Forum - View topicThe Mike Toole Show - Moe is the Key
|
Goto page Previous Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tenchi
 Posts: 4469 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
|
|||
|
I am a big moé fan, or at least the slice-of-life subgenre of moé, and I love much of KyoAni's output, especially K-On! and Haruhi Suzumiya and, to a lesser degree, Nichijou and Lucky Star. However, I never could get into the Key stuff. The character designs for some of the girls just creep the hell out of me, not because they're "loli" but specifically because it just looks freaky when the tiny nose is level with or even above the line representing the lower eyelid. I enjoy a diverse amount of different moé character styles, but one constant I demand is that the nose always be below the baseline of the eyes. When the nose moves too far north on the face, it becomes nightmare fuel.
|
||||
|
||||
prabb
 Posts: 86 |
|
|||
|
I personally like to thank Morrissey for everything, everyday. He's like my Mopey Mother Mary.
|
||||
|
||||
Rahxephon91
 Posts: 1859 Location: Park Forest IL. |
|
|||
|
I appreciate the article Mr Toole. I came into it expecting you to trash and tell me how stupid these shows are, and well you were fair. I have a narrow minded view of these shows and of the people who like them. I think the people who like them are creepy and not the kind of anime fan I am and these these shows are creepy shows for lonely otaku. But it's a real uniformed view based purely on how the look and what they are about.
The article basically dispelled that notion and I guess it's good to hear that these shows are more cute then creepy, but still these aren't the kind of shows I got into anime for. I like action, sci-fi, and well stories not about Romanticised love. For me, a good romance is maybe 500 Days of Summer or Any Hall were romance is depicted more realistic and well kind of annoying. I can't buy into.......well this kind of anime romance that these shows are about. I also just really dislike the character designs, they just look so bland and boring. I like my anime to look like Studio Madhouse's best stuff. Stylish and cool. And then I look at this stuff and well I start to generalize. Another unfair thing I perhaps throw at these shows is well the fandom and how loud they are and how well these type of shows seem to have become the face of anime. It may be wrong, but it is what it is. It seems to me there are tons and tons of shows like this or aimed at the audience at the expense of I guess anime being made that I would like. Though I guess these shows are keeping the anime alive. I liked the article, because I think it was very fair and perhaps opened my eyes that these shows aren't inherently bad. I still wouldn't be caught dead watching them. The subject material doesn't interests me, but I guess I just won't judge these shows as creepy moe shows. |
||||
|
||||
invalidname
 Contributor Posts: 2444 Location: Grand Rapids, MI |
|
|||
I was confused by the fact that by any standard of practicality, Air and Kanon had each other's uniforms. The girls in Kanon tromp around in the snow with these tiny little skirts that afford little warmth (to say nothing of modesty), while Air's Misuzu is baking in the sun in a heavy black dress over multiple layers of clothes. Should these uniforms not be utterly reversed, so snow girls can stay warm and summer girls keep cool? Last edited by invalidname on Sun Feb 10, 2013 6:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||
|
||||
|
grooven
Posts: 1424 Location: Canada |
|
|||
|
Just wanted to point out that Itaru Hinoue in female not male
I think her designs are unique and set themselves apart from other "moe" designs. But each to their own I'm a really big fan of KEY and find their visual novels to be some of the best out there. As for AIR the anime lacked because of the length. It was a much more complex story than Kanon. It was twice as long in game format and got half as much episodes for the anime. It is a real shame because a huge bits are taken from the story. Since Misuzu's voice actor Tomoko Kawakami passed away, it is impossible to even make a remake for years later. As for the Clannad ending, it is really sad that is wasn't portrayed as well as it was in the game. Obvious omissions created an under whelming end that got people angry. Not only the ending but the message of the town seemed to be lost too. Last edited by grooven on Sun Feb 10, 2013 7:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
||||
|
||||
Tanteikingdomkey
 Posts: 2346 |
|
|||
|
I am surprised that more people have not mentioned little animation I mean busters and it's horrible adaptation. honestly the better JC staff show is pet girl of sakurasou
|
||||
|
||||
|
Flamerokz
|
|
|||
I just wanted to give my compliments to Mike for nailing down really well the sort of audience that can get into the KyoAni/KEY moe titles. I certainly was once a part of this audience (but no more, K-ON broke me), although now I look back upon it with self-loathing. I think it certainly captures the audience in more endearing terms than I would have used, and hopefully (perhaps naively) both super-fans and opponents can come away with a more well-rounded view on the subject. Great job man! |
||||
|
grooven
Posts: 1424 Location: Canada |
|
|||
The J.C staff anime is decent, not as good as it could be if say Kyoani worked on it. But it is not horrible like 2002 Kanon. It is just decent so far. I hope they can expand on "Refrain" from the original game. I had some issues with how some parts played out. |
||||
|
||||
|
Galap
Moderator
 Posts: 2354 |
|
|||
The fans don't ruin it for me because I don't really like those shows anyway. I get your point though, and yeah, I don't let the fans ruin things I like. And I recognize that people like that are in every fandom, but it's the concentration in the Clannad fandom that bugs me. Fencedude, I don't have to find and point out specific examples because it's a general trend, and it's not like I'm making this up. I'm sure others will attest that lots of Clannad fans go a little overboard. |
||||
|
||||
Fencedude5609
 Posts: 5088 |
|
|||
Little Busters has great animation! When its abusing lolis anyway. 
|
||||
|
||||
|
Fencedude5609
Posts: 5088 |
|
|||
Yes, of course you can just assert that, thats clearly not a completely disingenuous argument that can just as easily be applied to fans of any given relatively popular franchise. |
||||
|
||||
|
Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
|
|||
All he's saying is that Clannad does have a particularly passionate and vocal fanbase (or it did during the show's peak several years ago). The fact that they managed to swarm the Encyclopedia says a lot considering just how many user votes it'd have taken to make After Story the #1 rated show in user rankings for several years. Denying that or saying it somehow isn't worth expressing whatsoever because there are passionate and vocal fans of literally everything seems obtuse and deliberately obfuscating. Are you insulted or somehow put off by Clannad fans being mentioned as particularly passionate and vocal? Otherwise I don't see the point in "correcting" something that's demonstrably true. When the show came out, the fans were so sensitive about what people said that it prompted me to write this "preview" that some of them actually wound up taking seriously and saying it was a good review that they agreed with. animenewsnetwork.com/fall-2008-preview/2008-10-04/zac |
||||
|
||||
penguintruth
 Posts: 8461 Location: Penguinopolis |
|
|||
|
Please don't lump Haruhi in with the tragedy porn that is Key shows. Haruhi at least has interesting, unique concepts and isn't just "cute sick girl has bad things happen, bland male lead comforts". And I don't really consider Haruhi to be a moe show.
Last edited by penguintruth on Sun Feb 10, 2013 7:20 pm; edited 2 times in total |
||||
|
||||
Fifth B
 Posts: 213 |
|
|||
|
Excellent, excellent column. Kanon is easily in my top ten, probably even my top five at this point, and I really dug Clannad and parts of Air. I agree with much of what Mr. Toole says here, although of course my reaction to these show and the elements which he describes are quite different from his. I found the mood in Kanon rather melancholic and bitterly nostalgic, and I think this allowed me to enjoy and appreciate what I fully realize are contrivances and melodrama (though I would argue they are at least well thought out and executed contrivances and melodrama). In fact, were it not for that mood, Kanon would have fallen completely on its face.
This is startlingly accurate. These shows are like cake for me. I love a provocative anime like I love a good steak, but hey, sometimes you're in the mood for a simple slice of cake. That cake might a lot of nice flavors that go together quite nicely, and it might be a little more complex and filling than you might have expected, but it's still not going to nourish you. Once again, great column! |
||||
|
||||
jenthehen
 Posts: 835 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio |
|
|||
|
I'm so glad someone else likes Kanon best of the three ... I think it just had the best pacing of the three and the most clear overarching theme and a satisfying ending.
|
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group