So what's anime like these days?

[gsilver]

I used to watch it all the time. Now, in limited quantities.

But there are still new anime that I can get genuinely excited about. Space Dandy, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (up to part 3, anyway), Mr. Osomatsu, From the New World, Hunter X Hunter, Natsume's Book of Friends, and Kill La Kill are all from the last few years-ish and I love them to pieces.

 

[crypticracer]

Yes to Michiko and Hatchin. So GOOD!

Beyond that I have just been discovering older anime I never noticed or which were never released, while I wait for Little Witch Academy and New Big O... at least one of those is happening.

 

[NPC009]

I think you've stepped into a trap without noticing. Youji is very much a common special anime snowflake. He might act like an underachiever but all the evidence points in another direction. Again, this is not some random private, he has a good rank (and actually gains some more throughout the anime) and he continues to achieve amazing things during the shows' run.

Like I said above, he is a special snowflake, just not specifically otaku-aimed. He is just your run of the mill character who is skilled at those tasks that anyone can identify with.

You do realise that there are a lot of military otaku in Japan? The guy basically combines two fantasies: he's a very competent soldier who gets to handle all sorts of military stuff and all the cute fantasy girls love him.

I am fighting, and losing to, the urge to ask "well if they're bunny girls how can they not be sexy" but seriously, they're not anything special. They reminded me of the Viera race from Ivalice but slightly more furry. I don't think FF stuff is particularly "otaku aimed", it's just...sexy bunny girls. Practically everyone who likes women likes them.

Just because they're common does not mean it makes the series anymore subdued. I know I'm not quite the target audience for Gate, but come on, even someone who is should see Gate's fantasy world and the way it's presented does not count as 'subdued'.

I am critical in seeing if I like how they go about it or not, not just purely being critical of them on a conceptual level, docking points regardless of execution. Every story element deserves fair treatment. I think my job is to try to like everything and then figure out why I didn't like the things I didn't and be critical about that. When I like something, well, I like it, it's perfect, nothing need happen. Depending on how much I like it, I will treat it accordingly. It's not that I am not critical, it's that I genuinely enjoyed everything to the max so I have nothing to take issue with. If that sounds absurd to you, well, sorry, agree to disagree .

You seem more on the type that prefers to focus on the details that tickle their fancy and is willing to overlook flaws in the big picture as long as those details meet their requirements. And I guess that fine if you watch anime and play games to for the sake of feeding your fantasies. However, I also think that's a very superficial way of looking at entertainment and one of the reasons why part of the Japanese entertainment industry is in a rut.

There's nothing wrong with expecting a little more from your entertainment and calling said entertainment and its creators out when it keeps choosing the safe path.

Oh, it's definitely safe. I never said those things were original. Just well-executed.

It might be different in the original light novels, but the anime rushes through and even past a lot of plot points. Those pacing problems really detract from the fantasy epos it could have been (if it had spend a little less time on showing cute girls falling for the male protagonist).

The fiancee thing was just because they shared sleeping quarters 3 times (one of which everyone was sleeping together in a hotel), hardly of any consequence. It was just humor. I don't think anyone can get any worthwhile fantasies off of such a joking moment. I just found it cute and moved on since that scene lasted for like 20 seconds, focusing on her sister's outrageous reaction was much more gripping than whatever fantasy potential offered by the joke.

Yeah, it was said half-jokingly, but do you know why jokes like that are commonly made? To show that the protagonist does have a chance with a girl. It's left at that so the viewer can use that information as they see fit. If they see the protagonist as an extension of themselves and want to think of 'their' girl as the main girls, thats something they can do. If they want their 'waifu' to remain innocent, that's also an option.

Series aimed at otaku (male and female) use tricks like this often. And once you're aware of it, it's hard to not notice it whenever they play that card again. Which is often.

There was literally no reason for them to actually become engaged, that seemed entirely unnecessary. It was more of a heat of the moment event (since that diplomat doesn't really strike me as a creep) and the story didn't at all need to go that way and nothing was gained by it either. I guess it was an emotional moment for the 12 year old female audience members in Japan, I can't really testify to that, but I saw no point to that story development. He could have just let her in the embassy without declaring he'd marry her lol.

Maybe I worded it wrong, but I don't think you understand what I meant.

Mage girl - could fall for and older guy (like the viewer) if you (the viewer) want to believe that. Or not. That's up to you. Fantasize away about your waifu!

This is coming from someone who did like the mage girl as a character. Which is what made moments like that hurt my enjoyment of the series: Gate had a lot of potential, it shouldn't have used tricks to pander to certain types of viewers.

Dead parents girl - is crushing on an older man (which is not actually that uncommon for real girls but is something that should not be encouraged of course), uses a diplomatic situation to protect her own interests (which includes not being murdered). It makes sense from her perspective: she likes him and he represents a foreign country that could protect her. A union like that would be very much in her favor. The guy is, obviously, very uncomfortable with the idea but at the same time doesn't want to endanger the life of a little girl. The series looks at like the complicated situation it is.

Shorter version:

Mage girl - pandering

Dead parents girl - plot

And just to be clear: I wouldn't have had any problems with that if main character's potential relationship with one of the girls, such as mage girl, had been properly explored in a way that respects both characters and wasn't just meant as otaku fodder. Unusual relationships can make for a good story, but they need to be written well. Gate never made that attempt, stopping at the 'nudge, nudge, wink' moments and jokes instead. Sadly, this is pretty much the norm for otaku series.

Proper analysis, if only there was such a thing. I think everyone at least in their head tries to do that in one way or another. Kinda like how no evildoer thinks themselves evil. I don't think anyone can say that they do that, and you can't look at the conclusion an analysis reaches and then say "I like this conclusion, therefore the analysis was proper". In this kind of thing you just have to take a step back and accept opposing interpretations. Just claiming to be more deeply analytical of something without fully knowing what contributed in the opposing conclusion borne out of another person's analysis isn't gonna solve anything.

True, there's no one perfect way to analyse fiction, but judging by your willingness to justify or downright ignore certain tropes and premises, I get the feeling you just don't like being critical of the entertainment you consume. Perhaps because enjoying something with flaws would mean you're flawed yourself?

Personally, I think being honest towards yourself makes you a better person. For instance, I like old school Cyborg 009 and think the original manga series is a ton of fun. I also acknowledge that the racial stereotypes in there are not okay, even if the author didn't mean them as an insult. And on top of that it will look strange to people that I enjoy a series that features harmful racial stereotypes.

 

[Nickolai77]

The protagonist of GATE is very much a typical wish fullfilment character. Just look at this:
-He's an otaku (just like the readers/viewers! instant connection!)
-But he's also totally awesome at being a soldier and he ends up saving the day several times
-There's a small herd of young (and 'actually 700 years old') girls surrounding him

To be fair, you could say the same about many other characters in fiction. James Bond is also totally awesome at being a secret agent, saves the world several times and has a herd of appropriately aged women wanting to bang him. The only difference is that James Bond isn't a character made to appeal to otaku audiences, so they gave him other masculine interests instead like drinking, gambling, gadgets and fast cars. There is a long, long list of male lead characters out there where they are basically awesome at what they do, save the world and get laid doing it. It is a male power fantasy and I don't think there's anything inherently bad about it- but the execution does matter.


I don't think 'wish fulfillment' in fiction is inherently bad. Harry Potter resonated with so many millions of people because it's a wish-fulfilment fantasy that replaces boring and mundane real life high school with an awesome magical high school. It could have been done badly, but Rowling did a very good job of it. The core concept of wish fulfilling fantasies isn't bad, it's how you do it that counts.

Yōji is indeed a wish-fulfilment character tailored to the Otaku audiences but that didn't detract me from enjoying watching the anime. I related quite well to the internal conflict the character has between the demands of his career and his own personal hobby. It's not believable though that he could be highly successful in his career yet also be apathetic about it- but the anime is self-aware enough to acknowledge this and poke a bit of fun at it. To be honest- I would love not to be able to give a damn about my career and still succeed at it, unfortunately life gets in the way and the same thing happens in the anime which makes the character relatable to me. To an extent I'm willing to forgive the anime for its some of its flaws because it doesn't takes itself seriously- The setting is certainly ludicrous, and so are parts of the characters.

If you're going to watch GATE, watch it because you want to see a modern military take on an ancient dragon. That shit is actually pretty cool.

Being pedantic I know, but a lot of the military technology you see in it is half a century old. When they do the Apocalypse Now parody they're flying old Hueys, and they take out dragons with Cold-Era Phantoms. You'd be forgiven for thinking the JSDF is severely outdated- but as I said before the anime isn't there to be taken seriously.

 

[NPC009]

To be fair, you could say the same about many other characters in fiction. James Bond is also totally awesome at being a secret agent, saves the world several times and has a herd of appropriately aged women wanting to bang him. The only difference is that James Bond isn't a character made to appeal to otaku audiences, so they gave him other masculine interests instead like drinking, gambling, gadgets and fast cars. There is a long, long list of male lead characters out there where they are basically awesome at what they do, save the world and get laid doing it. It is a male power fantasy and I don't think there's anything inherently bad about it- but the execution does matter.


I don't think 'wish fulfillment' in fiction is inherently bad. Harry Potter resonated with so many millions of people because it's a wish-fulfilment fantasy that replaces boring and mundane real life high school with an awesome magical high school. It could have been done badly, but Rowling did a very good job of it. The core concept of wish fulfilling fantasies isn't bad, it's how you do it that counts.

Yōji is indeed a wish-fulfilment character tailored to the Otaku audiences but that didn't detract me from enjoying watching the anime. I related quite well to the internal conflict the character has between the demands of his career and his own personal hobby. It's not believable though that he could be highly successful in his career yet also be apathetic about it- but the anime is self-aware enough to acknowledge this and poke a bit of fun at it. To be honest- I would love not to be able to give a damn about my career and still succeed at it, unfortunately life gets in the way and the same thing happens in the anime which makes the character relatable to me. To an extent I'm willing to forgive the anime for its some of its flaws because it doesn't takes itself seriously- The setting is certainly ludicrous, and so are parts of the characters.

I think it would have been a lot better if they had left it at the 'is a pretty good at his job despite putting in minimum effort'. Some (very, very lucky) people are like that. It's more what comes after that bothers me. He pretty much always ends up being in the right, even when going against orders. The stakes should be high in a story like this, but it's so obvious things will work out in his favour. I don't think Gate is insultingly bad or anything, but stories like this waste a lot of potential by playing it safe and pandering to the audience.

As for power fantasies... I don't think they're inherently bad either. It can be nice to read/watch something that doesn't challenge you in any way or form. However, when power fantasies start crowding out and butting into stories that could be much more engaging without them, that's a problem. It's a sign of stagnation, perhaps even decline.

Being pedantic I know, but a lot of the military technology you see in it is half a century old. When they do the Apocalypse Now parody they're flying old Hueys, and they take out dragons with Cold-Era Phantoms.

Well, okay, not modern-modern. I kinda figured some of the older stuff was there mostly because part of the audience consists of military otaku and they wanted to bring out some fanfavorites.

You'd be forgiven for thinking the JSDF is severely outdated- but as I said before the anime isn't there to be taken seriously.

I'm not so sure about that. At times, the show does not pull punches. For instance, the one-sided battles were often very painful to watch, as they should. I do think it wants to be taken seriously, but didn't have the guts to stick to the right tone throughout.

 

[gsilver]

Dead parents girl - plot

Dead parents are *so* common in anime, that I think that it's part of the power fantasy. Oh, no! Parents are dead! But he/she is still so capable!

It's much harder to come up with a list of characters across all anime whose parents are alive (and present in some capacity, even if just mentioned) than not.

 

[NPC009]

Dead parents girl - plot

Dead parents are *so* common in anime, that I think that it's part of the power fantasy. Oh, no! Parents are dead! But he/she is still so capable!

It's much harder to come up with a list of characters across all anime whose parents are alive (and present in some capacity, even if just mentioned) than not.

True, but that is not quite her situation. She's a fairly minor character and sometime after she comes into view, the entire household except her is murdered by the ruling regime. Instead of going on a fun shonen adventure with her nakama and an annoying mascot, she makes an attempt at politics to survive (and land herself an attractive foreign man).

 

[wings012]

Stop trying to look for a so called pattern in anime. People who cry about the state of anime, often cry about the same few shows or genres that come out and are quite popular. Well yes, there's a tendency towards 'moe' anime(I enjoy my cuteness though, it's soothing). Lots of wish fulfillment 'isekai' type web/light novel adaptations in recent days riding the coat tails off SAO's success. While shit like that irks me, meh anime is a wide medium. I don't have to dwell on it. There's also a lot of haters who just denounce the entire medium and have their anime taste stuck in the 90s. Yes yes Bebop was good, now fuck off.

There's a lot of other shows out there. Surely you can find one that matches your taste. Otherwise, maybe you aren't such a huge fan of anime after all.

While I'm basically moaning at this season for most part, ACCA-13 is one of my favourite shows in a very long time. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is in its second season and it was a show I didn't expect to watch or like.

You get atypical shows here and there every now and then. 91 days could have been better but it was fairly atypical considering the usual trends. As a result, it made for a pretty refreshing watch.

And sometimes you just have to step the fuck out of your comfort zone. I sure as hell didn't expect to enjoy Yuri on Ice as much as I did. I just heard SAKUGA and ICE SKATING and decided to give it a shot. And it was oddly intriguing. The animation shat itself on a lot of points - animating ice skating is fucking hard no doubt. It was uncomfortably homoerotic, but it was one of my favourite shows that season.

I've been watching anime weekly for more than a decade, and I can always find a few shows to watch each season.

And despite all the incomplete adaptations of stuff, you'll always find an anime original here and there. I can always count of P.A. Works to do one in between their adaptations.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Dead parents girl - plot

Dead parents are *so* common in anime, that I think that it's part of the power fantasy. Oh, no! Parents are dead! But he/she is still so capable!

It's much harder to come up with a list of characters across all anime whose parents are alive (and present in some capacity, even if just mentioned) than not.

True, but that is not quite her situation. She's a fairly minor character and sometime after she comes into view, the entire household except her is murdered by the ruling regime. Instead of going on a fun shonen adventure with her nakama and an annoying mascot, she makes an attempt at politics to survive (and land herself an attractive foreign man).

See, this is the kind of thing where if I gave a similar explanation about why other char's romance hints or what have you are also explained by plot, you'd just wave it off as just an excuse to pander.

I think all of it is plot, and you just like some parts of it more than others, which is fine. You not liking it, for whatever reason, doesn't make it not be plot and only be pandering. I personally still don't understand why the diplomat needed to actually become her fiancee and couldn't just let her in the embassy like how he let the other nobleman who was with her, he didn't have to marry him too but he was allowed over just fine. In any case, I liked the overall story too, I just brought her up at the outrage over the 15 year old, since she was 12, and the diplomat is at least as old as Youji, if not older. I got the impression he was older lol.

In the end, I just don't like the treatment certain kinds of plot get, it's basically prejudice which prevents you from actually enjoying something you could potentially enjoy. Hell, I'm not even claiming I love these specific elements the most or that I liked Gate more than Re:zero (I have the upcoming vita game based on that preordered, the LE too lol), all I'm saying here is that I have an open mind to the potential of them being good and am not going to judge them just for being what they are. Surely having an open mind and being honest with ones feelings of liking something isn't the end of the world. Surely liking more things of the thing you're a fan of is for the better. If that means that we're dooming the medium to die by liking it so much that we cause it to stagnate and not evolve, well, that is not our job. The ones who like different types of anime have to support their stuff, it is their job to do that. Especially since the notion of it stagnating is what other consider greatness.

I tend to like everything anyways, so no matter which direction it goes I'll likely be happy. I don't mind it being more like 80s and early 90s stuff, I don't mind remaining as is and slowly evolving. Hell, there's still tons of old stuff to go through if that's more your cup of tea anyways. I've been reading 3x3 eyes lately, cool stuff, like a mix of SMT and shounen.

 

[NPC009]

Dead parents girl - plot

Dead parents are *so* common in anime, that I think that it's part of the power fantasy. Oh, no! Parents are dead! But he/she is still so capable!

It's much harder to come up with a list of characters across all anime whose parents are alive (and present in some capacity, even if just mentioned) than not.

True, but that is not quite her situation. She's a fairly minor character and sometime after she comes into view, the entire household except her is murdered by the ruling regime. Instead of going on a fun shonen adventure with her nakama and an annoying mascot, she makes an attempt at politics to survive (and land herself an attractive foreign man).

See, this is the kind of thing where if I gave a similar explanation about why other char's romance hints or what have you are also explained by plot, you'd just wave it off as just an excuse to pander.

The guy she has a crush on is a another minor character, not the main character who serves as a potential avatar for the viewer.

I think all of it is plot, and you just like some parts of it more than others, which is fine. You not liking it, for whatever reason, doesn't make it not be plot and only be pandering. I personally still don't understand why the diplomat needed to actually become her fiancee and couldn't just let her in the embassy like how he let the other nobleman who was with her, he didn't have to marry him too but he was allowed over just fine. In any case, I liked the overall story too, I just brought her up at the outrage over the 15 year old, since she was 12, and the diplomat is at least as old as Youji, if not older. I got the impression he was older lol.

Considering the world beyond the gate still sees marriage as a matter of politics, marraige can be a very powerful tool. That's something she knows very well. Not to mention that most of its culture seems to be patriachal, meaning that letting her inside as a fianc?e would have an entire different meaning from letting her inside as an individual representing her house. A as future wife without many connections (since many of them were purged), she would be seen as less of a threat.

Again, you're just not getting it. Fucked up marriages for political reasons are a staple of fantasy fiction (because, you know, history's riddled with 'em). Dead parents girl has a crush on the handsome foreign diplomat and taking the initiative, sure, but the situation is treated as you'd expect it would be: a political and moral quagmire.

It's a very different context compared to yet another cute girl implying she's interested in the main character, leading to yet more potential for romance that will never go beyond vague hints because that would taint precious waifu material.

In the end, I just don't like the treatment certain kinds of plot get, it's basically prejudice which prevents you from actually enjoying something you could potentially enjoy.

Is it now? Should a clich? not be treated as a clich?? Poor writing and needless pandering not be pointed out? Even if you enjoy something, it's in your best interest to not be too lenient, because stuff like this makes fiction boring. It's practically word porn, only meant to stimulate some basic desires, never challenging the consumer.

Hell, I'm not even claiming I love these specific elements the most or that I liked Gate more than Re:zero (I have the upcoming vita game based on that preordered, the LE too lol), all I'm saying here is that I have an open mind to the potential of them being good and am not going to judge them just for being what they are. Surely having an open mind and being honest with ones feelings of liking something isn't the end of the world. Surely liking more things of the thing you're a fan of is for the better. If that means that we're dooming the medium to die by liking it so much that we cause it to stagnate and not evolve, well, that is not our job. The ones who like different types of anime have to support their stuff, it is their job to do that. Especially since the notion of it stagnating is what other consider greatness.

I tend to like everything anyways, so no matter which direction it goes I'll likely be happy. I don't mind it being more like 80s and early 90s stuff, I don't mind remaining as is and slowly evolving. Hell, there's still tons of old stuff to go through if that's more your cup of tea anyways. I've been reading 3x3 eyes lately, cool stuff, like a mix of SMT and shounen.

There's a difference between having an open-mind and having very low standards. An open mind means giving things a fair chance, low standards means being okay with whatever.

Personally, I think you're attitude is very unimpressive. Enjoying your entertainment is fine and all, but locking yourself up in a comfortzone and/or having low standards when it comes to something that probably consumes a significant amount your time, that's a fault rather than a quality.

 

[Kae]

.. This is what I watch now. Please don't judge me, i'm a sucker for mythical creature / hybrid girls >_>


Does it have memorable / likable protagonists? Check
Does the animation have good value and looks constantly polished? Check
Does it have a plot that is simple but interesting to follow? Check
Does it have comedy and golden humor? Check
Does it have fan service but not enough to ruin the show's quality? Check
Does it have depth, touching moments, and themes that are sensitive? Check
Does it have girls whom are actually dragons that can fight DBZ style? Check

My kind of anime. Not the best one out there, but definitely a good one to keep watch of.

Well, it is a Kyoto Animation production it would be odd if it had bad animation, even Musaigen no Phantom World that was absolute shit had excellent animation.

But riding on Frappe's wave, although I don't watch Kobayashi no Maid Dragon, I do love Kyoto Animation their second half of Euphonium this year was excellent with the only confusing thing being that the protagonists are not gay, I mean that is seriously odd as they totally act like a couple and it doesn't seem like they are baiting for fanservice sake but I guess Digibro might have a point with it, however the writing and characters are so good that I can get past that.

Besides that Rakugo is fantastic, I'm just waiting for it to be over so I can binge watch it because wathing it week to week does not cut it for me.

Bottom line Anime is actually pretty varied at the moment, there are a lot of trash Light Novel adaptations and Harem Anime but there are some genuinely good adult dramas being produced, with good comedies and such, so everyone that is claiming Anime is dying must not be paying much attention, I mean last year we had an anime about making a dictionary, and it was good.

 

[Izanagi009_v1legacy]

I will be honest and say that I subscribe to Hiroki Azuma's idea of database consumption of media. This postulates that otaku don't watch shows for grand narratives but consume based on elements of individual narratives and that there is a point where people take elements from shows and rearrange them
(more complex explaination here [http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/uncategorized/dce_r005_schafer/]

How does this impact how i feel about anime? well, I find most anime to be mere collections of tropes and attractive elements than fully made original narratives. That said, I will confess to finding some of the anime made from collecting tropes to be fun or even revolutionary. However, I find that due to the database nature of most current anime that it gets tiring and annoying to see the same trends and patterns over and over.

Edit: Yes, i know, upon second reading, that I could be seen as a pretentious idiot. sorry.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Considering the world beyond the gate still sees marriage as a matter of politics, marraige can be a very powerful tool. That's something she knows very well. Not to mention that most of its culture seems to be patriachal, meaning that letting her inside as a fianc?e would have an entire different meaning from letting her inside as an individual representing her house. A as future wife without many connections (since many of them were purged), she would be seen as less of a threat.

Again, you're just not getting it. Fucked up marriages for political reasons are a staple of fantasy fiction (because, you know, history's riddled with 'em). Dead parents girl has a crush on the handsome foreign diplomat and taking the initiative, sure, but the situation is treated as you'd expect it would be: a political and moral quagmire.

It's a very different context compared to yet another cute girl implying she's interested in the main character, leading to yet more potential for romance that will never go beyond vague hints because that would taint precious waifu material.

I think that you read too much into that scene or that you're injecting it with things that aren't there so that you can continue to like it without trespassing on whatever belief that would be trespassed upon if you acknowledged it as being primarily lolicon pandering which is what that entire plot line struck me as from the first hints of it, but either way, we both liked that scene so that's good.

Is it now? Should a clich? not be treated as a clich?? Poor writing and needless pandering not be pointed out? Even if you enjoy something, it's in your best interest to not be too lenient, because stuff like this makes fiction boring. It's practically word porn, only meant to stimulate some basic desires, never challenging the consumer.

If it's boring, you don't need to tell me or convince me of it. I will be bored because boring things are inherently boring and they need no outside help for one to acknowledge them as such. Clearly, I do not find some things boring that you do. Am I wrong in liking what I like? Is pasta carbonarra also too mundane of a favorite food?

There's a difference between having an open-mind and having very low standards. An open mind means giving things a fair chance, low standards means being okay with whatever.

Personally, I think you're attitude is very unimpressive. Enjoying your entertainment is fine and all, but locking yourself up in a comfortzone and/or having low standards when it comes to something that probably consumes a significant amount your time, that's a fault rather than a quality.

I don't think there's low or high standards. People just like what they like. What we mean when we say "this person has a high standard in which anime they like" really is "this person doesn't like most anime". It is pretentious to assume that just because you are harder to please for whatever (sometimes none too righteous) reasons that you are somehow more discerning of a fan. It just means that...your taste is what it is and that's fine but that's just your opinion and whatnot.

My attitude is simply one of being honest with oneself and not letting people tell me liking things for whatever inherent reasons that caused me to like them is inferior than the reasons they allow to sway them into liking what they like. It's not really intended to impress anyone, it's just the natural way of being true to oneself that makes sense to have in life in general.

There's really no comfort zone for me (outside of something like Getta Robo I guess cause nostalgia, hehe), I try everything and try to find things I like about anything I watch such that I can honor the work the artists put in it. Just because I love this stuff doesn't mean I don't also love other stuff, and for reasons you'd be more comfortable or agree more with. Instead of low standards I just see it as me loving anime.

 

[BrawlMan]

Don't really watch any of the new anime. But I can say that the last one that really interested me (enough to buy the light novels) was Overlord. Edit: (it's fairly bloody btw, just a little warning)

Meh, while brutal, this is really tame compared all the ultra violent anime schlock released in the 80s and 90s.

Shit, look at the beginning scene from Ninja Scroll.

<spoiler=Ninja Scroll>
As for the people talking about GATE, I definitely don't like it. Not only is it typical otaku bait, but it's very xenophobic and jingoistic, so author can go fuck himself. When fan fic writers do a better job with writing, characterization, and a more nuanced view, you know there are problems with your show. By the way, Rory Mercury is just a loli Alucard, but even that idea was done a million times better in the actual Hellsing (manga)/Hellsing Ultimate anime.

Don't believe me? Heads up, this clip does contain a lot of spoilers for Hellsing.

<spoiler=Hellsing Ultimate Girlycard>
Skip to 8:02 and make sure to turn the annotations off.

 

[NPC009]

I think that you read too much into that scene or that you're injecting it with things that aren't there so that you can continue to like it without trespassing on whatever belief that would be trespassed upon if you acknowledged it as being primarily lolicon pandering which is what that entire plot line struck me as from the first hints of it, but either way, we both liked that scene so that's good.

I think you fail to see the differences in context and presentation. Not every young girl falling in love with an older man is intended as lolicon bait. That doesn't mean certain types of people won't view it that way, especially when said girl is part of a series that wants to be a wish fulfillment fantasy as well. And wouldn't you say that's exactly the problem with Gate? It's a series that can't commit to the heavier themes and storylines it wants to be taken seriously for and keeps fleeing into safe otaku territory again and again.

Also, if anything, you're the one reading into things too much or too little depending on how you want others to percieve whatever you're into. Like that time you said Criminal Girls delved into psychology and some such, creating a deep human experience or whatever. Never did you seem (willing) to notice that the game was actually struggling to justify its whole premise with toe-deep blabla.

If it's boring, you don't need to tell me or convince me of it. I will be bored because boring things are inherently boring and they need no outside help for one to acknowledge them as such. Clearly, I do not find some things boring that you do. Am I wrong in liking what I like? Is pasta carbonarra also too mundane of a favorite food?

But would you eat nothing but pasta carbonara every meal of every day of every year?

There's nothing wrong with eating your favourite dish one or maybe twice a week. Indulging a little is only human. However, one problem within the Japanese entertainment industry is that there are a lot of people who'll only eat pasta carbonara. Sure, some chefs make it way too salty, others don't cook the pasta right and the rare one actually makes a really good dish, but overall, it's pasta carbonara over and over again.

(And it's not just within the segment that caters to male otaku, it's just as bad on the female side (especially when it comes to VNs/dating sims and BL manga).)

I don't think there's low or high standards. People just like what they like. What we mean when we say "this person has a high standard in which anime they like" really is "this person doesn't like most anime". It is pretentious to assume that just because you are harder to please for whatever (sometimes none too righteous) reasons that you are somehow more discerning of a fan. It just means that...your taste is what it is and that's fine but that's just your opinion and whatnot.

'People just like what they like', sure, taste matters, but the way you say it imples something worse: discussing entertainment and its merits is pointless because people feel differently. Isn't that mighty convenient? Whatever your opinion is, it's instantly saved by the grace of it being your opinion.

I think that's utter bullshit. The right to have an opinion is equal for all, but not all opinions are equal.

Watch's what you want to watch. Enjoy what you enjoy. Never go further than scratching the surface if that's what you're comfortable with. However, bad opinions exist and we shouldn't give them a pass just because they belong to someone.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

\

I think you fail to see the differences in context and presentation. Not every young girl falling in love with an older man is intended as lolicon bait. That doesn't mean certain types of people won't view it that way, especially when said girl is part of a series that wants to be a wish fulfillment fantasy as well. And wouldn't you say that's exactly the problem with Gate? It's a series that can't commit to the heavier themes and storylines it wants to be taken seriously for and keeps fleeing into safe otaku territory again and again.

Also, if anything, you're the one reading into things too much or too little depending on how you want others to percieve whatever you're into. Like that time you said Criminal Girls delved into psychology and some such, creating a deep human experience or whatever. Never did you seem (willing) to notice that the game was actually struggling to justify its whole premise with toe-deep blabla.

I saw Gate as taking a break to relieve some of the tension during those moments. You can argue they took too many breaks but I overall liked the balance.

As for Criminal Girls, what I said was that the actual backstories of the characters are legit good and the way you resolve them is reminiscent of persona, that the combat system of allowing you to pick battle quotes that correspond to actions and change throughout the game as the story advances and as the chars form bonds and become friends are brilliant (so, at the beginning you have the chars coldly refer to one-another but as it progresses there's a lot more personality injected in the action that corresponds to the same exact command, even a basic attack was interesting to do repeatedly thanks to that). Finally, I said that the bdsm minigames are a minute-long skippable footnote that the game uses to market itself imo needlessly, they are actually unnecessary and the game would be just great without them. Their inclusion is more of a testament to the lack of credit good traditional Jrpgs with innovative systems get so when people badmouth the game without even playing it like it happened in that topic I think you are referring I will of course defend it. Now you may want to interpret that as me just really loving to spank anime characters and I can't really help that but I think I justified myself sufficiently both in that topic and here.

But would you eat nothing but pasta carbonara every meal of every day of every year?

There's nothing wrong with eating your favourite dish one or maybe twice a week. Indulging a little is only human. However, one problem within the Japanese entertainment industry is that there are a lot of people who'll only eat pasta carbonara. Sure, some chefs make it way too salty, others don't cook the pasta right and the rare one actually makes a really good dish, but overall, it's pasta carbonara over and over again.

(And it's not just within the segment that caters to male otaku, it's just as bad on the female side (especially when it comes to VNs/dating sims and BL manga).)

See, I make my pasta carbonarra myself, so it's always to my taste!


I could legit eat it straight for a week, it's not very healthy cause I make it with bacon, but I definitely could. Thankfully, I like to cook tons of other stuff and I eat everything outside of artichokes and fava, so I have a lot of variety to choose from. (wow, this food metaphor stretched enough and still works, yay)

Hell, I even like otomege like Hakuoki cause they have a good story. I'm quite omnivorous.

'People just like what they like', sure, taste matters, but the way you say it imples something worse: discussing entertainment and its merits is pointless because people feel differently. Isn't that mighty convenient? Whatever your opinion is, it's instantly saved by the grace of it being your opinion.

I think that's utter bullshit. The right to have an opinion is equal for all, but not all opinions are equal.

Watch's what you want to watch. Enjoy what you enjoy. Never go further than scratching the surface if that's what you're comfortable with. However, bad opinions exist and we shouldn't give them a pass just because they belong to someone.

Well, I wouldn't be having this dozen or so post discussion if I felt like there's no merit in discussing these things now, would I?

I think this is fun, I just don't like the part about trying to reach a solid conclusion. Discussing it is great and I love analyzing this stuff, it's legit fun, I just don't ever wanna say that anything is right or wrong when it's all interpretation and you can't tell the other person what experience to have. What we can do is share our own view of it with as much detail as possible and hope a small fragment of it stays with the other person as well as whatever lurkers skim around.

For the sake of your defense of analytical approaches, one could say that all of it is right and we're just analyzing different aspects from different perspectives, all of which are true and valuable. More data is always better.

 

[Story]

Hey Escapist I thought I'd give an update since I didn't respond to everyone.

Turns out my friend was discussing what shows I might like with another one of our mutral friends and he complied a list adjusting to my taste. I feel a little bad about that but at the same time I really appreciated how thoughtful he was. We ended up watching My Hero Academia tonight and I really loved it. I guess it just went back to be not liking the genre/trend we started out with.

Thanks for all the recommendations.
I will show him Wolf Children (which I've seen before) and we'll watch Your Name for the first time together.

 

[RedmistSM]

Nice, glad it worked out.