The classic anime film "Akira" is often hailed as the gold standard that all anime art is judged by. From a purely visual angle, it would be hard to disagree with that. My whole problem is that I personally just didn't much care for the story...great visuals though.

If I were ever fortunate enough to have the pleasure of being the Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of my very own anime studio, one of the very first things I would want is a return to form using the classic hand-drawn art style that was in use during the '80s and '90s. See the gallery of Deviant Art user bluethebone to get an idea of what I mean -- you will notice many popular anime characters from the new generation being re-imagined there in this style.

In the hair and wardrobe department, it would be nice to see some new shows that feature throwback fashions which serve as an anachronism to the present day. Give the chicks nice big luscious manes of hair like the styles that Farrah Fawcett and June Chadwick used to wear in the shows and movies they were in during their prime. Have the characters wearing brightly coloured casual shirts featuring all-over prints with geometric shapes that would look right at home on the set of Saved By the Bell. That one scene from My Dress-Up Darling where Wakana Gojo is shown trying on one of these while out shopping with Marin was great - that shirt was so me. I wish I could have taken it right off of his back to claim it as my own.

One of my other big things is the music. Okay, admittedly most of the good anime being made to this day typically has a good opening theme song which would please even a tough customer like yours truly...but, have we also not heard better before? I feel that there is often too little synth being used in the themes and scores of many modern animes, though this isn't to say that the keyboard is entirely absent in all of them; however, the warm fuzzy vibes of the low resolution synth of the past is largely phased out because..."progress." In the genre of comedy, it feels most appropriate to go for theme music done in the style of a smooth jazz fusion which blends the synthy goodness of the keyboard with an accompaniment of lots of sweet saxophone. The music should provide a pleasant feel-good atmosphere; and yes, all the cues and jingles too.

Also, each episode should end with the traditional freeze-frame right before the credit roll starts. I know that none of the anime comedies do this but, I always thought it would be better if they did.

As my musical example, I will cite "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" by David Pomeranz - better known as the theme from Perfect Strangers. I also included the closing theme arrangement. To my sensibilities, this is how a sitcom theme is supposed to sound.