Maruko for life. I used to watch it 10ish years ago and it was one of my favourite childhood anime.
[Anime] Your "Controversial" Opinions
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Maruko for life. I used to watch it 10ish years ago and it was one of my favourite childhood anime.
OP is a bit of an exception. However, the only issue I have with OP is how childish it is portrayed. I just can't take in any sort of confounding issues with such a surrounding style.
I'll give an easy example using Shrek the movie. Shrek is a family movie that also highly targets children. This is similar to a show like OP (the children part). However, it balances comedy with adult undertones and dialog. You can digest the themes without feeling you are watching a silly portrayal. Shounen shows like OP interject some of this but fail to stylize the look to go with it. It causes a disconnect. You always feel like adult themes are trying to be forced into a child atmosphere. That's great for children and those growing up (young teenagers mainly). You sort of adapt to the themes with age. But for adults? Please. There are way too many works with depth that is substantial compared to skimming off something like OP.
I read manga so it sort of cancels that out. Soul Eater and D.Gray-Man are just better watches even though they power-up cycle. Soul Eater doesn't try to go above its expected narrative and is more of a Disney romp. D.Gray-Man has that surreal, conflicting atmosphere which makes it enjoyable. They aren't "amazing" shows but they are still way better then the popular crap.
British Monsoon
Member
Thanks for the recommendations - Redline's already on my 'to watch' list, as my friend just watched it this past week and was gushing about how stylish it is. Just looked at the trailer for Trapeze and it certainly seems pretty strange, especially the weird mix of live-action and animation. Oh, and it's directed by Kenji Nakamura too, I'll definitely check it out.
That reminds me, how is Kemonozume? Worth a watch?
Nothing directed by Masaaki Yuasa is worth a watch, unfortunately.
Kemonozume is his least offensive series though.
Maleficence
Member
Don't necessarily disagree with you in regards to your criticism of OP, however I do disagree with you that for some arbitrary reason once you're old enough you should throw away the part of you that enjoys a bit of silliness as One Piece has. It's all fun for me, regardless of it's childishness and I enjoy the show very much, I don't consider it an amazing piece of adult literature, but it's fun and I can watch it for that reason alone.
Again I don't think anyone should be getting into shonen expecting a serious adult plot or narrative with some deep themes (though some shonen do contain that in parts, the latest One Piece manga arc and it's racism parables for example).
So I agree OP can be silly, but I think it mixes it's silliness and seriousness pretty well, and I can enjoy the show for what it is. I can enjoy it's silliness because I haven't felt the need to destroy that part of my mind as I got older.
:lol
I hope this one isn't controversial, but Inuyasha is probably the absolute worst "popular" anime/manga series ever. It exemplifies Takahashi's problems in writing a long series, but manages to make them just infinitely worse by being an "action" series. Ugh.
Also, Kyon is the best Haruhi character, and Ponyo is one of (if not the) best Ghibli movies.
Also, Kyon is the best Haruhi character, and Ponyo is one of (if not the) best Ghibli movies.
perfectnight
Banned
Wow that's crazy if true.
Uh, the art style is very "cartoony" or comicbook-ey. It's the way the series presents itself through other factors that makes it completely laughable.
Every series looks like Clannad now? lol
The bolded part is the problem for me. I have zero issues with someone enjoying OP for what it is. I personally prefer more of the full gag level for that type of fun so it isn't for me. Basically, Gintama is the easiest example being so godlike and all. I just don't want to even have to dig into the racial issues. People bring up that crap up saying ODA is some literary fucking genius since he interjects a globally known issue into this child-themed manga.
If you enjoy OP for it's shounen aspects, then that's great. Enjoy it. If you like the dash of racist undertones, then it's not bad to bring in such a theme. But digging into that shit like it's above the clouds of narratives is absolute nonsense. It should be a passing observation and not a highlighted one. It is not brilliant, provocative, or anything substantial. It "just is." And that's how I approach a show like OP when it goes in that direction. The issue is that what remains is just a really bland silly show because those "just is" plot elements are supposed to keep it afloat. They don't unless you draw back to the time of when your mind was developing in your early teens connecting social media to social issues. The plug should be pulled by now.
I like silly shit shows and reads. But I know they are silly shit shows and reads. One Piece is a silly shit show and read. It is just not my type of silly shit show and read. So just enjoy your silly shit show and read. Then all is well.
Maleficence
Member
I never said it was especially deep, you're implying that's what I meant, I didn't. I simply meant it does make an attempt to bring in deeper issues. It obviously doesn't explore the issues as deeply as perhaps it could, but it's not the right vehicle for such a deep examination of racism.
Though I would like to see what you would consider a deep examination of racism in a shonen series, for comparison's sake.
Crash Station
Member
Kemonozume is great.
There's still a lot of action-oriented series in general. Watch Toriko. It's like Fist of the North Star mixed with One Piece.
-Gasaraki is highly underrated
-Insufferable Evangelion nerds are why the backlash for Eva is disproportional to the amount of problems it has
-Excel Saga is incomprehensible without pop-up video. By every single reference and in-joke requiring explanation, the comedy of the series is highly diminished.
-Vash as a character is so flawed that it undoes what good there is in Trigun.
-The long term implications of the anime bubble bursting are probably a healthier anime industry
-Most fansub groups are comprised of elitist little shits who primarily fansub for e-cred; you wouldn't generally want to associate with these folks under any other pretenses.
-Insufferable Evangelion nerds are why the backlash for Eva is disproportional to the amount of problems it has
-Excel Saga is incomprehensible without pop-up video. By every single reference and in-joke requiring explanation, the comedy of the series is highly diminished.
-Vash as a character is so flawed that it undoes what good there is in Trigun.
-The long term implications of the anime bubble bursting are probably a healthier anime industry
-Most fansub groups are comprised of elitist little shits who primarily fansub for e-cred; you wouldn't generally want to associate with these folks under any other pretenses.
I doubt that's controversial.
Hellsing321
Member
If they're talking about End of Eva I can understand that. Thats one of my favorite movies of all time.
People in this thread have been claiming it was realistic, so obviously anything differing from the norm makes it difficult for some people to judge the art style.
I wasn't singling you out. I was speaking generally. And it is at least in substantial volume stated that it is proper to explore the issues deeply. People dig into that shit like it is gospel. Yet I believe it is written to except this. That is where I say no thanks and see if the generic battle shounen overcomes such a silly intention. In this case, not a chance, boring battles.
It basically is a shit-storm of an oddly formed intended audience and the authoring. Shit dude, I can pull the same social commentary from a rag like Rosario to Vampire. Yet at least that manga keeps its "just is" content where it should be.
Doesn't exist and that is my point.
Maleficence
Member
Why are so many people criticising shonen manga/anime for being shonen?
I really don't get it.
It's just criticism of crappy shounen. Popular shounen basically fail at doing anything but shounen battle. Some just fail harder and in more ill-placed areas. On the other hand, certain examples are poor at the shounen part. It is tough to extract a good work out of them. I'd say Bleach fails the least hard for its carrot on a stick battle approach and less of a cliff dive fall with its deep attempts at characterization.
So yea, what popular shounen falls softer is the most tolerable. But they are never good.
Gross.
Wiktor
Member
Yeah, screw the haters. Kazuma was such an awesome character
Crash Station
Member
Yeah, screw the haters. Kazuma was such an awesome character
Too bad we'll never get a proper conclusion what with the author being dead and all
It also has Hisashi Hirai character designs.
Who is like, one of the worst character designers ever.
Glass Rebel
Member
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (Season 1) was pretty decent.
- Eureka 7 is a boring pile of lame
- Hajime no Ippo is the best sports anime (this shouldn't be controversial, it's a fact.)
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is the best original anime, mecha or not
That's it I guess.
Fuck season 2 though.
- Hajime no Ippo is the best sports anime (this shouldn't be controversial, it's a fact.)
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is the best original anime, mecha or not
That's it I guess.
Crash Station
Member
2 of those I agree with. Not Fractale though. Fuck that show and its OP.
So in conclusion he should stop watching One Piece from that specific fansub group.
PdotMichael
Banned
It's not even the best box manga/anime
Ashita no Joe is the king of the box genre. The final sequence of the second movie is still legendary in Japan.
Glass Rebel
Member
Nobody cares about your wimpy ass no muscles boxers. O-&-<
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
This is the weirdest spelling of Ookiku Furikabutte I've ever seen. (Hajime no Ippo is pretty awesome, though)
I'm sorry, but this is one of the dumbest things I have ever watched. This guy has maybe like one point, which isn't even very relevant, and he goes on about if for like forty minutes.
You solved the case. All anime is targeted at 14 year olds with $600 of disposable income to spend on one series. That totally makes sense.
Jex
Member
I'm surprised by how fast this thread has grown in so little time. I might normally go in and argue about a few of these things, but as there's so many pages of this thread I feel that would be a very bad idea considering how unstructured this discussion is.
Talking about specific points about a particular anime title is one thing, talking about one person's preconceived notions of an entire medium seems like an entirely different thing, perhaps worthy of its own thread.
Talking about specific points about a particular anime title is one thing, talking about one person's preconceived notions of an entire medium seems like an entirely different thing, perhaps worthy of its own thread.
shadyspace
Banned
Gundam AGE is completely engaging and not at all as boring as staring at paint peel off the wall.
gatotsu911
Member
gatotsu911
Member
You don't sound so much like you've fallen out of love with anime in general as anime of the more kid/teenager-targeted variety. If you're looking for over-the-top craziness, I'd suggest checking out Karas, FLCL, Death Note, Afro Samurai, YuYu Hakusho, and anything by Hiroyuki Imaishi (Dead Leaves, Gurren Lagann, Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt). For something more grounded and serious in tone, try Gunslinger Girl, Shigurui, Berserk, Moribito, Memories, Tekkon Kinkreet or Dennou Coil. For a mix of both, look into Martian Successor Nadesico, Le Chevalier d'Eon, Fullmetal Alchemist, Welcome to the NHK, Samurai Champloo, or Rurouni Kenshin.
Also: dunno if I've already stated it in this thread, but my position on Elfen Lied is that it is highly entertaining exploitative trash; anyone who believes there's honestly something of substance beneath all the sound and fury, though, is deluding themselves. To its credit, it was not until my second viewing that I realized how dumb and manipulative it is.
Red Liquorice
Member
lol, not quite what I was thinking of! And I still think that is aimed at teen boys/young men
Thanks for the recommendation
gatotsu911
Member
There's two entire demographics of anime and manga aimed at 18-35 audiences: seinen (men) and josei (women).lol, not quite what I was thinking of! And I still think that is aimed at teen boys/young men
Does being genre fiction conflict with being "adult"? I mean, if Ghost in the Shell is aimed at teenagers then so is Blade Runner; if Berserk is aimed at teenagers then so is Game of Thrones; and so on.
The only anime/manga I can think of that has more explicitly in common with Literary Literature than genre fiction is Osamu Tezuka's graphic novel Ayako. And, I guess, Barefoot Gen and Grave of the Fireflies.
hosannainexcelsis
Member
It's true that the popularity of "not just kids" anime in Japan has been exaggerated - the really popular stuff is mostly kids/family oriented. Although even here you have shows like Mainichi Kaasan (Everyday Mom) which are kid-friendly but aimed to appeal to adults as well, in this case working mothers.
Still, there is a good deal of anime where kids are not the primary target audience. Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers, Mononoke and Trapeze, House of Five Leaves and Ristorante Paradiso - none of these are really aimed at the under-18 crowd. Even beyond this, the whole way late-night anime is structured - airing at 1 AM and sold in expensive volumes - isn't exactly friendly to youngsters.
You list those and not shows which actually adapt classic Japanese literature such as Aoi Bungaku and Genji Monogatari?
gatotsu911
Member
Unfortunately I am not familiar with those, so, uh, yeah, those are the best I can come up with given about two minutes' thought.
Rahxephon91
Banned
You can't be serious? Your not 12 are you?
ippo is the best anime ever made
shadyspace
Banned
Of course I'm not serious. I would have found it boring as shit when I was 12 too btw.
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