Anime Discussions?

[Piemanlives]

I guess it has to do with the popularization of anime with the male crowd, not saying that it's becoming popular, but rather the fact that I'd say a lot of men watch anime for that silly "Fanservice" that seems to be prevalent these days. While I myself don't mind the occasional fanservice, the fact that it's exceedingly blatant that it's one of the very few things that could actually keep people watching bothers me. Of course I'll keep watching in the hope that it does get better.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

Yep, completely agree Delta. There sadly isn't a lot of original anime nowadays because they all try to stoop to fanservice episodes to boost ratings. In any anime, it will often have...an onsen scene, beach scene, karaoke scene, girls talking about breast size scenes, the one girl who is strangely obsessed with boobs and has to fondle everyone scenes, and loads of sexual innuendo scenes where they hint at it but are always interrupted or never go far.

I think theres a few more overused ones on top of that...oh right, the girls are obsessed with eating scenes. Just about half the scenes in some anime are with characters eating or pigging out. Which makes you wonder how everyone there isn't fat.

Then of course lets not forget...first episode waking up and realizing late so run to school with bread in mouth scene because for some reason they haven't mastered the ability to eat on the go.

All in all, there are way too many cliche shows. Everyone copies everyone there. However, there is also a lot of decent ones mixed in. Some copies improve or do ideas better than the predecessor. Then you have a few which say the heck with tropes and decides to be more original. They might get some generic characters but the storyline isn't predictable.

[Imagine]

To be fair though, this is all very similar to mainstream TV and movies as well. A litany of crap, with a sprinkling of awesome.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

I'd still rather watch a ton of crap anime than sit through 5 minutes of western entertainment...cept for Castle because...Nathan Fillion.

Mostly because Japan allows more creativity still. Western studios are all about churning out money makers. They don't want to take risks and so they rehash plots or outright just reboot left and right. Got a friend who was a producer and shes now working in Hollywood trying to go into acting. Had a lot of great talks with her a couple years back about how bad the studios really are. Even some of the decent ones are adopting the business models of the big studios. Why our entertainment is just getting worse and worse.

When you compare us to Japan, just no contest. Japan studios win. But little sad recently, they've begun rebooting stuff too. Last season it was Broken Blade, which did not need a reboot at all, just another series. Then this season its Psycho Pass. I can understand if it is an anime from the 70s which is one of the foundations of modern anime like Space Battleship Yamato, which got a remake and it is awesome. But Broken Blade and Psycho Pass? Really? Just dumb. No point in rebooting so soon. Just reusing old animation, add some filler, cheap profits. Ugg...the Broken Blade reboot theme song is horrific. Made me want to edit all the episodes and recut in the Fate theme song from the original animation release.

[Swizy]

I'd still rather watch a ton of crap anime than sit through 5 minutes of western entertainment...cept for Castle because...Nathan Fillion.

Mostly because Japan allows more creativity still. Western studios are all about churning out money makers. They don't want to take risks and so they rehash plots or outright just reboot left and right. Got a friend who was a producer and shes now working in Hollywood trying to go into acting. Had a lot of great talks with her a couple years back about how bad the studios really are. Even some of the decent ones are adopting the business models of the big studios. Why our entertainment is just getting worse and worse.

When you compare us to Japan, just no contest. Japan studios win. But little sad recently, they've begun rebooting stuff too. Last season it was Broken Blade, which did not need a reboot at all, just another series. Then this season its Psycho Pass. I can understand if it is an anime from the 70s which is one of the foundations of modern anime like Space Battleship Yamato, which got a remake and it is awesome. But Broken Blade and Psycho Pass? Really? Just dumb. No point in rebooting so soon. Just reusing old animation, add some filler, cheap profits. Ugg...the Broken Blade reboot theme song is horrific. Made me want to edit all the episodes and recut in the Fate theme song from the original animation release.

So basicly you're comparing the one movie industry with the other without knowing the other all? (judging from the first sentence)

If you ask me Hollywood still winns at the better movies and series. Animation wise they're clearly behind but just look at Pixar or Dreamworks they got a great list of good movies.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

After having a film as lit class in college many years ago...I cannot ever see Hollywood in a positive light. Their stories are so predictable and rehashed it is just sad. Before the class, I generally liked them, after...I just couldn't enjoy the mindless entertainment it was churning out. Which is what the professor said. He warned us that the class would either ruin our abilities to watch movies or give us a new perspective and allow us to enjoy them more. For me, it was both. Ruined me for western entertainment but made me look at eastern which I had never looked at seriously before then.

Dreamworks/Pixar movies are sadly not like they used to be. Course Disney has their hands in them and anything Disney touches turns to crap right now, at least from a story perspective. Disney is the king of rehashing plot ideas. The Fox counterpart that did Epic and the Ice Age series is better but I'd still rate them only par. They're willing to go outside the lines more but they still keep to a few tried and true tropes.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

Ok, any Gundam fans out there? Whatever you do, don't watch Gundam G no Reconguista...unless you want to watch a show written by a grade schooler. I kid you not. The characters and the world is actually good. The problem is everything is completely disjointed and nothing is explained. Even when you finally get an understanding of it, the next scene they do something which blows that understanding out the window. It really is like you are watching a kid playing and making it up as they went. I've stayed with it just because it is now entertaining trying to figure out where the story is going to go next or try to at least make sense why someone in Japan green lighted this.

Oh and be ready for lots of...ballet dancing...things...I dunno what the hell they are. But the intermission scene has a member of the cast doing a brief dance move. So here you have this heroic mecha battle happening and the next second you have a character prancing. NAN DE?!!!

[RethBurn]

TSUKAME PURAAAIIDOOOO!

What Gilder says is mostly true. G Reco is written by Tomino, the original writer for Gundam, Zeta Double Zeta, and Turn A Gundam. Therefore it has this kiddish feelings, because he never ment for it to be written for adults. The series is very wishy washy and has a very happy feeling to it, even when characters die or feel sad. It differs from more serious series like the Alternative universes SEED, 00 or Wing in that regard.

If you are going to watch it, atleast go into it with a childlike mind, since thats the target audience Tomino wanted to fall in love with the show, like how people fell in love with the original gundam in 1979.
That said, are you watching Build Fighters Try, Gilder?

[ShadedExalt]

...so I spent ages looking and finally found it! I would massively recommend it to anyone, it's called Oban Star Racers.
Also, every episode is available on youtube.. which is a +1!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLnxm1MSFr4&list=PLE0C71B072DDC102E

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU SO SO MUCH!  I looked FOREVER for that anime and I just couldn't find it!  +ovar 9000 Salutes!

The first time I saw it, I didn't even know what anime was, and I'm pretty sure I couldn't read, sooo...

All I remembered was Pod Racing but not.  (I loved Star Wars.)

My favourite anime so far would be SAO, my most hated antagonist is Orochimaru, my favourite protag is Luffy D. Monkey, mainly because he's a dumbadass.  Waifu is Satellizer L. Bridgette from Freezing.  Don't judge me.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

TSUKAME PURAAAIIDOOOO!

What Gilder says is mostly true. G Reco is written by Tomino, the original writer for Gundam, Zeta Double Zeta, and Turn A Gundam. Therefore it has this kiddish feelings, because he never ment for it to be written for adults. The series is very wishy washy and has a very happy feeling to it, even when characters die or feel sad. It differs from more serious series like the Alternative universes SEED, 00 or Wing in that regard.

If you are going to watch it, atleast go into it with a childlike mind, since thats the target audience Tomino wanted to fall in love with the show, like how people fell in love with the original gundam in 1979.
That said, are you watching Build Fighters Try, Gilder?

Nah the toy Gundam series just didn't spark my interest so I never looked into it. But if Reconguista is made by the original writer then...how the hell did that series ever get so huge? Its mental insanity just trying to watch it. But what really annoys about Reconguista is it has an older age demographic based on the character ages, however it still is like this. If he had done this to Gundam AGE I would have understood as AGE had younger protagonists. Cept AGE, despite the cliche moments, turned out a lot better than this in it's story.

[RethBurn]

Ehh. I mean. Phase 2 of AGE was kinda nice, had a story I personally liked, despite its' shallow characters. I think people are having problem relating to Tomino's idea of having an easygoing story. Believe it or not, AGE was actually meant to draw in younger people, but when they did demographic tests on which character was the most liked, it was Asemu: The relative "oldest" protagonist of his Arc.

In Japan, Reco is one of those sunday morning shows that kids are able to watch without having to know too much, it's got the typical nonsensical dialogue (Klim Nick shouting nonsense in battle, similarly to for example Kamille going "I hate adults!" while cutting a mobile suit in half with his sword), that has come to be known by his writing style. It's not the first I've heard of it though. Many older fans don't like it, personally I think it's fine, he panders towards a medium that he wants to write to.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

If his goal is to set up mech battles, then he is succeeding. But there is no structure or story at all. People are changing sides on a whim and there is no meaning behind any of it other than to set up battles. The only age demographic where I can see this tripe fitting into would be maybe the kindergardener or early grade schooler who has no attention span and can handle a series that literally reinvents itself every episode.

Well...I guess if this is considered a style and people like it then that means there is hope for any writer. I believe I'll peg Tomino as the Michael Bay of anime from now on. The only thing I can do now is...hope Chuchumy gains sentience and goes Attack on Titan all over the cast. Its the only sensible ending that I can think as revenge for sticking him in that ball and giving him to a mental patient. Then Chuchumy gains the ability to transcend reality and has a hunger for Tomino which leads to the next Godzilla movie where Tomino runs to Godzilla for help then Godzilla looks at the titan goldfish, then at Tomino, then stomps on him as hard as he can...then Godzilla and Chuchumy wipe out all mankind...yay! 

[ShadedExalt]

...then Godzilla and Chuchumy wipe out all mankind...yay!

Step 1: wait until they finish with Tokyo.
Step 2: Launch ALL the nukes!
Step 3: ? ? ?
Step4: PROFIT!

[RethBurn]

If his goal is to set up mech battles, then he is succeeding. But there is no structure or story at all. People are changing sides on a whim and there is no meaning behind any of it other than to set up battles. The only age demographic where I can see this tripe fitting into would be maybe the kindergardener or early grade schooler who has no attention span and can handle a series that literally reinvents itself every episode.

Well...I guess if this is considered a style and people like it then that means there is hope for any writer. I believe I'll peg Tomino as the Michael Bay of anime from now on. The only thing I can do now is...hope Chuchumy gains sentience and goes Attack on Titan all over the cast. Its the only sensible ending that I can think as revenge for sticking him in that ball and giving him to a mental patient. Then Chuchumy gains the ability to transcend reality and has a hunger for Tomino which leads to the next Godzilla movie where Tomino runs to Godzilla for help then Godzilla looks at the titan goldfish, then at Tomino, then stomps on him as hard as he can...then Godzilla and Chuchumy wipe out all mankind...yay! 

I think you're going abit ham on a guy that writes shows for kids. I mean, that's like calling A.A. Milne the Nolan of cartoons just because his characters have deeper associations. Sure the guy makes supah robuttuh fightuh animuh, so he skimps on as much as the plot so that a kid can just go: "Yeah! Robot fighting!" instead of going: "Hrmm! I wonder if the relations between the Amerian army and Capital Tower is caused by a long strived conflict where the Capital has refused to lend aid to either of the Gondwan or Amerian armies and sought their own betterment in technology!"

For that matter, if you knew more about Tomino himself, perhaps watcjing some of the older series like Zeta, you'd know that the guy is pretty good at writing a dark and dysfunctional asset of characters. The series portrays all of the darkness in humans and manages to do it so that an adult can see it immediately, where kids only vaguely understand it, whilst looking at Awesome robot fights.

[Squidslinger Gilder]

Japan has other fighting robot shows that have some sense of a story. Just because it is for kids doesn't mean it has to be terrible.