Sort of. I love some anime. I love Ghost in the Shell. Castle in the Sky is possibly the most beautiful movie in existence. I love a series called Martian Successor: Nadesico which may very well be one of my favourite TV series of all time, it's just beautiful and I seriously need to rewatch it (and had already been thinking that now might be the time to do so.)
On the flip side I think Neon Genesis Evangelion, once I got over the amazing and wonderful shock of animation being given serious treatment and allowed to tell a serious story, was an entirely overrated experiment in narrative disatisfaction.
My problems with anime generally fall to two issues, which are not unrelated.
Firstly, the levels of fan service and dodgy shit that goes on. I find the whole cutesy treatment of dirty old men and underage girls seriously squicky, and yes I know that's partly a cultural issue, but it's something I have trouble getting past. This extends into a lot of the tropes they employ with regards to characterising women - and also men. Anime employs short-hand cliches, and even visual cliches in its animation styles - like suddenly changing to superdeformed visual expressions to be "cute" or "upset" or whichever. It's something I find kind of irritating, although I can get past it for a good story.
Secondly, a lot of the anime that gets exported to the west is very...similar? Fake Science explanation for psychic powers, angsty teenagers, giant robots (sometimes) and then a big explosion at the end and something about nature.
Which isn't to say I don't like that kind of thing.
I think, to be honest, my biggest disappointment with anime is that it's full of stories I think I'd love told in a style I cannot stand.
As if every science fiction story were written in the style of Lovecraft, or Mills & Boon, or John Grisham, you know?
I'm sure there's stuff out there that's not like this, I just don't have the fortitude to find it. If you have any suggestions though, I'd be very open to them.
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Date: 2009-04-07 02:53 pm (UTC)On the flip side I think Neon Genesis Evangelion, once I got over the amazing and wonderful shock of animation being given serious treatment and allowed to tell a serious story, was an entirely overrated experiment in narrative disatisfaction.
My problems with anime generally fall to two issues, which are not unrelated.
Firstly, the levels of fan service and dodgy shit that goes on. I find the whole cutesy treatment of dirty old men and underage girls seriously squicky, and yes I know that's partly a cultural issue, but it's something I have trouble getting past. This extends into a lot of the tropes they employ with regards to characterising women - and also men. Anime employs short-hand cliches, and even visual cliches in its animation styles - like suddenly changing to superdeformed visual expressions to be "cute" or "upset" or whichever. It's something I find kind of irritating, although I can get past it for a good story.
Secondly, a lot of the anime that gets exported to the west is very...similar? Fake Science explanation for psychic powers, angsty teenagers, giant robots (sometimes) and then a big explosion at the end and something about nature.
Which isn't to say I don't like that kind of thing.
I think, to be honest, my biggest disappointment with anime is that it's full of stories I think I'd love told in a style I cannot stand.
As if every science fiction story were written in the style of Lovecraft, or Mills & Boon, or John Grisham, you know?
I'm sure there's stuff out there that's not like this, I just don't have the fortitude to find it. If you have any suggestions though, I'd be very open to them.