than enough time to let the viewer unravel the protagonist’s twisted perceptions of society and how he bears the pressure of being crushed under the weight of his own ego. Drenched with sadness and yet pregnant with hope, each of those four episodes is memorable to say the least. After watching this arc, you understand why No Longer Human was the defining work of the author and the most read literary piece in Japan.

2. Under Cherries in Full Bloom – Probably the most bizarre two episodes of an anime I’ve ever seen in my life. Ango Sakaguchi, the author, tries to tell a tale of how people need to speak their minds in order to live a peaceful life. However, his idealistic approach on decadence falls short in this anime adaptation, because of unnecessary humor, inappropriate chibi animations and dreadfully boring jazzy songs. The sudden light-heartedness and lackadaisical pacing feels like a fish out of water after watching the melancholy and sorrowful No Longer Human.

3. Kokoro – Natsume Soseki is considered the Charles Dickens of Japan for good reason. I felt like I was drifting along in a sea filled with the characters’ emotions. When I talked about this anime being the game changer, I was mainly referring to this arc. It weaves a bittersweet story of love, lust, trust, jealousy and friendship.

4. Run, Melos! – “Is it more painful to wait, or to make someone wait?” The most straightforward story of the lot. The storyline is very basic and is about a playwright’s life, as he spends his life waiting for his childhood friend to come and meet him. Once again, this was written by Dazai Osamu and is the retelling of a Greek legend (Damon and Pythias), the overall theme of the arc being unwavering friendship. As I said, it’s a very simple story and it can get a tad predictable, but since it lasts for only forty minutes, it’s an enjoyable ride.

5. The Spider’s Thread – What starts off as a brutal Assassin’s Creed anime, ends up as a crude moral story that is far too short to convey any real message. While the basic idea of Ryunosuke Akutagawa was to entertain children with this novel, the anime adaptation is aimed at a much more mature audience because of its gore and profanity. A good story, but 20 minutes proves to be too short to convey the author’s ideals.

6. Hell Screen –Penned by the same author as Spider’s Thread, Hell Screen succeeds exactly where The Spider’s Thread fails – it gets its point through in a single episode. This arc is about an artist and his struggle to paint his masterpiece, much like O.Henry’s “The Last Leaf”.

The animation in this show is one of the best I’ve ever seen, if not the best. The show features some of the highest production values to date. It’s also one of the very few anime that managed to use CGI well. The generous use of the morose red in the first arc, No Longer Human, was what contributed to the eerie atmosphere of the anime.

The soundtrack is great. While the instrumental pieces were fitting, the series doesn’t have an OP and the ED was not very good.

As far as content warning goes, this show is rated R17 for a reason. Not only does it feature a large amount of blood, gore, sex and profanity, but it also contains strong messages about the society, which younger audiences will neither understand nor appreciate.

But when it’s all said and done, Aoi Bungaku Series is not a show that will ever have universal appeal. Due to its complex nature and dark atmosphere, this show will most probably never see the light of the day.

[ THE WRAP-UP ]
Aoi Bungaku Series is one of the darkest and most complex anime out there. Not only does it show ‘psychology’ in an entirely new light, but it also provides an artful insight into Imperial Japan. Excellent animation and a strong soundtrack make sure that this anime is technically sound. Being an adaptation of six different novels, each arc is bound to have a different impact on the viewer, but maintain an overall consistency in the intensity of the storyline. Aoi Bungaku Series is definitely not for everyone and is made for a limited audience. If you don’t like the first couple of episodes, then I don’t think you’re going to like the rest of the series either. Those looking for happy endings or lighthearted storylines are not going to be impressed with this one. However, if you’re in the mood for a dark, depressing anime about the world’s cruelty and a gripping psychological anime, then Aoi Bungaku Series might fit the bill. Individual story ratings given below:

No Longer Human – 9/10
Under the Cherry Blossoms – 7/10
Kokoro – 10/10
Run, Melos! – 8/10
The Spider’s Thread – 8/10
Hell Screen – 9/10

Overall : 9/10

*THIS ANIME CONTAINS TRIGGERS/GRAPHIC SCENES! PLEASE WATCH CAREFULLY!*
~~~READ "IN SHORTS" FOR THE GIST

This anime is an adaptation of 6 modern japanese pieces of literature:
~No Longer Human (NLH): (episodes 1-4) a rich student who wants to be an artist gets lost in his dreams and falls prey to drugs and alcohol in the mist of his depression
~In the Forest, Under the Cherry Blossom in Full Bloom:(5-6) a mountain man falls in love with a woman who forces him to kill to fulfill her wants
~Kokoro: (7-8) a scholar invites a monk (his childhood friend) to stay with him where the landlords are a mother ... and her daughter. the monk falls in love with the daughter. the anime shows both the scholar and the monk's side of the story
~Run, Melos!: (9-10) a young man and his best friend make a promise to meet but doesn't show up, influencing the young man to write a tragic screenplay about it
~The Spider's Web: (11) a killer on the loose gets caught and executed. he is sent to hell to pay for what hes done
~Hell Screen: (12) the greatest painter in the world gives up everything, including his and his only daughter's life for art

STORY 5/10: even though the pieces of literature were all made by the same author, the stories arent consecutive. No Longer Human felt drawn out to me and it felt aimless. Not sure if thats the emotion the series want to invoke but it did. Under the Cherry Blossom was my favorite because the pace was quick and the script commanded attention unlike the others. it was also very cheeky and had plenty of funny moments to break up the darker moments! Kokoro was a confusing little love story. It was bland with very little depth coming from the scholar (the main character). Run Melos! was a little above average in story. it reminded me of a love story that was touching but i wasnt crazy about it. The Spiders Web and Hell Screen were pretty good. it was dramatic, deep, intense, the color scheme wasnt the average dull colors. it was captivating to watch

IN SHORT: No Longer Human and Kokoro were very dull, basically the same scenes over and over. No Longer Human seemed drawn out and Kokoro wasnt edgy enough for me (its a love story). Run Melos! was like a love story. Wasnt TOO crazy about it but it wasnt bad. Under the Cherry Blossom, The Spiders Web and Hell Scene were my favorites. It was dynamic, not too drawn out, right to the point, right about of edgy and gore!!

ART 7/10: the art was beautiful in every story. everything was drawn beautifully. the characters were very diverse. the animation was also pretty clean as well! there were no trouble spots either. if someone was carrying something heavy, it was accurately portrayed. the color scheme was the problem. No Longer Human was basically all one color. it kinda hurt my eyes and it made me sleepy actually. it didnt add the eerie touch it wanted to. Under the Cherry Blossoms, Spiders Web and Hell Scene were my favorite. vibrant colors, dynamic contrast, different background settings that kept my interest. they were just really pretty. Kokoro and Run Melos were average. Run Melos was a little better because of the attention to details but they were both decent.

IN SHORT: art and animation for all were top notch. characters in all stories were diverse. No Longer human was all one color basically. boring, unappealing. Run Melos and Kokoro were decent in attention to detail. Under Cherry Blossom, Spiders Web and Hell Scene were my favorite. colors were contrasting, vibrant patterns, dynamic contrast, detail on scenery were gorgeous! very pleasing to watch

SOUND 8/10: it was very pretty. the music seemed to fit the series. the motif of the ringing bell was a nice touch. Again Under the Cherry Blossom wins best in show once again because they created their own show tunes for that specific story and they were catchy!! it was eerie and oddly fit! No Longer Human had excellent jazz music that also very much fit the story and it was great. one thing that bugged me was the voice acting. for some reason the narrator voice acted the main character or one of the main characters in every story and he was terrible. very monotonous!! his voice only fit the scholar in Kokoro. there really wasnt any inflection in his voice that i could remember. also hearing his voice got tiring after a while.

IN SHORT: the anime's strongest category. the music was pretty and it fit well. my favorite part of the series! narrator did one of the main characters in every story and hes honestly terrible.

CHARACTERS 5/10: i cant remember a single character from any of the stories except for Under the Cherry Blossom. they were all boring. Cherry Blossom had the most diverse and memorable characters. They had the crazy wife, the tough mountain man afraid of cherry blossoms, and all of his ex wives and their personalities! (they even had one wife who only spoke english which i thought was comical). but that story made good use of the varying personalities to make some moments light and cheeky, which was a nice break from 4 consecutive episodes of monotony, self destruction and sadness.

IN SHORT: almost all of the characters were boring and made no impact. Under the Cherry Blossoms had the best, and diverse characters.

ENJOYMENT AND OVERALL 5/10: every other episode i was contemplating dropping the series all together. I just really couldnt get into it. i watched and liked Death Note, and Japanese Horror Classics which are on the same lines as this anime but Aoi Bungaku just didnt click with me. I did appreciate the modern literature, but things can get sticky when you take modern literature, interpret it in a certain way and then produce it as an anime. you have to really have a specific taste in anime to get into this series.

IN SHORT: the series wasnt bad, it just wasnt for my taste. i recommend this anime to:
~~people who have a strong constitution/like gore
~~like psychological animes
~~like historical animes
~~like/dont mind constantly changing plots
~~like shorter animes

Encouraged by this all positive voices, I decided to check is it really worth to meet mentioned title. Aoi Bungaku, known also as Blue Literature caused in me wave of disgust than delight on epic masterpiece, which it is praised in every possible way. I’m not sure I watched exactly the same anime…So, it’s time to tell about concrets…

It might seem those 12 episodes escaped my memory but, unfortunately, mistake. First history called No Longer Human / Ningen Shikkaku, which was written by Dazai Osamu was literally zenith of everything. Some people search in it biographical conditions, but if that so, author must had ,,interesting” ... life. Peculiar visions, schizophrenic tendency – yes, it difficult to be bored. Finishing this arc, I really haven’t known what creators have on theirs mind. After turbulent was about ¾ anime to the end…

Second - Sakura no Mori no Mankai no Shita – or In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom says about some woman and rogue who lived in the mountains, it takes place a few centuries ago. If I’m right, it something doesn’t right, does it? What is in this era do all the technical innovations, known only our generations. We should write history textbooks another time. What’s more, that woman was really…scary. She tricked her lover – love is blind, whatever. Only positive? They keep a hog which can speak. Since then I want to a have hog as a pet too.~

Together, there are a six stories, but what’s up with the rest? You must see on your own. If, despite its flaws won your hearts, it’s still right. In my opinion it bring only disappoint. This, many facepalms and full of curses hurled at the characters? Highly individual matter.
Very confused, Aya.