Forum - View topicShelf Life - Ace of Bakes
|
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ingraman
Posts: 1077 |
|
|||||||||
Haven't you just expanded the definition of slice-of-life to cover almost everything ever made, from Naruto to the A-Team to Hot Fuzz? Each episode of those series or the movie covers a small segment of their characters' lives. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Tuor_of_Gondolin
 Posts: 3524 Location: Bellevue, WA |
|
|||||||||
|
Yeah, that definition dilutes the meaning to worthlessness. My definition of "slice-of-life" is that it displays scenes of an ordinary life in a regular place. K-On is "slice-of-life", even if it is somewhat idealized, because it deals with a pretty mundane thing that everyone goes through -- high school -- and takes what are essentially snap-shots of the girls' life at various points while they progress through it. Seinfeld is slice-of-life because it does the same thing only with adults living in New York City. Mushishi is not because it does *not* deal with ordinary things. It does deal with ordinary settings, but that alone isn't enough to make it slice-of-life, and Ginko's life is anything but ordinary.
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Agent355
 Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
|
|||||||||
|
[url=en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slice_of_life
]Wikipedia: Slice of Life:[/url]
This is the definition we're all basically using, right? It's not derogatory, it just describes something that seems arbitrary with little plot and conflict. Mushishi is episodic, but each episode has a clear plot, conflict and ending. Watamote has a very clear conflict, as does Silver Spoon. The Daily Lives of High School boys is very arbitrary, with very little plot or conflict in each segment. It's a (very funny) slice of life show. Seinfeld probably could be considered slice of life, too, except that most episodes have a clear plot and conflict (Can Kramer make money by driving a postal van full of recyclable cans & bottles to Maine to collect $.10 instead of $.05 each? Can George keep his job after he's convinced them that he's disabled? Can Jerry keep a girlfriend?) I can't think of a good example of a live action slice of life show off the top of my head. Some newer shows have that quality, but most Western sitcoms follow a pretty set formula with A plot, B plot, resolution in each episode. TL:DR-by using "slice of life" to describe everything, the term loses its meaning, and descriptions are less, uh, descriptive. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Mikeski
Posts: 608 Location: Minneapolis, MN |
|
|||||||||
No, I got that, but I think you missed mine. The proper defense to "this slice of life show has not plot" isn't "but the nothing is the plot" or "plot isn't important", it's "having no plot is the defining point of the genre, so don't review it poorly for doing it right." So... I guess we're in violent agreement? 
I think maybe the confusion is between "slice of life" and "iyashikei" (healing/soothing shows)? Most shows that are one are both (HidaSketch, Aria, K-On, etc etc.). But some are one genre but not the other (Mushi-shi is iyashikei without being SoL, Daily Lives of High School Boys is SoL without being iyashikei.) |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Shiratori1
 Posts: 300 Location: Los Angeles |
|
|||||||||
What part of " I don't believe in the claim that Slice-of-Life = No Plot/Story" do you not understand? 
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
|
|||||||||
|
Not having a significant plot or conflict is in the definition of the literary term "Slice of Life"! You can argue about the quality or significance of the genre, but the definition is pretty clear (unless there's another one out there that I missed).
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Touma
 Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
|
|||||||||
|
I was preparing another rebuttal I realized that I was not using the proper anime definition for "slice of life."
So I agree that Mushi-shi is not slice of life anime and admit that I was wrong about it. However I am not willing to admit that slice of life shows cannot have episodic stories. Some of them probably do not have anything that could reasonably be called a story in any of the episodes, but others definitely do. They are different from the stories that you find in more serious shows. It is probably fair to say that they tend to be relatively frivolous and mundane, but they are still stories. I do not know if that applies to Yuruyuri because I have not seen that. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
|
|||||||||
Ginko encounters some pretty crazy stuff in his quest to keep man and mushi in check, both of whom are shown to be malicious (either intentionally or not). Ginko is constantly struggling against temptation and addiction himself throughout the whole show. Some of the stories told in its episodes don't have happy endings. I'm a bit baffled by a show where spoiler[the protagonist has a knife rammed into his guts in a pretty successful attempt to eviscerate him] being called "healing/soothing". |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Mikeski
Posts: 608 Location: Minneapolis, MN |
|
|||||||||
It makes tvtropes' list for iyashikei (with some of the caveats you spoke of), and I personally like it as a something-to-fall-asleep-to show, so yes. Pretty sure. YMMV, as with all such shows. I've had people tell me Angel Beats should count... so some people apparently heal easier than others... 
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Echo_City
Posts: 1236 |
|
|||||||||
|
If it weren't for ANN referencing it I don't think that I would have ever heard of TVTropes lol.
Angel Beats was pretty hilarious so I could see it being healing, though I'm still told that it wasn't supposed to be viewed as a comedy. I just can't see it. 
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Chagen46
 Posts: 4377 |
|
|||||||||
|
Shining Hearts sounds hilariously terrible. Those late-game histrionics of "AM I A BAKER OR A SWOOOOOOOORDSMAN" sound so-bad-its-good though.
As for Yuru Yuri, even if I wanted to watch all of it, there is something about the character designs that turns me off. They're...cute, but overly simple and plain. It's hard to put into words. The show itself is so vacuous and boring (I've seen a tiny bit of it) that I wouldn't be able to even get through it anyway. And honestly, go full-on lesbian or don't. If you're going to make a yuri show, go all the way, don't just tease. Too bad there's no genderswap doujin (you'd be surprised what gets one--I've seen everything from Touhou to Madoka). So many female anime characters become hotter/cuter when genderswapped. Now then, will anyone take up my offer on a show about a bunch of shotas engaging in vaguely homoerotic hijinks? I'd take out a loan for that. Bonus points for cross-dressing. .....it's never gonna happen isn't it 
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Agent355
Posts: 5113 Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready... |
|
|||||||||
|
^ So basically you want Free! in middle school, then?
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Chagen46
Posts: 4377 |
|
|||||||||
|
Oh god yes. The books actually take place IN middle school. I'd love for KyoAni to do a season on that part of the Free! timeline. Would be amazing.
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
|
|||||||||
|
@ Echo_City & Mikeski
wanderlustking has described on a couple different occasions that shows like Mushishi and Kino's Journey helped him cope with PTSD after his last deployment overseas. He described them as cathartic and that they helped him let go of things that happened to him during his time in Afghanistan. And I can understand his point despite not being able to relate to the situation. Even now, several years later, I remember the feelings that those two shows evoked, and "emotional catharsis" sounds pretty accurate. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
SquadmemberRitsu
 Posts: 1391 |
|
|||||||||
|
Personally I'd put Yuruyuri in perishable. This is not coming from some MANime lover, this is coming from someone who is an avid fan of the type of show that Yuruyuri is. Lucky Star, K-ON, Azumanga Daioh and the recent Kiniro Mosaic are among my favourite anime of all time. Yuruyuri was just lame. I'd even go as far as saying it's one of the most bland things I've ever watched. I think I laughed about two times throughout the series. Not to mention the yuri feels kind of forced.
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group