Animals Threaten to Fart: Shovelin' Shit ITT, Anime discussion Options

[joshjoshlol]

It's like I don't even know you two anymore! "This one show is silly, ergo the entire goddamn system is silly."

</antagonism>

[tachi]

Actually I didn't mean to give off that impression. Like I said, I thought the clip was funny. The fact that I'm watching less anime has more to do with me just watching more live action american television.

[joshjoshlol]

i certainly meant it like that. i'm done, save for the quasi-annual gem that emerges that gives the industry value. it is a silly system with major flaws that i don't even want to be subjected to on a passing notion. i avoid /a/ (and most of 4chan) for just that reason. but then something cool will come along that beats the '3 episodes and then its shit' streak that 99% of these shows seem to be systemically afflicted with and i will watch it

i wouldn't say that the american television alternative offers a better ratio, but then again i probably watch less than .5% of the currently airing shows here in the states. compare that to the anime viewership ratio that i used to hold and i think that it's just me balancing things out as my time becomes scarcer and more valuable

[ChaosTangent]

I can't answer or argue that without sounding snarky. Genuinely, if you feel like that then there's nothing I can do or say to dissuade you; I would say there are genuinely excellent shows (plural) every single season. If all you're going to watch is the triple-A money-no-object masterpieces then your stance makes sense, if you're that demanding of the medium then fair enough. The fact you mention 4chan says everything really, that firebrand rabble is enough to put you off any series; there is however a rich vein of low-key series that consistently fall outside the rape-and-pillage glare of them and fall between good and excellent.

In direct response then, I'd ask what you've seen in the past season / two seasons / year that has fostered this stance?

[joshjoshlol]

probably the tipping point was something that i've always held sacred: universal century gundam. unicorn was, for lack of a better word, repugnant. entirely unenjoyable, vague in its goals, a bullseye for every sloppy trope that the mecha genre can excrete, etc. it's beyond me viewing a show because of budget, because obviously that one cost a fortune to produce. i'm not a shallow viewer, in the way that one would go and se the latest michael bay clusterfuck. it's just that it made me realize that few and far between do these shows actually entertain me anymore, and i can look back and see that i stomached C grade materials with a smile because i didn't have anything better to do. burning ants with a magnifying glass, for example, would have been more productive than watching claymore's anime adaptation a few years back

i suppose that this outlook has become so much harsher because i honestly have nothing to watch or look forward to: i dropped one piece because the manga is easier to digest without having to experience 13 minutes of op/ed, 6 minutes of buffoon-level dialogue, and 3 minutes of substance per serving; alchemist is done, with any prospects of a revisit well out into the horizon; heroman made me want to eat a bullet, and then an entire magazine of bullets by episode 4; tatami galaxy was gone in a flash; etc

[ChaosTangent]

If you'll forgive the crudeness of this breakdown: Gundam/mecha, shounen Berserk wannabe, long running money cow, Alchemist, Stan Lee, Tatami Galaxy. Tis a very narrow slice of what's available with five out of six big budget, every-man productions. If you're not interested in anime as a medium, I would just say cut your losses and don't waste any angst on it.

If you're curious for something original, not any of the above, some recommendations from spring and summer of this year which I'm hoping you, knowing what I do, might enjoy:
- Working!! a solid comedy about a family restaurant in Japan. Tends to run its jokes into the ground but I found it entertaining
- House of Five Leaves, slow and methodical I found this a very relaxing look at feudal Japan and has a complex moral texture to it
STILL AIRING
- RAINBOW, very manly drama about teenagers in post WW2 Japan trying to survive in a juvenile detention centre. Brutal and dark
- Legend of the Legendary Heroes, my pick for this season, once it gets into the swing of things, a good fantasy political and magical romp
- Shiki, bleak and atmospheric. Suffers from being slightly slow, but builds horror like nothing else
- Occult Academy, wildcard this one and could go either way in terms of enjoyment, a solid premise with choppy implementation

Out of all of them, RAINBOW is definitely the safe bet with Shiki a close second. Working!! is a tough sell due to it being a comedy, hence, subjective. The rest are a crap shoot.

Honestly I'm just trying to understand why you're so disillusioned with it, whether its the lack of range, the "culture" surrounding it or what.

Edit: And tangentially relevant to this discussion: http://8c.tumblr.com/post/1003058598/highs...t-im-doing-here

[Xanathus]

There's also DURARARARARARARRARARARARARARARARA which I enjoyed the first season of.

[Mei Hikari]

Shit, if I can watch jersey shore for entertainment, Chaos can watch bouncing bullet time tits.

[joshjoshlol]

i don't think it's angst, it's more like inevitability for me: i burned out on the repetition of it all. not having a definitive show to watch has ultimately been one of the more liberating feelings that i've had as a viewer in a long time, more so than the highs i could achieve by a hyped show reaching even 1/3 of its potential. looking back i strongly feel that as an anime fan i was fooling myself into thinking there was an intrinsic worth to shows that are even 50/50 crap shoots in terms of potential quality, because there really isn't: the way i interpret it now is that the value comes by the overall package, not the week-to-week gamble. hindsight dictates much more accurately, and it's hard to see much shift in quality from the blatherings of the 4chan garbage and speculative analysis by even a trusted opinion done per episode as to whether a show is good or not. i can't say for certain if it's regression or progression, but i just don't think i can swing it like i used to and watch the first 3 of every series and then ride 4-5 of them out until the end every 4 months or so. i'm fine with watching the good stuff still, but i'm much more inclined to wait until it wraps up

[ChaosTangent]

Chaos can watch bouncing bullet time tits.

Chaos watches far worse things than HSotD and finds them entertaining, at least that has humour value. Something like Asobi ni Iku Yo is just pure catgirls.

[ChaosTangent]

stuff and things

If you're going to watch stuff on your own then that's probably the way to go. With blogging and Twitter I've found the week to week chatter quite pleasant, especially as no one seems to be able to settle on one show here on Spoon anymore for various reasons. I can't fully get behind episodic blogging but understand why it's about and why it's successful. Mostly though this seems to boil down to enjoyment: you seem to be a lot more demanding of your shows to entertain you in isolation as well as a whole which is a tough sell. If you want to be assured of a show's quality and time-wasting nature then waiting for it to complete is the only way to do so, what you miss in the thrill of discovery and social interaction you make up for in near guaranteed fulfilling good times. Each their own, my point is: don't damn an entire medium because of sporadic dross.

[joshjoshlol]

i can, and most certainly will!

really though i'm not damning the medium the more i express my feelings... i'm separating it based on quality earned through universal appreciation/heavy recommendation or QUALITY based on universal condemnation, with the stuff in the middle likely being things i wouldn't enjoy anyways. i don't see it any different than how i view tv: there's good hbo, history int'l, and science channel shows... and then there's everything else. that's obviously more cut and dry than reality for the sake of conversation, but hopefully what i am saying is backed up by some observable logic

[shio]

HSOTD is good if only for the fact that you don't need to like Japan or Japanese whatever to appreciate a silly summer zombie series.

[Mei Hikari]

I get Josh's feelings, I have less and less patience for the typical anime bullshit. Goddamn panning shots.

But sometimes, watching a series week by week with everyone's reaction IS the appeal. I have no intention of watching Geass again, but goddamn, that was a fun ride while it lasted.

Chaos watches far worse things than HSotD and finds them entertaining, at least that has humour value. Something like Asobi ni Iku Yo is just pure catgirls.

I didn't mean to imply you only watch zombie softcore porn. Shit, does that mean everyone thinks I only watch jersey shore? Dammit.

[joshjoshlol]

interesting how none of us have brought up satoshi kon dying. he was one of my favorite anime directors/creators/minds so i've been kinda bummed

[ChaosTangent]

I found out last night and I have no words that describe how sad I am that he has passed away. Odd that he's the first "celebrity" who has died that I've felt something about - completely took me by surprise.

[ChaosTangent]

Hey Josh, what are your thoughts on Dangaioh and Genocyber? I'm looking up series I watched when I was younger and trying to place them in context of their creators and other series. As far as I know Genocyber was pretty much a nothing series, but I do know Dangaioh has special relevance for mecha fans and you're the bestest one I know!

[joshjoshlol]

dangaioh's biggest thing in my opinion is the mecha designer, kawamori. that name is up there along with like katoki, who is God Almighty, in the context of modern mecha design and he also rises to the top in terms of mecha-centric story creation, like a more functional and on-target tomino. i mean, gundam is a business, and a fantastically successful one at that, but kawamori's works like DYRL and escaflowne were defining aspects of their respective generations (yes i am going on record and saying that macross was more important to the development of the mecha genre than gundam). i'm also pretty sure he was the genius who put the reactive armor on the ingram for the first time in the patlabor movie, which is mechasexy in a dimension previously unheard of

genocyber... it's not the worst, but i couldn't finish it, and it's only like what, 4 ova episodes long? less?

[Xanathus]

Just finished marathoning through the 2nd season of Durararararara!!! First part about Saika was awesome but the whole tri-gang 2nd part was really anti-climatic.

[Streamdragon]

yes i am going on record and saying that macross was more important to the development of the mecha genre than gundam. i'm also pretty sure he was the genius who put the reactive armor on the ingram for the first time in the patlabor movie, which is mechasexy in a dimension previously unheard of

genocyber... it's not the worst, but i couldn't finish it, and it's only like what, 4 ova episodes long? less?

I you josh

[Yakuza]

Josh did you ever get around to watching Gear Senshi Dendoh? If not, get off your ass.

[joshjoshlol]

i never saw that one because it had like kids as the main characters and i have a few weird court orders that prevent me from watching kids all intensely