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I would definitely want more Flowers of Evil. It's still at the top of my own 'best anime of 2013' list for daring to be different, and doing that brilliantly.
Stuff the toxic otaku hivemind, this was a great show.

Hmm when I look back on my high school life, the only thing that comes it mind is: MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS MORE DOTS

ajr wrote:

The real issue is the implicit message in the overwhelming non-existantance of stories set after leaving school, "Nothing interesting happens after this, don't bother."

From what I saw and understood when I lived in Japan, anime is less socially acceptable when you hit a certain age than manga. I would see businessmen reading Shonen Jump on the train and fellow classmates at university discussing the newest manga chapter of Naruto, but bringing up the anime would be met with the assertion that they "graduated" from anime. Again, each individual has their own tastes, but it seems the primary demographics for anime and such are kids, teens, and otaku - and only the first two are socially acceptable. This is similar to the explanation I've heard for why so many Japanese video game heroes are teenagers. There are plenty of people outside the prescribed demographics who play and enjoy these media, but if the societal perception is that only a certain group enjoy them, then that's who studios and advertisers will aim for.

High school has its ups and downs, but I enjoyed it. I went to a smaller school in a rural town, which was kind of nice because it was easier to get to know people. I liked Flowers of Evil as a whole, though I definitely think it's one of those shows where I can't exactly say the characters were likable, but they were very dynamic and compelling. For as slow as it was, it held my attention. I had high hopes for WATAMOTE, but from the few episodes I saw, it seemed too episodic to keep me watching. I may go back to it at some point.

High school blew for me for a lot of reasons. One was that my campus apparently was the only one in the nation without a grass field. Another reason being that I got stuck at some "experimental" grade 6-12 set-up, which meant that a lot of people who started in junior high or earlier there already had their own long-term cliques by then. What else? I guess I was one of the pioneers in discovering how worthless a diploma really is in helping you land a job, before it became the national trend. Crying or Very sad

As they say, variety's the spice of life. People don't dislike a theme when there's also good proportions of others. As anime is, high school has become as the superpowers of comics - it's not the only thing but seems like every story involves superpowers. If you're really into it, then you're in ambrosia heaven. However, outside of that fandom, people won't see much in it. I mean, people repeatedly make Marvel and DC movies into blockbusters that come out every now and then, but can you imagine them doing that if movies are about superpowers every time they go to the theater? That's why they don't go into comics since that's the perception...... how ever close to the truth.

And then there's the limitations. Some themes would just be difficult to do. Heck, even the current favorite watercooler talk Breaking Bad quickly comes to mind, would be almost impossible to do about high school (girls) despite the lead being a high school chemistry teacher. There's only so many themes that can cover.

Most people move on after their school years (and this from one who enjoy fun at school despite going across borders), though some have kinda particularly unmemorable ones that it's fun to re-live it sorta the makeup years.

I never liked shows about high school, even when I was in high school. I guess that I never really felt that strong an affection for it. So much emphasis on a part of life that is so utterly unrepresentative of what life really is when we are so incomplete and immature has always seemed dumb to me. I didn't have bad time at all, but if on my deathbed I think that High School was the best part of my life, I'll wish that I had committed embarrassing suicide at the end of it and somehow taken the rest of humanity down with me.

This column was a touch weird for me to read, because Mr. Toole's interpretation of these two show seems markedly different from my own. I feel like his framework for understanding them and even some of his values for judging them are alien to mine.

My basic feeling is seeming the reverse of his. I can see quite a lot, enough to make me uneasy, of myself in Kasuga and Tomoko, but had very different respective reactions to each. I hated Kasuga, the pretentious little shit, for most of The Flowers of Evil and never really warmed to him, although I considered that a feature, not a bug. (The Flowers of Evil was almost an anti-anime) I've always found Tomoko, though profoundly flawed and very frustrating, deeply sympathetic. Perhaps that's just caused by the softness innate of Watamote's comic trappings and less alienating look.

Can't relate with either Aku no Hana or Watamote because my HS days is not that depressing, or to be exact, its the opposite (I can relate A LOT with Kare Kano). But that's what keep me watching anime, it makes you recall those days, when everyone is having good times together, before the struggle with works and other things makes everyone, including me, busy with their own life.

"I love you, Kenpachi Ramasama!"

When I want my dose of Japanese High School it's time to fire up Persona 4 again.

I'm definitely in the camp that doesn't want a show to remind them of how crappy high school was.

I'm not sick of high school shows in the least, because what people often fail to acknowledge is that there's a lot of variety possible within the setting. High school is made up of tons of little groups and the story can change greatly depending on which group the characters belong to, and how each group interacts with each other. You can also add in fantastical elements like it being a school for robot pilots. No two shows are exactly the same.

High school is a time where lots of crazy stuff happens, particularly due to puberty. You can do a lot more with that than you can some adult who's overcome all that already and are set in their ways.

And besides,

"That's what I like about these high school girls; I get older, they stay the same age."

tasogarenootome wrote:

ajr wrote:

The real issue is the implicit message in the overwhelming non-existantance of stories set after leaving school, "Nothing interesting happens after this, don't bother."

From what I saw and understood when I lived in Japan, anime is less socially acceptable when you hit a certain age than manga.

That's true. Still, with shows struggling to grab market share, you'd think trying something different along those lives would be an easy way to distinguish itself from it's peers. It worked for Free!, after all.

...aaand we're back to the lousy economy and it makes everyone avoid taking any risks. At least in Hollywood that effect is exacerbated by their current blockbuster-tentpole strategy, which can be restructured (and hopefully will). I'm not so sure anime has that option.

Great column, two of my favorite anime from this year being discussed.
High school wasn’t such a glorious time for me, so I can relate to both main protagonists. The feelings of being out of place, not belonging somewhere were terrible as was wishing that times run faster so you can get out of that hell. But there are also genuinely bright memories, so I wasn’t dreading each school day. A lot of up and downs, but I gave it a place.

Whether I want more animes with dark themes in a high school setting? Yes please, though the high school setting isn’t necessary. On the other hand, I also enjoy optimistic high school depictions like Silver Spoon and Chihayafuru.

Vaisaga wrote:

I'm not sick of high school shows in the least, because what people often fail to acknowledge is that there's a lot of variety possible within the setting. High school is made up of tons of little groups and the story can change greatly depending on which group the characters belong to, and how each group interacts with each other. You can also add in fantastical elements like it being a school for robot pilots. No two shows are exactly the same.

All that's the same with superpowers comics, but to non-superpowers fans, it's not enough to make a difference.

Vaisaga wrote:

High school is a time where lots of crazy stuff happens, particularly due to puberty. You can do a lot more with that than you can some adult who's overcome all that already and are set in their ways.

Actually, it's harder to write around adults since adults have so much more options due to knowledge, past experience, legal options that become available when no longer a minor, etc. When writing around them, you have to consider to tie up those myriad possibilities so as not to have serious loose ends. And adults are not always set on their ways - on the contrary, adults tend to become more pragmatic as they become increasingly burdened with responsibility beyond themselves, compared to our youth when we tend to be more idealistic who thought we knew everything about the world.

Vaisaga wrote:

And besides,

"That's what I like about these high school girls; I get older, they stay the same age."

So tell me, man. How's this year's crop of freshman chicks looking? Laughing

Sylpher3 wrote:

High school wasn’t such a glorious time for me, so I can relate to both main protagonists. The feelings of being out of place, not belonging somewhere were terrible as was wishing that times run faster so you can get out of that hell. But there are also genuinely bright memories, so I wasn’t dreading each school day. A lot of up and downs, but I gave it a place.

There's always good and bad. Learned it is what ya make of it, so just made do with whatever hand that day dealt ya.

It happens. Take a read at this: Things only introverts will understand: Japan edition

Are you terrified of large crowds? Does the thought of a night out clubbing fill you with dread? Have you withdrawn into a dark room, filled only with the blue light of your computer screen, desperate to avoid the horror of having to talk to a store clerk. Well, you’re not the only one, even though it might feel like it. In fact, if the number of hikikomori (socially withdrawn people who’ve isolated themselves from the outside world) is any indication, Japan is packed with shy, introverted people!

Thankfully, the Internet has allowed the shy and introverted to come together and share their experiences. Check out these comments from the Japanese website Aru Aru Matsuri and see how many you can sympathize with.

Aru Aru Matsuri takes its name from the Japanese phrase “aru aru,” meaning “that happens” or just “oh, yeah, definitely,” and the word for “festival.” The site allows people to anonymously share their common experiences, which makes it the perfect platform for shy people to commiserate and gives us a glimpse into their quiet lives.

To begin with, we have this comment, showing the potentially endless frustration a socially awkward person can find themselves in.

Get nervous when someone talks to you. → Don’t really hear the conversation → Give an absurd response. → Other person is shocked. → Become more terrified of conversations. → The infinite loop continues!

As far as high school setting is concerned, I'm not interested in it. I may watch a series with high school character, but the setting itself is neither advantage nor disadvantage. It is not enough to make me watch a series or drop it, but if a show takes place in high school, it must have something interesting to offer otherwise I won't watch it.

It's not that I want superpowers, though I don't mind them, but for example well-developed characters that are interesting with complicated relationships. That's why I liked about Brother, Dear Brother and, of course, the fact it was made by Ikeda attracted me as well.

It's also not that I would like more series about adults. For that I have books, which are in great abundance, especially since I have a Kindle and Project Gutenberg is a good supply of free and legal classics. So there is no reason to whine about lack of stories where characters are adult for me.

What I like is when an anime takes place in another and interesting world or in a different and attractive to me time period. Generic high school settings usually cannot compete with it, because they lack this advantage of showing something more than the ultimately mundane reality of high school that is so well-known and they have to be very good to make up for it.

As much as Mike can write with authority about old anime, it's always a pleasant surprise to see how he keeps up with the new stuff too. I usually come into this column expecting Armored Trooper Votoms or something like that, not Flowers of Evil. Nice change up.

I have no problems with anime in a high school setting. It is no different than shows set in a science fiction or historical setting. High school was so long ago that it is no more real than any other setting.

For what it is worth, I vaguely remember that I wasn't very happy in high school. However time blurs most of that. I don't really remember what bothered me, on the other hand I am reasonably sure there were no happy times to remember.

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