The Nutbladder Ranking: 2010-02
February is 2 days too short I think. It’s jam-packed and I could use that extra time…at least so I can make more progress on the UC Gundam backlog. (I’m holding off on Unicorn until The Time Is Right. Even if that usually means RIGHT THIS MOMENT.) So much stuff, so little time. Let’s get on to it.
[Just to recall, this is just a list of things I found notable during this month.]
Archetecture x Character Design: Sora no Woto, Qwaser
I wish I can show you pictures, because then I wouldn’t have to try to explain it with only words. Then again it might be easier to just be vague and simple. It’s the strongest!
It occurred to me when Ben over at Anipages mentioned SoraOto, and how the character animation and art “get in the way” of the background animation, that he might have meant it in a literal sense–like subtitles getting in the way of the OP or something. Further on he iterates the same complain you’ve probably heard several times by now about Sora no Woto.
While my position on the complain and the show is “wait and see, I think they’re setting us up,” that sort of first impression shared by Ben has run rampant. It’s gotten to a point where I think the anime is giving off those vibes as designed, and not because they are trying to force some moe down something or another. Why else could so many people agree on this? They are doing it on purpose; the show is setting up some kind of expectation.
It just doesn’t make any sense to think that a high profile Production A-1 production would get “how to do moe” wrong. Consider their prior works. I mean, if you want to do a moe show, you pick the source material that fits. You might also want to use a director who fits the job. Consider both the source material and the director. If we just look at the circumstantial evidence and also the story elements so far, it is almost obvious that Sora no Woto is going to pivot somewhere and “get serious.”
But it goes back to Ben’s point about something getting in the way. I feel that the generic-feeling characters and the character designs, while evoking probably the sort of feeling they were designed to do, makes difficult for people to enjoy the other aspects of the show. Part of it, perhaps, is out of the biases of those who would use the word moe or moeblob as a negative signifier. But at the same time it is a clashing aesthetics, against SoraOto’s beautiful, if lonely background art and setting.
This is where my experience with Seikon no Qwaser kind of make me take a second look. Qwaser is a visually modern and gothic affair. The opening may look generic shounen but the ending took a page out of Don’t Be Lazy with its senseless, music video inspired choreography (not to mention the seiyuu ensemble). The source material itself is dark, brooding, and (non)sensibly Japanese all the while. The character art is arguably moe-inspired, especially in Tomo’s case and the super-deformed segments. Ironically, the fact that it can afford that visual contrast between “normal” and “SD” suggests that there’s some kind of gap between serious and the not-quite-so.
I think the K-ON complaint goes to that point, perhaps unfairly: K-ON has SD mode and normal mode too, but it’s fairly hard to tell between the two. Sora no Woto, however, doesn’t go SD, yet it has all those SD signifier from Shuko the Owl to Kureha’s moments of tsun and dere. The end result, rather than something easy to understand viscerally, we get something that is off our expectation. In contrast, something like Qwaser is totally what we expect, and more.
This is really why I have a tough time faulting SoraOto, simply because as much of the baggage comes from us as it is from the show going against the grain on some of these expected visual cues. On top of the harsh contrast behind its luscious, highly-detailed background and the simple, if overly cute foreground character animation, the end result is probably too jarring for the casual Judge Judys out there.
And lastly, I used the word architecture although I didn’t really talk about it, but I think that is probably a better term than “background design.”
The Nutbladder Ranking: 2010-01
I always wanted to do some kind of ranking thing, because it’s fun to express what you feel about the stuff you like (ie., anime) in new ways, and ranking provides an overt framework to express yourself. It’s like a game where you roleplay some nutty critic. Unfortunately I also despise the trapping that any ranking system comes with. I always thought to myself (usually after feeling the want-of-rank) that I could just personify the anime or whatever in Pani Poni Dash (or for the newfags among us, Bakatest) with a short list of arbitrary stats. Kanokon could be something like “Breasts: 4, Trope subversion: 3, Licensed dub possibility: 2″ or something. For another example, Tsukihime anime could be “Existence: 0, Faithfulness to source: 2, Moon Princess: 4.”
Isn’t this fun? (Possibly NSFW pic after the jump.)
The Stuff I Like, the Stuff You Like
There is this post on Jtor which basically copies from some other site (NSFW?) which copies from 2ch about that there are two types of anime otaku, and what they look for in an anime. And then there’s a response from a Japanese site which talks about the posts on Jtor and SC. It’s a weird circle of communication in which I’m hoping will make into a full circle yet again by having somebody (me?) posting on Jtor to discuss this.
But before I (or hopefully someone else) do that, maybe we can discover something more substantive about the nature of the Western anime fan-beast, in contrast with the Japanese variety. Let me reproduce the list of criteria here–
Type A
- A person who simply enjoys “anime.”
- Is proud of Japan’s anime.
- Evaluates anime based on direction, voice acting, art, etc.
- Hates shallow anime with no real content.
- [Plot] emphasis >>>>> Moe anime.
- A recent example would Higashi no Eden. Fans of anime who like Lain or Ghost in the Shell would probably be this kind.
Type B
- A person who simply enjoys “characters.”
- Will watch an anime if it includes cute or beautiful characters.
- Doesn’t care if story is awful, as long as the characters are of interest.
- Evaluates anime based on which seiyuu are in it and what the characters look like.
- Loves moe elements. Doesn’t like complex anime.
- The otaku the media picks up on are usually this kind.
- Doesn’t know that much about anime and so is often criticized by Type A otaku.
- However, they make much better customers than the more discerning Type A otaku.
- People who like K-ON!, Queen’s Blade, Strike Witches and so on would be in this class.
- Recently there has been a huge increase in anime targeted at Type B otaku.
Seems pretty simple, besides the one change I made. However the picture in the west is cloudy because anime fandom is significantly more insular and strongly branded than in Japan, I believe. During the blooming years, there were people who consumed anime just because it was anime. ADV’s now infamous slogan (”STRAIGHT FROM JAPAN!”) pretty much hits it on the spot. And after all there are no such things as a Japanese weeaboo.
But even if we discount the “Cool Japan” influence, I am sure there are still a lot of people who are interested in anime and manga, because they tell very different stories, targeted to teenagers and young adults, than what is available in the west (especially in American, I believe). The boom of manga in big box bookstores of America is evidence enough.
It’s much the same in Japan, I suppose, that there is a bundling of two philosophically different types of anime fans. In some ways the 2ch distinction is half-trolling, so we can’t take it too seriously; but all good trolls incorporate at least a modicum of truth in their statements, so let’s look at that. In interest of length let me just bullet them–I’m going to just basically combine what is said for type A and type B to draw some statements that are more universal.
- Persistent characterization is content that is often missing in western works for young adults and teens in the west, but it is a strong draw of manga and anime.
- Cuteness is not an aesthetic cherished by western culture, let alone popular media, past the pre-teen segment. In contrast, Japan is all about the cute (and later on expanded by moe and related stuff).
- Fans evaluate anime usually on bifurcated layers–conceptual and superficial. The best example of this is Ponyo, which is conceptually average but visually jaw-dropping awesome. For some, a strong plot is a must-have (why are battle manga and things going to Koushien becoming gag tropes?), others care more about theme, production value, aesthetics, and context.
It is probably fair to say that most Western fans operate within these spaces, at least in my own experience over the past decade or so. It’s a little more perplexing trying to apply these principles to explain the appeal to me of four shows this season. So lets.
Seikon no Qwaser - actually, this entire class of violent and pornographic anime, dating back from the 80s and onward, is something that made anime both world-famous yet hard to approach. It also slowed anime’s gain in mainstream from the get go, since “violence and porn” was what some early adapters of the west thought of Japanese animation well into the late 90s. It probably doesn’t fit with type A or type B fans per se, but it does for type C fans, who embraced anime because it was simply different, controversial, and clearly cartoons not for kids (C is for “Cool Japan” types). At the same time, these sorts of anime also embodies other characteristics found in less violent and sexualized works, such as distinct characterization of its leads, fantastic settings, or outright regurgitation of some western lore for superficial purposes. Vampire Hunter D comes to mind, yeah? As a character driven mystery with action and shocking scenes, colored by an European-inspire set of aesthetics, I think Qwaser fits the bill pretty well superficially. To that end, we can think about Queen’s Blade, D, Qwaser, and others like them as thin on plot (although at times thick on intrigue).
So Ra No Wo To - Sora no Oto is more a hybrid creation than what it lets on. This is a good beginning to explain its uniquely Japanese appeal. It is truly authentic “Japanese” if you will, rather than simply what is known as weird or edgy or exotic. On the other hand, the weird, edgy and exotic is attention-grabbing, and an anime about nothing much except its healing properties (albeit in a weird and exotic setting) is probably less so. Think to yourself: will a mainstream audience enjoy this show? They will probably be bored to death first. But just like Qwaser, Soranowoto also exhibits an overt attempt at characterization and a distinct visual appeal, like many other anime. To use a different example, 2ch’s type A otaku might have a less difficult time agreeing with type B otaku on Denno Coil’s appeal, except that type B people won’t find it visually absorbing or nitpick at the theme, and type A people will grumble about the plot, or stupid kids, or something along those lines. In other words, it has some objective merit on its own. Likewise, the setting and production value in Soranowoto are remarkable to say the least…and the jury is out for the rest of the show, as we are only 3 episodes in.
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu - As with a large number of manga/light novel turned anime in the past decade, there is a concerted effort from manga creators to appeal to a large number of readers. This is particularly true with works from competitively circulated serialized magazines, where success depends on amassing as many type A and type B fans. Due to the nature of Japanese TV anime, the end result tends to shift a tad more towards type B than type A, but we can see that concerted effort in Bakatest regardless. Take a tried-and-true formula of high school battle with virtual avatars, add in your tropes, mixed up with theatrics and comedy, and the end result is something different yet so familiar. The mix-a-trope description isn’t an entirely fair thing to call any anime (even if anime tends to be very trope-focused), but somewhere in that concoction is a very plot-driven narrative, and that’s what most type A fans crave.
Hanamaru Yochien - This is an anime made in the disguise of a for-the-family comedy. In reality it is laced with that controversial aspect–the eroticism of child-like characters. Of course, most of the time in any anime, the notion of that knowledge is just tongue-in-cheek. In Hanamaru’s case, it goes nowhere even that far; perhaps just a step beyond typical toilet humor. The appeal of Hanamaru, for the most part, is simple but strong characterization coupled with appropriate humor. Much like a similar and well-heralded comedy Azumanga Daioh, the “in the know” factor adds a humorous, albeit darker edge to the jokes. As one would expect, the rest of the show’s production and designs help to accentuates these elements in the story. Admittedly that alone may not be enough for most type A audience; at a glance it is an anime with childish humor. But for those who may enjoy either the aesthetics or the hidden edge to the jokes, there is something to be enjoyed. That said, I’m not sure that characteristic can be fairly associated with type A or type B otaku.
You get the idea. It’s like calling Psgels a type A and Kurogane a type B. But in reality they’re not that different.
Notes From Winter ‘09-’10 Covers
I never thought it would happen, perhaps because I never actually thought about it, but in the case of Seikon no Qwaser the censorship actually ruined a scene. Granted, it’s not a huge deal, but it is not like the usual case when T&A are fogged out for the sake of lowering the amount of exposed female organs. While the point of censorship remains the same in this case, fanservice scenes often are tangential to the overall experience, even in shows where the T&A are the reason why you watch it. For example, when battle damage causes Leina to expose her underpants or breasts in Queen’s Blade I don’t really care if they fog that out. But when Leina symmetrically docks with Melona and causes the infamous acid explosion, they can’t really fog out what exactly Leina did. At least, without confusing the viewer. Or even in the example where Melona shoots those acid attacks from her chest, we need to know how that mechanic works. Cover up her breasts would effectively censor the plot. As far as the particular scene in Qwaser goes, the censoring happened during the climax of the one and only battle sequence in the pilot episode of the thing, and it had all this emotional and shock factor to it. That is down-right terrible.
That said, I have nothing particularly bad to say about a show with hype predicated on breastfeeding, and that is just yet another bullet on a list of not-bad things to say about Qwaser. The ending could be viral if people want it to be. In some ways, this is the kind of production that I had been expecting Dulalala to be.
Dulalala, of course, is better thus far. The source material is simply a whole mile ahead, so the comparison only highlights the trashiness of Qwaser. The Baccano production team is up to the task, and I already love how they were able to express much of their version of Ikebukuro through only one episode. I guess unlike So-ra-no-wo-to, they were able to build on what we already know about a real location.
I hear people are generally underwhelmed about Sora no Oto, and that’s fine. Right now it’s doing something that anime does well, so I’m content. A lot of what I hear seems to be related to people’s expectations as much as the actual show itself. Reading the credits, I wasn’t particularly excited about the series compared to what some others might have been feeling. Again, it says as much about you as it does with a show that is only 2 episodes in. [Side note: can we get a counter on number of English-language podcasts that calls it “sora no woto?”]
Hanamaru Kindergarten is a win in my book. I skipped Potemayo when the first episode or two failed to capture my attention, but it seems the addition of adults have balanced the humor equation for my liking. I am notably less excited about that aspect than WAH, considering he probably found an anime parallel to his real life ego in episode 1. Simply, I am in for the luls. That might present a small problem, partly because there are more than just the funnies in this show, but I trust the source material and production.
I wish I could say something positive about Chu-Bra, but that would be akin to saying something sexist about Bayonetta. It’s a low-hanging fruit, to use an euphemism. The interesting thing about Chu-Bra is it is difficult to criticize it beyond its cheaply-made exterior and unreal and unrealistic content. It’s just different and awkward enough that it would be hard to find a way to criticize it so early in the game. On the other hand, there is always that one positive factor, especially from a female perspective. It might just be too much for my squeamish self, but I am trying to hold on until at least when Yoko Hikasa’s character appear. Until then this show has to entertain beyond merely shock and awe in order to be a keeper.
It might be best that I keep my mouth shut about the rest of my new anime palette; there isn’t a whole lot to say anyways. Well, lastly I guess I have my hopes for Ladies x Butlers up still, as a survivor of Kanokon.
