Forum - View topicShelf Life - Breakfast of Champions
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chefneer
 Aria Company Posts: 1686 Location: Fort Worth, Texas |
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I'm guessing the statement contains a bit of intentional hyperbole.
I suspect a successful marriage to a literary critic would require a broadly open mind, and the ability to play with words. |
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist
 Posts: 598 |
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Are you trolling me? The point my husband was trying to make was more like, sometimes there are shows he hates but he could see where others might like that show. Casshern was just so bad he couldn't imagine anyone liking it at all. A lot of people seem to have the opposite so-called "vapid and ignorant" point of view. Casshern is so good they can't imagine anyone could possibly hate it.
I couldn't really say it directly because it's a huge spoiler for the last episode. Do you plan on watching it? Because this will totally spoil it for you: spoiler[In the last episode Luna and Casshern blatantly discuss their roles. She represents life and he represents death. The gray landscapes, barren of life, represent Casshern and death. The fertile fields of flowers and children and pregnancy represent life - overflowing, abundant life.] To leave no stone unturned, the characters talk about this in a very direct way.
I brought up religion in my review of part one and people flipped out in the forum thread, saying how offensive I was to even dare mention spoiler[Catholicism]. Give it a read. I am seriously done talking about Casshern for a while. |
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Mr Adventure
 Posts: 1598 |
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I'm not sure how Christian imagery and allegory nessisarly is a negative attribute. Considering how the show then turns it on it's head (like good science fiction tends to do)
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musouka
Posts: 707 |
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I really have to question why you're bringing your husband into the conversation at all, honestly. It's not like knowing that some guy they haven't even talked to thinks Casshern Sins is trash without merit is going to change the minds of the people that like it. Also, people weren't upset that you dared to mention Catholicism in a review, they took umbrage at how you mentioned Catholicism in a review. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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I understood your husband's point perfectly well. A reasonable person understands that individuals have different experiences, memories and perceptions that colour how they will feel about any given thing. I have seen anime that I didn't like, but I have never been so vapid, ignorant - or just plain arrogant - to say, "I don't understand how another human being could like this." Every show has its defenders, detractors and viewers who don't really care one way or the other. To me, the inferred message of, "I don't understand how anybody could like this show" is "anybody who does like it must be an idiot." That's the attitude I find narrow-minded. If you were talking to somebody and you said, "I like show X" and they responded, "I can't understand how anybody could like that show" are you telling me you wouldn't find that insulting? They are going beyond merely saying that they personally didn't like what you did - it was so awful they can't imagine how YOU could possibly like it. I would find that provocative. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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Well, to be fair, this doesn't apply to everything; anyone who likes Dancing with the Stars is probably an idiot. |
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Shenl742
Posts: 1524 |
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We are in TOTAL semantic-hair-splitting territory here, but I think there's a big differance between "I can't believe anyone could like this" and "I can't believe YOU would like this, you must be a total moron", or "I can't believe any of my readers would like this because anyone who could would have to be a moron", which people here seem to be shoving into Erin's mouth
Hell, I really don't see how "I can't believe you/anyone would like this" in of itself could be read as an insult in the first place. It seems like such a harmless statement, and far from an atack on a person's character. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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As you yourself said, different people will have different opinions on a show. You may like it but others may not. In fact, others may not even be able to fathom what it is about this show that would make somebody else like it. That DOES NOT in any way mean that fans of the show are objectively wrong or that there is as a matter of fact, nothing appealing about it to anybody. It just means that whatever this appeal is to fans, it is NOT APPARENT to the reviewer. Is that provocative? Well it is a pretty strong opinion so sure but it's still just her opinion. So is it somehow offensive to people who like the show? No. No more so than any other opinion that differs from theirs. So chill out and get over it. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23769 |
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Point conceded.  And just to clarify for ikillchicken - I haven't seen a frame of Casshern Sins, so I have no personal hound in the hunt. My point about a comment like, "I don't understand how anybody could like show X" has universal application with respect to being unduly insulting, but I acknowledge I may just be a little sensy.
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agila61
 Posts: 3213 Location: NE Ohio |
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Or likes ballroom dancing. My mom loves Dancing with the Stars, but she's merciless with the remote control, and I expect over half the show content is skipped over. It is, IOW, two shows in one, designed for the DVR age: a twenty minute ballroom dancing competition show and a one hour hour ballroom dancing reality television show.
Its quite possible to believe that something is happening without understanding how it is happening. It is, indeed, not judgmental in the way of dismissing certain genres, "those people only like it for so-and-so" ... which implies that you do understand what "they" see in it, and its somehow not "worthy" ... ... if you can't understand what they are finding in the show, it means the show was made for a taste that is completely alien to your own. Which is, of course, OK ~ if every anime is made to try to appeal to the broadest range of tastes, the result is a bland, homogenized choice of one from column A and something else from column A. |
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Shenl742
Posts: 1524 |
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I honestly meant it as though believe and understand could be pretty much interchangable. I know that *I* say "I can't believe" more often than "I can't understand" in normal conversation. It just sounds more natural to me. But when you break it down like that, I can certainly see how it can be misinterprated, and I apologize for that |
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist
Posts: 598 |
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I'm sure Dancing with the Stars gets better ratings than any anime that's ever aired on Adult Swim... ever. One needs not look very far to find out who might like Dancing with the Stars. All I have to do is to look around at the gym while it's on. I'm sure my parents watch it sometimes, too.
Exactly! My husband was utterly bewildered, and asked questions like, "Who are these people? Where do they live?" I think he'd like to see a fan of the show in real life and ask them questions. He wasn't saying it to be dismissive or derisive, it came from a place of genuine curiosity. |
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Mr Adventure
Posts: 1598 |
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Has your husband watched any movies like Mad Max, The Road, A Boy & his Dog, or Book of Eli?
Last edited by Mr Adventure on Sun Sep 26, 2010 4:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Cheesecracker
 Posts: 240 |
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Just for the record, that's not what I was saying. I wasn't even that inclined to think of Christianity at all. The notion of incorporating the traits of either animals or some other entity to oneself thru consumption is not exclusive to Christianity, nor does it necessarily originate there(no slight intended). Arguably, vampirism shares these traits. Immortality attained thru the exchange of blood
I thought you were going to say it was something else. I mean that's what it seemed to be to me, but I really didn't find it off putting. My take on Casshern was that it was lyrical/musical(oh please!  ) in a somewhat minimalist way. The repetition um...layering motifs contrasting major minor reprises yadda yadda. Not that I'm calling it a masterpiece, but it really felt more about mood than about story most of the time. Regarding the ending, I think stories that are largely abstract or vague probably fall flat without some kind of confirmation/sum up. You may think it's unnecessary but if it weren't there what would you think then? It's not much of a payoff, but maybe better than none. Ironically, a large issue I see with anime is that it's the opposite: story is good up to the end then falls apart or is non existent.
I think I'm not explaining myself as well as I'd like so I'm going to leave it there.
Agreed |
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Mr Adventure
Posts: 1598 |
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I was speaking about Erin's original review, and how she uses it as ammo against the show. And you're right, that sort of metaphorical belief exists in many religions and mythology in some form or another. |
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