Subaru's Sales Growth Streak Comes to a Halt

Subaru's impressive 93 months of consecutive sales gains came to an end with a 9.4 percent drop in September. All eight models posted declines for the month ranging from a 0.2 percent drop for the Forester to a 61 percent nosedive for the BRZ. Sales of Subaru's bread and butter Impreza, Crosstrek, and Ascent fell by still significant, but not as steep, 5.3, 3.9, and 9.2 percentage points respectively. The WRX, which Subaru counts as a separate model from the Impreza, dropped 42 percent.

Legacy and Outback sales were down 34 and 12.5 percent respectively--perhaps due to the arrival of next generation models on dealer lots. The 2020 Legacy and Outback move onto the Subaru Global Platform, the last vehicles in Subaru's lineup to do so. Their exteriors boast a subtle evolution from their predecessors. Subaru held a study with potential buyers and discovered that participants responded most favorably to the design that changed the least from the old ones. Inside, occupants will find a richer interior with improved materials all around. A vertically oriented 11.6 inch touchscreen commands the center console and contributes to the cars' more premium feel. As on all Subarus introduced within the last couple years, the brand's signature Eyesight Driver Assist Technology is standard.

A turbocharged engine returns to the lineup after a two generation absence. This new 2.4 L four-cylinder unit comes directly from the Ascent and replaces the old 3.6 L flat-six with improved power (260 hp), torque (277 lb-ft), and fuel consumption. The base 2.5 L flat-four now comes with direct injection and a boost in power to 182 hp.

Amid slowing sales across the industry, Subaru has been able to keep its head above water far longer than most. Could Subaru's stumble signify that a recession is definitely on the horizon? It's certainly possible. Conditions are ripe for another economic downturn. Costs of goods and services seem to climb ever higher while wages fail to keep up. As a result, more people turn to higher and longer loans to cover expensive purchases. Consider these statistics regarding new-car loans. According to Experian, the average loan for the second quarter of 2019 was $32,119. In 2017, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that 42 percent of car loans were 72 months or longer. Even more worryingly, when people trade for a new car, they often roll debt from existing loans into new loans. Dealing with money that technically doesn't exist is always risky business, and relies on people's confidence in the economy. Economic uncertainty remains high as we near the end of 2019, putting lenders and loan holders in a precarious position.

Smart Leaves the US

The Smart Fortwo is dead in the United States and Canada after 2019. The decision to exit the North American market comes amid higher costs to federalize the car to US safety regulations coupled with falling sales. The end of Smart closes the book on a 10 year odyssey many people questioned from the outset, but succeeded in leaving a permanent mark on American car culture.   

The Smart was always going to be a tough sell in America. After all, it was primarily designed to function in the narrow city streets of Europe. However, by the time Smart’s parent company, Daimler-Benz, was considering bringing the brand to the United States, it was already established in several different countries, including Canada starting in 2004. Interest in the brand was high, and when Smart entered the US market in 2008, 25,000 Fortwos drove off dealer lots by the end of its first year. Sales quickly dropped after that. Even with the Great Recession on the horizon, fuel was still pretty cheap and not many people were willing to downsize to something like the Smart. At 106 inches long, the Fortwo was four feet shorter than a Mini Cooper. In the land of supersized pickup trucks, a lot of people didn’t feel safe driving something as small as a Smart, even though crash tests yielded positive results.

Reviews didn’t do the Smart any favors. Obviously power was going to be on the low end, but most consumers were probably hoping for a little more than the Smart’s 70 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque. More problematic though was the single clutch automatic transmission, which has been universally described as jerky and slow. A redesigned model added a turbocharger to the 1-liter engine, boosting it to 89 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque. Two new transmission were offered as well: a five speed manual and a dual clutch automatic.

But perhaps most damaging to Smart’s US efforts was fresh competition from other brands. Subcompact models from Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Ford were able to match the Smart’s $15,000 MSRP and offered usable space for four people plus their belongings. Fast forward to 2019, and the Smart comes across as even more of a compromise that requires too much of a sacrifice and not enough of a benefit.   

Desperately needed additional models to supplement the Fortwo never materialized. Smart initially planned to enter the US market with a small SUV called the Formore, but that project was cancelled at the eleventh hour due to unfavorable exchange rates and spending cutbacks within the organization. An electric version of the Fortwo debuted in 2012 and was carried over with the 2015 redesign. By 2018, it was the only version of the Fortwo on sale in the US, with a paltry range of 70-80 miles and a ludicrous pricetag of $24,550. That’s some serious money for a small car with an even smaller driving range. It’s no surprise then that sales have dwindled to 1,276 units for 2018.

So, was Smart’s foray into the US market a failure? Lack of diversity certainly relegated the brand to a niche status, but larger vehicles would have diluted the Smart philosophy of getting people to rethink personal transportation. Smart proved that not everyone needs a giant land whale for their daily commute, and other brands have brought well packaged, feature laden small cars to the market with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, small cars seem to be a losing proposition in America, at least for now. Ford has already killed the Fiesta, Honda may not replace the Fit, and how Fiat is staying in business is a mystery to me. We’ll have to wait and see if anyone can turn the innovative mobility concept pioneered by Smart into a winning formula.

Ford's Big Gamble

It’s been known now for more than a year that Ford is in the process of phasing out its passenger car lineup to devote more resources to building trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. The Focus has already been dropped from the US market, and the Fiesta and Taurus are nearing the end of the line as well. The Fusion just got a minor update for 2019, so it should be good for a couple more years before it is finally retired.

People have speculated whether a Ford lineup without sedans and hatchbacks rounding out the bottom end can actually work. Now, at the 2019 New York Auto Show, we finally got our first look at how Ford plans to guide its traditional car buyers into a new SUV.

The 2020 Ford Escape leads Ford into this uncertain future with a completely redesigned body that eschews nearly all pretenses of off road ruggedness. Soft curves replace hard lines from stem to stern. The roofline is slightly lower and gives the new Escape an undeniable hatchback vibe. Overall, it’s not too dissimilar to the Focus Active that Ford originally planned to sell here but cancelled after deeming it unlikely to generate enough sales.

Engine choices include a base 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder making 180 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. If the thought of a three-cylinder SUV scares you, wait until you hear that this engine comes equipped with cylinder deactivation. This means you will be able to drive a two-cylinder powered, 3,000 lb. SUV under certain circumstances. Perhaps aware that this engine isn’t for everyone, Ford will also offer a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque on higher trim levels. An eight-speed automatic transmission is standard across the range, and the 2.0 is only available with all-wheel drive.

A hybrid Escape returns after being discontinued for the previous generation. It will be joined by a new plug-in hybrid model. The hybrid will be offered alongside the standard vehicle when it goes on sale this fall. The plug-in hybrid will join the lineup in spring 2020.

So the 2020 Ford Escape still shares its structure and powertrain with the Focus, and now bears a passing resemblance to one too. What still remains to be seen is if buyers on a $25,000 Focus budget can stretch up to the $30,000 price tag of a well equipped, midrange Escape. 

Fluctuating fuel prices will also play a role in determining if Ford’s gamble will pay off. The current Escape gets around 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. Not bad, but consider that compact cars now get miles per gallon anywhere between the high 30s to the low 40s.

I have already seen fuel prices in my hometown rise 50 cents in less than three months. I’m afraid that once gas prices get above $3 per gallon, people are going to get jittery and Ford will once again be caught with its pants down by not having any cheap, fuel efficient cars available for buyers whose budgets have suddenly tightened. This is a dangerous game that Ford is playing, and there may not be another bailout if things go wrong.  

Pokemon's New Mewtwo Movie an Unfortunate Step Backwards

Pokemon Day 2019 gave fans of the long running franchise plenty to get excited about. A second trailer for the upcoming Detective Pikachu movie was released online, and as of this writing has been viewed 23 million times. Pokemon has done an incredible job marketing this movie. There seems to be something to enjoy in this film whether you've grown up with Pokemon or haven't given it a single thought before in your entire life. Basically, it looks like we'll be getting a new age Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but with Pokemon in it, when this movie premieres on May 10. I can easily see Detective Pikachu being the dark horse of summer 2019 and raking in some serious money if it gets a warm reception from critics and general audiences.

Which brings me to the main topic of discussion for today. Pokemon has also released a Japanese language trailer for its 22nd main series movie titled Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution. If you've followed the Pokemon franchise since the beginning, the title of this film should give you an idea of what it's about. Namely, it's a retelling of the events of the first ever Pokemon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, released way back in 1999.

In that movie, Mewtwo is a Pokemon created by scientists to be the most powerful Pokemon in the world. It escapes from human control, and harbors a deep hatred of humans and regular Pokemon. Mewtwo enacts a plan to gather some of the best Pokemon trainers around, capture their Pokemon, and replace the Pokemon with cloned versions more powerful than the originals. Mewtwo will then use its clone army to destroy humanity and all Pokemon loyal to humans. It was a halfway decent movie in its day, well suited for kids who always wanted to see Pokemon battles on the big screen. I personally think the subsequent two movies eclipsed this film both in terms of spectacle and storytelling, but Mewtwo Strikes Back was an okay first effort and really cemented Pokemon as a pop culture icon of the late 1990s.

Now, I'm about as big a Pokemon fan as there can possibly be, but there is nothing about this new movie that excites me at all. As near as I can tell from the trailer, it's a scene for scene remake of the original movie. We see the ancient ruins where Mew's DNA is found to create Mewtwo. The layout of Mewtwo's lair also looks the same. All the characters from the first movie seem to be there, too.

Speaking of the characters, the designs of the humans are positively awful. They look like the figures used in Robot Chicken's Pokemon parodies. The rest of the film's design, while not bad on its own, looks embarrassingly cheap compared to other theatrically released computer animated films. One of the draws of the original movie was that the animators were able to use their higher budget to create visuals they couldn't do in the regular anime. When you saw that movie in theaters, you truly got a higher level experience. I'm curious to see how Pokemon plans to distribute this new film in the US. I think it would work fine as a direct to television special, but may lead to a lot of buyer's remorse if people need to pay for a full price movie ticket to see it.

If Pokemon wants people to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first Pokemon movie so badly, they should just let people watch the first Pokemon movie. In fact, considering that thousands if not millions of children have grown up since Mewtwo Strikes Back graced the big screen, being able to watch it again at cinemas alongside kids of their own could be a real treat.

Pokemon Day 2019 thus presents a strange conundrum. All sources indicate that Detective Pikachu can provide the same nitro fueled adrenaline rush to the franchise that Pokemon Go did in 2016. However, Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution's poor quality and lack of original storytelling could jeopardize Pokemon's newfound momentum. Mewtwo boasted in the first movie that his clones were superior to the originals in every way. Unfortunately, while this new movie seems to be cloned straight from the original, too, everything about it looks substantially worse.

Top Takeaways from the 2019 Boston Auto Show

Another New England International Auto Show is in the books. Every January, manufacturers and local dealers bring their latest models to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for five full days of automotive enjoyment. It's a great opportunity for casual and dedicated car enthusiasts to walk around and touch the cars and trucks of their dreams. People in the market for a new car will appreciate the chance to browse specifications without a nosy salesperson breathing down their neck. Today I am going to run through some of the highlights from the 2019 show.

Running in the 90s

There were times while I was walking around the show floor that I thought I had travelled back in time to my early childhood. Long retired nameplates have been given new life as consumers continue to flock towards SUVs and automakers scramble to fill every available niche in their lineups. Playing off of nostalgia is always a useful sales tactic, and it seems automakers are counting on millennials looking for a new car to remember some of the names from their youth. Take the all new 2019 Honda Passport, the return of a name last seen on a rebadged Izuzu Rodeo some 16 years ago. The partnership with Izuzu was an inexpensive way for Honda to enter the growing SUV market back in 1993. A couple years later Honda developed the car-based CR-V as a companion to the larger and truckier Passport. By 2003, the partnership with Izuzu ended and the Passport was replaced by Honda's homegrown Pilot three-row SUV. This new Passport is a shortened version of the current generation Pilot with only two rows of seating and a decidedly more rugged personality than either the Pilot or the CR-V. Objectively, it fills a niche for those who desire more space and capability than a CR-V can provide in a tidier package than the larger Pilot.

Then there's the new Chevrolet Blazer making its Boston Auto Show debut. The 2019 Blazer fills the same role in Chevrolet's lineup as the Passport does for Honda's. Like the Passport, the Blazer is a two-row midsize crossover intended to split the difference between the compact Equinox and the three-row Traverse. But whereas the Passport carves an identity as the off roader of Honda's lineup, the Blazer wants you to see it as the sports car among Chevy's vast range of SUVs. Styling inside and out of the Blazer draws heavy inspiration from the Camaro, and a top level RS trim adds stiffer damping, a quicker steering ratio, and a torque vectoring rear differential. Old school aficionados who fondly remember the K5 or the S-10 Blazers of years past may scoff at this latest iteration, but those looking for a practical and stylish sporty crossover will likely find a lot to love.    

Here Come the Koreans

Can you believe how far the Koreans have come? Last year Kia unleashed the Stinger which promptly shook up the performance sedan segment with its combination of high power, spacious and practical interior, muscular styling, and affordable price. Then came the Hyundai Veloster N, a high performance version of the quirky three door hatchback. A turbocharged 2.0 liter packing 275 hp puts the Veloster N squarely between hot hatches such as the Volkswagen GTI and total maniacs like the Honda Civic Type R. 

Now we have the Genesis G70, the first true sports sedan from Hyundai's still young luxury brand. The G70 uses the same platform as the Stinger and is powered by either a 252 hp 2.0 liter turbo or a 365 hp turbocharged V6. The exterior is handsome. The interior looks and feels like a premium environment, and it undercuts it rivals by several thousands of dollars. Car and Driver selected the G70 to its prestigious 10 Best list and Motor Trend crowned it Car of the Year last month. For first efforts in their respective segments, all three of these cars are the real deal and should definitely be on your list if you are in the market for a sporty new ride.   

I was a German Luxury Car Drop-Out

Auto shows worldwide are on the decline. There's no denying that. Manufacturers are increasingly looking toward viral marketing moments to drive interest in new reveals. Its one of the reasons that I no longer have much desire to attend the Detroit Auto Show. The spectacle that used to grace international car shows is gone. Be that as it may, I can't come up with any excuse why local dealers can't pitch in and bring their cars to smaller affairs like the Boston Auto Show. Missing this year were several luxury automakers such as BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, and Porsche. Mini and Mitsubishi were no shows as well. What this meant is that there was a lot of empty floor space that the organizers attempted to fill out with rest areas, concession booths and a few Winnebagos. I'm curious to know what the turnout for this year's show was, since being able to sit in and interact with these higher end cars has traditionally been one of the show's major selling points. On the bright side, attendees were able to sit inside an Acura NSX this year, so it had that going for it.  

McLaren Might

Supercar Speedway has always been a highlight of the Boston Auto Show. Each year brings a fresh batch of automotive exotica for kids and adults to take in. This year marked the New England debuts of the 2020 Bentley Continental GT, the 2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and the 2019 Lamborghini Urus. However no one surprised the attendees more than McLaren which brought an entire lineup of cars to the show including a couple 720S models, a 600LT, one each of the 570 Spider and 570GT, a P1 and finally a beautifully detailed Senna. As the latest in McLaren's Ultimate Series of cars, the Senna is powered by a 789 hp version of the British automaker's 4.0 liter twin turbo V8. The Senna may be down 100 hp compared to the hybrid P1, but it's also lighter, which means that performance should be comparable. You're unlikely to ever see a Senna on the road, so getting to take a close look at it during this year's Boston Auto Show was an unforgettable treat.

Anime and Music Pairings that Need to Happen - Part Two

Welcome back to the second part of my two-part series which matches some of my favorite anime shows with modern songs that share similar thematic elements. Angels and demons abound in this part as I find the perfect soundtracks for Pita-Ten and High School DxD. If you missed my first article in this series, you can find it by clicking on the link here. Without further ado, let's get started.

Pita-Ten with Akon - "Angel"

Here's a piece of trivia for you all. Pita-Ten was the first manga I ever read. During high school, I became good friends with some girls who were really into manga and anime, so I randomly picked up one of the manga books available in the school library to see what this stuff was all about. My interest in the story of Pita-Ten only increased the more I read. Please ignore the cutesy character designs and elementary school antics for a minute. Read the manga for yourself, and discover just how darn good this series is. I guarantee you'll have tears in your eyes as you reach the end.

That being said, this post will focus on Pita-Ten's anime adaptation. I was very curious after reading the manga to see how the anime compares to the source material. We start with our protagonist, Kotarou Higuchi, about to head out for another day at school. Kotarou lives in an apartment complex with his father, who is often away due to work. We learn that Kotarou's mother saved Kotarou from being hit by a truck some time ago at the cost of her own life. Lingering trauma from the accident has contributed to Kotarou's stoic and generally closed off personality. However, Kotarou's life changes forever when he is ambushed by a girl named Misha who brazenly asks Kotarou to go out with her.

"She got wings. She got a halo. It seems to me so unnatural."

Naturally, Kotarou freaks out and runs away. He encounters Misha later that day and accidentally injures her following another spastic reaction. Feeling guilty, he invites Misha inside his apartment and tends to her wound. Misha explains that she just moved in next door to Kotarou, and isn't used to this world just yet. Kotarou doesn't understand what Misha is talking about, but allows Misha to stay for a while and help him make dinner. When they are done, Kotarou gives Misha some food to take home, but is horrified when Misha starts to leave through a window. Misha explains that its fine because she is an angel. She spreads her wings and begins to glow brightly. However, Kotarou yanks her off the window ledge before she can jump.

"She looked at me, took me by surprise, yeah. As if she took me by the hand to some foreign land and had me way up, way above the clouds in the sky."

The next day, Misha follows Kotarou everywhere and causes all kinds of trouble. Kotarou tells Misha to leave him alone, but Misha insists that she wants to protect Kotarou. Misha's words anger Kotarou as they remind him of how his mother died. Later that night, Kotarou closes his eyes and thinks about his mother again. As a tear starts to fall down his face, it is wiped away by Misha, who somehow got into Kotarou's apartment. Misha takes a hold of Kotarou's hand and leads him outside. Before Kotarou can say anything, Misha spreads her wings and takes Kotarou for a flight over the city. He truly enjoys it, but starts to get cold. Misha speeds toward the ground and the next thing Kotarou knows, he's all alone back in his apartment. Kotarou dismisses the experience as a dream, and the scene fades out as one of Misha's angel feather's flutters in the night air outside the apartment, just to give the viewer some doubt.

It was this scene in particular that made me think that Akon's song, "Angel," would be a good fit for Pita-Ten. The song came out right around when I started reading the Pita-Ten manga, which features the exact same flying scene. I immediately saw the connection with the lyrics written above as they describe the scene almost perfectly. I can also easily imagine Kotarou composing the rest of the lyrics of this song as a way to describe Misha.

"I'm looking at an Angel, and believe me when I say she got the whole place glowing."

Misha's antics can get annoying at times, but by episode three you find out that Misha really is an angel at heart and wants to do her best to help Kotarou. Misha has actually been sent to Earth to complete her angel exam. An angel's job is to spread joy and happiness, but Misha's clumsy nature means that passing the exam won't be easy. Nevertheless, Misha is able to make a positive impact on Kotarou and his peers. Kotarou eventually develops feelings for Misha, as her presence has made him a happier, more confident person. These emotions ultimately put Kotarou in a difficult situation as the series nears its conclusion.  

If I were to knock the Pita-Ten anime for anything, it would be for simplifying or otherwise omitting the coming of age subplots that made the manga such a joy to read. Kotarou's friends are an interesting bunch, who are really fleshed out in the manga. Their age is what makes them so intriguing because they are at that awkward stage in their lives where they are mature enough to know that life isn't always fair, but still not experienced enough to understand why that is. Unfortunately, their stories are largely replaced with slice of life-style filler that at times, makes the series' 26 episode run time seem a bit excessive. However, once you reach the final three episodes, you realize that this is what the anime has been steadily building towards, with an ending that is satisfying in its own right.

High School DxD with John Newman - "Love Me Again"

And now for something completely different. We'll leave the cutesy world of Pita-Ten behind and enter the raunchy harem action comedy of High School DxD. There's really not much to add that I haven't said before in my earlier review of the first three seasons of DxD, so I'm going to focus primarily on my choice of John Newman's 2013 hit song "Love Me Again" as the lyrics apply to different moments of the DxD anime.

"Know I've done wrong, left your heart torn. Is that what devils do?"

The opening for "Love Me Again" serves as a perfect way to introduce High School DxD's protagonist, Issei Hyoudou, a second year student at Kuoh Academy. He is shown as a rather self-centered individual who is completely obsessed with having his own harem. Issei's lecherous nature caused him to be instantly labeled as a loathsome pervert by the girls at his school. You could say that Issei is already halfway to being a devil even before the main plot of the story kicks in. However, if any girl did attempt to get close to Issei, they would find that he is actually kind, courageous, and completely determined to protect those he cares about from harm. Unfortunately for Issei, you often don't get a second chance to make a first impression, and the first impressions Issei gives leave a lot to be desired.

"Now I'm rising from the ground, rising up to you. Filled with all the strength I've found, there's nothing I can't do."

Imagine Issei's shock when a girl named Yuma boldly asks him out on a date. Unfortunately, the date turns out to be a setup. Yuma is actually a fallen angel named Raynare who sensed that Issei could pose a great danger to her kind. She fatally stabs Issei with a spear of light and leaves him for dead. Luckily, Issei is saved and reborn as a devil by the beautiful Rias Gremory, another student at Kuoh, president of the Occult Research Club, and a member of a high ranking devil family. Issei's reincarnation grants him devilish powers including enhanced strength and speed plus the ability to cast spells. His abilities are greatly aided by the Sacred Gear he possesses which contains the spirit of one of the two Heavenly dragons. It was Issei's Sacred Gear that originally attracted the fallen angels' attention. Issei uses his Sacred Gear to enhance both his physical and demonic powers. Furthermore, as his regular abilities grow, he can utilize more of the Sacred Gear's potential, including forming a suit of red dragon armor around his entire body. Using his powers, Issei is able to hold his own against rival devils and other supernatural beings.

"It's unforgivable, I stole and burnt your soul. Is that what demons do?"

Issei's powers and unwavering determination make him a valuable member of Rias's devil team which consists of the other members of the Occult Research Club. He quickly wins the hearts of all the girls in the group and finds himself subject to countless sexual advances. For someone like Issei, you would think this would be a dream come true, but due to his encounter with Raynare, Issei is reluctant to believe that his friends' shows of affection are genuine. Furthermore, Issei deeply fears that his friends will abandon him if he ever admits his feelings for them.

"Took you so low, where only fools go. I shook the angel in you."

Issei's internal struggle with his inner demons make up the core emotional plot of DxD. He truly loves all of his friends, but his heart and soul belong to Rias Gremory. After all, Rias was the one who saved Issei from death and always believed in the potential he had as a member of her team. In the first season, finale, Issei risked his life to save Rias from a forced marriage to another devil. After Issei won the battle, Rias and Issei shared their first kiss. This promising moment is marred in future seasons by lingering fears in both character's minds. I already mentioned how Issei's experience with Raynare has haunted him. It's due to that trauma that Issei refuses to let his guard down and call Rias by her name; Instead he always refers to her as "President." This in turn hurts Rias, as she thinks it is evidence that Issei is unable to understand the strong feelings she has for him. This conflict is explored in season 3 and is resolved by Issei calling Rias by her name for the first time. Their relationship improves through season 4 and ends with the two of them officially becoming a couple.

"I need to know now...can you love me again?"

Young love is often a complicated experience, particularly for those who haven't had to deal with such a wide range of emotions before. That appears to be what the lyrics of "Love Me Again" suggest. The lyrics tell of someone, presumably a man, who has emotionally hurt a woman he loves. The singer is asking the woman to forgive him and love him again. I think the content of this song closely mirrors what Issei and Rias go through over the course of the High School DxD anime. The song's references to angels and devils only makes the comparison with the series all the more natural.

I hope you all enjoyed reading my thoughts on this subject. I'll ask once again what songs you think would be good fits for certain anime series? Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Anime and Music Pairings that Need to Happen - Part One

I’ve decided to kick off the new year with something fun. You know how movies have songs integrated into important plot moments or during the credits? Well, I was thinking about some anime series I have seen and what English language songs out there could possibly be played during the opening or end credits while staying true to the spirit of the anime. Usually anime series use songs by Japanese artists that match the tone of the show, but I think using songs in other languages might be a fun concept to explore every once in a while. There is a thriving culture of fan made anime music videos (AMVs) that are regularly showcased at anime conventions around the world. I wish I had the skills to make AMVs of my own, but until then, here are two of my favorite anime paired with a song that embodies a core theme played out over the course of the series. Look for Part Two on this blog later this month. 

School Rumble with Swimming with Dolphins – “Silhouettes”

Let’s begin with my favorite anime series of all time. School Rumble is a slice of life romantic comedy centered on a love triangle between the bubbly Tenma Tsukamoto, delinquent Kenji Harima, and the eccentric Oji Karasuma. Tenma is hopelessly in love with Karasuma despite him being more or less oblivious to her feelings. Meanwhile Harima developed feelings for Tenma after he saved her from a thug one year prior to the start of the series. The incident caused Tenma to pass out, and Harima took her to his place to recover. When Tenma wakes up in Harima’s bed, she accuses Harima of being a pervert. While Tenma has since forgotten the incident, Harima starts wearing sunglasses and grows facial hair to hide his identity from her in case she ever remembers. He tries his best throughout the series to win Tenma’s heart despite numerous setbacks ranging from laugh out loud hilarious to almost bringing a tear to my eye. Harima embodies every high school boy who has ever chased after the girl of his dreams. You root for him through his attempts to win Tenma’s heart and feel his anguish when he learns about Tenma’s feelings for Karasuma. 

“When I can’t bear the resistance, I bend in shapes in ways that I never knew.” 

Harima's emotional breakdown leads to one of the greatest character arcs I have ever seen in a romance anime. Harima channels his frustration into drawing a manga with himself as the hero, Tenma as the damsel, and Karasuma as the villain. When he is done, he tries to get his work published for the same manga magazine for which his favorite artist, Jou Nijou, draws. During the interview, Harima is horrified to learn that Nijou is the pen name for none other than Karasuma. Furious, Harima tears his manga in half and leaves before the interview can finish. He falls into a depression and quits school. After a while Harima decides to go to school one last time to tell Tenma his true feelings and to hand in his official resignation. Due to a mix up though, Tenma accidently receives the resignation letter, and she personally asks Harima to stay in school. Rejuvenated, Harima comes back to school and renews his focus on developing his manga and staying close to Tenma.

“You found comfort with my distance, but you will never let me stray out of your view.”

For the rest of the series, Harima refuses to give up entirely on Tenma even though Tenma’s love for Karasuma is unshakable. However, regular interactions between Tenma and Harima lead them to becoming pretty good friends. Harima joins Tenma and her friends on trips to the beach and the countryside, and they discover that they both like the same TV shows.

The series ends with Harima coming to terms that he may never be a romantic equal to Karasuma in Tenma’s eyes, but that shouldn’t mean that he and Tenma can’t continue to have good times together. I guess that is what makes School Rumble so great and so relatable. It’s a series for anyone who’s thrown everything they have at getting a crush to notice them. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, but even rejections can have happy endings for both parties.

“I’ll stop my heart and then I’ll wait for you.”

Swimming with Dolphins was formed by Minneapolis friends Austin Tofte and future Owl City frontman Adam Young. “Silhouettes” is one of the songs released on the band’s debut EP, Ambient Blue, in 2008 and is sung as a duet by Tofte and fellow Minnesotan Breanne Duren. The upbeat, electropop nature of "Silhouettes" would blend in nicely with any anime series, but lyrical themes of moving on from an unfulfilled relationship make this a perfect companion piece for School Rumble.

One-Punch Man with Five for Fighting – “Superman (It’s Not Easy)”

This one is kind of a no-brainer. Any number of superhero themed songs could work well with this critically acclaimed action series. I’ve actually seen a few AMVs on YouTube with scenes from One-Punch Man set to 3 Doors Down’s “Kryptonite.” In the end I have chosen the 2001 song “Superman” by Los Angeles singer and songwriter John Ondrasik, who goes by the stage name Five for Fighting. According to Ondrasik, “Superman” reflects how he personally felt down on his luck after his first album failed to meet sales expectations. I’ve covered One-Punch Man thoroughly in a previous blog, so I’ll cut to the basics. Saitama was once a salaryman unable to find a job. After saving a child from a monster, he decided to become a hero for fun. Through a strict training regimen and an indomitable will, Saitama achieved such a high level of power that he can defeat any foe with a single punch.

“I’m more than a bird. I’m more than a plane. I’m more than some pretty face beside a train. And it’s not easy to be me.”

“Superman” and One-Punch Man are thematically similar in several ways. The lyrics of the song make a case that Superman’s life isn’t easy in spite of all his power. For instance, one verse insists that Superman is troubled that he will never know his true home, Krypton. It also appears that Superman would rather be normal and not have the ability to fly. After all, Superman is an alien here on Earth. He may look human and have human emotions, but he will never truly be one of us. 

“I’m only a man in a funny red sheet. I’m only a man looking for a dream.”

Saitama faces problems of his own throughout the course of One-Punch Man. Although he enjoys being a hero and saving people from monsters, he is bothered that no single enemy can give him a truly exhilarating fight. He comes close to finding a worthy foe by the final episode of the first season, but even that fight ends with Saitama barely getting more than a few scratches and the villain admitting that he was never even close to beating Saitama. As the second season of One-Punch Man prepares to air later this spring, viewers will be eager to see if Saitama will ever meet his match.

You’d think that a series with a hero who can’t be defeated would grow stale pretty quickly, but One-Punch Man remains extremely popular. A lot of this is due to the satirical nature of the series in a culture currently flooded with superheroes. Saitama isn’t driven by revenge, or lust, or any other emotion. He’s just a hero because he wants to. There is also the fact that hero work in this universe is managed by an austere, bureaucratic governing body. Inter-competition and obsession over rank turns the heroes into jaded individuals who care about their personal status as much as or more than actually doing heroic things. And then there's Saitama—a guy who completely bucks the system and doesn’t give a rat’s backside about the politics surrounding him. It’s his outstanding moral fiber in a morally bankrupt system that makes him so likable that you want him to get the recognition and the respect he fully deserves no matter how many enemies he has to fight. Add in beautiful animation courtesy of Madhouse studio, and you have an anime that will undoubtedly become a future classic.   

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for Part Two of this two-part blog series. In the meantime, feel free to let me know in the comments which songs you would like to see paired with a particular anime series. Happy New Year everyone!