Anime in my Coffin
The other night I was having trouble sleeping, and my mind wandered off god knows where. Before I knew it I was revisiting a fact I learned recently: famous Japanese Christian author Shusaku Endo asked for two books to be buried with him when he died. The books, Silence and Deep River, are some of his most compelling ones, but more to the point, they were his favorites.
I reckon most of us haven’t produced books (or anything else for that matter) we like so much that we would gladly take to our graves. This is not to say that we haven’t produced things, though. I can tell you in all sincerity that were someone to put a collection of my poetry in my coffin I would become a vengeful ghost and haunt them until they removed those dreadful pages. Seriously.
Anyway, as I lay there trying to sleep, I somehow stumbled onto the question of what anime I would like to be buried with. I was thinking in terms of those ancient cultures (Egypt, notably) which believed that the dead would travel the afterlife with whatever was left them. If there was only one anime I could take to the grave, what would it be?
The answer came very quickly: Interstella 5555. This anime movie is not, strictly speaking, a child of Matsumoto’s mind at all. But it’s at least his grandchild, as the writers were fans of the master. There’s something about the scenes and even just the plain images presented that encapsulates the Leijiverse for me, and the Daft Punk soundtrack is precisely what I would like for background music as I coursed the stars, I, hip zombienaut. If someone asked me what music album I’d like to be buried with I’d reply Discovery (essentially the soundtrack to Interstella 5555), so my choice would kill two birds with one stone. Also, choosing a long series would make me look really silly..imagine being buried with a pile of Ranma ½ DVDs or something.
Which anime would you like in your coffin? (Death can come at any moment, children. Choose now just in case!)
Kritik der Animationskraft 
What an interesting question…
I don’t think I’d ever, ever choose to be buried with an anime, but if I did, it might either be my Princess Mononoke DVD or my Tenchi Muyo DVD set – the earlier because of my affection for Studio Ghibli, the themes of the story, and the fact that it was the first anime DVD I ever purchased, and the latter because of its sentimental worth to me and to the design of the packaging, which remains my favorite among box sets/collections I’ve bought.
Let me choose for you then: Princess Mononoke!
no contest. mine would be Summer Wars. XD
About a math genius, I see. I do hope you wear pants in your coffin.
you can guarantee no pants will be present in my funeral. pantless all the way, damn it.
Excellent choice, it’s a perfect example of what “We Remember Love” is, if I actually had the ability to create something like that.
Mine would be Macross Flashback: 2012.
So kind of a similar vibe to my choice. Very cool.
Good choice AK. Daft Punk would get everyone in the afterworld on their feet.
I don’t think I’d choose an anime to be buried with. There’d be too many to choose and I would probably start second guessing myself the moment I chose one. I think instead I would take my autographed copy of David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” album. No second guessing there!
Wowwwww. That’s pretty neat. Bowie is cool. I mean, it kinda scares me that you want Bowie in your coffin, but it’s definitely cool.
This should be the reason we make things like favorites lists, so not much deep thought required here. I’d take Kare Kano with me, warts and all.
And I’ve yet to see that, for some inexplicable reason..
Not sure there’d be room given the books I’d like to take to any afterlife!
Is anyone evil enough to limit me to only *1* Leiji Matsumoto series?? And not even room for Mazinger Z?!
Space Pirate Captain Harlock. But I’d be trying to sneak a few others in!
I am evil enough to limit you to one, absolutely.
Space Pirate Captain Harlock. Will fit into my 16Gb flash drive, I checked 🙂
If it absolutely has to be short, then The Mystery of the Arcadia special. And the Endless Odyssey theme as a burial service, please.
I might have grabbed quite a lot to have a good time on a desert island (and some of those not from the Leijiverse), but for the happy hunting grounds that will do.
My 1tb drive holds all my digital versions of my books (or most…) my entire music collection and my entire anime collection (once I get my rear into gear and backup the dvds not already covered…). Sorted! I even get to take Ginga Eiyu Densetsu!
That’s kind of breaking the rules. Actually, that’s totally breaking the rules. (how come I didn’t think of it first…)
I’ve got one too. We’re well equipped for the afterlife! But I’m trying to follow the Captain’s school of thought who, having blasted an asteroid or two, used to say that the best memory card is your heart — or something along this lines 🙂
Right. I mean otherwise it gets really unromantic and then I can bring in my laptop and access any series I want in the afterlife. They wouldn’t be legit copies of course, but under ground ones. Teehee.
Warning: when the gatekeeper sees you trying to smuggle your laptop or 1tb drive in, you’ll be sentenced to a full-time job. Just to keep the divine balance.
Goodness, a job?! That would be Hell.
The Noo would fear you and leave your corpse undisturbed, I’m sure 🙂
I can think of a lot of shows I’d like buried…just not with me.
There are not enough landfills in the world…