×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Poll: Who is your Favorite Director?


Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Samurai-with-glasses



Joined: 17 Aug 2005
Posts: 628
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 7:21 am Reply with quote
MorwenLaicoriel wrote:
The key word there is shoujo. Just look at the top 50 and count how many are shoujo. Here in america, for whatever reason, shounen rules.

Probably in part because it's not "weird" for a girl to like shounen, but it'd be considered "weird" for a guy to like shoujo. Oh, wonderful double standards!
True. There are a lot of teenage boys (with insecure sexuality?) who couldn't stomach shoujo without being totally embarrassed with...something. I know many of my friends to be such; they scream "Hellsiiiiing!!" or "Elfen Lied!!!" and scoff at the mere mention of "Fruit Basket," or, more likely so, don't even know what I'm talking about.

Though shoujo counts for a massive proportion of the manga market, I think the lack of TV outlet for shoujo anime means it is less popular overall.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
HeeroTX



Joined: 15 Jul 2002
Posts: 2046
Location: Austin, TX
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:54 am Reply with quote
Samurai-with-glasses wrote:
Second, the comparison doesn't quite work when you actually have to draw the lines. Different productions are just different productions, why suddenly make the distinctions? Cowboy Bebop might be of the same franchise and is similar to its movie, but they're still different productions.

For the purposes of this discussion, they have the same director. They ARE the same material and they essentially have the same fan base. Honey & Clover is even more so seeing as the second is just the followup season. Much like the second season of Ah My Goddess is TECHNICALLY a different series, but has mostly the same crew and is really just a continuance.
Quote:
And what's with Miyazaki-bashing in this thread? I suspect it is a measure of your internet 1331 supremacy...

When I first saw Totoro, I thought it was a decent movie, it was well done and all, but I didn't really LIKE it nor did I feel the desire to watch it again. Naussica did nothing to improve my opinion of his films and by Laputa I had truly come to hate Miyazaki flicks (excepting Castle Cagliostro). Princess Mononoke only re-inforced that, and the rabid "Miyazaki, best director EVAR!!!111!!" fans only made it worse. I watched Spirited Away for reasons I can't fully explain, but the trailer intrigued me and I was curious enough to watch. I have freely admitted since that it is an amazing movie and I've recommended it to many people since then even though I genuinely dislike all the previously mentioned movies (aside from Totoro which I'm simply "not interested" in). Because of how good SA was I watched Porco Rosso and was pleasantly surprised. So, at the end I feel Miyazaki is overrated. He's not terrible, nor do I claim all his movies suck. I think he has made some great films, and some that *I* seriously dislike, therefore he is a good director but no the paragon of anime that people hold him up as.
Quote:
You know, "I'm smarter than the average person because I love this more obscure director a lot and hates mainstream anime as much as hipsters hate mainstream music" kind of supremacy. Admit it, Miyazaki has the reputation and name recognition to easily win such a poll.

As I noted in a previous post, I actually don't really care about directors PERIOD, likewise, I don't really care about Japanese (or American) voice actors. I watch anime because it has interesting stories and beautiful art, therefore my preference lies more with mangaka and character designers. I TOTALLY admit that Miyazaki has "the reputation and name recognition to easily win such a poll", heck, I say that that is WHY he should simply be removed at the outset as the only "useful" data is really "who got second" and beyond.

Heck, if you want to see some REALLY interesting results I say put up a poll of "best mangaka" list the writers of the top 25 manga, but DON'T link their works. Then run a poll later of "what's your favorite manga" using the works of the previous 25 people. I bet you don't see the same results. A lot of people can name "CLAMP" and a fair number probably hit "Rumiko Takahashi", but from there, things drop pretty precipitously I'd bet. Take a couple hundred of the people who voted Miyazaki as their favorite director and ask them their favorite anime, I bet a LARGE number don't put one of his films at the top, possibly not even in their top 5.

Really, I think part of the PROBLEM with Miyazaki is (some) fans of his work are totally unaccepting that you WOULDN'T like one of his works as all are "masterpieces". I make no secret that "Ah My Goddess" is my personal favorite anime and manga, but I also make no secret that I DON'T think everyone would agree. I acknowledge and accept that there are things *I* love about it that others might not "get". Heck, while in HS I bought Akira and thought it was great, my wife hates it (and also Project A-Ko which I loved). But I never look at her and stare incredulously about her lack of interest in Akira. Miyazaki has made some great films, and I accept that there are people that love them, but there are also people (IMO) who "love" them because they are SUPPOSED to "love" them. I OWN a DVD for Spirited Away because it was a great film, I have no desire to purchase other Miyazaki DVDs because they didn't impress me. I also own some Satoh-san DVDs because I love some of his works. How many of the Miyazaki voters own even ONE of his films?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Strephon



Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 177
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 2:01 pm Reply with quote
HeeroTX wrote:

Heck, if you want to see some REALLY interesting results I say put up a poll of "best mangaka" list the writers of the top 25 manga, but DON'T link their works. Then run a poll later of "what's your favorite manga" using the works of the previous 25 people. I bet you don't see the same results. A lot of people can name "CLAMP" and a fair number probably hit "Rumiko Takahashi", but from there, things drop pretty precipitously I'd bet. Take a couple hundred of the people who voted Miyazaki as their favorite director and ask them their favorite anime, I bet a LARGE number don't put one of his films at the top, possibly not even in their top 5.


This wouldn't prove anything, though, because "best" and "favorite" are two different things. Peoples' favorite things are tied up in a lot of factors other than quality; someone might have a favorite song or movie because they associate it with happy memories, even if they recognize it's not well-crafted in a technical sense. (That's also why Miyazaki's greatness as a director isn't strictly relevant to this poll; it's about the "favorite director," not "best" or "greatest" or whatever.) People aren't generally encouraged to equate "best" with "having pleased the maximum number of people" unless there's an obvious stamp of quality work involved.

Also, rating a manga is a much different proposition from rating a mangaka's entire body of work. I might vote for "Bleach" as my favorite manga (hypothetically), but I probably wouldn't vote for Kubo Tite as best mangaka, because his entire body of work is two series at this point, one of which ends very abruptly. (Also, my fondness for the series is partially tied up in complicated personal reasons I won't get into here, as mentioned above.)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
P€|\||§_|\/|ast@



Joined: 14 Feb 2006
Posts: 3498
Location: IN your nightmares
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:15 pm Reply with quote
I thought this would be an interesting place to point out how the relationship between Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata as directors kind of mirrors the relationship between Elton John and Bernie Taupin as musicians. I think comparing these two pairs of artists is a good analogy in how one will always be more famous than the other but at the same time their success has depended on both working together. Everyone knows that Elton John is a legendary musician and songwriter but most people haven't even heard of Bernie Taupin, who has written many Elton John songs, and sung songs written by Elton John. It kind of sucks to be the lower person on the fame totem pole but just think where one would be without the other. Who knows maybe with a slight change of circumstances Takahata may have been the big name of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki just a side animator experiencing meager success. It just happened that Miyazaki had the greater talent, worked harder and became more recognized and built a reputation (with Takahata's help). After all there is only enough room in the world of anime for one Hayao Miyazaki.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime
Agent Wax



Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 23
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:50 pm Reply with quote
Samurai-with-glasses wrote:
Quote:
And what's with Miyazaki-bashing in this thread? I suspect it is a measure of your internet 1331 supremacy...


What 'Miyazaki-bashing' on this thread? The only bashing I see here is by Miyazaki fans who think that anybody who disagrees with them is worth picking on. Thanks for the maturity, folks.

I don't think that Miyazaki is an 'exceptional, bar-none, director'. Full stop. He's not on my list of 'must-own-on-DVD Directors'. And the reasons have all mostly been elucidated by other posters, so there is no need for me to rehash everything. All the Miyazaki-lovers need to realise that not everyone thinks highly of the people whom you have a high opinion of. Get over it and show some respect for the opinions of others.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
P€|\||§_|\/|ast@



Joined: 14 Feb 2006
Posts: 3498
Location: IN your nightmares
PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:15 am Reply with quote
Why does it seem so fashionable, when there is a certain person in a particular field of interest who is obviously greatly admired by many, to be one of the few who criticize him or her and say that person is not so great? Look at the information around you; Miyazaki is #1 in the polls, people from all around the globe are moved by his works, he draws fans from almost every age group and demographic and level of experience with anime. His films have the highest combined box office sales in Japan from a single director. The fact that he draws so many critics proves his greatness. No one criticises someone like Katsuhiro Otomo simply because it feels trendy to criticize him, you do it because you have objective observations about his work that you may like or dislike. He's directed many highly acclaimed films but how many fans do you hear about go around saying oh Otomo is great and teh best? ~ about the same number people that say his stuff is no good. The number of fans is exponentially proportional to the number of haters.

But admittedly I am guilty of the same thing. After all it is trendy to criticise since we are all different and all have differing views on what's good and what's trash. Personally I try to avoid lots of overrated stuff, so I refuse to watch shows like Naruto, Bleach and Inu Yasha. Yes I said it they are overrated, too mainstream and just general crap. Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail My Anime
Cloe
Moderator


Joined: 18 Feb 2004
Posts: 2728
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 1:27 am Reply with quote
manmanportty wrote:
Masaaki Yuasa is imho the most creative of directors. Mind Game rocked my world and Kemonozume is looking to be the best show this year.

Why, hello! You're my new best friend. I assume your Shin-chan avatar is from a Yuasa-directed episode? Wink

As far as Hayao Miyazaki is concerned, he is not my favorite director by a long shot, but I have absolutely no beef with him getting the top vote. I greatly respect his work and the amount of influence he's had on the careers of other animators. Heck, Koji Morimoto even did key animation on Kiki's Delivery Service. I would say Miyazaki is now almost as important to the development and history of anime as Osamu Tezuka, and certainly responsible in bringing anime to a larger audience in the West. There's really no argument, as far as I'm concerned. I do think it's a shame that nobody seems to remember or care about the work and influence of Tezuka anymore, though. Sad He's another favorite of mine and certainly a genius in both the art of anime and manga.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website AIM Address My Anime My Manga
hanachan01



Joined: 11 Dec 2005
Posts: 504
PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 1:52 am Reply with quote
I voted Hideaki Anno. I'm a Miyazaki fan, but his films didn't move me the way Evangelion did. I love Spirited Away, and it is in my top 10, but it didn't change my way of thinking or inspire me the way that Anno did with Eva. I have to give some credit to my Eva-loving to Yoshiyuki Sadamoto for his awesome desings for the Eva units...Smile

My other favorite directors are Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL), Seiji Mizushima (FMA, as well as the sadly overlooked Generator Gawl), and Junichi Sato (Kaleido Star).

And I think the reason that dub voice actors are easier to name for people is because they are more prominent in the American fan community. For example, a director such as Seiji Mizushima may show up at one con, most likely a very large one such as Otakon or Anime Expo. A dub voice actor such as Vic Mignogna will show up at many cons, large and small. Fans will have more of a chance to connect with Vic than with Mizushima because Vic is around more than Mizushima. Also, Mizushima is from Japan-a totally different language and culture. You'd have to talk to him through a translator, and since his culture is different, you wouldn't know how to act without seeming impolite. On the other hand, Vic is an American- he speaks English, and since he is from the same culture, you'd know how to interact. I hope that made sense.....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
jigoku+shonen



Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 13
PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 9:27 am Reply with quote
where do i vote? i don't see a link to the article. [forum mods take note .. or else point out my blindness *prolly from all that hentai*]

ok if we're just voting informally, i'll give my props to satoshi kon. how could you not?

as for miyazaki, i haven't watched any of his films because he's such a hyped up demigod. i don't want to expect anything too much, OR automatically be a part of any backlash, so I'm shelving his works for now...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Dorasaga



Joined: 08 Aug 2002
Posts: 20
PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 2:32 am Reply with quote
I think the 2 options, "too hard to decide" and "isn't on the list", are spoiling the poll, sucking away votes and suggesting folks to be undecisive is OK, which really should not happen on a poll.

As of today, October 15 07:30 GMT:
780 votes had been spoiled (588 + 192), out of about 3000 votes casted so far. That is A TON of DEVIATION!!!

-- Which also means, dear editors, you might as well void the poll, because its representation had already nulled. Is that what you want?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
fighterholic



Joined: 28 Sep 2005
Posts: 9193
PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 2:43 am Reply with quote
Dorasaga wrote:
I think the 2 options, "too hard to decide" and "isn't on the list", are spoiling the poll, sucking away votes and suggesting folks to be undecisive is OK, which really should not happen on a poll.

As of today, October 15 07:30 GMT:
780 votes had been spoiled (588 + 192), out of about 3000 votes casted so far. That is A TON of DEVIATION!!!

-- Which also means, dear editors, you might as well void the poll, because its representation had already nulled. Is that what you want?

I happened to be one of those people who voted 'too hard to decide' on account of I know of only a few directors, and they haven't been much of a factor in the series I choose to watch or what I think of the outcome and results. Though I guess it really becomes something for their names when the anime that they direct is a big hit.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Animefreak6969



Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 587
PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 5:51 am Reply with quote
fighterholic wrote:
Dorasaga wrote:
I think the 2 options, "too hard to decide" and "isn't on the list", are spoiling the poll, sucking away votes and suggesting folks to be undecisive is OK, which really should not happen on a poll.

As of today, October 15 07:30 GMT:
780 votes had been spoiled (588 + 192), out of about 3000 votes casted so far. That is A TON of DEVIATION!!!

-- Which also means, dear editors, you might as well void the poll, because its representation had already nulled. Is that what you want?

I happened to be one of those people who voted 'too hard to decide' on account of I know of only a few directors, and they haven't been much of a factor in the series I choose to watch or what I think of the outcome and results. Though I guess it really becomes something for their names when the anime that they direct is a big hit.


Thats the exact same reason for me too, if the director doesnt actually mean anything to the anime's story, while im watching it, i'll never know him/her because to tell the truth i only know 1 and thats Miyazaki and for this poll if you wanna take out the undecided choices we need to take out Miyazaki because a LOT of people only know him, like me. This goes the same for Japanese VA's and the music, i'll almost never know them either

I chose Too hard to decide BTW
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website AIM Address My Anime
Dorasaga



Joined: 08 Aug 2002
Posts: 20
PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 2:58 pm Reply with quote
Animefreak6969 wrote:
if the director doesnt actually mean anything to the anime's story, while im watching it, i'll never know him/her


Every director can play his/her own magic with an inticing and attractive anime. It's hard to choose "the best" from such a great talent pool, and I doubt anyone would debate that.

But the thing is, here the poll is asking "my favorite". Any of us may simply pick the director who directed "my most favorite anime so far". Take it easy, but choose "the one favorite" for the sake of keeping the poll clean.

And I heard people complaining about "I don't know who directs what", but can't we just make use of animenewsnetwork's interactive encyclopedia?--- when you enter the poll, click on those directors' names and browse the works they'd done--- If he/she directed your most favorite anime, then vote that person.

I 'm not pointing to any particular fan out here voting "cannot decide." My problem is with generally spoiling the poll, and it's my problem, not of anyone else, but I have the right to know some answers, too. Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
keepergirl



Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 25
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:07 pm Reply with quote
I also voted "Too hard to decide" simply because it was too hard to decide. Thus far, I've loved everything I've seen by Hayao Miyazaki, Shinichiro Watanabe, Satoshi Kon, Makoto Shinkai, and Akitaro Daichi. If I could choose more than one, I would have chosen all of them. I can't simply vote for the director who directed my favorite anime, because I don't have a favorite anime. In my mind, shows like Fruits Basket are incomparable to an OVA like Voices of a Distant Star or a movie like Spirited Away. The stories are told differently because of the different formats. Also, even if I chose a "favorite anime," it wouldn't stick because my own tastes change over time.

So yes, perhaps choosing "Too hard to decide" was the easy way, but it literally was too hard to decide for me. I've rarely had one favorite of anything in my life, and anime series and directors are no exception.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
cheezisgoooood



Joined: 10 Dec 2005
Posts: 253
Location: Orlando, FL
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:34 pm Reply with quote
Anime World Order wrote:
Unholy_Nny wrote:
Question!

Why isn't there a "I highly enjoy anime but don't really give a crap who the director is, let alone know any of them by name" option?


The answer to your question is extremely simple: it's the default answer.

Anime fandom is unique from other fandoms in that its members possess a near-total lack of interest in its creators. Certainly, people who read books know their favorite authors, people who consider themselves film fans know who directed their favorite films, and people who like music know the names of their favorite artists. But the only anime director that the vast and overwhelming majority of anime fans can even think of at all is Hayao Miyazaki, and many don't even know that. I recall one instance in which I was the only person in a crowded movie theater able to state that the director of the Ghost in the Shell movie--the film everyone was gathered to see because they could rewatch it in a theater--was Mamoru Oshii, and the beginning of that movie has "DIRECTED BY MAMORU OSHII" and nothing else on camera for several seconds. In English.

I've spent the better part of a year interviewing typical anime convention [non-staff] attendees at anime conventions. The mere act of attending a fan convention theoretically suggests a greater level of dedication to something than the average passive consumer; there is after all a difference between someone who watches Star Trek and someone who's a "Trekker." But when asked "other than Hayao Miyazaki, can you name three anime directors?" NOT A SINGLE PERSON has been able to successfully answer the question.

That's right. Zero.

For disclosure purposes, I've only attended conventions on the East Coast (Katsucon, Otakon, the Florida conventions), but I highly doubt this is a regional phenomenon. I'm just talking average convention attendees here. One person was able to do it, but he was con staff and in charge of video programming. But honestly? Most other con staffers can't do it either. I can only conclude that anime fans do not care a lick about directors, period.

Sometimes people mix up manga author names with directors when asked. Perhaps they put priority on them instead. "Who cares who directed the anime for Naruto, One Piece, or Bleach since they're basically like the manga anyway," right? An interesting argument which certainly has merit, but you'd be surprised how many people don't even know the manga author of the title they proclaim to be their favorite anime.

An answer I've heard in response to my question "how can you not know the author of your favorite manga, considering that the person's name is written in English on the front of the books that I've seen sold in bookstores?" "They don't really mention the author's name in the scans I download." Well, I guess they don't really mention the director's name in most fansubs people download either. But this isn't isolated to just the piracy contingent. It's across the board.

A lot of people also say "well, those Japanese names are hard to remember," but if this were true, then they wouldn't be able to remember the cast of Bleach to save their lives. Besides, it's not that information on directors is hard to find anymore. It's that fans by and large are completely uninterested in anime from a creator's standpoint. You might say that perhaps anime fandom overall has opted instead to worship the creations over the creators, and there's merit to that idea as well, but there's one problem with that, which is this: there is one aspect of anime's creative staff that anime convention attendees by and large can name three of with absolutely no problem whatsoever.

English dub voice actors.


I know the names of about 6 anime directors off the top of my head. I don't know if this applies to everybody of course, but the reason I personally don't usually try to remember the directors of things is because they have difficult-to-remember Japanese names. Also, anime is an addiction for me, so unless it's something I know is really important or that I just really really enjoyed, I don't dwell on learning the cast and crew of anime I've seen since I move from anime to anime fairly quickly.

Same with video games, in fact to even more of an extent. People go to video game conventions all the time but I really don't know anyone personally who would care about naming the creative staff of a video game, maybe because of the same reasons, a lot of them are Japanese names and people go through video games quickly due to its addictive nature. That's just me though.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address MSN Messenger My Anime
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  Next
Page 7 of 8

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group