The state of anime « hontou ni

17Dec/0636

The state of anime

I was rather sad to see Michael go. Our tastes don't quite coincide but I enjoy his anime insights and writing style very much. Even in his parting shot, he gave me something to think about with this claim.

"Anime has stagnated."

Personally, I was rather surprised at this since I was under the impression we are currently in the golden age of anime as I find myself enjoying this medium a great deal more than ever. But could it be that my standards have been slowly slipping with prolonged exposure to graded mediocrity? Or that the wonderful comaraderie found in the anime community/blogs sweetens this passion so much that beer can now pass off as wine? Frankly, it's hard to be objective about something you love so irrationally but I attempted a list to check if even I had unknowingly preferred anime of yester-years to recent series. And so looking through my recently compiled viewlog, I hastily picked 20 series I would recommend.

01) AIR
02) Angelic Layer
03) Azumanga Daioh
04) Cardcaptor Sakura
05) Cowboy bebop
06) Da Capo
07) Fullmetal Alchemist
08) Full Metal Panic! The 2nd raid
09) Hikaru no Go
10) Iriya no sora, UFO no natsu
11) Kimi ga nozomu eien
12) Macross Zero
13) Mahoromatic
14) Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha As
15) Mai HiME
16) Scrapped Princess
17) Shuffle!
18) Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
19) X TV
20) Zero no tsukaima

The list states that I recommend 2 pre-millennium series (Cowboy Bebop and Cardcaptor Sakura), 9 2001-2003 productions and 9 2004-2006 shows. In fact, depending on how Soukou no Strain and Asatte no Houkou perform in the remaining weeks, we might have another 2 entries for that last bloc. So what can I infer from this? Not much actually since this is hardly a well-controlled experiment given the small sample size and implicit assumptions that:

i) anime watched in 2001-2003/2004-2006 blocs are approximately equal (err I'm too lazy to do a check on this)
ii) anime were watched in their respective time-blocs (clearly untrue since for one, I watched Hikaru no Go in 2004)

Well, at the very least, in my book, the 'old' surely doesn't trump the 'new'.

Drawing a narrow example from one of my most-watched genres (harem/bishoujo/game-to-anime productions), I personally thought its standard has been rising steadily over the years. Comparing the current Fall series of Kanon, Tokimeki Memorial, Gift~ Eternal Rainbow, Otoboku and to some extent Happiness with the likes of Yumeria, Green green, Wind~ breath of Heart and Girl Bravo, the latest offerings have stronger plots, likeable male leads, lovelier ladies with defined personalities and less mindless ecchi. Even Yoakena with its crappy animation has more to offer than those poor excuses of anime. (Of course, if my claim be true, it would mean that fan of mindless ecchi would conversely observe dipping standards of anime in the said timeframe.)

Even as a skeptic of post-modernistic relativism, I have to admit in the realm of anime tastes, there can be no absolutes. (How can I not concede when there are Shinn Asuka worshippers and Ikkitousen fans?) So is there objectivity in anime standards? It's interesting I just finished Otoboku ep 7 (an ep dedicated to the lolicious Kana and her moelicious ribbon). I thought Mizuho's ribbon argument to be brilliant but flawed. Since all Takako needed to do was ask Mizuho squeeze into Kana's uniform to prove her skirt length inappropriate. A matter of perspectives, kana?

On another note, although I am with tjhan in principle about the increasing quality of anime, I believe it's not a matter of quantity boosting the absolute number of good shows. Maybe I've really been spoiled by the Fall season but I found its hitrate rather high. Of the 13 series picked up, I only dropped 2 (Yoakena and Lovedol) and am enjoying immensely the rest. Is this season an anime anomaly? Or am I more prudent/well-informed now with the collective hive-mind of anime bloggers to warn me from jumping into anime disasters? Too many parameters, too many unknowns.

Whatever the cause, one thing is clear. My flame for anime is burning brighter than ever and empircal observations point to the infectious enthusiasm of the anime community and rising excellence from the animators. How I wish I am doing a dissertation on anime instead. XD

Posted by Stripey

Filed under: Random Rants Leave a comment

Comments (36) Trackbacks (1) ( subscribe to comments on this post )

kei-clone
December 18th, 2006 - 00:06

I just love how optimistic you are about the state of things. It’s good to know that despite the regular rise of the anime naysayer, there are still those who remain justly (not blindly) loyal, and truly enjoy this art for the purest reasons.

( REPLY )
Skane
December 18th, 2006 - 00:10

The thing here is, and as mentioned on Jeff Lawson’s AnimeBlog many, many times; nostalgia plays a huge role in ‘distorting’ one’s perspective. As time goes by, our traumatic memories of bad anime watched in the past will fade away, but the wonderful memories of good anime will stay.

In general only. Sometimes an anime can be so atrocious, the horror is burned into our minds and just needs the trauma switch to be turned on for us to be tormented.

So what is happening now? Bad anime watched now are still relatively fresh in our minds, so we have a perceived misconception that there is a higher percentage of bad anime now. How many of those people who claim that anime standards have dropped, have actually sat down to list down ALL the anime that they have watched, and compared what they considered good to what they considered bad? And furthermore, make a chart to compare the percentage number of good anime now compared to good anime then( if not by raw numbers alone).

Also, as we age, we morph into a different target group. What entertained us when we were 6-9 years old may not entertain us when we are in our 20′s, or 30′s( again, refer to Jeff Lawson’s AnimeBlog about the shattering of childhood memories by rewatching our childhood classics as adults).

For example, Space Battleship Yamato. This is definitely a classic, and one that makes me feel very ‘manly’ when watching it( even until today); but it was riddled with production errors( in almost every episode) that would be unforgivable today, and the graphics are very, very dated compared to today( naturally of course).

The thing is, as time goes by in any industry, you are expected to exceed the past and improve in the future. What may have been overlooked in the past, will not go by unnoticed today. People complain a lot about the sub-standards graphics of most anime, but do they actually remember the standard of yesterday’s anime?

Which is why I rarely rant about animation quality negatively and focus more on animation consistency. It takes a lot to make me comment on animation quality. Crescent Love’s cabbage for example.

So no, I don’t think anime has stagnated. With surprises such as SHnY recently, it still manages to capture my attention. There is anime for everyone, no matter what your interests are. You just need to search for them.

Cheers.

( REPLY )
kei-clone
December 18th, 2006 - 00:13

^ that’s not to say the naysayers are bad, btw. This goes back to that post before in response to DigiKerot’s post. I think many anime fans out there forgot what exactly drew them into anime in the first place. They saw the good anime, liked it, and watched the quality stuff. Somewhere along the line, if you watch the crappy stuff as well, your opinion isn’t gonna be as high. I think we can all agree on the fact that ppl need to distinguish what they should and shouldn’t watch – to be able to tell what’s a bad and what’s a good anime.

( REPLY )
starcaptor
December 18th, 2006 - 00:19

Im pretty torn on judging the current crop of anime vs generations past as well. I am in a similar boat…I am enjoying nearly every show this season. But at the same time, my love for previous series, trying to control for nostalgia as much as possible, was probably higher. I miss third gen bootlegs, seeing maybe 4 or 5 series a year max, higher color palettes and cel-based artwork, and most of all, the untouchably epic soundtracks… Anime these days, which I STILL enjoy immensely, seems to be rehashing ideas as quickly as I’ve Sound puts out new songs… The reason I stick around, is cause those rehashed ideas are STILL GOOD >D

Also, is it just me, or are series getting shorter and shorter these days? We will complain about a 26 episode show (all the Kanon haters), but back in the day, you had shows which would just go on for easily over 50 episodes, and that was commonplace. Nowadays 13 and 26 seem to be the norm, with the exception of mutants like Detective Conan, the shounen jump series’ (bleach, naruto), and the Sat Nite Time slot (the one which had GS and GS:D and Blood+)

Just like how as growing up, we are each part of a different cohort (from the Tetsuwon Atom generation to the Robotech generation to the Otaku and up generation), I think its just too hard to say anime has gotten better or worse…right back to what you said from the very start. One thing for sure…its definitely becoming mainstream-ified in the west, which changes everything…

Btw, you could absolutely have done a dissertation on this phenomena if you were an anthro or sociology major >P

( REPLY )
wontaek
December 18th, 2006 - 01:06

>>> Anime has stagnated

This is an argument I heard about 17 years ago. In the late 80s, Japan corporations stopped exploring the limits of anime medium and reduced the funding to various anime ventures. You begin to see more and more same-o formulaic series that left much to be desired. For me, Anime had stagnated. Then in the late 90s, some series made me think that it is not the same-o. I have seen steady increase in quantity and variety of anime ever since then. Now we had to the late 2000s with couple of land mark anime pieces in terms of story plot or technical prowess. Suzumiya Haruhi series had raised the bar of graphic quality to new level and next year’s “5cm/s” promises to blow that bar to kingdom come. This gives me the feeling of 80s again, which was the Golden age of Anime in Japan. Trouble is, 80s did not end well for the anime world. What we will see from new series, especially the most anticipated sequel since Z Gundam, 2nd season of Suzumiya Haruhi, will have huge impact on the future of the anime which already is showing signs of mannerism and overstretching of resources

( REPLY )
edogawaconan
December 18th, 2006 - 01:24

where’s zegapain O_o

( REPLY )
Crusader
December 18th, 2006 - 01:55

I think that thoughts about the stagnation of anime underlies the question of how much do you really love the genre. Despite the over use of many conventions ie promised ones getting the guy, doormats are attractive, and so on and so forth, the genre can suprise you at times. It is for these moments that I still watch anime. I like history and nostalgia as well even when I go back to watching Sailor Moon I still love it as it always will hold a special place in my cold dead heart. It is quite different than say watching GI Joe again, which went from cool to ZOMG LMAO. Nostalgia howver is a very strong thing, and even now Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are still cool even if Gonzo had Zartan beat up Snake Eyes and rob him of almost all his I33t skills…

I think the lack of really long anime not nesscessarily a bad think, after all Inuyasha had too many fillers that it nearly imploded. Ouran Host Club was a delightful departure form the tradtional shoujo anime just as SHnY revolutionized harem. Good stories are not a dime a dozen, i have studies ancient Japanese literature or what left of it and found that despite the wealth of material not all of it was good, since I despised love suicides and felt that the tale of Genji was essentially an overwrought harem anime script. Tale of Heike and Ihara Saikaku now they were something.

As long as anime brings a bit of joy and laughter in my life I couldn’t care less about the sophistry involved with its decline. Anime is supposed to entertain us, as long as that holds true does it really matter in the end? Yes people will take a break from thier hobbies from time to time but there is always something that brings them back. Heck I went from having the orginal gameboy to a DS after a derth of having a handheld for over a decade, the kid within us all never truely dies.

Haruhi-sama’s armband you have not even seen Escaflowne?! Where were you hiding when this passed you by? Epic score, good mecha, loveable shoujo, and a bloody good story a real shame indeed.

( REPLY )
NegativeZero
December 18th, 2006 - 02:11

There is certainly a natural ebb and flow to things – anime has had points where it has felt stagnant, and other times where it is just the opposite. The same can be said of almost every creative medium. All that it takes are some new ideas. Take a look at the video games industry, it has some very pronounced periods of innovation and quality, and also some very flat periods where not much was happening.

I went through a similar problem throughout most of 2005. With the exception of a few series here and there (Mahoraba, Ichigo Mashimaro, Pani Poni Dash, Full Metal Panic: TSR and a few others) there was nothing that really engaged me. Additionally pretty much everything I was anticipating (Fate/Stay Night, Rozen Maiden: Traumend, Mai-Otome, etc) turned out to be quite disappointing. The great thing about anime though is that there’s decades of stuff that came before, so I found myself checking out a lot of older series that had been around before I got into anime in general.

Really, I think what it comes down to is your attitude towards what you’re watching. If you have in your mind the conviction that the medium is stagnant, then you’re really only going to notice the problems. You need to take a step back from it and realise that the reason you’re watching anime is to be entertained. If nothing is entertaining you for the season, then there’s decades of older stuff to watch. If nothing is appealing to you at all, then maybe anime has stagnated. What’s far more likely, though, is that what’s stagnated is your interest in it. There has always been some reasonable stuff running, even in the low periods.

That’s not to say there aren’t any recent trends in modern anime that I dislike. For example, you mention the ‘reduction’ of ‘mindless ecchi’. That’s not really true at all. The situations are still there, and still common. The only thing that’s changed is that you don’t actually get to see anything any more. Instead, they’ve started putting things in the way. Don’t get me started on the deliberately-censor-it-to-drive-up-the-sales-of-the-uncensored-DVDs tactic. It’s not really something I’m that worried about in general, but I really start to get irritated with the way they seem determined to teasingly toe the line but seem afraid to step over it. The last series I actually recall which actually had a decent level of actual fanservice was probably Elfen Lied, though I’m not sure if that counts so much, given the rest of the content. Before that it was Konomini. I don’t understand why the trend dried up so suddenly – is it something to do with making the titles more likely to be licensed?

starcaptor: Japan is in the middle of a recession, and a lot of these anime companies simply can’t afford to make longer series without some kind of substantial sponsorship. Additionally it’s a question of demographics. Those longer series are pitched at a much more mainstream audience. Personally, I like the shorter 13-week format. It encourages a story to be told in a more succinct fashion, with a reduction in the amount of filler, plus it makes it a lot more likely for the series to get seqiels. Go through the last five to ten years, count how many 26-week series got a full TV series sequel, and compare against the number of 13-episode series that did.

( REPLY )
crimson
December 18th, 2006 - 03:21

wow, the sky scene looks pretty breathtaking!

( REPLY )
Zyl
December 18th, 2006 - 04:36

I was going to talk on and on about selection bias, coding tables, longitudinal/time series data collection and weighing variables but then I remembered an editorial. In any case, massive generalizations are IMHO more of an assertion of one’s taste than ‘the state of anime today’, just as list making inevitably attracts comments about what’s been left out.

A claim that you made in passing really fascinated me though: anime blogging has helped you to enjoy anime watching more. I would second that but have a few follow-ups. How much more? And why do other anime bloggers give up, not just on blogging but on watching anime?

( REPLY )
Danny
December 18th, 2006 - 05:02

Gah Zero no Tsukaima?? That show was lame. (in my opinion of course)

( REPLY )
DarkMirage
December 18th, 2006 - 05:12

I shall do what internet commentors do best and skip the post and all the other comments and get right down to mine.

Anime has not stagnated. It has always been stagnant. It seemed fresh at first because it was fresh to you, not because the genre as a whole was fresh. Once you’ve seen enough, it’s boring.

Just like porn. That’s why people start looking for nichier niches. And also why I’ve been following very few series per season for a long time.

( REPLY )
PassinGass
December 18th, 2006 - 05:41

As someone who has seen anime from Astroboy to the present, then made the mistake of watching some of them all over again (1970s-1980s series), i went OMG WTF!!! i actually loved this crap?!? its brainless, repetitive and fugly in no particular order!

Then i noticed my kids and nephews laughing, cheering and crying over the same old anime i was cringing away in revulsion from. i had an epiphany! were these anime geared towards their level of mental development (e.g. 5-10 yo)? i remember my older brothers barely looking at the TV screen while i was going crazy seeing Voltes 5 slicing and dicing another evil Boazanian monster-of-the-week.

Maybe its something like that, glorified memories simply can’t compete with brutal reality, technology, the internet fanfic/fanart sites, and maturity.

( REPLY )
wontaek
December 18th, 2006 - 05:52

I still watch some of the 80s stuff again, when I have spare time.

( REPLY )
Ashram
December 18th, 2006 - 06:43

I’ve been enjoying the current season more than just about any previous one so far. There are a ton of series being fansubbed, but even with that, there are some not being subbed. Of those, I’ve been enjoying Galaxy Angels II quite a bit, though some eps are hit and miss from what I can understand of the raws. Helps to understand the characters if you’ve played the PS2 game (and get over the original GA chars!).

Anyways, I started to get into following some of the anime blog scene towards the end of this summer, and have really seen it improve my anime experience. I remember dropping Nanoha after the first episode way back when because it *seemed* like another magical girl series aimed at kids. Oh how I was wrong! After seeing a review and mentions of the series in the Zyl/tjhan/stripey/riuva circle I checked it out again, and now I’m a hopeless Fate fanboy. Thanks guys!

Anime is continually evolving, but segments of it purposefully don’t, to give the fans what they want. Harem-type series continue to come out because people like them. Others that have been following them since the Tenchi days seem to be the ones complaining loudly about how stagnant things are. I wonder if they’ve seen shows like Banner/Crest of the Stars or not? Can’t ask for a show more original than that, but that series doesn’t seem to have inspired many clones.

( REPLY )
Stripey
December 18th, 2006 - 08:52

Thanks all for your thoughts (and your kind words Kei-clone ). I felt I’ve leveled up again seeing the many anime metanarratives everyone subscribes to.

edogawaconan: Still watching Zegapain.

Crusader: Oh I have seen Escaflowne. It’s under ‘Vision of Escaflowne’ on my list. Loved the classic SUNRISE pacing. Lamented the typical SUNRISE end

NegativeZero: Thanks fo pointing out the ecchi bit. Actually, I would have to admit the amount of ecchi has not lowered but taken a more sophisticated form. For example the ‘innuendoes’ in SumoX6. I actually enjoy this form of ecchi a lot more than the in-your-face variety found in Girl Bravo. I know it’may be oxymoronic but I thought it’d be the more intelligent form of fanservice XD

Zyl: Bro, that’s why you are Prof material. Sound exactly like my sup XD Maybe I could toss up a post… But would really love to see your thoughts on this more since you are more incisive one

Danny: Hehe, you are reading someone who loves Canvas2 and its ending too

( REPLY )
Skane
December 18th, 2006 - 09:52

A link to the relevant Hop Step Jump! entry on sentiment and nostalgia.

Warning! If you are the type of person whose eyes bleed at the sight of several hundred words entries, you might be in for some pain reading the discussion.

Cheers.

( REPLY )
Uzumaki
December 18th, 2006 - 14:29

Stagnation is relative. If you like whatever is being issued, you’re happy. In the 80s, mecha fans were stoked even though the average mecha show was like any other mecha show. Right now, the big thing is eroge/ecchi/moe, which are represented by about half of the shows you listed in your Top 20. And, on the off chance Mushishi clones start becoming commonplace, then I will be happy.

( REPLY )
wontaek
December 18th, 2006 - 21:06

I highly recommend you all to read what was said in the link Skane made. I also know of even older discussion that actually proclaim the opposite of stagnation in anime world.

http://anime.miao.us/archives/2006/04/12/703/

( REPLY )
Stripey
December 18th, 2006 - 21:53

Thanks for the links, Skane and wontaek. Both are great reads though very different approaches

And thanks Uzumaki for the reminder. I need to catch Mushishi soon.

( REPLY )
wontaek
December 19th, 2006 - 14:01

One comment about my comments in AoMM link: When I mentioned Haruhi, I meant both Haruhi, Fujioka ( Ouran ) and Suzumiya. I believe my prediction somewhat came true if you see the latest Random Curiosity poll on Favorite Anime of 2006

( REPLY )
crimson
December 19th, 2006 - 19:41

I guess if u ask me, anime > TV shows in certain genres.

In the end, its just about wanting to eat chocolate or biscuits. Eat too much of any and you’ll get sick in the tastebuds or mind, which can extend out towards your physiology.

If you didnt have enough variety in your life, chances are, throwing anime aside is a good thing. I guess conceptually, its no diff than just trying to fulfill a neglected status quota.

Well, anime remains an excellent source of entertainment. But that’s secondary to me. I mainly watch anime for a visual treat (in terms of colour scheme, and nowadays, character design), audio treat and inspiration (well, i replace this with entertainment for series that are just…errrrrr). The interaction of these 3 aspects (usually) gives me entertainment.

Anime standards seems to be increasing each season. Everytime after I do a OMG THIS HAS GOTTA BE MY NEW #1, usually something else that impresses to a similar (or greater) degree comes along within the next few months (subjected to the timing i get the series which are considered current and usually is not linked to series’ release dates). Certainly, whether the newcomers sustain their position in the chart is another matter

I guess I’ll recommend top 10 activities instead so that your interest for anime remains undying, hahahha.
Not exactly in any order (an definitely written based on my biased opinion) but fulfill at least one in each of the 4 Areas over a span of 4 mnths till eternity:

Area 11: Mental aspect>>>
1. look at the news about terrorism and money and what’s happening in your local area / read blogs,forums,emails
2. pick up a book (it can be about awesome sex, politics, self-improvement, warfare, art, etc)
3. watch at least 1 anime series every 6 mnths / play rpg or platform games

Area 21: Physical aspect>>>
4. do exercise from a structured regime (like from a body builder’s workout schedule, martial arts, etc), do with a friend will minimise your lazing time
5. look at the mirror and practise those cool poses

Area 31: Social aspect>>>
6. get a new gf / more gfs / bfs / tv / mmorpg / porn / donate to charity / travel (basically, it just means do something to enrich your social life) / arcade session
7. meet new people / learn some biz ettiquetes (and get victims to practise them on) / talk about money / politics / etc academic topics / nature / argue,debate,bicker with pple depending on your preference and nature

Area 41: Feedback phase>>>
8. learn 1 musical instrument (more of like for motivation purposes)
9. once in a while or daily or situational dependant, review your behaviour and speech and typewritten patterns or physique.
If satisfactory = reward, else = improve 1 by 1 at a time or see which Area 11-31 needs to be allocated more time (thereby, reducing -and not eliminating- activities from another Area)
10. draw out that dreadful “what i’m gonna do with my life” map and think about it for 5 min

resultant Area 51: Bah, get that job or start something to finance all those toys or lifestyle.

( REPLY )
vexx
December 20th, 2006 - 01:27

I’d have to call partial “bullshit” on the line “Anime has stagnated”.
I could make the same argument against theatre… not much has changed since the Greeks did their plays several thousand years ago (oh I guess there’s that Shakespeare guy but he ripped off so many people).

Comparing anime of the 80s and 90s to what I got this year…. heh. Yes, we get the repeated romance harem formats with occasional novelties but then pops up little wonders like AIR, the remake of Kanon, Haruhi, Azumanga Daioh, Ichigo Masimaru, REC, Higurashi, Honey&Clover …. and the naysayers just start looking a bit thin on credibility. I suppose I’d have to argue that the species Man has stagnated too…. we’re pretty much the same hairless monkeys we’ve been for tens of thousands of years… except that we keep communicating our mistakes forward so we find more complicated ways to fail

( REPLY )
cyw1988
December 20th, 2006 - 06:32

I would say anime has always beem there… the stereotyped male leads and the stereotyped same character bishoujos… only once in a while u get seriously good anime popping up. Mostly the rest of the animes have the same elements imo… so i guess after 5 years of watching anime i think its time for me to pull out…=/

( REPLY )
Stripey
December 20th, 2006 - 10:42

wontaek: I just checked out RC’s poll, both haruhis are runaway leaders. But F/SN in 3rd spot severely shakens my faith in all democratic processes. XD

crimson: I think vexx captured anime watching so well when he mentioned it “invokes nostalgia in the things that never was.” I’m bringing this up cos I never succeeded in collecting a harem. So i watch anime to root for harem leads now instead XD. Throw in ‘saving the world in a mecha’ too

vexx:

>>except that we keep communicating our mistakes forward so we find more complicated ways to fail

Classic! Love this line. Pardon me while I go impress someone with it XD

cyw1988: I can understand the fatigue than comes with this passion. Some claim the hotter the passion, the faster is burns out. Maybe you can transfer some of your figure love back into anime?

( REPLY )
dsong
December 20th, 2006 - 12:25

I wouldn’t say anime has stagnated – but I think it’s safe to say that the classics of yesteryear can absolutely compete with the best that today can offer – and in many cases, surpass them. I wouldn’t say that old anime are necessarily “better” – after all, most of the bad ones are quickly forgotten; the ones remembered are the ones that have stood the test of time – but I’d like to see more people dive into the classics and enjoy what they have to offer.

Overall, I’d like to see a better sense of perspective from people, and let go of slanted viewpoints like, “Today’s anime sux compared to the old-school shows!” or “Show X from this year is the best show ever!” Yes, there are usually a few good shows every year – but let’s not forget that there were a few good shows back then, as well.

( REPLY )
wontaek
December 20th, 2006 - 13:59

>>> But F/SN in 3rd spot severely shakens my faith in all democratic processes. XD

I am just as surprised to see F/SN in the 3rd place as well. I liked Solty Rei and Utawarerumono much better than F/SN.

( REPLY )
Xellos-_^
December 20th, 2006 - 16:56

I prefer Zegainpain and noein myself. FSN does have good music. And the people voting for the FSN anime might be voting because of the game not because of the anime.

( REPLY )
Anaglyph
December 21st, 2006 - 12:21

As a newcomer to anime I’m not really qualified to comment, but one of the things that attracted me was just how fresh, just how willing to run with crazy ideas, it seems. Maybe in a few years I’ll become jaded and cynical about it but for now I’m loving it, and there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of different genres and styles out there.

For true stagnation, for something that smells like the scum on a pond that’s full of dead things and decay, see British television. Or maybe it’s improved in the years since I stopped watching it.

( REPLY )
wontaek
December 21st, 2006 - 14:34

>>> see British television.

Yeah, Dr. Who ended.

( REPLY )
vexx
December 22nd, 2006 - 21:38

Part of the trick is not to waste too much time with “rehash” series. Try to stick a few of “best of class” in different subgenre. Don’t be afraid to drop something quickly if it has that “dead fish” smell. I’ve got a vault of stuff that I may not get to for another year or more.
Above all, be willing to try watching something different – get out of your comfort zone.

( REPLY )
Kari Manninen
December 23rd, 2006 - 15:18

Your 20 best-list is very good.My tastes seems similar to you,but i would have consired including TRI-ZENON,BINCHOU-TAN,KAGE KARA MAMORU,KASHIMASHI,both AA MEGAMI-SAMA TV series,SHAKUGAN NO SHANA,MAHORABA THE HEARTFUL DAYS,both ARIA series,NANA,SIMOUN,SUNABOOZU,SHINOBUDEN,all 4 GALAXY ANGEL,all 3 STEEL ANGEL KURUMI,LOVE HINA,VANREAD,GENSHIKEN,HAND MAID MAI,EXCEL SAGA,POPOTAN,KOMUGI-CHAN,JUBEI-CHAN,GRAVION/ZWEI,RYVIUS,SEVEN OF SEVEN,CHOBITS,PLEASE TEACHER/TWINS,DEAR S,GATE KEEPERS,GALS,MAHO TSUKAI TAI,NIEA UNDER 7,AIR MASTER,AMAZING NURSE NANAKO,AGENT AIKA,NAJICA,READ OR DIE,why am i writing all this,there was/is too too much very good excellent anime in last ten years.What i want to implicate there is no reason(yet)to worry about quality of contemporay anime.It is and always has been since 70`s both good and bad anime.Let`s all enjoy whatever anime each other love and stop to worry of comparisons beetween then and now.Myself i am of very old otaku generation(URUSEI YATSURA EIEN NI!)but i like new anime as much.

( REPLY )
Chris
December 24th, 2006 - 16:58

I believe many people reject the idea of stagnation because the presentation quality constantly increases. No doubt, it’s digital, HDTV, bright colours. Even the crappy shows have that now but that’s just the surface. That may very well catch your attention but that alone can never really be satisfying – if you’re looking for more than eye candy. I don’t know whether this is any new phenomenon but clearly the same has been going on in other media and society in general. It’s probably as old as TV itself or consider the message of “Video killed the radio star” and how MTV changed the music.

Your list is very interesting because there’s a couple of generic shows that only shine because of their visual animation.

Cowboy Bebop sticks out of there like a sore thumb. I’ve heard this show had been repeated to death on some TV channels but it’s probably one of few shows that introduced many people to the genre called anime in the first place. I don’t care whether anyone considers it great or not but it’s cleary very different from most other anime shows. There are few other shows like this – not like Bebop but standing out – consider Texhnolyze or Haibane Renmei. Well it’s also a question of character design. These three shows easily appeal to a much more adult audience. What I also like about them is that they walk the whole mile and use litte (anime) cliches. With “whole mile” I mean that many shows seem really good after one or two episodes and then fall flat, become completely generic or recycle themselves for the rest of the season. It’s like someone had an ingenious idea but not the skills to execute it which is also a phenomenon seen elsewhere: Half-baked products that look great at first but are full of bugs and usability issue in practice.

You can add Monster to this list (of my favourites) and no surprise it has similar characteristics.

I believe the problem with getting tired of anime is that you get easily carried away and start watching shows which you would have never bothered with in the first place but you ran out of greater options. That’s also why drugs are much more dangerous than their ingredients.

Watching older shows can help since instead of sticking to the small time frame of today but of course the animation quality of current shows can spoil you and it takes some effort to overcome this. Albeit very old shows were mostly really meant for kids so it be difficult to find shows that match my checklist and after all there have been improvements in many ways not just visuals and audio, so it’s not all gold what’s old.

( REPLY )
Keiichi
December 25th, 2006 - 12:06

It’s funny how people talk about stagnation and nay to anime when most of them are watching japanese cartoons since a few years (at most 4-5) and have completely missed 30 years with a few exceptions at best.

It’s also funny how people state that nowadays anime shine because of their visual presentation while the animation standard is clearly inferior to the true golden age aka ’94-early 200x (the end of cel animation with shows like Mahoromatic S1 and Figure17).

People claim the lack of originality, people mock the amount of crap etc. Fact is, everything that’s being complained about now has always existed and the anime watching bunch is just a mere collection of hypocrites, at first the whole anime thing was kinda new and cool but now after a few years and ~50 seen shows it seems so, not-new and uncool, oh my god.

There are dozens of shows which stand out, there are also a lot of shows which fulfill no more than they should, entertain. Art is a form of entertainment and anime is just that, like any other medium. If people can’t simply enjoy anime, their lost and they should better stop now.

I would rather have the ’90s back. Sure, we didn’t have as easy access to all the stuff but as seen the easier access isn’t really beneficial for the state of the fandom.

( REPLY )
Michael B.
January 11th, 2007 - 15:10

It’s disheartening when I read the comments I’ve seen here in response to Stripey’s post, because it’s obvious that no one has really given the issue much thought. It also saddens me to see my “last words” being so misinterpreted.

Before I tackle the misinterpretation, I would like to address a few of the “backlashes” I saw in this post against what I “said.” Keiichi, the comment right above mine, suggested that typically people who have been watching people for approximately 4 to 5 years find that anime has stagnated, and suddenly begin to dislike anime based on shows only from that time frame. As I’ve been watching anime for the past twelve years, and have watched shows from the 70s and 80s to present, that obviously does not apply to my case. dsong, dyw1988, and plenty of others raised the valid point that there has “always been bad anime.” I don’t disagree with this. However, I have seen very few shows this decade that can compare to the “golden age” of the 80s and 90s in terms of quality of storytelling and thematic maturity. There continue to be good shows, but I’d say that there are good shows in spite of the state of Japanese Animation, not because of it.

From here I’d like to move onto what I believe has been a misinterpretation of my post. Many people took a look at the single statement, “anime has stagnated,” and given that it was taken out of context assumed that it meant that the writer must have certain qualities (i.e., not that much “experience” watching anime) or must not notice certain generalities that anyone with half a mind can observe (i.e., there are always bad shows). However, my point in my final post was that anime has stagnated for me. Specifically, for me. Two things happen, both of them very personal – I had watched so much anime, and in particular so much mediocre anime, that it burnt me out, and I felt like I was investing too much time in the medium and not leaving enough for other areas of my life that I feel are much more important.

This is why it was so important to read the post in order to understand what I was getting at. In the end, anime is a hugely personal entertainment medium. It caters to individual fantasies, and makes you believe that you are the center of the fantasy (exemplified by harem anime). This makes it very difficult to “dialogue” on anime the way you might a good fiction novel, or the way you would a great movie. You wrap so much of yourself into the story and the characters that you feel like you have your own private world with these people, and it’s something that others can’t take from you. This is why anime is so addicting, and why people who enjoy it tend to watch so much of it. Who doesn’t want their own special world that others can’t even comprehend or touch? We can share it to the extent that we say what characters we like, or what particular moments touch us, but we can’t really share the depth of feeling that draws us to anime because it’s something that lies deep in us, something that we let few people touch.

I could spend a long time arguing about why anime has stagnated in the terms that everyone else seems to have assumed that I meant, but I think it’s more important to address what I really was trying to get at. Seeing that I’ve had so many visits from this site because of that post, I wanted to at least try to clear some of these issues by making a comment, and then posting this comment on my blog. I hope that it will become clearer what I meant to say, and what I didn’t.

( REPLY )
Stripey
January 11th, 2007 - 22:39

Hi Michael,

My apologies for any distress my post caused. This post was never meant in any way to belittle your anime tastes/pedigree. It began as a personal exercise to crystalise my views on the issue of anime stagnation. Most of the discussion that followed took a life of its own and focused on the generalities of ‘anime stagnation’ rather than “Michael’s brand of anime stagnation”.

I believe it was not the commenters’ intent to attack your post or you but to vocalise their views on a personal interpretation of this issue just as you have your basis in justifying anime stagnation.

Still, I thank you for clarifying your thoughts. Hope you rekindle your anime flame soon.

[comment posted also on your clarifying post ]

( REPLY )

Search Hontou Ni

Series & Themes

Maki Maki Blogroll

Danny Choo

@ZylZaku

Watched Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on my long haul flight. Twice. Gary Oldman so badass. 1 day ago
@moritheil Well, Black Lagoon's Chang is also a homage to the early Chow Yuen Fat (A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard Boiled etc.) 5 days ago
@ani_nouto This is the version the screencaps are from: http://t.co/zyNUEaLj 5 days ago
@ani_nouto Morita OVA 19:11 "I love you, Sayuri" in his sleep http://t.co/vN00ctwf 5 days ago
@ani_nouto Morita-san OVA 11:12 Another woman's photo in mobile http://t.co/v6Qe8AXB 5 days ago