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A lower middle class average girl as tsundre? This makes no sense, how could a girl coming from such a background be raised to turn out like that?

I nearly busted a rib laughing at this one. A girl doesn't haven't to be a princess to be spoiled into acting like one. The worst case I know is from a lower class family where the parents spoiled the crap out of the youngest daughter and made the older two work for everything. She had a major attitude problem, and still does.

Re romance cliches, they're not just anime cliches. They occur in romance novels and movies and what have you around the world. The better ones rise above the cliches, the mediocre ones fall back on them probably because they tend to happen in RL fairly frequently. The Big Mis (misunderstanding) is such a staple of romance that I don't think it will ever die. And that is probably because I see it happen between couples all the time, and a major part of romance is about seeing couples overcome problems in their relationships.

Oh, and next week's question about whether or not FMA will set a precedent. Hellsing didn't seem to, because the only remake after that appears to be FMA. So I'd have to say no, it won't.

But I wish it would. I mean, you'd have guaranteed hits if they made the real end of Kenshin, or Fruits Basket. I'd buy them in an instant.

All I really have regarding the article is that I think this is the first Brian-Answerman question that I'm almost inspired to write about.

Someone in the forums said the Flake had a good point. I'd like to disagree with that; however, only on a caveat. Let's say Brian (or, hell any reviewer for any site or publication) doesn't like robots and as we all should know, every incarnation of Casshan is, or should be, about killing robots.

If Reviewer A is writing a review that he is receiving compensation for (portfolio/payment), then an objective, professional review is in order. Note - I said objective. That doesn't mean the subject matter in question will always come out good, favorable or glowing. A review, though, is still subject to personal preferences, so mentioning in the review of "I really don't like robots" any it still getting a mediocre or above average rating is most likely good news for someone who likes robots.

Now, if Reviewer A says off-hand that they're not interested in checking out Casshan because it has robots and they don't like robots, that's purely a personal preference and does not represent a greater conspiracy of un-professionalism.

Ryllharu wrote:

Would someone mind explaining to me the fervent love for Kodocha around here?

I read the manga some time ago, and found it to be a fairly forgettable, utterly generic middle-school romance series. I'm not really sure where the idolization of this series comes from, other than it being one of the few earlier romance series to get a R1 adaptation.

Maybe I missed something and need to re-read it, but I just wonder why every columnist and editor seems to "love the series to death." While shoujo romances are somewhat cookie cutter and forumulaic on their own, there are certainly a number of series that should stand out more than Kodacha.

Maybe it's an anime thing ... I've never read the manga; however, I've been a fairly big fan of the anime since I first saw some terribly grainy fansubs ten years ago. As far as the anime goes, what I liked best about it is that it had this wacky, zany comedy that was punctuated at the end by some shocking character development. As the series progresses, Sana tries to remain her crazy self but the plot and tone takes a complete 180 - and, I believe does it successfully. The second half of the series, Chuugaku-hen/Chuugakkou-hen, in comparison is nothing but delicious melodrama you expect from middle schoolers but also, several issues that I could relate to made it transcend to a new level.

I do recall a discussion while in High School (where I was running the anime club) with a friend who'd bought the translated Kodocha manga about the same time I had brought some Kodocha tapes in for the club meeting. We discussed it being different, although, for the life of me, I cannot recall what those differences were. It could be that the manga really is mediocre at standing out amongst the rest of the demographic but the anime has something extra to capture and keep your attention and make you glad you did when all is said and done.

CCSYueh wrote:

This is the romantic "honor among theives" "Pirates code" crap popular in fantasy. Realistically by their very nature criminal types would be looking out for #1 (try Slayers & Gokudo for a "team" willing to let the rest suffer). Can't realy ding the Japanese for that.
On top of that, Ninja seem to have been in groups loyal to certain political powers, so there would need to be a certain loyalty/code to that.

The "Ninja Code of Honor" is a trapping of popular fantasy just as much as the depiction of ninja having fantastic, magical powers. Realistically, ninja was a job description just as much as 'pirate' was. "Ninja" held alliances to lords just like every other instance of Japanese martial culture. And, it wasn't just the sneaky, underhanded, upstart lords either. Everyone needs agents of espionage and teams of special forces to operate behind enemy lines. Japan was no different.

einhorn303 wrote:

ANN's mad editorial crusade against moe is quite off-putting.

While I don't find it off- or on-putting, that's the editorial message some wish to convey. Seeing how the Industry has changed due to the influx of moe~ in the past five or six years and granted its not my cup of tea, of course I'm going to bitch and moan about how something that is so bright and colorful is akin to a Dark Ages plague. If things were reversed - moe~ being hugely popular twenty years ago and I were that new fan who loved the slew of gritty, Real[istic] Robot shows coming out - I could understand that feeling as well.

4nBlue wrote:

Do the people who say that they hate moe even know what it means, because I don't know anymore. First time I heard it, it meant a feeling of wanting to protect a little sister-type of character, but now it seems to mean "this show has girls".

I think there might be a miscommunication. Moe~, as a feeling of emotion, is to have a blooming and enveloping desire to care for and protect a character like your sister. However, that otaku-reaction has fueled the development of a demographic where characters exist as cardboard cut-outs consisting of physical and emotional character traits only to cater to those fans to scream moe~!. I've never held any high ideals that Japan was a place where they wouldn't create something to sell for the highest dollar - Bandai's been getting my money for years in the form of Gundam models - but the moe~ demographic aimed at the lonely otaku in the middle of the night is a shameless sell-out. And, it takes quite a bit for me to call anything as 'selling-out' as, even in these times, I'm an ardent capitalist.

If someone is calling "a show with girls" as another moe~ show, then that is a mischaracterization of the demographic and the show. If those girls just happen to be cut-outs to appeal to bizarre otaku tastes, then the shoe might fit. In order to separate the distinction from the feeling and the demographic, I'd recommend one of the earlier chapters of NHK ni youkoso/Welcome to the NHK where they are designing the girl for their game. I personally have no problem with the feeling - it's the demographic I have an issue with.

SalarymanJoe wrote:

If Reviewer A is writing a review that he is receiving compensation for (portfolio/payment), then an objective, professional review is in order. Note - I said objective. That doesn't mean the subject matter in question will always come out good, favorable or glowing. A review, though, is still subject to personal preferences, so mentioning in the review of "I really don't like robots" any it still getting a mediocre or above average rating is most likely good news for someone who likes robots.

I second this. A review made under that sort of circumstance needs to have utility to the reader, even in view of the difference in opinion between reader and writer. Naturally, in a more informal environment such a requirement doesn't need to be present.

SalarymanJoe wrote:

Someone in the forums said the Flake had a good point. I'd like to disagree with that; however, only on a caveat. Let's say Brian (or, hell any reviewer for any site or publication) doesn't like robots and as we all should know, every incarnation of Casshan is, or should be, about killing robots.

If Reviewer A is writing a review that he is receiving compensation for (portfolio/payment), then an objective, professional review is in order. Note - I said objective. That doesn't mean the subject matter in question will always come out good, favorable or glowing. A review, though, is still subject to personal preferences, so mentioning in the review of "I really don't like robots" any it still getting a mediocre or above average rating is most likely good news for someone who likes robots.

Now, if Reviewer A says off-hand that they're not interested in checking out Casshan because it has robots and they don't like robots, that's purely a personal preference and does not represent a greater conspiracy of un-professionalism.

I'm actually going to agree with SalarymanJoe here. I admit to having, on at least one occasion, rather fervently argued with a reviewer about their review. Not because their opinion differed from mine, that I can work with (hell, I haven't agreed with Ebert for more than a decade), but because of the rather casual un-professionalism of the review. I have no problem with "I really don't like Moe/Harem/blue aliens with pink eye-stalks/whatever and that's what this show is about so here's my review". What I object to is "Ahh, here's another story about spineless girls all falling for a hopeless nerd that only a socially inept 10 year old in a 30 year old body could like, unless you're stupid" (my language is a little, but only a little, harsher than many reviews I have read). Professional reviews don't have to praise a show, but they do tend to inform the reader about the show while, at the same time, avoiding insulting the viewer.

David wrote:

Why does no anime ever have two characters get together sometime before the end?

Shall I point out that Eureka Seven has the two love induced characters end up in a relationship about midway through the series? It's acknowledge a few episodes afterward, confirming it with a few I <3 U's. However, it does drop the curtains shortly after the kiss scene. There are a few hardships in their relationship that each must overcome, so in some strange manner, it's almost like a real relationship... sort of.

Not to mention, E7 has broken every mold Ellen has set. Smile

Ellen wrote:

No Actually Means Yes

You Don't Have To Do Anything For A Woman To Fall Hopelessly In Love With You

Breasts Are Ubiquitous, Large, And Open For Business

nbahn wrote:

yruahippo wrote:

On a slightly unrelated topic, Hey Answerfans: I had to get this of my chest (no pun intended) because it just made me cringe. >.<

Quote:

Breasts Are Ubiquitous, Large, And Open For Business - Ai Yori Aoshi is a great example. Another harem classic, it doesn't just feature many large, available mammaries, but one of the female characters (who herself is well-endowed) actually greets the others by groping their chests, and nobody rebuffs her for how totally invasive and inappropriate it is. 'Nuff said.

No, it's not 'nuff said'. My class frequently grope each other, often as greetings, and no-one bats an eyelid. I can't count the number of times I've walked into the classroom and had someone running-glomp me and pull me into an tight hug complete with groping and occasionally falling on each other. Sure, I go to an all-girls-school but friends from neighbouring schools, both single sex and co-ed, act the same way with their classes. Was your generation like this at my age is or this a new thing? Are people my age more sex aware/open then previous generations? Is this normal for people my age everywhere or is it just londoners? ^^;

Btw, I'm 16, female and not a lesbian (don't have a problem with it just don't wanna give the wrong impression).

Where I come from, that's grounds for a sexual harassment charge. Confused

I was going to mention that, but decided against it.
Some gals I worked with in the 80's played Bunko (a card game) & apparently their mode of greeting for the sessions was flashing their breasts at one another.

Ryllharu wrote:

Would someone mind explaining to me the fervent love for Kodocha around here?

I read the manga some time ago, and found it to be a fairly forgettable, utterly generic middle-school romance series. I'm not really sure where the idolization of this series comes from, other than it being one of the few earlier romance series to get a R1 adaptation.

Maybe I missed something and need to re-read it, but I just wonder why every columnist and editor seems to "love the series to death." While shoujo romances are somewhat cookie cutter and forumulaic on their own, there are certainly a number of series that should stand out more than Kodacha.

I loved th manga, but have never really cared to watch the anime because it doesn't seem to cover the same ground. How could you not find the boy's story heartbreaking?

sunflower wrote:

Quote:

A lower middle class average girl as tsundre? This makes no sense, how could a girl coming from such a background be raised to turn out like that?

I nearly busted a rib laughing at this one.

So did I, I must be a prince!

sunflower wrote:

Oh, and next week's question about whether or not FMA will set a precedent. Hellsing didn't seem to, because the only remake after that appears to be FMA. So I'd have to say no, it won't.

But I wish it would. I mean, you'd have guaranteed hits if they made the real end of Kenshin, or Fruits Basket. I'd buy them in an instant.

Yes! The real ending of Kenshin! That would be awesome!

See, it's not a matter of hating the original (I quite like the first Hellsing and FMA series), it's a matter of wanting to see everything they didn't get to animated. As a manga reader, I'm excited about the new FMA not because I think the first one was awful for the changes it made, but because I want to see spoiler[the characters from Xing, the manga version of Sloth, the complete flashback to Ishbal from volume 15], everything the first anime didn't get to.

But you've already seen that in the manga. Personally I love it when the creators of the anime go off by themselves and add their own spin to the proceedings. Making a blow-by-blow retread of what has gone before in the manga just strikes me as a little pointless, I guess.

There's also the consideration that some things that work in comics* may not translate well to the TV screen. The whole contoversy around spoiler[the omission of the squid from Watchmen's ending] for example is ridiculous. I'm a hardcore fan of the comic and that would never have flown on screen IMHO.

Although my standpoint only holds true if the anime's alternate storyline is created with style and panache. Which is why IMO Negima!? is hands down far superior to Negima! despite the radical changes. Shinbo is a freaking genius. Very Happy

*SHUT UP. If I'm reading a book filled with cartoon people, with little cartoon thought/speech bubbles coming out of their heads, then I am reading a goddamn comic. How, exactly, does manga belong in its own separate niche? I've nevr understood that. Confused

Yeah sometimes I feel the fans of "x" series will complain about the littlest of changes, even if it is a parody like the one here for the Watchmen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDDHHrt6l4w

While obviously I would have problems if an actual production came out that was that far off from the source, like in the video above, but I still want the director/animators to give us their vision if "x" series and not a panel by panel recreation of the work.

Eruanna wrote:

Brian, I gotta call you on this one.

Quote:

That said, I'm all for whatever nutty sex and violence the creators feel is appropriate for their story, within the confines of good taste of course.

Your against censorship.... "within the confines of good taste"? And.... who exactly decideds that good taste is?

How about you, will you be good enough to know what confines as being "good taste"?

Eruanna wrote:

This is why I get upset with people who are so rigidly against censorship.... the double standard. What is good taste?

Will it make you happy if you knew what good taste is?

Eruanna wrote:

What if one person thinks that violence in general is bad taste but you would stop at, say, bloody rape?

Will seeing scene like "bloody rape" makes you happy, thereby being a "good taste?"

Eruanna wrote:

How can you possibly say that there should be no censorship, and then in the same breath say that that only implies within some imaginary line of "good taste"??

Can you imagine something that will makes you happy upon seeing it, even though you're not sure what that something really is because, it's only your imagination?

And until you knew the answers for yourself, you'll just have to acknowledge the need for censorship.

SalarymanJoe wrote:

but the moe~ demographic aimed at the lonely otaku in the middle of the night is a shameless sell-out. And, it takes quite a bit for me to call anything as 'selling-out' as, even in these times, I'm an ardent capitalist.

I agree. For me, being a nerd who likes nerdy anime is one thing, for I am a nerd who likes to exercise my mind in my leisure, and that's a positive thing. However, there's nothing positive can be said about entertainment programs that are aimed to please a niche and negative crowd, because their lifestyle is not positive.

SalarymanJoe wrote:

If someone is calling "a show with girls" as another moe~ show, then that is a mischaracterization of the demographic and the show. If those girls just happen to be cut-outs to appeal to bizarre otaku tastes, then the shoe might fit. In order to separate the distinction from the feeling and the demographic, I'd recommend one of the earlier chapters of NHK ni youkoso/Welcome to the NHK where they are designing the girl for their game.

And even though they are featured with mostly female characters, I find that shows like Starship Operators and Princess Nine are excellent examples of anime with positive female role-models. Now those are some strong, smart, and attractive female characters that I would totally fall for, as oppose to one-dimensional "moe" anime bimbos.

DomFortress wrote:

I agree. For me, being a nerd who likes nerdy anime is one thing, for I am a nerd who likes to exercise my mind in my leisure, and that's a positive thing. However, nothing positive can be said about entertainment programs that are aimed to please a niche and negative crowd, because their lifestyle is not positive.

What? So just because an anime is aimed at a given demographic, it's impossible for it to have objectively good artwork, animation, music, voice acting, or storylines? And what do the "not positive" lifestyles of this niche crowd even matter? Do they directly affect you or society in general? What gives you the right to judge a certain crowd to be "negative," anyway?

Zalis116 wrote:

DomFortress wrote:

I agree. For me, being a nerd who likes nerdy anime is one thing, for I am a nerd who likes to exercise my mind in my leisure, and that's a positive thing. However, nothing positive can be said about entertainment programs that are aimed to please a niche and negative crowd, because their lifestyle is not positive.

What? So just because an anime is aimed at a given demographic, it's impossible for it to have objectively good artwork, animation, music, voice acting, or storylines? And what do the "not positive" lifestyles of this niche crowd even matter?

When the anime industry are producing poor entertainment programs with too much negative elements aimed to appeal and please those niche and negative crowd on public mass medias networks, it becomes a big problem to the anime subcultural community.

Zalis116 wrote:

Do they directly affect you or society in general?

When they're being misled into believing that their negative lifestyle is being accepted by the anime fandom, due to the popularity on the poor entertainment programs with too much negative elements aimed to appeal and please them, made by the anime industry.

Zalis116 wrote:

What gives you the right to judge a certain crowd to be "negative," anyway?

When I can tell good entertainment programs with objectively good artwork, animation, music, voice acting, and story lines with positive elements like Starship Operators and Princess Nine. From those poor entertainments programs with objectively negative elements in a story lines, but subjecting good artwork, animation, music, and voice acting as some sort of sensual eye-candies in order to make them appealing and pleasing to some niche and negative crowd.

It's not so much that i am dreading the new series it's more like the suspense you have.I of course have read the FullMetal Alchemist manga and enjoy it just as much as the anime adaption.

In some ways it feels a bit unneccesary.I was ecstatic about the news of a new series.But when I found out that it was all going to be fit into a 51-episode series i was a little let-down.I figured the series would stretch to a similar episode-range as Naruto or Bleach.Or just at least mnore than 51 episodes.

The fact that it would be following the manga by Hiromu Arakwa is reassuring.But my biggest problem would be the amount of time and episodes they have to capture this manga.

In the sense of animating,the company BONES with titles like Ouran High School Host Club, Wolf's Rain and Soul Eater,is producing this again is somewhat assuring as well.One of my biggest problems is whether or not this studio is going to include the important elements of the manga or more like will be able to keep these elements.I just don't want to see another changed ending.These circumstances do make it more entertaining to viewers but at the same time most viewers want to see the true story brought to life.

Oh crap, people making insults/ad homeinem attacks for peoples' anime preferences again. Looks like we might need a modwatch like this thread...

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