Of anime genres and KyoAni
One of the prevailing anime attitudes I've observed lately is the assumption that some anime genres are 'superior' to others and hence more worthy of studio resources and airtime. Yes, this post is partly inspired by jaalin and tjhan's provocative Kanon posts but by no means directed at them since this issue has been simmering for a while from the days several anime bloggers were complaining there were nothing but 'worthless' bishoujo series on air nowadays.
Let me get this straight. There are no superior anime genres. A bishoujo series is in no way inferior to a mecha series purely by virtue of its genre and to further conclude that it is thus unworthy of top-notched animation production, that is bigotry. There are however, good and bad animes. Just like people. There are good and bad folks but you cannot conclude that, for example, just because a certain race has a greater proportion of criminals in a country that ethnic group should be deprived of contitutional rights. At this point, to remain credible, I'd have to admit that, yes, there's been a whole slew of craptastic bishoujo/harem series through the years. I'm guessing the onslaught of these poorly produced series took its toll on weaker minds, blurring the demarcation between its genre-tag and the series itself. When it comes to anime genres, there are only preferences and prejudices. It is acceptable to dislike the harem genre but a dangerous extrapolation to believe the genre a lesser subspecies of animedom. This, my friend, is the same seed that sparks ethnic cleansings/genocides and spawns the evil that is Auschwitz. Regardless of the crucible by which any anime series is served in, it would only be objective to judge the series based on the merit of its content.
Now that we have established that KyoAni should not be beneath (thank the heavens they certainly were not) to pouring resources into a bishoujo-series like Kanon, I can see this retort coming,
"Well, sure, let's not take Kanon's Haruhi-given right to a good production team, but surely it was a waste of KyoAni's talents since their skillsets are more tailored to a series like FMP?"
Let me begin by saying that I'm a BIG fan of Full Metal Panic ~The Second Raid. It's in my top 5 anime list. I loved it because it had consistent/credible characters, deep character liaison/developments and a coherent/driven plot. These 3 aspects listed is what I believe to be KyoAni's source of success for many of their works. Several of my favourite studios have some of these strengths. SUNRISE is the master of compelling stories and driven plots. BONES specialises in giving us deep deep characters making their poignant moments so much more potent. J.C. Staff is capable of coherent tales that gel so well. But only, ONLY KyoAni is able to achieve a good degree (though not surpassing some of these studios) of excellence in ALL these series components. Now, which of these was squandered on Kanon may I ask? The very pillars that raise FMP TSR into in my top 5 regime are also the source of Kanon's goodness. I'd like to emphasize that Kanon, like all eroge conversions, is not an easy tale to relate. To bind 5 divergent tales loosely tied together by a protagonist into a coherent storythread requires consummate storytelling, skills which KyoAni possess.
I'd go further to say that Kanon is especially in need of the KyoAni touch because above all, they specialise in character charm which is KEY (pun intended) to Kanon's success. Those who have seen FMP TSR OVA would know how Tessa's charm really shone through. It was with love that KyoAni breath life into Tessa's 2D frame and brought joy, warming of many otaku's hearts as we voyeured Tessa's day-off. How many notable studios can bring out such authentic charm without crossing that line of pandering to otaku fap-dom? Again in my eyes, only KyoAni and BONES. (I blame the babelicious C.C that SUNRISE has slid off this list.)
Finally, if you are still not convinced that KyoAni should have undertaken the Kanon project, I point to you, the great Madhouse and the embarrassment that is Ichigo 100%. Seriously, never take good anime for granted.
I now await Clannad with the greatest anticipation.
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March 22nd, 2007 - 14:43
People like to forget that KyoAni is an ANIMATION studio. They animate stuff, or if it’s that kind of a project, ADAPT stories from existing material (novels, game). IMO their only real achievement is the very high quality animation which would be very nice if I could stand moe character designs. But as I can’t, alas…
My favorite studio is still Bones. :3
March 22nd, 2007 - 14:43
>>without crossing that line of pandering to otaku fap-dom? Again in my eyes, only KyoAni …
You may be right in this particular case of Kanon, but what do you call Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, if not pandering to otaku fap-dom? Because that’s what it is. Almost entirely.
March 22nd, 2007 - 15:36
Good post–I agree, a lot of people seem to really be saying “my favorite anime genre is better than yours, so Kyoani should do more of it.” Everyone has different tastes, and at the end of the day if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. I liked Kanon and didn’t like FMP: TSR, but I’d never say Kyoani was wasting their time and/or resources producing FMP since it has a lot of fans too, even if it didn’t appeal to me personally.
What gets really annoying to me is when people equate their likes and dislikes with some kind of absolute law of “good” and “bad” anime. I don’t think anyone has the right to think their subjective tastes are superior to everyone else’s. People who look down on bishoujo series are no better than people who look down on anime fans in general as “losers who watch cartoons.” In my opinion, anime is a great storytelling and entertainment medium, and like any other entertainment, it’s going to be hit or miss based on individual tastes. Whether people like the genre or not has nothing to do with Kyoani’s competence. If people were making intelligent critiques of Kyoani’s technical ability it’d be one thing, but saying “Kyoani sucks because they do bishoujo crap like Kanon” is the kind of argument I’d expect from a 7-year old.
March 22nd, 2007 - 16:11
Something to take our perverted minds of the Key war here.
It has been confirm that School Days will have it is own Anime series. It will premier this summer in july.
*waves bloody knife and laugh hysterically
March 22nd, 2007 - 17:11
>>> There are no superior anime genres.
I’m going to cross the politically correct line here and say that there are, in fact, genres which are superior to others. For example, almost every anime genre are superior to guro hentai, which in turn is superior to harems.
To further my point:
>>> There are good and bad folks but you cannot conclude that, for example, just because a certain race has a greater proportion of criminals in a country that ethnic group should be deprived of contitutional rights.
Of course you can’t say that all people with dark skin and are of African heritage are superior at physical activities requiring stamina and strength. I mean the reason the NBA and Olympic track events are completely dominated by black people can’t be because they’re just naturally better at these thing than people of other backgrounds deshou deshou?
This incoherent comment is proudly brought to you by I’m Trollin’ It Pty Ltd.
P.S. I’m not against drama/romance being made by KyoAni, but I am against all harem shows whoever they’re made by.
March 22nd, 2007 - 19:38
I totally agree with you. It’s so hard to do a bishoujo series well, and develop the characters and storyline without just degrading into otaku fap-dom. I think one thing great about kyoani is their attention to detail. That’s what I call fanservice. LIke having the kanon girls appear in the 2nd episode of air.
March 22nd, 2007 - 20:44
…am totally looking forward to School Days…although is wondering how the violent mayhem is going to be incorporated…or if that it will be cut out…
…School Days is just no good as a typical romance tale…its charm is in the *slash* and *spurt* and *stab* and *thud*…etc…
…
…*giggle*…
March 23rd, 2007 - 00:23
Lots of childish hate and hyperbole out there …. sheesh.
March 23rd, 2007 - 07:29
kuromitsu: I personally give a lot of credit for adaptations. Be it from novel/manga/eroge to anime, bringing any 2D character to life and imbueing likeable charm is never easy. It goes way beyond pretty pictures. Of course porting from different media has different challenges but I’ll learnt not to take any good adaptations for granted.
I need to revisit BONES productions. My last encounter with them was Eureka 7. 
lolikit: Actually I believe any fap-material was only conjured in the minds those who wants to see it that way. There are no panty shots, no adolescent breasts on Kyon’s imouto or the like. Either that the sexual nuances eluded me XD
suguru: Thanks for your support fellow bishuojo lover
Yeah, I was getting rather tired of the endless tirade against bishoujo type series so I thought I’d do my little bit for the genre in this post. But honestly, I don’t quite expect to change many mindsets. Most of us want to believe what we want to believe. At least I’ve done my part and wouldn’t be held accountable by the bishoujo deities for keeping silent XD Thank again for the solidarity. 
Xellos-_^: ah I hear it’s higuarshi meets school rumble? Now to stay unspoiled til it airs XD
Lupus: LOL! I appreciate your honesty!
But I’d have to say your analogy is not quite appropriate. For example, we’d have to admit that mecha series by the very nature of its genre itself is more pre-disposed to action than say slice of life. But this is only one aspect of the production and the determination of good/bad series hinges not on just a sole element. For example, I cannot say that because there are more blacks in NBA hence more of them will attain spiritual nirvana. LOL! Apologies for the lame analogy but I think you get the picture. 
Tedfox: I like your definition of fanservice
It only there are more of such easter-egg type fan services than those in-your-faces boobies/panty types. XD
Zzz…: I’m under the impression the violence is the selling point of School days. I think it’s gonna undergirth the series. Can’t wait for it.
Vexx: heh, I feel so old sometimes
March 23rd, 2007 - 09:19
School Day has 21 ending with 3 violent ending and 1 lesbian ending. So spoiling yourself wouldn’t matter since no one knows which ending the anime will go with.
I am hoping for a combination of a 1 of the violent ending + the lesbian ending
March 23rd, 2007 - 09:20
“How many notable studios can bring out such authentic charm without crossing that line of pandering to otaku fap-dom? Again in my eyes, only KyoAni and BONES. (I blame the babelicious C.C that SUNRISE has slid off this list.)”
Sunrise was ever on that list? The fact that almost every Gundam I can remember has had a gratuitous bath scene aside, is there really any difference between pandering to otaku fap-dom over sexy girls, and otaku fap-dom over sexy mecha?
March 23rd, 2007 - 09:44
I don’t agree that all genres are equal. That’s like saying fast food is the same as fine dining. All food what.
I quote Uncle Orwell,
All genres are equal but some are more equal than others.
Anyway, I wouldn’t say mecha is superior to harem, but serious sci-fi along the likes of GitS and Planetes surely has to be rated higher than mere frolicking around with little girls who act like 2 year olds.
How about we get some McDonalds foie gras and KFC toro the next time we meet up in Singapore?
March 23rd, 2007 - 11:09
Sometimes I wonder why only KyoAni? If people want their mecha and stuff, go watch other productions from other studios (there’s plenty of other anime as it is, and I refer to good ones). To put it another way, why should KyoAni cater to your preferred genre(s)?
SHnY will be out in due time. FMP! will be out in due time. Be patient. Both rely on the source material of light novels, and in the case of FMP!, the current arc is not concluded yet. KyoAni is most probably just biding their time until they can animate a complete season without ending it on an inconclusive cliffhanger.
In SHnY’s case, it has not even been one bleeping year since it ended. Give me a break. Have patience, yo. The advantage of the Key-games is that they are already complete. So proper storyboarding can be done without resorting to hand-wavery.
Waste of time and resources? That’s insulting to the people who invested so much love and dedication into the anime they decided to make. Say what you will about it, but a lot of people happen to like it. So tough luck for you if you don’t.
Cheers.
March 23rd, 2007 - 11:10
tj_han: I don’t think the point is “all genres are equal”, I think the point is it’s impossible to objectively say one genre is “better” than another because what you like and dislike is purely subjective by definition. To use your food analogy, I like hamburgers and you couldn’t pay me to eat foi gras, but does that mean my taste in food is “wrong” somehow? For me pizza > foi gras, for you it may be the other way around. Likewise, for some people guro > mecha, for others sci-fi > bishoujo, and those are valid opinions–although I don’t agree with either position myself, I can’t say they’re “wrong” and my tastes are superior to theirs somehow.
To look at it another way, is GitS more profound and more likely to make you think than Hanihani? Sure. But is it “better”? It depends what you’re looking for. There are times I want to watch anime that will make me think, and there are times when I want to do the exact opposite and am just looking to relax after a long day at work. For the latter, I can say Hanihani is “better” than GitS by far. If the purpose of anime was to make people think about the flaws in the human condition than you could make comparisons between genres by that standard, but anime has no such purpose. Anime is, ultimately, a form of entertainment, and there’s nothing more subjective than what type of entertainment people like. So to say one genre is better than another is really just saying “my tastes in anime are better than yours” and I don’t believe that’s a valid argument. I guess my point is it’s the difference between “I don’t care for most mecha series because I don’t like X and Y about them” and “mecha is the second worst anime genre ever, second only to loli guro involving farm animals” They’re both opinions, but the second one is closer to trolling and states an opinion as if it were a fact.
March 23rd, 2007 - 23:14
I think the confusion of many posters with their often unsupported assertions and opinions with “fact” is one of the biggest fails of forum/blogdom. It makes the debate coach angry
March 24th, 2007 - 00:38
RYN: The last time I checked… it’s actually cheaper to get from HLJ compared to those at sunshine plaza + no downpayment for pre oder. That was awhile back though. Not sure if the price difference is still the same now.
Of course, after I discovered that treasure land does preoder (and for the same price as HLJ except no shipping costs), that’s where I go.
Maybe I should check out prices at sunshine plaza again. I just dun drop by that place all too often.
March 24th, 2007 - 01:09
Xellos-_^: guro-yuri? My my, the anime scene keep coming up with new permutations of fetishes XD Looking forward to it more than evar! XD
Seth: LOL! You caught me there! I’m in kind of a dilemma actually. Of course it can be said since the day that Lacus flashed her pink knickers in GS, SUNRISE was no longer credible as an non-otaku-pandering institution. XD But I do remember their works in infinite ryvius and cowboy bebop (probly Planetes) to be less gratuitious in fanservice… or so I think
tj han: Heh, speaking like a true fellow Singaporean!
I love food analogies since it’s involves my 3rd passion in life after anime. Personally, I find that hawker fare can be every bit as good as fine dining. One just needs to be able to appreciate them as they are. Take away the lovely ambience, beautiful waitress, fragrant wine and even the wonderful presentation of the dish and you’d find a good local char kway tiao is not inferior to some dishes at Shiro ~japanese fine dining (man, I hope Zyl don’t kill me for this XD). The very same things that experts go into on the analysis of food in fine resturants can be applied to the char kway tiao. It’s a fallacy to think that char kway is merely dark sauced kway tiao with eggs. There’s a great deal that goes into making good CKT. The texture of the kway tiao, the wetness of the residual gravy and precision of parts need to meld harmoniously for that rapturous CKT experience. It’s the same with bishoujo series. One just need to know what to look out for. Forget Macs foi gras, if we ever meet, let’s go cheong hawker fare. 
Zyl can bring you to Shiro XD
Skane: Indeed, I think it’d break KyoAni’s heart that something they’ve poured so much love into is being belittled. Anyhow, I’m looking to FMP3 myself. In dire need of more Tessa goodness.
suguru: LOL! “loli guro involving farm animals” I. don’t. want. to. think. about. it XD Thanks for bringing my point out more clearly.
vexx: It’s interesting how that personal perferences often evolve to or is misconstrued to be ironclad facts
Then, again, I’m probably fanning the confusion with these poor analogies of mine XD
March 24th, 2007 - 16:58
“I think the point is it
March 24th, 2007 - 20:37
Heh. Another one of those, “what does it mean to be better/good” kind of discussions. I think I’ll sidestep the landmine and avoid that part of the conversation.
But yes, I too look forward to Clannad, a pity that the TV series won’t be ready till 2008. Much closer than that are 3 animes coming out in April that I’m looking forward to immensely:
-Hayate no Gotoku!
-Seto no Hanayome
-Nagasarete Airantou
There are others that look promising as well, but I’ve really enjoyed each of these in their manga form. Incidentally, they’re all romantic comedies, so maybe that’s the best genre after all
.
March 25th, 2007 - 06:44
The definition of what is morally-good is always changing. ^^; A brief history lesson is all you need to understand this.
Cheers.
March 25th, 2007 - 09:51
I’m of the camp that thinks that no one genre is better than another.
Why do you think there are separate genres in the first place? It is to cater to separate TASTES out there. There will be folk who like harem series, and there’ll be people who like their mechas. So you like mechas and not harems – thanks for telling me that. But it is wrong to judge my preferred genre as being something inferior just because you have different tastebuds.
That said, there are genres that do have a lot more lousy fare than others, but that doesn’t mean the genre is bad: it just means the anime series in that genre is bad. Ultimately, a genre is a catch-all phrase to refer to a ‘taste’ – it is a sweeping statement to state that an entire genre is lousy.
March 25th, 2007 - 21:43
I think we should remember that there are several genres out there – and each genre is only intended to cater to a relatively small audience. We shouldn’t expect a “niche” anime to appeal to the mainstream audience.
Kyoto Animation, for better or for worse, is a “niche” studio that produces anime that appeals greatly to a small number of people. They don’t make shows like Doraemon or Sazae-san. So it shouldn’t be too surprising to see a number of people dislike their works, no matter how spectacular it may seem to you.
P.S. Curiously, the highest rated anime in sites like Animenfo tend to be either niche works or Ghibli masterpieces. It seems that the key to getting an extremely high rating in these sites is to generate a rabid fanbase, rather than producing a work that has broad appeal. It shouldn’t be too surprising if you end up disliking most of the top-rated shows.
March 26th, 2007 - 06:53
Personally, I thought Kyoani with all that great animation skills did a good job in bringing the kanon characters to life. However, if one had not played or watched the previous kanon then one would be in total lost. Character development in this remake was missing. When U1 kissed Ayu for the first time I was like WTF? How did they developped to that stage anyway? I gotta admit, there is probably no animation studio out there that can bring the characters alive as well as kyoani did.
And about the genres. I kinda feel its up to the person who watches anime. For me what makes an anime superior is the entertainment value i get from it. Be it romance, mecha etc. I can love aishiteruze baby as much as FMP TSR coz they are both entertaining and have pretty cool storylines. One more thing that prolly plays a part is the pace of the anime. If an anime is too slow paced you’ll probably be fast asleep even before you reach mid-way through the series. So yup just my POV, let the flaming begin =/
March 26th, 2007 - 17:36
tj han: Food and genres of storytelling make a terrible analogy. Of course everyone has their own tastes but there is a clear distinction between the extremes of “bad” food (such as horse turd) and “good” food (such as ). Genres of story telling, however, have no such extremes, nor any fine or even fuzzy hierarchy: how well the story (or anime in this case) is formed is entirely dependent on other factors (animation, script, etc), not on genre. There can be a very good harem show, there can be a very good mahou shoujo show, whatever. Note, that no matter how well you dress up that piece of horse turd, it’s not going to get any better.
What I think the root of your argument is, though, is that you don’t like the harem genre. Let me say that I don’t either: the idea of 10′s of girls all hounding after some typical male loser does not appeal to me on any level. But people have their own tastes. Also, as Kanon 2006 has shown, a ridiculous genre like harem can indeed produce a good story like any good story is told: exploring human nature, themes, motifs, humor, all that jazz. (While we’re talking harem, I would mention that Elfen Lied was wonderful.)