I feel the need to clarify something I brought up a few days ago because I didnt do a great job clarifying my position. The topic of discussion was: recommending shows that you like but which feature questionable content.
For those of you who dont read every single page of this thread every single day, this was in reference to Qurupeke recommending the series Kuma Miko to fans of Flying Witch.
Heres the relevant post:
To which duckroll responded:
At which point Qurupeke clarified:
I interjected as follows:
Now a number of people including, cosmicblizzard, pointed out that this is just the reality of being an anime fan. Qurupek illustrated this as follows:
Now, there are a lot of ideas potentially worth unpacking here but I dont really feel like tackling them all at once. Instead, I am just going to raise a handful of issues which I think are particularly pressing.
1. As people who contribute towards the discussion of anime, we are essentially acting as ambassadors for the medium. This might not be something we often (or ever) stop to consider, but it is the reality of the situation. The way we write about anime shapes peoples perception of not only anime, but anime fandom.
2. Compared to discussion that takes place in other fandoms (say, videogames), individual posters have a disproportionally large influence in shaping the tone and nature of discussions. This is because, as a niche medium, there's proportionately less people talking about it.
3. As a result of 1 + 2, Id argue that anime fans have a certain duty in terms of how they write about, explain and recommend, anime. The exact nature and limits of this duty is certainly something thats up for debate.
4. Unrelated to the above, but also undeniable, is the reality that anime is a somewhat maligned medium. Anime doesnt always deserve the bad reputation its gotten, but it does contain much which is unsavoury and objectionable.
5. Anime fans, likewise, have earned a certain reputation. This reputation is not entirely unearned.
6. To avoid perpetuating these negative stereotypes, I think its important for anime fans to clearly and consistently call shows/movies/whatever on their bullshit. Every. Single. Time.
7. Neglecting to mention objectionable content, or essentially trying to sweep it under the carpet, gives the impression that anime fans are tacitly accepting a certain level of completely unacceptable content/tone/messages/stereotypes/whatever in the anime they consume. This shouldnt be the case and more importantly, it shouldnt appear to be the case to people who just happen to swing by this thread, or check a show out on a whim.
8. I dont think theres inherently a problem in saying a work contains material that you find offensive or wrong, but that you otherwise appreciate for its other qualities. However I think you have to do a really thorough job in explaining what that objectionable content is in a way that doesnt sanitize or downplay it. Bring it out into the light of day. Say Yes, No Game No Life features a pantyshot (with cameltoe) of an 11 year old girl in the first episode. But I still like it because of X, Y, Z. At least, in doing that, you make it quite clear what the objectionable content really is and it gives you space to either explain it away or accept it or whatever you wish to do. But at least youre actually tackling it, rather than trying to ignore it.
9. As Ive mentioned above, understand that the audience for what you write isnt just this thread. Dont make the assumption that its just a certain subset of very hardcore anime fans. All kinds of people pass through this thread and read what you write.
10. Heck, even if you're explicitly writing for an audience of dedicated anime fans you should still carefully consider how you wish to discuss this kind of material. There are plenty of people who watch anime regularly but would nevertheless find the content of a Kuma Miko to be so off-putting that they couldn't ignore it.
11. Therefore, in the spirit of being a good ambassador, you should do a good job of clearly highlighting and addressing this kind of questionable content. This means, for example, that people won't get accidentally caught out by something which appears, on the surface, to be innocuous.
12. I think this is particularly relevant in the case of Qurupeke recommending Kuma Miko to SOL fans because on its surface that really looks like a show that should have total universal appeal and be completely safe for any audience. The fact that it isnt is something thats really worth discussing and detailing when you recommend it.
