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Most Aesthetically Daring Tournament: Nominations (ABOUT TO START)


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Galap
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Joined: 07 Apr 2012
Posts: 2354
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:17 am Reply with quote
I just updated the list, and will give a running tally of votes tomorrow, along with some nominations and other writings of my own.

I agree that there are a lot of nominations that I don't think belong here really, on the grounds of them being too conventional and often not even having anything at all to write home about, even within conventional aesthetics.

However, that's just my take on it, so I'm inclined to let them stand. Anyone can vote against anything that they think doesn't belong on a fundamental level (and I stress fundamental, a level beyond 'I just don't like the aesthetics'. I think there are only a couple of things that I'll vote against for these reasons). If we do cuts (current running tally has 49, and with at least a week to go in nominations it seems likely we will have cuts), and they have enough votes against to put them in the bottom few, out they go.

I think what's kind of hard about this is that how 'aesthetically daring' something is is based on a cluster of things, rather than any one thing that can be pointed to directly. For example, to me, while other Shaft shows have done similar things, the way it was done in Madoka (particularly in Rebellion) had a real wow factor for me; it was on a level that other things didn't quite get to.

It's a combination of idea and execution, planning and performance, frequency and intensity. How much I think something fits the criteria and whether I'd vote on it over something else depends on a combination of a lot of variables in this multidimensional surface of aesthetic space, and talking about that process by which I reach my decision is fascinating to me.

Basically, what I really want to hear (more at the tournament phase) is why everyone picks what they do.

I'll say that I personally tend to value more highly animation and motion-related things rather than colors and other static considerations, and I tend to value more highly the presentation or way things are depicted rather than innovation in merely what is being depicted, and my votes I think reflect that.

I guess I'll throw them in so far:

Supporting:

Noein: To Your Other Self
From The New World
Space Dandy
Gatchaman Crowds
FLCL
Nichijou
Redline
Cat Soup
Magnetic Rose
Ping Pong
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Merida



Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 1945
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:03 am Reply with quote
Supporting:
Kemozoume
Kuuchuu Buranko
Mononoke
Ping Pong
Puella Mago Madoka Magica
Space Dandy
Tsuritama
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:04 am Reply with quote
Though I did support it, I'll agree that Soul Eater is not a particularly strong contender because all it has going on is some really different designs. But it was those designs that initially drew me to the series so I think they are something special.

And even if a design is originally by the mangaka, the animators still need to make it actually look good. Or you end up with the mess that is xxxHolic which very rarely managed to make the odd character proportions look even remotely as good as CLAMP can.

Anyway, I'll also support Katanagatari (I ultimately felt the style was too lifeless for my tastes but it definitely was unique).
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CrowLia



Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Posts: 5500
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 7:22 am Reply with quote
Supporting

Madoka Magica
Gankutsuou
Spirited Away
Paprika
House of Five Leaves
Katanagatari
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 11:17 am Reply with quote
誤称 wrote:
Is it just me or are a lot of these nominations not particularly aesthetically daring? Like Evangelion and Madoka Magica, these are pretty much a staple of "best of" lists and don't really do anything daring aesthetically. Yes, thematically they are daring, but aesthetically? Not really. Madoka is Shaft being Shaft and Evangelion's actual visuals aren't really that dissimilar from other productions of the time and robot shows of the past.

I seem to wonder, do you people just not understand what these words mean?


As I explained in my Evangelion nomination, it's the designs of the Evangelions themselves that are pretty out there. The mecha genre has strong ties with the toy industry, and kids don't want to buy toys of ugly robots. So having the Evas look so bizarre is quite daring. That's the same reason why I nominated Turn A Gundam.

I agree with you on Madoka, though. It's not daring, it's just typical SHAFT. Their visual style had become widely accepted at that point, so there was no risk involved. It looked impressive, sure, but that's to be expected of SHAFT.

I should also point out that Madoka's nomination isn't even valid.

Maybe a better name for this tournament should be the most aesthetically impressive?

Voting for: Gankutsuou

Voting against: Madoka, for reasons explained above.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18138
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 11:18 am Reply with quote
Supporting
Flag
Gankutsuou
Katanagatari (even though I didn't care much for the style, it was still quite bold)
Red Garden
Serial Experiment Lain

Voting Against:
Spirited Away - Yeah, it's extremely well-done, but there's nothing particularly daring about its style. A better argument could be made for some other Miyazaki films.

Nominating:
Metropolis

Whether talking about cityscape, background art, character design, or animation, this 2001 movie based loosely on the 1949 Osamu Tezuka manga stands out in every visual sense. A character design style which feels like a throwback to the '60s, coupled with (for the time) cutting-edge CG and streampunk-like technology creates some bold visual contrasts and the impression of content that is paradoxically both futuristic and behind the times. In other places fantastic use of color makes strong statements.

image #1
image #2
image #3

Samurai Girls

If we're truly serious about doing an Aesthetically Daring Tournament then we shouldn't shun fan service-focused harem titles which also do something visually striking, and none make a bolder or more distinctive visual impression than this franchise does. Whether it's the elaborate Edo period-themed sexy samurai costumes, the heavy lines, the background art which can give the impression of being painted on an old scroll, the ink blotches used for scene transitions (and, in the original broadcast, for censoring as well), or the unusual ways it portrays coruscating energy patterns, nothing else in fan service anime - or anime in general, for that matter - looks like it.

Note: If you go looking for clips or episodes of this one, be forewarned that it does contain a fair amount of nudity.

image #1
image #2
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 4595
Location: Gainesville, FL
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 12:14 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:


I agree with you on Madoka, though. It's not daring, it's just typical SHAFT. Their visual style had become widely accepted at that point, so there was no risk involved. It looked impressive, sure, but that's to be expected of SHAFT.


I disagree.
You have to take genre and story into consideration. To meld the character designs of Hidamari Sketch with set designs that seem to come out Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol is quite daring. And it's a Magical Girl series. Magicals girls do not typically get placed in nightmare carnival settings.
And now that we're seeing copies we see how it set a format. If you want to be like "Madoka" you mix super cute girl characters with a super dark setting. I really don't think it had been done much before.


I also slightly disagree with Key's discounting of Spirited Away and initially almost didn't vote for it for those reasons. But on further consideration I realized it really is "daring" in it grandiosity and scope of creativity. And not just because it is often beautiful and exquisitely executed but the constant barage of fantastic scenes and character designs that are very unique. And have you considered the amount of grotesqueness in the movie? Chihiro's parents turning into pigs; the baby; the heads; the giant fat, sweaty daikon spirit; the polluted river spirit; No Face eating everything and everyone and barfing them out...
That's not standard "safe" stuff.

And not that beauty and execution should be automatically discounted (as long as they aren't overly considered). Are David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia or Dr. Zhivago not aesthetically daring just because they're big budget epics?
If anime is done at at such a grand scale as Spirited Away and does things others just couldn't dream up the way it does.... I think that counts as daring.
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marie-antoinette



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 4136
Location: Ottawa, Canada
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 2:37 pm Reply with quote
Vaisaga wrote:
I should also point out that Madoka's nomination isn't even valid.


What makes you say that?
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:30 pm Reply with quote
marie-antoinette wrote:
Also, I thought this would have been nominated by now but since it isn't, I'll do it.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica


1.) Nominated isn't bolded
2.) Title doesn't link to ANN page.
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TsunaReborn!



Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Posts: 4713
Location: Cheltenham UK
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:47 pm Reply with quote
... Im not trying to be disrespectful here but I normally stay away from the tournaments due to silly technicalities like the above (one of my first posts was in one of these and was shot down for not bolding something) - it's obvious it's been nominated so just seems a little petty.

Rules are rules but can't we just point out that it hasn't been bolded or linked rather than making it invalid? Seems more productive.


Last edited by TsunaReborn! on Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:00 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Vaisaga



Joined: 07 Oct 2011
Posts: 13224
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:55 pm Reply with quote
That's why I pointed it out. I'm really not that hung up about it, but if the rules aren't going to be enforced, why have the rule in the first place? Also it's a pretty simple format so there's really no reason why someone would make such a mistake.
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SethMosrite



Joined: 27 Nov 2010
Posts: 173
Location: Boston, MA
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:49 pm Reply with quote
Voting For:
Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
Metropolis
PMMM
Serial Experiments Lain
Space Dandy


Voting Against:
Aria
Attack on Titan
Nagi no Asukara
Otome Yokai Zakuro
Soul Eater

Although subjective, I don't consider these shows aesthetically "daring" in comparison with the other nominees. Let me add that these are all shows I enjoyed watching (except maybe Soul Eater).
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danilo07



Joined: 25 Dec 2011
Posts: 1580
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:28 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
And not just because it is often beautiful and exquisitely executed but the constant barage of fantastic scenes and character designs that are very unique. And have you considered the amount of grotesqueness in the movie? Chihiro's parents turning into pigs; the baby; the heads; the giant fat, sweaty daikon spirit; the polluted river spirit; No Face eating everything and everyone and barfing them out...

Character designs seem like pretty standard Ghibli fare,if you ask me.As far grotesqueness and surrealism is involved I think that comes with the territory.I mean you can apply these descriptors to "Alice in Wonderland"(which I think heavily influenced "Spirited Away"). This sort of imagery has existed for a long time now to a point that I don't think anyone would find it to be daring.
Voting Against:
Aria ( Pretty show but by no means daring.)
Attack on Titan(Good lord,so we have continually boring color pallet , reused backgrounds and a lot of non-existent animation.I also have no idea what is so daring about this show?I guess creating a show with such a horrible production schedule is daring)
Nagi no Asukara (Again,pretty backgrounds and nothing daring in it.Do I have to mention how animation is just mediocre)
Madoka Magica (Usual SHAFT gimmicks that are applied to basically anything can be seen here, well isn't that really unique)
Ping Pong (Though designs are great, the animation has been so abysmal that it in my mind it was immediately crossed off.Moreover,Kevin Aymeric's backgrounds aren't as good as you would expect and most of the aesthetical appeal was directly taken from a really popular source material.Can we really say that anime is daring if it is following formula set out by the original manga?)
Nichijou (The reasons are explained on next page)
Magnetic Rose ( Surreal imagery has been in psychological thrillers and horror movies ever since their inception.So I don't think there is a lot of daring to be found here, it does look pretty good)
Spirited Away(already explained above)


Last edited by danilo07 on Sat Jun 21, 2014 6:24 pm; edited 1 time in total
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SethMosrite



Joined: 27 Nov 2010
Posts: 173
Location: Boston, MA
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:38 pm Reply with quote
^ I would like to hear a justification for your vote against Nichijou
(I'm assuming that a vote against means you don't believe the show belongs in the competition at all).


Last edited by SethMosrite on Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 5:39 pm Reply with quote
Voting Against:
Aria
Spirited Away

Both for the same reasons: It's more pretty and well animated with an imaginative setting, rather than daring with its animation technique or designs.

Voting For:
Metropolis
*Key, I should probably point out that wherever you got the second image from isn't a fan of image hosting
SE Lain
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