Expert: Kai - 5/22/2011

Question
QUESTION: In my free time this summer I've watched a few anime.  Many of them have a similarity in which the main character makes a gun like shape with their hand and says "bang."  This typically tends to be toward the end of the series ex: Gantz, East of Eden.  I was curios what this stems from.  Is it a writers signature dialogue?  Is it just considered cool?  Did one anime do it and it just caught on?

On a personal note I find this extremely annoying, It is often not fit the character well and comes across as a ploy to be 'cool.'  I also find this unrealistic.  I understand anime is not real and often has fictional details, characters, technology, ..physics etc.  However,  I doubt if a giant missile were going to hit you in your face (as in east of eden), that you would just stand there and point your finger yelling bang.

P.s. Do you have any anime you would suggest for me.  I really enjoyed FMA: Brotherhood, and really didn't care for Trigun.  Really what I enjoy in a series is a good plot/story that is well developed and carried well throughout the series.  I feel like this is the key factor in what separates a show from a series.

p.p.s.  Sorry about my rantings :P

ANSWER: Unfortunately the "bang" moment is often used, even in the best of anime - several themes tend to carry out through anime for one reason or another, most often because it is considered cool. I understand that it can be annoying (lack of creativity), but for the most part it just "works." This is probably a stem from earlier anime being mostly gun based (hence they point their finger just to pretend that they still have their gun, eg. Coyboy Bebop, eventually moving onto no gun at all in later anime) or just for those fan-service moments.

Right now I'm trying to think up some good anime that does not have the bang, the only ones coming to mind are ones which actually have the main character using guns (eg. Soul Eater) or having the gun-shaped hand as a weapon (eg. "Yu Yu Hakusho" and the more recent "Deadman Wonderland"). Animes with a good plot as you have described are actually quit rare (I share the same opinion as you on the matter)

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So here are a few for you to check out:

- Gurren Lagann, the plot grows and develop, along with the mecha sizes; the human race has living underground then they decide to take over the surface; note the main female character is kind of skimpy clad with an over sized gun (a lot of the characters are depicted odd as well, some are not exactly human, but I am not talking about them)

- Hell Girl, very redundant in terms of plot (each episode is actually its own), but it is pretty good and very realistic (or more so than the majority of anime); there is a plot that shows up which starts to connect the episodes, but very mild; the main focus is on the characters themselves as who must make the decision whether or not to pull a string to send the one they hate to hell at the price of their own soul (my favorite anime)

- Darker than Black, the first season only as all spin offs are horrible; it is about there people called "contractors" and the mystery of "Hell's Gate" and a whole bunch of other stuff that is difficult to put into words, but the story and the idea are original

- Code Geass, no one I know has ever not liked this one; Original anime heavily plot based with a cliff hanger at the end of season one which pulls you into the much more amazing season 2 (R2)

- Blood+, kind of dark but no guns :D (swords and mutant creatures which make you constantly think of vampires even though they are not), really good story though about a girl named Saya and her chevalier Haji

- Wolf's Rain, very sad ending; about wolves seeking paradise in a futuristic world that reminds me of a cross between McCarthy's "The Road" and something out of an Ayn Rand book; what's nice is that it has the type of plot you seek, but like I said the ending is kind of sad, odd, somewhat disappointing, and slightly confusing...

- Death Note, might have seen this, but if you have not, do so; A great mystery and you are never particularly sure which side you want to win

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And just a comment on the ones I mentioned above:
- Coyboy Bebop, you will probably not like this one and I often wonder why people do; the characters are memorable, the plot is horrible if I can say so because there really is not one; about bounty hunters who constantly fail...and jazz music

- Yu Yu Hakusho, your everyday "guy gets hit by car, returned back to life, and is now fighting demons;" more episodic, but has the ever lasting plot thing going which is actually pretty good; his main power/ability is firing spirit bullets

- Deadman Wonderland, just started last month, and I expect much from it since the managa is really well written; a boy is wrongly accused of murdering his classmates and is sent to a prison where he ends up with this power to shoot blood bullets that apparently explode (but its a good story...)

- Soul Eater, personally I do not like this one, but I am one of few; takes a while for the plot to get going as it tries to build the characters first thus making the series very episodic; one of the main character's has duel pistols, hence my reference

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Hope that's enough to keep you busy for a while.
Enjoy and do not hesitate to ask should you have any more questions :)
- Kai

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hahaha I don't really mind guns or even the whole bang thing.  I just went into somewhat of a rant haha.  It in no means 'ruins' the anime for me...it was simply a question and my opinion on the matter.  I hope this didn't affect your decisions too much. I actually welcome and enjoy violence in anime.

I'm glad you agree with me in terms of the plot.  I also thing Cowboy Bebop is over rated.  I was never really able to get into it. However, I have seen Deathnote and did enjoy it(I give it an 8), as well as Yu Yu.  I will have to check out Blood+ as it just popped up on my netflix.  Some others that popped up in my netflix are Baccano, D Gray Man, Samurai 7, X, Golgo 13.  Have you seen any of these or heard anything about these.

Thanks

Answer
It did not affect my decision very much, so no worries. :)

D Gray Man is alright, it just starts to get a little long and boring; mostly about this guy named Allen who fights akuma (and pretty much does nothing else) as he is trying to find he teacher for an upcoming war. It is more geared toward character development than plot

Baccano is actually one I have been looking into as it has some good ratings, except the anime has been described as a bunch of "unrelated plots intersecting as things get out of control."

I do not know much about X except that it is a CLAMP story, which tends to be very magical/metaphysical in the weird sort of way, but interesting concepts none the less. Samurai 7 is supposed to be good, Golgo 13 not so much. I have not seen either of these however, so I cannot say exactly.