@IKnight: this post might have come across as more than a rant than I intended (just wait for my elitism post!). I’ve long since given up on the old floppy disc - my laptop doesn’t have the drive, although its DVD drive seems to work only when it feels like it. More tl;dr editorials to follow in coming weeks, promise!

@Peter S: I definitely agree that viewers’ tastes become more discerning with time and experience - some stuff I used to like might not have impressed me as much if I’d seen them for the first time now. Ghost Hound by the way is excellent - it took a while to pick up steam but I’m now impatient for #16 and #17 to download. As for the pic, it seemed appropriate…but you wouldn’t believe the amount of borderline hentai dross I had to sift through to find it! Danbooru is awkward like that. ^_^’

@Maxon: I think there’s always the question of over-saturating yourself. Sometimes I don’t watch more than an episode in a week, but marathon two or three discs in an afternoon. It’s good to find, every now and then, something that is refreshingly different that blows away those ’seen it all before’ feelings.

@Owen S: comfort zones are a major factor, and that reluctance to stray from what I’m familiar with is something I’m constantly fighting against. The results are mixed but the overall upshot afterwards is a positive one. ef is another good example of this - I was sceptical at first but persevered with it, and was glad I did. Diversity is fun too: a balanced diet is a healthy one, after all.

@TheBigN: yeah, and the problem is also that, even though we (we being anime fans) are a misunderstood niche of people, we’re just as prone to prejudice and closed mindedness as any other social group. It’s a shame really, but that’s human nature for you I guess.

@Jayme: thanks. ^_^ The thing that still amazes me, and might grow into an editorial of its own some day, is how diverse anime is. It’s like saying “I like US drama” or “I like European arthouse” - it’s almost too broad a term to be useful in many situations. In contrast the community is quite tightly-knit though - maybe this diversity fuels the misconceptions surrounding the medium, and makes the fandom even stronger.

@Hige: yeah, time and experience can have an opposite effect like the jadedness Maxon mentioned and Owen’s observation that some people act like they know it all because they feel like they’ve seen it all. Being able to judge anime on the same level as live-action film is something I’ve always wished I could do (and only managed it when comparing Satoshi Kon to David Lynch) but there’s the problem that animation is often taking a different approach (realistic fiction/slice of life is a different story). I agree that watching something ‘just because it’s anime’ is just as stupid as the misconception that it can’t be taken seriously because it’s animated, when animated==cartoon and cartoon==for kids. Dragging the likes of Family Guy, Watership Down and 2D TV helps argue your point there.

Again, great comments guys. Makes me wish Tuesday’s activation of my ‘net connection would happen sooner!

It actually baffles me that some people can sit and watch something that offers them no substantial entertainment value (beyond passing the time) just because it happens to be anime. The wealth of quality in other recreational mediums is too vast to sit around flicking the bean to mediocre dross. I’m sure I’ll upset Owen by bringing non-anime entertainment into the discussion, but really: I’d rather watch a good film or read a book than have my brain ooze through my nose while watching some awful visual novel adaptation. It just seems like common sense to me.

The point about being negative for negativity’s sake really is an issue of ‘front’. Brits are particularly guilty of it in journalism (with the NME being a good example – it’s pretty much the Sun of music journalism, only with pretensions of coolness) and, I’d say, in general attitude, too. We very rarely praise things outright, even if they warrant such, and it’s better to appear stony-faced than overly enthusiastic. This is why we, as a nation, generally find Americans so obnoxious. But the affectation does carry over in a more general way to everyone, relating to what you talk about in wanting to appear cool. Luckily you can smell it from a mile away and judge the validity of the opinions accordingly.

Really, there’s nothing wrong with being consistently positive or negative as long as it’s genuine. Or, at least, justified in a convincing way. Sometimes having a good old bitch is just more entertaining than being nice, but there’s a definite skill to it, and the opposite is just as true. If someone just rants for the sake of ranting they only end up looking like a braying jackass. I wouldn’t worry about appearing soft-hearted – it’s never seemed unreasonable while I’ve been read your blog. Tastes differ, as does tolerance. It’s a person-to-person thing.

Interesting post, Martin. ;D

This is also where you have the case of imposing your expectations on the anime, and how the two never go together.

I tend to find that tends to be where most problems with the anime fan begin.

Generation X wannabes who say everything sucks

…punk or something? I mean, I can totally see those who are like “I’M STICKING IT TO THE MAN, AND BY THE MAN I MEAN THE OTAKU WHO LAP UP THIS SHIT”, frothing at the mouth while shaking their pudgy fists in the air, chins quivering.

I digress. What I can make of it at this point, four whole months after that post (much thanks for the link, btw) is that it seems like an exhortation of self over show, I think. This is nothing more than a challenge of belief systems, a “There is more than one definition of good” that I’ve seen quite a number of anime do, or try to do. The rest is left up to the viewer.

See, we’re creatures of comfort. We go about in our daily little routines, settled in our schedules and constants, established preferences that don’t like to be muddled up if we can’t help it. A lot of misunderstood anime, if you’re going to call it that, stems from this — let’s take ef as an example — ef as a misunderstood anime says “Let’s try a different method of visual storytelling, it’s good, I swear!”

Your average guy digs his nails in the ground and goes “NO! NEVER! NOT EVEN IF YOU RAPED MY WIFE AND BURNT MY HOUSE AND KILLED MY CHILDREN!”, and resists. Your more discerning viewer waits, looks, and then says “Ah, so that’s what you were trying to say. Deal!” Cue disparity between opinions in fanbase. Much shouting and flaunting of internet appendages ensue as both sides try to convince each other, even if it was never a neutral fight to begin with.

Denial? Yes. Ego? Maybe. What this looks like to me is nothing more than the ever-present mentality that we think we know it all, that I’ve seen all there is to anime, and I can’t be wrong. Ever. Because I can’t be wrong, on the internet at that. This is also where you have the case of imposing your expectations on the anime, and how the two never go together.

As for me, the only change I see happening with myself as time goes by is a more lax, nonchalant attitude towards those who violently resist having what they know challenged. Like, “Hey, this is good, but if you’re going to piss yourself resisting, then by all means! That doesn’t change how you still smell like piss, though”, as opposed to the present “Dude, USE YOUR EYES! IT’S GOOD! IT’S RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF YOU!” rhetoric I find myself employing.

This really is the whole non-moe v.s. moe argument that you see defining the “indie” and “mainstream” otaku/bloggers, which is great! I always found the division incredibly stupid, and it’s nice to see you bringing it up again in light of Hige’s recent True Tears review; an excellent reminder as we head into Spring this year, given the diverse range of shows laid out for us.

Speaking of which, I should include a review of Kaiba alongside Kanokon, just for the heck of it. Because I care. And because it will force both sides of the divide to pay attention to something they usually wouldn’t watch anyway. Heads you lose, tails I win!

Perhaps I’m a bit full of myself in trying to always find anime that aren’t superficial, but quite frankly, I’ve watched enough anime for shallow reasons to care any more.

The solution to my slight “jadedness”? Watch less!

I’m beginning to realize that for me the important thing is the show’s execution, not its deepness. Take “Ghost Hound.” I’m finding the concepts of the show interesting, but secondary to a narrative that has teased me and is now beginning to reveal its secrets, not to mention its solid animation and amazing use of sound. (I watched ep16 tonight … good stuff!) And on the other side of the intellectual scale I recently Netflixed “Love Hina” and loved it, because for a silly harem/fanservice show it was very well done.

I’ve read somewhere that putting something down makes you seem smarter than if you praise it. And though Gen X’s endless use of irony made it trendy, it’s as old as the hills. I remember a chapter of Voltaire’s “Candide” which brought it up.

Finally, what gets me about that first image is the fact that she’s got a bunch of floppies and a flat monitor!

I look forward to the other delayed editorials implied by the numbering of this entry. [Read: 'Hurry up! Feed me with editorials!']