What questions do you usually ask when you want to get acquainted with someone?
What kinda stuff they're into, which usually drifts to media interests.
Ask @B0bduh
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Uh... you say it doesn't have to rely on dramatic bludgeons and that the characters seem natural, but doesn't the girl's character completely revolve around her losing her memories? She's clearly not a loner by nature, or shy, or bullied or anything. The emotional conflict isn't universal.
"Losing your memories every week" is not universal. But things like "the continuous difficulty of establishing trust in friendship" or "the fear of judgment, or of not measuring up to some theoretical version of yourself others seem to like" are, and those are the kinds of things the show uses its conceit to tap into. This also works on a personal level - we can relate to well-written characters in fantasy and scifi not because we've also fought dragons and space-wizards, but because the underlying emotions involved are universal.
Umm any more ''professional looking'' reviews that you got for your book ?
Just got a very nice one!
http://www.amazon.com/Proof-Life-Nicholas-Creamer-ebook/product-reviews/B00JCCUHRS/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
http://www.amazon.com/Proof-Life-Nicholas-Creamer-ebook/product-reviews/B00JCCUHRS/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
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Guy Shalev
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Could you explain what separates Ishuukan Friends from the "This is tragic. You should be sad." complaints you've had of Jun Maeda's works? I couldn't get into it because the premise seemed so contrived to produce tragedy on demand, prior to the viewer caring about the characters.
I guess the answer would be "the writing," which isn't terribly helpful, but it's true. Isshuukan Friends' dialogue feels relatively naturalistic, and its characters seem reflective of actual people - it doesn't need tragedy to make me care, because I can see where its characters are coming from as people and thus can believe in their problems as valid. In contrast, Maeda's characters feel like Anime Characters - constructions that rarely strike me as reflective of human experience. The interactions between his characters feel like strings of jokes playing off the archetypes and single defining characteristics he's making use of. And the switch to tragedy is an on-off switch - suddenly I'm supposed to be treating a character who was portrayed as a comic relief pinata like a valid person I'm invested in, which just doesn't work.
The dramatic structure is also much better. Isshuukan Friends has yet to become particularly tragic - there's just a sense of general melancholy, and the show's conceit plays to themes of trust and adolescence that makes it understandable in emotional terms. It doesn't have to use dramatic bludgeons like massive walls of sad music or dead parents, because good character writing can tap into human empathy in more natural ways.
The dramatic structure is also much better. Isshuukan Friends has yet to become particularly tragic - there's just a sense of general melancholy, and the show's conceit plays to themes of trust and adolescence that makes it understandable in emotional terms. It doesn't have to use dramatic bludgeons like massive walls of sad music or dead parents, because good character writing can tap into human empathy in more natural ways.
Do you think Katawa Shoujo was helped or hurt by each route being done by a completely different writer?
Helped, definitely. There is a very different tone to each of the routes, and I think it works to the game's benefit.
You say you aren't an action fan which makes me wonder what about JoJo appeals to you,
The great visual and sound design, the intentional and unintentional humor, the energy, the absurdity of it all. JoJo has a lot going on beyond "boilerplate action show," and I can also appreciate something in a genre I'm not predisposed towards if I think it's just that good - Hunter x Hunter, for example.
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Sunshine Marmot
Thoughts on presentation of female characters in Gargantia in terms of camera work ?
Unfortunate. The one scene people tend to point to, the dancing one, I actually don't have a problem with - that scene is intended to be sexually charged and claustrophobic, because it's a key moment in Ledo's character development and the show wants to get you in his head. But then there are also a decent number of other scenes where it's clear the cameraman is a horny dude and the intended audience is horny dudes and these female characters are just meant to be on display for you, which is bleh. It hurts the show.
There's also that awful, awful, awful sequence where the gay panic stereotypes chase Ledo around, which is far worse than anything else in the show.
There's also that awful, awful, awful sequence where the gay panic stereotypes chase Ledo around, which is far worse than anything else in the show.
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M Hollingsworth
How do you feel about the idea that Mahouka is an ode to Objectivism.
That it is. 100%. Not even a question.
Mahouka's social philosophy is "I'm only put down because this society doesn't recognize my real talents - if this school's society were /fair/, I'd be on top." This is how a lot of unhappy teenagers think - they rationalize their issues, whatever they may be, as the fault of an unfair, arbitrary society. This is why Objectivism is popular among teenagers - to people who both see themselves as superior and can't recognize their own advantages, the thought of a society where "everyone succeeds according to their actual ability" is comforting.
Mahouka takes this "I'm secretly special!" fantasy to its logical, political extreme. Its society is allegedly a meritocracy, and its protagonists support that - they're not actually inferior, they've just been incorrectly judged by a system they do think is fundamentally just. These characters, like Mahouka's actual author, can't see that people arguing against this system do so because they believe it's an incredibly naive and self-gratifying denial of the nature of systemic advantages, along with a fundamentally inhumane view of what society's role should be. Instead, they just assume that others deny the system because they're jealous, or because they don't want to work hard, or because they want to watch the whole world burn. The very inability to see other perspectives that leads such people to Objectivism (or its modern parallel, libertarianism) also makes them incapable of understanding why others /wouldn't/ champion such a system.
As well as incapable of seeing the show's politics, for that matter. Because they /agree/ with the show's incredibly specific, warped worldview, they don't see it as "political" at all. They see it as the way the world is.
Mahouka's social philosophy is "I'm only put down because this society doesn't recognize my real talents - if this school's society were /fair/, I'd be on top." This is how a lot of unhappy teenagers think - they rationalize their issues, whatever they may be, as the fault of an unfair, arbitrary society. This is why Objectivism is popular among teenagers - to people who both see themselves as superior and can't recognize their own advantages, the thought of a society where "everyone succeeds according to their actual ability" is comforting.
Mahouka takes this "I'm secretly special!" fantasy to its logical, political extreme. Its society is allegedly a meritocracy, and its protagonists support that - they're not actually inferior, they've just been incorrectly judged by a system they do think is fundamentally just. These characters, like Mahouka's actual author, can't see that people arguing against this system do so because they believe it's an incredibly naive and self-gratifying denial of the nature of systemic advantages, along with a fundamentally inhumane view of what society's role should be. Instead, they just assume that others deny the system because they're jealous, or because they don't want to work hard, or because they want to watch the whole world burn. The very inability to see other perspectives that leads such people to Objectivism (or its modern parallel, libertarianism) also makes them incapable of understanding why others /wouldn't/ champion such a system.
As well as incapable of seeing the show's politics, for that matter. Because they /agree/ with the show's incredibly specific, warped worldview, they don't see it as "political" at all. They see it as the way the world is.
Who is a cooler bro: Kaji or Fuyutsuki?
Kaji is like the one emotionally put-together person in that entire goddamn show, but Fuyutsuki #1 bro.
Do you think Hachiman and Yukino will become a couple?
It's definitely possible. I think the story eventually will push them together in some way, though whether they actually end up in a stable relationship is an open question. /I/ think they'd make an adorable couple, but they might also just end up hurting each other - two prickly, defensive people aren't necessarily going to be the best at teaching each other to trust.
Do you look at your blog as a job? It seems like that.
Not particularly. Though pretty much anything I'm passionate about, my behavior towards might start to resemble that of a job. I express passion by killing myself to make things I'm proud of.
What do you think of Jormungand? I noticed Flawfinder seems to really hate it and it seemed to be more his kind of show than yours. I personally think it's one of White Fox's better shows.
Haven't seen it, so I can't comment. Personally, I've had a downward slope of studio-chronology experiences with White Fox, starting at the peak with Katanagatari and moving down through Steins;Gate, Hataraku Maou-sama, and ten minutes of Super Sonico.
Reads a review. Review doesn't include what the author felt about the show. Thoughts?
That sounds more like a synopsis than a review. Reviews are generally meaningful because they reveal the interaction between a given piece of art and a critic with one specific perspective - if you're removing your own perspective, what are you offering?
Honestly, at this point, I've kind of soured on reviews in general. Reviews are appropriate for vacuum cleaners and non-stick pans, but not really the best fit for narrative media.
Honestly, at this point, I've kind of soured on reviews in general. Reviews are appropriate for vacuum cleaners and non-stick pans, but not really the best fit for narrative media.
Is there a recommended way to play Katawa Shoujo? I'm pretty wary of playing since most visual novels are pretty focused on fulfilling people's fantasies, but I'm thinking of giving it a try.
I can definitely understand that concern - that's pretty much been my experience of other visual novels, which is disappointing. As for Katawa Shoujo, I'd basically just recommend /not/ doing Shizune's route - I think its writing and structure are far worse than any of the others. Other than that, it's just a series of romances - just go with whatever seems compelling. They're all very different in tone, structure, and message, though there are also some common themes.
Gokukoku no Brunhildr. Have you considered covering it in any way? If so, why are you not doing it? If not, please do. Right now it seems enjoyable-but-flawed to me and I really like reading your thoughts on shows like that :).
I though Elfen Lied was pretty terrible, so I'm not really interested in checking out the author's other work. Sorry!
As for enjoyable-but-flawed shows in general, I'm being kinda ruthless in my watching schedule this season, so they're unfortunately hitting the chopping block. I /will/ keep making SAO posts, though.
As for enjoyable-but-flawed shows in general, I'm being kinda ruthless in my watching schedule this season, so they're unfortunately hitting the chopping block. I /will/ keep making SAO posts, though.
Your MAL says you like Negima? Huh. Not that it's a bad manga, but I definitely wouldn't have called that.
Neither would I! But Love Hina was one of the first anime/manga I ever watched/read, and so I was sort of grandfathered into reading/enjoying Negima. It's actually a pretty great shounen - its best arcs are much better than any shounen I've seen aside from Hunter x Hunter.
I saw you mentioned Aku no Hana. What do you think of the anime (and the manga, if you've read it)?
I haven't read the manga, but the anime is extremely good - it covers the same general material something like OreGairu does (the self-focused internal reality of teenage outsiders), but it does it in a way that makes much fuller use of the medium. It creates an overwhelming atmosphere, trapping you in its protagonist's headspace and never letting up. I actually haven't even finished it because it was so uncomfortable to watch, but it's /intentionally/ uncomfortable - I have trouble watching it because it is /too good at what it does/.
Your opinion of the MLP fandom is negative at best , why is that? Do you think there is any simillarities between the fandoms of anime and MLP?
I don't actively dislike the entire fandom, it's just that most of the times I see members of it representing themselves online, it's in an extremely negative way - defining themselves by their fandom, acting grossly sexist, claiming some bizarre form of "ownership" of the show, being creepy or narcissistic, howling about the apparent "persecution" they face, etc. Hasn't left a great impression.
Plenty of people in anime fandom also do this, of course - people wouldn't get so defensive of their favorite shows if they didn't draw a bit too much identity from them, and plenty of anime is /actually/ really sexist. Plus nerd communities in general seem stuck in a bit of a quagmire when it comes to diversity - like what's happening with videogames, where for years the "gamer community" demanded critical respect, and now that they're actually getting the scrutiny and criticism that /comes/ with respect, they don't want it anymore. The internet allows isolated people to find common ground, but it also allows people to disconnect from any experience that's dissimilar from their own, and that results in a whole lot of ugliness, ignorance, and general lack of empathy. The echo chamber of self-selecting online communities means ignorance or narcissism can morph from a personal problem into an entire toxic philosophy.
Granted, Ayn Rand successfully turned ignorance and narcissism into a philosophy all by herself, so I guess I can't blame the internet entirely.
Plenty of people in anime fandom also do this, of course - people wouldn't get so defensive of their favorite shows if they didn't draw a bit too much identity from them, and plenty of anime is /actually/ really sexist. Plus nerd communities in general seem stuck in a bit of a quagmire when it comes to diversity - like what's happening with videogames, where for years the "gamer community" demanded critical respect, and now that they're actually getting the scrutiny and criticism that /comes/ with respect, they don't want it anymore. The internet allows isolated people to find common ground, but it also allows people to disconnect from any experience that's dissimilar from their own, and that results in a whole lot of ugliness, ignorance, and general lack of empathy. The echo chamber of self-selecting online communities means ignorance or narcissism can morph from a personal problem into an entire toxic philosophy.
Granted, Ayn Rand successfully turned ignorance and narcissism into a philosophy all by herself, so I guess I can't blame the internet entirely.
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Sunshine Marmot
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GetSelious
Why did you drop black lagoon?
Because I'm not really an action fan in general, and when the terminator nun showed up, I could no longer take anything in the show seriously.
Why do people rail on Mekakucity Actors not having revealed its story yet, but at the same time praise series such as Baccano (which took half the series until a reveal)? Is it a case of bias?
There are a couple reasons I think this is an unfair comparison and a couple reasons why I think it's also a fair one.
On the unfair side, I think Baccano is both more unique among anime and just more polished than Mekakucity. People didn't necessarily know everything Baccano was doing at the start, but it seemed confident, well-written, and situated squarely in a genre that doesn't get too much love in anime. It kept its energy high, and though it didn't /explain/ everything, it introduced a variety of tangible hooks all throughout the first few episodes. People had reasons to have faith in it, and people also had reasons to distrust the first couple episodes of Mekakucity.
On the fair side, I also do think that people are kind of fatigued with Shaft's house style, and that's not necessarily a failing of the show. Additionally, I think Baccano is basically tailor-made to appeal to western anime audiences - it is /exactly/ the kind of thing many people respond to, a western-influenced action caper that reminds people of the late 90s/early 00s shows that got them into anime in the first place. And so I'd assume that for both these reasons, many people afforded Baccano more time to explain itself.
Personally, I think "not revealing its story" is one of those complaints that only come up when a show isn't working. Serial Experiments Lain doesn't "reveal its story" until... well, ever, really, but people don't tend to complain about that. Aku no Hana is a piece based almost entirely on atmosphere. Uchouten Kazoku illustrates its characters through a series of vignettes before focusing on the building conflict. If what a show's doing in the meantime is interesting and worthwhile, the plot can take its time to arrive - some shows are slow burners, and only certain kinds of stories lend themselves to barreling through the plot.
On the unfair side, I think Baccano is both more unique among anime and just more polished than Mekakucity. People didn't necessarily know everything Baccano was doing at the start, but it seemed confident, well-written, and situated squarely in a genre that doesn't get too much love in anime. It kept its energy high, and though it didn't /explain/ everything, it introduced a variety of tangible hooks all throughout the first few episodes. People had reasons to have faith in it, and people also had reasons to distrust the first couple episodes of Mekakucity.
On the fair side, I also do think that people are kind of fatigued with Shaft's house style, and that's not necessarily a failing of the show. Additionally, I think Baccano is basically tailor-made to appeal to western anime audiences - it is /exactly/ the kind of thing many people respond to, a western-influenced action caper that reminds people of the late 90s/early 00s shows that got them into anime in the first place. And so I'd assume that for both these reasons, many people afforded Baccano more time to explain itself.
Personally, I think "not revealing its story" is one of those complaints that only come up when a show isn't working. Serial Experiments Lain doesn't "reveal its story" until... well, ever, really, but people don't tend to complain about that. Aku no Hana is a piece based almost entirely on atmosphere. Uchouten Kazoku illustrates its characters through a series of vignettes before focusing on the building conflict. If what a show's doing in the meantime is interesting and worthwhile, the plot can take its time to arrive - some shows are slow burners, and only certain kinds of stories lend themselves to barreling through the plot.
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Guy Shalev
what is it about Jun Maeda that rubs you the wrong way?
Well, I think he's a bad writer in general, so there are a lot of reasons for me disliking his work. If we're limiting it to "makes me legitimately uncomfortable," it's his tendency to idolize helpless child-wives - women like Fuko, Kotomi, Nagisa, or whatserface from Angel Beats, who basically have the minds of children but are for some reason treated as normal people/potential love interests by the rest of the cast.
But he's bad in lots of ways. His sense of humor, for one - he's a proponent of the classic anime school of Slapstick and Toilet Humor (with a side of gay panic jokes), and repeats the same jokes repeatedly throughout all of his shows. His characters are generally simplistic, and because he's such a fan of those helpless girls, his narratives don't tend to feel like real things happening - it's often all the other characters entertaining the whims of someone who doesn't seem like a real person. And he doesn't understand how drama works, either - instead of establishing a character, letting us get to know them, and then slowly building towards a dramatic/tragic reveal that makes sense of what we already know, he just transitions straight from slapstick to tragedy-porn and expects the audience to care because sad things are sad.
It's not just any one thing. I think he's both representative of a lot of the worst instincts of anime writers specifically and a bad writer in general.
But he's bad in lots of ways. His sense of humor, for one - he's a proponent of the classic anime school of Slapstick and Toilet Humor (with a side of gay panic jokes), and repeats the same jokes repeatedly throughout all of his shows. His characters are generally simplistic, and because he's such a fan of those helpless girls, his narratives don't tend to feel like real things happening - it's often all the other characters entertaining the whims of someone who doesn't seem like a real person. And he doesn't understand how drama works, either - instead of establishing a character, letting us get to know them, and then slowly building towards a dramatic/tragic reveal that makes sense of what we already know, he just transitions straight from slapstick to tragedy-porn and expects the audience to care because sad things are sad.
It's not just any one thing. I think he's both representative of a lot of the worst instincts of anime writers specifically and a bad writer in general.
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Sunshine Marmot
Should I be looking forward to any more accidental writeups in the near future?
It'll probably happen again, but scheduling them kinda stressed me out, so I'm not making any specific promises
"[Psycho-Pass's] characters are easily superior to anything in Gargantia or Madoka." (from your MAL) Interesting. Please elaborate.
Akane in particular is the standout - she's just a much more fully-realized person than anyone else Urobuchi has written. Frankly, I don't think Urobuchi is a particularly good character writer - his characters more often work as symbols or ideals, and tend to be more iconic than human. But Akane has all sorts of human tics to her personality, has a strong core nature that slowly changes over the course of the narrative, and has a great individual voice. She's easily the best character I've seen in his writing.
The other characters from Psycho-Pass are less impressive, but that's just kind of the nature of the story (as is true of /all/ his stories - he could stand to write better characters, but his shows don't really suffer for it because he plays to his strengths).
The other characters from Psycho-Pass are less impressive, but that's just kind of the nature of the story (as is true of /all/ his stories - he could stand to write better characters, but his shows don't really suffer for it because he plays to his strengths).
Bobduh, the REAL OreGairu question is if you ship Hachiman with Yui or Yukino.
Yukino, of course! I don't think a Hachiman-Yui relationship would really work for either of them, and Hachiman/Yukino already have one of my favorite rapports of any anime couple. They are adorable together.
Do you have any theories about how OreGairu's light novels will end?
SENSEI ENDING. Nah, I'm kidding, that'd be awful. It'll hopefully end some time after Hachiman allows himself to be vulnerable - to actually be positive about something, probably because one of the people he cares about needs help in a way where he can't just put people down to solve it. Yukino has already taken positive steps in her life, and so the core conflict is really Hachiman's insecurity.
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