Forum - View topicSound Decision - MUCC + Nana Kitade Live
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vulgar mushi
Posts: 2 |
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I was about to say exactly what you were going for. I understand that many people do not and will never like MUCC. That's ok. You can even write that you didn't like their music. It's the fact that things such as "many people left" were written when that is no longer a debatable opinion but more of a fact. Hardly anyone left during the show and maybe he was counting only those who left because they didn't know there would be an encore? I also have to agree that the concert was the STANDARD length and I guess him saying they played too long was that he doesn't like the music of MUCC and could've said they played too long if it was only an hour. I guess it was his personal opinion that the crowd wasn't loving the show, but I personally do not see where anyone would get that notion considering how warm a response MUCC received. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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Here's the problem with a lot of what you guys are saying: you're not willing to believe or admit that your own take on the concert is just as subjective and open to scrutiny as Jon's. You all seem to want to present your opinion of how the concert went as fact, while telling Jon he's wrong and it's just "his opinion". Most of you would probably say that the L'arc En Ciel concert 2 years ago was a rowdy, totally over-the-top enthusiastic event, right? From my vantage point in the press seats I could see the entire arena; the only people even really moving a lot were right up front closest to the band on the floor, while the bleachers and the rear of the audience were basically jut standing still, maybe nodding their heads a bit. The cheering was way overpowered by the speakers and Hyde's terrible English got lots of confused "huh?s" from the audience. People started filing out of the arena about an hour into the show, and the rear of the concert hall and many of the bleacher sections were pretty sparse by the end, although the front remained packed. Now, from that paragraph, you'd assume that the concert was kind of a bust. It wasn't, not at all. But that's how almost every concert looks like from the bleachers, or from the rear; people are REALLY LOUD AND ENTHUSED at the front and kinda not so much at the rear. But those of you in the front would probably tell me "oh no, EVERYONE was really in to it and rocking out!". It might have seemed that way from where you were at, but our perceptions are different. I'm not going to tell you you're totally wrong, and I'm not going to tell you that my take on it is totally right. You guys aren't even really reading what the guy wrote - you're acting as if there are only TWO responses to the conert, either it was a HUGE SMASH SUCCESS or a TOTAL BUST, but the world doesn't work that way and Jon's review was written in shades of grey. I'm sorry so many of you seem to have trouble grasping that concept. |
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shirokiryuu
Posts: 714 Location: Northern California (SF Bay Area) |
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 I rememebr watching that on the DVD. lol.
I can see where you're going. Except most of the people who probably left weren't fans of L'arc (maybe interested in fma, or were dragged there) and wouldn't care as much. While the die hard L'arc fan will yell out how great it was.(Even if Hyde obviously can sing better) Usually more positive reviews for things like this are expected, while people always get defensive at negative reviews.  I've always thought this review was pretty level.
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RabbitRevolution
 Posts: 218 |
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I honestly feel kind of bad that several people in this thread are insulting Jonathan Mays in this way. For all that I know, these people are "probably some anime fans" who just wandered onto ANN and don't know much about this site, since they apparently haven't read Mays's other Sound Decision columns. If these people had bothered to find out who Mays was and read the other music articles that he has written for ANN, they would most likely realize that his reviews are discerning but in no ways overly negative or ignorant or any of the other offenses that they are accusing him of committing. I personally went to Otakon but did not attend either of the two concerts. I was interested in seeing Nana Kitade because I am a fan of hers, but I'm glad now that I chose not to go. From not only Mays's comments but also those of several people in this thread, it's clear that her performance was suited for neither the concert setup nor the majority of the audience in attendance. |
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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It comes with the territory; for whatever reason, nobody ever likes to admit that they simply disagree with sometring. They always have to personally insult the journalist. It's old, and tiresome, and small-minded, and transparent. But it happens. |
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jpopusa
 Posts: 20 |
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Personally as someone who works very closely with the industry and the writer, it was actually quite brave (or fool hardy depending on who you ask) and very difficult to have written an article such as this. I know personally that I usually spend much more time critically listening to CDs or demos that I think are "bad" than I do the good ones.
Typically, when something is "good," it is actually easier to express your opinion, as you face no backlash from either the industry or the public. The only bad thing that can happen when writing a positive review is that your readership might question your taste. But when you write negative reviews or comments, those are always put under the microscope. Immediately after reading this article, I personally called Jonathan up and talked with him about the article. I thought it was pretty gutsy and daring of him to write this article and when I questioned him about it -he stuck to his guns and this was his true and honest opinion of the show. One thing that I can definitively say about Mr. Mays is that he has integrity. And for anyone questioning his support of Japanese music in North America, he has been a long time supporter and one of the few individuals who have really helped bring about real recognition of the industry in English. Being a person who has helped arrange and setup more Japanese concerts in the US than anyone else, I can tell you very honestly that not all of them always go as planned. Just as mentioned above, even the L’arc show had some negative aspects to it despite being the largest show to date. Personally, I thought the TMR show at Otakon was a much better show in terms of crowd dynamics and enthusiasm –but that’s my opinion and many others may readily disagree. But I have worked other shows where things go horribly wrong such as the sound system going bad, critical equipment not arriving when scheduled, long delays till show time and other tragedies such as people in the crowd getting injured. My point is that no concert is perfect. Also, a lot of the feeling of the show has to do with your vantage point and the people and environment around you. One of my favorite concerts was the dream show at A-kon because it had one of the best concert moments I have seen. Kana of dream started to get very emotional because she was overwhelmed by the audience loudly singing along to “My Will” from Inu Yasha. Now I personally thought the audience was very enthusiastic and for the most part really got into the show. But I heard a couple of opinions after the show that very much contradicted my own experience. Of course these people were largely in the back left of the venue and I spent most of my time up near the front right of the stage but my thoughts were the exact same as those echoed in this thread –Did these people see the same show I did? So Jonathan didn’t get swept up in that magical place that live concerts try and take you. It seems that several others did. But what Jonathan did accomplish quite well in his review was to give you an accurate picture of his experience of the show. And while I think that he may have been a bit harsh in his review -as an industry insider, I think that there are important things that can be learned from this article, as there is always room for improvement. And those lessons rarely ever come from positive reviews. -Chris |
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IvoryBirch
 Posts: 137 Location: a distant northern land |
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This is really nitpicking on an insignificant detail, but I wouldn't really classify her bunny as "iconic." It's a bag from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, so it's unique to her at all.
Dunno about her music (I've only heard the FMA opening theme), but her outfits are pretty cute (although sometimes she coordinates a bit strangely). And her shoes! I saw them at the fashion show and almost died from seeing Vivienne rocking horse shoes in person... Perhaps that a bit excessive, no? I'm not really that materialistic (or so I tell myself)... |
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noriko-takaya
 Posts: 80 Location: Edgewater, Maryland |
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I honestly do not know why the guy who reviewed this gave it such a bad rating. I went to the showing on Friday myself and had a blast. I totally loved Nana Kitade!
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jvowles
Otakon Representative
 Posts: 219 Location: Maryland |
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I have to take issue with the idea that it's irresponsible of me to express *my* opinion of Mays' review. I disagree with his review. That's fine -- opinions are like other things we all have. The TONE of his review, however, elicited widespread comment that it felt negative -- some three pages of them before I was pointed to the article. *MY* point was that it doesn't MATTER if he's negative, because the reviewer's meant to reflect his own view of the event -- which is always going to be subjective. As I said explicitly, "I certainly don't object to a negative review as long as it's not factually wrong." I don't think he was factually wrong. For example, he didn't feel the crowds were enthusiastic. Clearly others felt quite different on this point. Lacking any objective gauge of crowd "energy", you're left with hearing one opinion that it was lackluster, and twenty or thirty that it was throbbin'. Crowd energy is something that's made up of the people in the crowd, and if a lot of other attendees felt the atmosphere was intense while one attendee felt otherwise, that puts the reviewer at odds with others on the subject of how much they were into the concert. I certainly don't think Mr Mays was being *deliberately* negative, but it seems clear that his perception of the vibe was at odds with that of most of the other people here. I dunno, maybe he was just worn out by the walk, or just didn't feel the vibe for some other reason.
Sorry, but that is not the impression I got from reading it, nor is it the impression most folks in this thread got from reading it. If Mr Mays was attempting to write a positive review with a few sore spots, then it appears obvious from the majority of this forum's comments that he wasn't entirely successful. It happens.
And the tips I relayed were from long-time professionals, too. At no time did I take this personally, nor did I attribute any ill will or purposeful negativity to Mays' critique -- in fact I defended his right to have disliked the show! I didn't engage in any personal attacks -- though others in this forum have done so. I didn't accuse him of any intentional bias, but rather suggested that he might have *unintentional* bias. (You know, the sort of thing you really can't notice in your own work.) Of all the other crap a con chair has to deal with, believe you me, a slightly negative-sounding review is very low on the worry list -- especially when tons of people were jumping up to voice their own disagreement before I got here. So to clarify: I think Jonathan's generally a good reviewer. I certainly didn't say that he was "wrong", and in fact I started off by pointing out that it's the reviewer's right and duty to write about his subjective view of the show. I disagreed with his take specifically on the level of crowd energy at this show, but I recognize that it's a matter of perception. I pointed out that his review seems to be at odds with others' experiences, including my own. And in reaching for an answer as to why he seemed disappointed in the show (and particularly the vibe), I suggested that he, like many critics, may be suffering from a bit of burnout, and suggested techniques that I know are used by OTHER professional critics to keep from falling into that particular trap. In this case, I think you're conflating my (rather mild) comments with those of some of the other posters here, who've been rather a lot more vehement. Again, it happens sometimes. By all means, you should write the review that best represents your perception of what went down. And if people disagree with it, they should say why. Last edited by jvowles on Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jvowles
Otakon Representative
Posts: 219 Location: Maryland |
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It gets like that with con chairs, too. I particularly enjoy being accused of shady dealings or dark motives whenever an aspect of the con doesn't go someone's way. |
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