Forum - View topicAnime Expo® and MTV Cast for True Life
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| Zac ANN Executive Editor  Posts: 4298 Location: Death Star Cocktail Lounge |
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"Loaded question"? It's a completely fair one. This is a documentary about anime fans. Not people who watch anime from time to time and like it just fine. It's about fans. People involved in the subculture. Yes there are some people who watch anime and aren't really in to it. There are people who watch Star Wars when it's on TV, and enjoy the films, but aren't involved in the subculture. Saying "well if they want to be fair then they should make sure they involve someone who likes anime but isn't really in to it!" is like saying that a documentary about hardcore Star Wars fans should also include a segment about a guy who saw The Empire Strikes Back on cable last Sunday and thought it was good. Yes, not everyone who watches Star Wars is a giant diehard mega-nerd. But that isn't inside the scope of a documentary that's supposed to be about the diehards. As for the show itself, they tend to pick people with compelling stories to tell. In the OCD episode they picked otherwise normal teenagers who simply had to deal with OCD every day - a very humanizing look at a condition a lot of people have. There was no sense of mockery, no "look at these freaks", it was simply a chronicle of what their lives are like dealing with that condition. The subjects speak directly to the camera, describing what they go through. Again, there is no real manipulation of footage nor an attempt to make these people out to be fools. My standard for "accurate" would be to simply follow a few different diehard anime fans around, people who see it as a defining part of who they are, people for whom being an anime fan is a major part of their daily life. That's the scope of the project; this isn't an attempt to encapsulate the realities of everyone who has ever enjoyed anime before, it's a look into a current subculture, people whose anime fandom has a significant personal impact on their daily lives. And honestly someone who defines themselves by their anime fandom is likely going to come across as a little socially awkward. It's just the truth of the matter. And the problem is, the inevitable fan reaction - no matter who they pick - will be whining about how they should've found someone "more normal, like me", likely unaware of how they'd look if someone were to document their lives, complaining about how MTV purposefully created a hit piece specifically designed to make anime fans look like idiots. Which wouldn't be the case but it sure feeds into the ridiculous victim mentality a lot of fans carry around. |
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| MrVince Posts: 67 |
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I like your explanation. Maybe "representative" would be a better choice than "accurate".
It is definitely one of the better shows, but I'd have to say MTV's best show in terms of affecting perception was Real World 3. Seriously. Probably a quarter of the stuff was staged back then but it effectively brought HIV/AIDS awareness to the forefront for many people. MTV sometimes gets a bad reputation because of all the staged crap, but Real World 3 does is one of the (arguably few) examples of the network's good side. True Life also carries on that tradition. God bless Pedro's soul. He was a really good guy =( |
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Eos Posts: 165 Location: Jersey |
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Funny you should mention the Jersey shore one... From the website: "True Life is back in Seaside Heights, New Jersey for another wild summer at the Jersey Shore--only this time we're going to show you how the girls party "down" there. True Life: I'm a Jersey Shore Girl will follow three Jersey Girls with a rented summer share house and see how they try to maintain relationships in this fashion-obsessed, hormone-driven hotspot. Lisa, Dottie, and Erica all thought they'd be single for their first summer renting a share house. But, by Memorial Day Weekend (the jump-off point of the summer) they all were in committed relationships. Will their relationships be able to endure Seaside's infamous nightlife and the temptations associated with it? Or will they ditch the dudes and find summer love in one of the Jersey Shore clubs? Watch as the girls deal with heartbreak, possible hookups, and overall hysteria all before having to return to their mundane routines "up" in North Jersey for the fall. They'll talk about boys, cry about boys, maybe dump old boys, and try to find new ones all in True Life: I'm a Jersey Shore Girl--A show where you'll get the inside scoop on what it's like to be a girl at the Jersey shore." It's possible to be a Jersey shore girl and not be a skank thank you very much Tru Life. I remember watching and liking episodes years ago, but I've noticed the show has done downhill quite a bit. There was an episode about a bipolar girl who refused to take meds. Watching it with my bipolar friend she was angry because while most who have the disorder struggle with it, they chose to profile someone who took it to the extreme, and would further the idea that "these types are unstable and should be avoided." I'll admit some episodes can be eye-opening windows into the lives of people, but for every intelligent episode, there's a shock value one. |
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