Anime injustice – Vitriolic first impressions
As life burst gloriously forth onto the land during Spring, so is the aniblog-scene pregnant and overflowing with anticipation and oven-hot first impressions at the dawn of a new anime season. The aniblogsphere has come a long way indeed. The pioneering anime blog (JASCII) which inspired Momotato and Jeff Lawson (both grand master Jedis of aniblogging) was one such site that focused on anime impressions at the start of every season. Years later, his sacred mission has been largely inherited by the aniblog community which took its upon itself to bring the freshest of Japanese anime to the world. Today the sharing and interaction are diverse and rich which should bode well for anime fandom in general. Or does it?
Lately, I've been getting some disturbance in the Force. A negativity that plagues every season impressions and it unsettles me greatly that folks can write lengthy posts on how a series bombed having seen only 8% or 4% (depending if it's one or two cours) of the entire series. Of course some series deserve it - unwatchable trash undoubtedly commissioned by the yakuza to launder their dirty money. But there are those where the vitriolic first impressions are born of one of the 4 mindsets.
1) The contrarian
It's a cutthroat aniblog world, so that say. With almost 400 blogs jostling for readership on Animeblogger Antenna, how can a small blog survive in the blog-eat-blog world wide net? Ah, of course, by being contrarian! Everyone loves a rebel and we get to diss everyone while elevating self to a level beyond common taste of peons! And so we have poisonous reviews on the most popular series, selling out integrity for attention. Who cares if it's all bullshit? As long as I'm read.....
2) The fast food generation
Have you ever tried to have sex without foreplay? It's gonna hurt and then you'd complain sex is overrated. That's the impression some first impressions gave me. Where's the action? Where's the plot? Where's the character development? I want my cheeseburger now! I understand, first episodes need to provide some kind of hook but it's NOT supposed to unveil the entire story under 20 min.
3) The loud and vocal unenlightened
If you don't get it, maybe it's not your cup of tea. My favourite analogy is if you hate durians, leave the durian lovers to discuss at length the merits of the fruit from various prestigious plantations. Try not to create too much awareness of how much you don't get it. After all we are meant to enjoy anime and not agonise unendingly over series not quite down your alley. I still remember how a blogger lambasted Haruhi ep 1 believing it was a show about big-boobed waitresses. He retired (forcibly) from blogging after that post.
4) The speed master
Yet another another undesirable side effect of trying to garner readership. It's widely accepted that having the first post about the anime or episode would typically draw plenty of attention. And yes, there is an important niche for them in aniblog sphere. Esteemed sites like Random Curiosity are indispensable in expanding anime frontiers. The problem comes when one dabble in the anime wild west with nary a drop of Japanese proficiency. I have seen speed reviews which claimed "nothing happens" and went on to spew venomous bile on the first episodes until I realised he didn't understand it at all. Of course the episode is cookie-cutter/generic/boring if the only thing you understood was that the characters spoke Japanese!
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. (I probably had been one of the four archetypes some point in my blogging life.) I just hope for more anime to be given the benefit of the doubt during their initial runs. That we'd be more positive and allow the anime to mature before becoming more critical. I reiterate that first series impressions are important and sound critical assessment ultimately boosts anime standards/love. The problem arises when the well-justified criticism gives way to irresponsible reporting or plain anime bigotry. Then the injustice is not merely inflicted upon the anime but co-fans who help sustain and kindle the flame for the Great Art.
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January 16th, 2008 - 11:54
I agree with your general sentiments on giving peace – er, anime – a chance, but I think I can understand where crowd #2 (the fast food one you mentioned) is coming from at least a bit.
Those who watch massive volumes of anime, I imagine, can’t handle following each and every show for a few episodes, especially if they don’t have reams of time to devote to their passion (job? what job? :O). Naturally some are going to be left on the cutting room floor, just like numerous people applying for one job; if it doesn’t strike you immediately, it’ll get passed up in favor of something that does. First impressions in general are important, and if a show doesn’t really hint at interesting things to come than it might not be worth your time, at least not right away (I like shelving shows for later, since I’m too cowardly / nice to drop things. XD)
What I think you’re getting at more here, is that people shouldn’t take first impressions as set in stone. Personally, I don’t mind if someone hates show X; in fact, in an overwhelmingly positive reviewing atmosphere such as the ones that any KyoAni show enjoys I would love some balanced criticism from the other side. (I think you said this too.) And if they don’t like it, than that’s their loss. What’s really frustrating are the people who read such a review and say “oh, then I won’t watch it, then”. Give yourself the chance to hate a show first. ^^
January 16th, 2008 - 12:00
Thank you for this post, really.
Thanks to you, I don’t have to post the same comments on all the blogosphere (or whatever you name it, I’m french).
January 16th, 2008 - 12:22
Man, you just read my mind; from the porcentages to the durian example (I use eggplants
).
Yes, it’s OK not to like a show, but to say that a whole show sucks after just the first or second episode requires precognition abilities.
January 16th, 2008 - 12:30
I usually try not to have a review of a series unless I have watched the entire thing. There is a certain joy in watching bad anime, just so you can write a scathing review afterwards (*cough* Buzzer Beater).
I don’t have problems with group 3, as long as there is a disclaimer. For instance, I clearly don’t get durians, because I think that the durian is a disgusting, stinky fruit with a horrifically textured inside that the prickly unattractive outside cannot prepare you for. However, if you like to eat soupy crap that smells like dung, maybe this fruit is for your! I have only eaten durian once, so maybe it is an “acquired taste”.
However, I understand what you mean about not harping on the subject and spoiling the parades of others.
January 16th, 2008 - 12:36
“I just hope that for more anime would be given the benefit of the doubt during their initial airing. That we
January 16th, 2008 - 12:39
What about those of us who have been watching anime for ages and ages and can pretty much guess the plot/relevant to my interests from episode 1?
Also JASCII inspired me to blog too, but my “blog” was a geocities HTML page that sorta died after 8 months and I didn’t “revive the habit” until after quitting fansubbing and all that good stuff and needing a new hobby after my Japanese idol kick, kicked the bucket.
January 16th, 2008 - 12:55
@ Hinano
I think that to decide if a show is relevant to someone’s interests based on the first episode is a valid practice, but to guess the outcome/overall quality of a series based on the same first episode still leaves too much room for an unfair treatment.
January 16th, 2008 - 13:15
Aren’t these caricatures? While I’m sure there are isolated irredeemable examples (‘believing it was a show about big-boobed waitresses’) I’ve never personally read a first impression which was quite as unfair as the four possibilities you outline.
Of course, rushing to judge an entire series of anime on a first impression is foolhardy (‘I read the first book of the Aeneid; there wasn’t any fighting, so I dropped it’), but it’s an easy habit to slip into. Much of daily life is built (rightly or wrongly) around judging situations with insufficient data (hunting for a mate, for example).
Still, even if these are caricatures, it’s a timely warning about the pitfalls of jumping to conclusions, intentionally or otherwise.
January 16th, 2008 - 13:35
Actually, the more I think about it, Hinano has a point. Flash judgements have their place as well. Viewers should know if:
- The show will make you feel like you want to die, because the first few episodes are horrible.
- The show will/won’t get better.
Not everyone wants to wait till the bitter end to know if a series will be good, and not everyone is willing to wait for a series to right itself. As long as it is noted that the reviewer only watched ___ episodes, the snap review can be a valuable bit of information.
January 16th, 2008 - 13:55
“What about those of us who have been watching anime for ages and ages and can pretty much guess the plot/relevant to my interests from episode 1?”
More power to them. :3
I don’t want be like that though, but that’s just me. Give me more heartbreak, obviously, but I think it also leaves options for surprises as well.
January 16th, 2008 - 14:39
I would agree that some people just like to flame shows as much as possible at the start. I will admit myself that I have mistakenly trash-talked a show early on only to find it was great at the end. See Myself;Yourself, although I would hope that you can’t really blame me because all of the juicy stuff hit you like an 18-wheeler starting episode 9, right? =(
However, giving an opinion and prediction of the crappiness of a show isn’t necessarily bad. First impressions are first impressions, so you gotta say something, but I at least try to talk more about shows I like rather than shows I dislike when I do them. I do my best to devote my posts and comments overwhelmingly to shows I enjoy precisely to avoid this problem.
January 16th, 2008 - 15:11
I usually use the third/three episode rule; if I can’t get into a series by its third episode, or a third of the way through its run, I drop it, because if I can’t get into it by then, I sure as hell probably won’t be able to get into it at all.
January 16th, 2008 - 18:45
Amen to that, Stripey XD
With the limited time people have, it’s understandable to just drop a series based on the first episodes alone, for convenience.
In my case, I don’t seem to be as inspired to write up a first impressions post for a new anime unless I have something worthy to say about it, for pimping or for making fun of it. As a neophyte blogger, I feel as if my rants and flames about a certain anime are of little or no value at all, unless I have a clear basis for my complaints, not simply because of a “been there, seen that” or “I don’t get it” reason.
Perhaps this is the reason why I can’t seem to finish up the task of doing a “comprehensive” first impressions post for each season… or it’s just sheer laziness
January 16th, 2008 - 18:53
I do find it amusing sometimes how some people jump the gun and say something was bad just after one or two episodes…. A good number of shows per season only start picking up the pace near the middle or near the end of their run. Gurren Lagann really comes to mind in this instance. I had some friends drop it after episode 4, but the show only really started to shine after episode 9. This season it was CLANNAD, which they dropped after episode 2 (‘Too cliched’ they said). I mean really, where did all that patience go?
January 16th, 2008 - 19:29
I watch little enough anime as it is, without having to drag my head through hours of crap. I’ve judged whether I should follow an anime based on the first 1 or 3 episodes, and more often than not I’ve been right in regards to whether I would like the show or not (I made these latter judgements based on other people’s impressions and reviews).
I agree that we should give time for a show to develop, but I don’t think that’s excuse for making terrible first episodes. In fact, the first episode should be one of the best episodes in the entire show, because of its role as a hook to get people interested.
January 16th, 2008 - 20:47
Thanks all for your insights.
I think we don’t dispute the importance of first impressions or first episodes for that matter. It’s the just excessive condemnation of a series based on 1-2 episodes with wafer-thin justifications or selfish motivations that I’m against really. I find dropping a series unsuitable for one’s anime palette to be a valid reason. However, that should be made clear and not misleadingly worded to look like the production is fail instead.
I wholeheartedly agree that given the amount of anime out there and precious little time we have, giving less-than-grabbing debuts the benefit of the doubt is much easier said. But there are many ways to drop a series. A statement proclaiming “Nothing grabbing, may get better but I’m not waiting” is surely more balanced than 4 paragraphs of “IT FAILZ. Crap of 2008!” extremism.
At the risk of offending a retired blogger (she’s quite nice really though the post was not), here’s an example of a first impression taken too far.
January 17th, 2008 - 01:01
I’m being contrarian by trying to showcase the shows I like, and quietly not saying anything about the shows I don’t.
This has actually offended people before. Not in anime blogs, but in comments or posts on forums. Apparently I am a horrible, useless person, just because I like what I like.
(See also: Kaioshin’s rants about how KyoAni is ruining anime, or Slightly Bald Wizard’s crusade against everyone who like moe anime.)
January 17th, 2008 - 04:02
I’m with Stripey on this one. It’s always amusing to see the justifications used in order to say bad things: they can inevitably be summed up as “it’s MY blog, it’s MY time being WASTED, and I’ll do what I want, LOL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION”.
Oh, and IKnight, you probably need to read more. ): I see opinions like these at the beginning of every season, and they aren’t so much caricatures as they are statements of truth.
The difference lies with how it’s written, of course. There’s a very clear distinction between saying “This didn’t do it for me” and “THIS SUCKS, IF YOU HAD 10% OF A BRAIN YOU WOULDN’T BE WATCHING IT”, and I don’t know how anyone can even begin to claim they meant the former. (Protip: If you walk away from the post feeling annoyed at the asinine quality of the writing or can taste the bile rising in your throat, it’s probably a case of it being the latter)
The truth stings, when the crux of what you’ve been saying basically is “Hey people, can we not be a retard at the beginning of every season? Pretty please? With a starfish on top?”, but that’s reality for you. People don’t like looking in a mirror if they’re ugly. Putting a name to these posts, of course, would be quite the exercise in mudslinging, so I can understand why you didn’t quote specific examples…
January 17th, 2008 - 09:07
Well, the most important distinction is whether there is any constructive basis. It is particularly critical that the blogger notes that it is a specific dislike of his or her that results in a bad entry. I never deny that I made a really evil sarcastic entry about H20 ~ Footprints in the sand ~ episode 2 because I really felt that much of the stuff that can be greatly used in Episode 1 is all forsaken. Still, I think there should be something good of it (hopefully).
Back to the macro level, it is always good that there are dissenters in a series. If everyone says it’s that good (and turns out to be awful since everyone says I have bad taste), it is always good to have a reasonable alternative view on the anime series. I am very sure that without a certain blogger’s active promotion about Shugo Chara, I would have not watched it since I read nothing but bad stuff on it.
January 17th, 2008 - 23:06
Unfortunately, these types aren’t stereotypes or exaggerations (@IKnight) … I’ve seen specific examples of each and every one. My favorite dysfunctional meme of the moment is that “Lucky*Star is unapproachable by Western Viewers because its too Japanese”. That meme is easily demonstrated as false by anyone with some knowledge of Western comedy history, who has obsessive fans in their locale, and is aware of universal human foibles and small talk…. yet the meme persists because of bloggers and posters who seem unable to do their own critical thinking (plus they seem to forget shows like PaniponiDash which actually *do* require a degree in Japanese studies to get some of the jokes unless you’ve got the notes feature turned on).
Minami-ke: Okawari is catching a lot of heat at the moment because (surprise) it isn’t like the first season interpretation (which interestingly deviates in style from the manga more than Okawari does). I suspect the director is trying for a more realistic ‘slice o’ life’ but I will say some of the comedy timing seems poorly paced and I personally don’t prefer some of the deformation antics. — yet the “Mob” is choosing to completely trash the effort before its second episode is dried and folded.
It is very easy and mentally lazy to say “it sucks” and make unsupported assertions. I’m usually torn between giving a blogger’s page free hits and poking at the wafer-thin veneer of making sense.
A year or so ago, for example, I decide to just stop visiting ANN because their sole purpose for existence anymore seems to be “create idiotic controversy or just make baseless assertions and then roll in the page hits for advert monies”. I’ve not been at any loss for ignoring the site: they certainly don’t earn the ‘community position’ they pass themselves off as having.
January 17th, 2008 - 23:15
I’ve never liked people who bag out a anime just because it’s generic or uninteresting, the fact is, being original has almost become an impossibility as every probably scenerio has been done before. People who spew out alot of garbage without even understanding the anime annoys the heck out of me. At least give justified reasons on the aspects that you dislike or only make a series impression after you’ve finished watching the whole series.. People now tend to stereotype the whole series with only a couple of eps watched…. Annoys me to DEATH! AHHH!
January 18th, 2008 - 00:43
Great post–I couldn’t agree more. I stopped drinking out of the firehose and only subscribe to a handful of anime blogs now, since there’s just a lot of blogs out there guilty of the points you’ve mentioned, and it makes for some really painful reading.
January 18th, 2008 - 10:38
I knew that was the blog you were talking about! The problem with her second post on Haruhi was that everyone flamed her so much for her first episode review that when she grudgingly decided to review the second episode to “give it another chance”, she was in no position to enjoy its merits because of spite against the commenters. heh
January 19th, 2008 - 02:08
DKellis: In that case, we need more contrarians like yourself. XD Not that we shouldn’t sound off (in a reasonable manner I may add) about bad series but I find being positive to be an important attribute in approaching anything in life. There’s just too many whiners in RL and I was whole they’d stay out of my top pastime too
Owen S: Woah it’s as if you read my mind! XD Thanks for putting forth the reason why I’m not specifying the entries.
Impz: I also believe diversity in opinions can make the anime scene more vibrant but only if it’s conducted in a reasonably mature manner. Btw I’m still grateful to you for bringing Shugo Chara to my attention.
vexx: Lucky Star is one fine example of such anime injustice. Granted, it’s not for everyone and even I found ep 1 to be underwhelming but that didn’t stop it from becoming a good series.
holyman282: I think ‘originality’ is overrated
Like you said, most stories are rehashes of each other with very common themes such as love, revenge etc. But there are other aspects of the production that sets supposedly similar stories apart – premise, characters, storytelling mode and loads more.
suguru: Heh, I still think most of the aniblogsphere are pretty positive folks although the ‘negative’ faction has also increased alarmingly over the years. The MyNano function beckons my usage XD
kei-clone: I think it was her ep 2 review that sealed it. But what happened on her blog was not pretty. It showed the 2 undesirable extremes of fandom. Some of the commenters’ insults were also uncalled for even if it was a knee-jerk response to her post.
January 26th, 2008 - 04:01
I’ll have people know that the idea that I said Kyoani is ruining anime is a gross exagerration and outright misinterpretation of my words. In fact I think what everything I recall saying was for the purposes of expressing that I wished people would pay as much attention to the merits of other studios as they do to the merits of Kyoto Animation, lest their efforts go to waste and we develop tunnel vision. Though since I’m seeing that a whole lot more these days I have no reason to express such sentiment anymore. I had thought people didn’t think of me as the crazy Anti-Kyoani guy anymore, but apparently no matter how I hard I scrub the metaphorical skin, the stigma and label sticks. Oh well…
I also wholeheartedly agree with the thoughts expressed in this rant and throw my support behind it. In fact, not 3 hours ago I wrote an article expressing outrage at the frequent hobby some bloggers have of pointless Sunrise bashing, which I find to not be amusing in the least.
Also Slightly Bald Wizard’s crusade seems to be against everyone. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that guy say anything good about any series he’s commented on, and he also likes to insult the people who like them. Very little class that one.
January 26th, 2008 - 15:02
True Tears may be one such example; it started off as a mishmash of plot elements and characters but started to gain some footing in episodes 2 and 3. Looks like it’s on course and may prove itself to be a quality show.
February 13th, 2008 - 07:45
There are also some shows where the first two or three episodes leave a very bad impression for some reason or other, though, are there not? I’ll bring up Princess Tutu. I wanted to smash Ahiru’s head against a rock after about 10 minutes just so she would shut up. Fortunately for me, my entire friends list rose to PT’s defense, and encouraged me to continue. I have the entire series on DVD on loan (original DVDs) now, and I’ll be giving it a second chance, but I wonder how many people categorized me in your group #3.