Transformations in Anime

**Alfalfa_the_Definitive** · 09-29-2009 12:00 PM

Hello!
I'm new to this forum, so let me quickly introduce myself first...

I'm a film student from Brussels, Belgium and I'm currently working on a short film about an English woman who becomes obsessed by Japanese pop-culture. Besides this project, I'm also working on a thesis about 'Transformations in Japanese animation'

For this, I'm looking for as many anime movies and series as possible that feature some sort of 'transformation'. This can be any kind of transformation: From evolving Pokémon to the shape-shifting Forest Spirit in Mononoke Hime, the 'mecha' in Evangelion not being 'real' mecha and sort of leading their own life (I saw the series years ago, so I have to watch it again to really remember what happened) (and of course materialisation), Van growing wings in Escaflowne, and the end of Akira.

So which other ones do you know of that could be interesting to study?
This can be very well known things or even more obscure ones...

Thanks a lot in advance!

-Pieter

**The Grey Crane** · 09-29-2009 01:12 PM

Before you go into the 'henshin' (transforming) genre in anime, i think i should first mention its earlier roots(just in case you might not know it yet). The whole henshin hero boom in tokusatsu helped paved the way of the henshin concept boom in anime. The henshin classics in tokusatsu such as Kamen Rider and Inazuman were all greatly influential. There's one big central figure in the said movement, that's none other than the mangaka Shotaro Ishinomori. Know the history and its beginnings and your well on your way towards knowing the stuff that are most interesting to study. Seriously.

As for anime with the henshin concept, there are TONS, and i mean tons of it. Here's a list (not a full list) of notable anime that features transformations:

(TRANSFORMATION is a CENTRAL CONCEPT in the MAGICAL GIRL genre, so i'm only gonna name two shows from it. Okay, that's already a big list for you rolled into one simple sentence.)

-Sailor Moon (The biggest magical girl show)
-Cutey Honey (magical girl icon)
-Ranma 1/2 (A romantic comedy, features weird transformations like human to animal and gender change)
-Barom One (A toku classic which made its way into anime as well, feature two kids that transform into Barom One)
-DBZ (of course who doesn't know DBZ and the characters' Saiyan transformations)
-Getter Robo (super robot)
-Super Dimensional Fortress Macross (real robot)
-Android Kikaida (henshin hero icon, a transforming cyborg)

Would name more 'interesting ones to study' later....

You might also wanna check out the stuff which features aging transformations.

**Baka** · 09-29-2009 01:24 PM

Rosario+Vampire
Septum Charm Magical Kanan
Midori Days <---Seiji's hand does transform

**.Sev** · 09-29-2009 02:42 PM

Omg, just about every freakin magical girl anime EVER MADE, as grey mentioned.

Inuyasha transforms into a human at some time during the month. (I cant rememeber the exact time)
I guess you could say that ichigo transforms, thou its not really what I would say transforming...

And wait, your writing a thesis on anime transformations?

**Cobra Commander** · 09-29-2009 10:22 PM

Ichigo may not really transform, but the Espada do.

**daft** · 09-30-2009 12:53 AM

Tetsuo's transformation in Akira is a pretty interesting one. Though I have no idea what it is that he transforms into, or if it's even a progression (it sure as hell isn't any magical girl or super Saiyan).