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Hey, Answerman! - Netflix Violation

I think that time period is actually a freaky period in anime because of that high number of decent shows, the same way I feel about 1988 being the best year for mecha/sci-fi anime ever. I could easily add Gasaraki, Crest of the Stars, GitS, Armitage III, Blue Gender, a bunch of other titles from the same 5 years he lists. Maybe there's more to it, but it also feels like a way to recoup for not much coming out in the early 90s during to the economy.

See my point?

Fencedude5609 wrote:

While I agree that removing the male lead is the best thing that ever happend to Bishoujo series

No no no no
I'm sick of the fact that male characters have all but dissappeared in modern day anime.

Fencedude5609 wrote:

See my point?

Cardcaptor Sakura is better than Cowboy Bebop, and that's also from that time period. In fact, they aired together. Utena's good too.

I say more shows need to drop the milquetoast male lead or at least write better male-female relationships.

walw6pK4Alo wrote:

Fencedude5609 wrote: See my point? Cardcaptor Sakura is better than Cowboy Bebop, and that's also from that time period. In fact, they aired together. Utena's good too.

*throws up arms*

Could you please not be absurdly reductionist?

Either way, a lot of shows that appealed to the right kinds of tasted at that time were produced, things people wanted like space adventure or gritty sci-fi. And a lot of them had fairly decent budgets on top of their writing, settings, and characters. There's a ton to like from that time period if you're a typical nerd, and I think it's safe to say that westerns into anime in the late 90s and early 00s were usually nerdy in some capacity and already have a predisposition to like those types of stories. Whereas later on, with much more diversity and variety of show, those getting into anime had the choice to not watch just those kinds of shows. If you really like mecha and sci-fi now, are you also the kind to just flat out reject older shows because they're old? If you're into to shounen-ai now, I don't know how much older titles will interest you, because I can't say that much exists from back then. Or if it does, the art will be a turn off.

And my aforementioned statement that no one remembers the 5 crappy shows that aired along side each one of those that has been mentioned.

Chagen46 wrote:

Fencedude5609 wrote: While I agree that removing the male lead is the best thing that ever happend to Bishoujo series No no no no I'm sick of the fact that male characters have all but dissappeared in modern day anime.

The inclusion or exclusion of the typical anime male protagonist can have a negative or positive effect respectively on the characterization of the female characters. Female characters in shows with male leads like Rosario + Vampire and Infinite Stratos for example tend to suffer from being rather one dimensional. They are written so that the milquetoast male lead is the center of their world and they act accordingly to gain his affection. It does not make for very positive characterizations of the female cast.

Compare this to shows that exclude the male protagonist like K-on, Strike Witches, Queen's Blade, etc. These shows have much more dynamic female characters. At the very least they have goals and aspirations that extend beyond throwing themselves at some guy. Putting aside the issue of fanservice for a moment, the characterizations in the all-female cast of Strike Witches are much more positive than in Infinite Stratos. I say more shows need to drop the milquetoast male lead or at least write better male-female relationships.

Ok, but you listed a group of shows that aired over some period (like 5 years or so, don't feel like checking), which are generally known to be "good". I could probably find an equivalent set over any given period.

You actually hit the exact thing I'm talking about. While it's good that female characters are starting to be written as people and not trophies for the male MC to "collect", I feel that the "no male characters" approach is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Shows should try to write male-female relationships better.

It's not nostalgia or a flawed comparison or anything like that.

It's just my honest opinion.

I would also think it would be worth considering that it is unusual for a show to not have a male lead, while no one bats an eye at a show not having a "female" lead.

Last Exile Fam, while certainly disappointing for a variety of reasons, got a lot of shit for not having a male lead. Having Fam be a boy would not have made the show better, and I applaud them for at least giving it a shot. And for showing that a female lead can suffer from the same issues that make so many male leads really lame.

There are good male leads out there, and I applaud them, but there are many, many shows where the male lead character is by far the worst part of the show.

You actually hit the exact thing I'm talking about. While it's good that female characters are starting to be written as people and not trophies for the male MC to "collect", I feel that the "no male characters" approach is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Shows should try to write male-female relationships better.

I may be wildly of base but for some people it seems having a female lead or an all-female cast is considered pandering to otaku. So Last Exile Fam took shit for that reason, and the fact it was a sequel to a popular show probably made fans angrier over the perceived pandering. At least that's what I recall some people complaining about. Of course this was just people being oversensitive and overreacting on the internet. But yeah, I welcome well written leads regardless of gender. However the cookie cutter milquetoast high school student male lead needs a makeover badly.

I'd like anime to have both strong all-female casts and shows with well written male characters/male-female relationships. I mean, I love Stike Witches but throwing a male lead in there would ruin the character dynamics the show has established. That's what we have shows like Infinite Stratos for. But IS kinda...sucks. The all-female dynamic works more or less. We just need shows like IS to be better than what they are now. But until then, like Fencedude said, I'll take an all-female cast over a show with a bad male lead.