Analyse the dynamic between heroes and villains and how those interactions carry the story or if they're bad, how they are a detriment to the plot.
I think that this would need to be narrowed in a bit, just because we can't consider every hero/villain pair in anime at once. A good direction to go here might be to either focus in on a small number of series (maybe even just one) and analyze the relationships there, or to break the types of hero/villain relationships into larger archetypes/categories, find some solid examples in anime that emulate each of those classifications, and use them to help define each category by example. – crpreble9 years ago
Great idea, but it would be nice if you provide some instances of where this dynamic exists. How did you come about this topic? Was there a particular work that you read that inspired this thread of thought. One of my favorite relationships to examine is that of God and Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost. The reason being, who is to say who is the true hero? The definition of a hero is one who falls, and then rises. Satan is the epitome of this as he is cast from Heaven to the depths of hell, only to visit the earthly realm and entice Eve to sample the fruit from the tree of knowledge, thus leading to the implementation of original sin, and the fall of mankind. Some of the most interesting hero/villain relationships to explore are the ones where the distinction between the two are less defined. – danielle5779 years ago
This could be a series of articles about different universes and/or different types of relationships. I feel that this could be interesting in terms of, say, the different Batman villains. But that would be a different article than talking about the relationship between Aizen and Ichigo in Bleach or Darren Cross and Scott Lang in Ant Man. – nsiegel9 years ago
Well there has to be a theme like any story. You have a good guy and bad guy and within those personas there underlies a story who overall contributes as to a balance of the main storyline as a whole. – richardperez9 years ago
This is interesting, I would take the dynamic between heroes and villains from such a broad scale to just focusing on a few characters, like Thor and Loki, because they are also enemies but have a familial relationship. – emilyinmannyc9 years ago
This is a great topic, but needs to be more specific. Maybe draw similarities between a couple villain and hero characters and evaluate the patterns of how the relationship dynamic effects the plot and other characters, etc. – Morgan R. Muller9 years ago
A look at what makes great good anime, what's the definition of "anime" and the basic history of anime. Basically, a piece for people who have heard of anime, but haven't jumped into the genre of anime.
This would be a great topic to write about! One could go very in depth with the history of anime and its significance to the Japanese culture. – KarinaMarie9 years ago
I saw a piece like this recently, can't remember the title but perhaps look it up to ensure it hasn't been already done. – smartstooge9 years ago
Take a look at anime that either were adapted so poorly from the manga or are left incomplete that deserve to be remade from scratch. Kanon 2006 or Space Battleship Yamato are examples of anime that have done this.
A quote appearing more and more thanks to influence from Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most famous, if not the most famous, director in the anime industry of Japan. In an interview, he said "Almost all Japanese animation is produced with hardly any basis taken from observing real people, you know. It’s produced by humans who can’t stand looking at other humans. And that’s why the industry is full of otaku!" Otaku brings about a negative connotation in Japan and even in America. 'Otaku,' which translates directly to 'house' in Japanese, usually gives off the idea of somebody who stays home indulging themselves without ever experiencing reality. Do you think anime is problematic?
This seems to be an exploration at dissociation as a result of anime, an idea that could be related to video games as well. Indeed, this topic could be extended to all media in general, though I like that it focus' on anime in particular. Perhaps refer to an article by Christian Metz titled "The Imaginary Signifier" (although that is very dense reading). – 50caliburlexicon9 years ago
The main difference I see between anime and other media is the massive amount of fanservice and mass-production of single character products. Series seem to want you to pick a 'favorite', thus buying items of only that character and paying them large amounts of money. Not only this, but those favorites that are girl characters are depicted in slightly OC, sexual situations. Yet, many many people buy into it. The term 'waifu' only gained popularity through anime. It seems like these fans are focusing more and more on their favorite characters than the actual plot of the series. The reason behind all this "milking," as people have come to term it, is not just for money, but because the industry really is full of otakus, who find more interest in sexualizing characters than they do of the actual story and plot, which in turn makes the plot extremely useless and mediocre, YET people take these to genuinely have depth. A good example is Sword Art Online. I understand that women are sexualized in ALL types of media, but in terms of anime, they are sexualized in a more subtle way behind a plot with just enough depth to make fans think there is genuineness in what is, in actuality, stale material. I thought this to be problematic because it obscures the ability for 'otakus' to critically analyze a series when necessary. – psychedelicreme9 years ago
Actually, I have the opposite opinion regarding Sword Art Online. I have not seen the second season with the gun wars, so these comments are in reference to the first season. I think that anime, in particular, does a very good job of showing the “dangers” of the Otaku lifestyle and living in a world removed from actual humans. Though in SOA its focus is the gaming world, there is an artistic correlation to the anime world, particularly in representation of the female body. One thing that I appreciated is the clever hypersexualization of women seen in most anime, because I think SOA does a commentary on that by showing how the female characters are in the game (its animation is comparative to the animes we are discussing) and how the female characters look in the real life world of the anime. The female characters are overtly sexualized in the games, especially Asuka in the Fairy King arc, but she is not so in the real world. Additionally, and though I may be reading too much into it, I do think that this is an excellent commentary on the objectification of women in anime and games. SOA shows how the hypersexualization of the females in the game/anime world contributes to the degeneration of the male mind and leads to them considering females as objects, little more than property. This is shown with Asuka’s father’s assistant who is obsessed with her beauty and her body, but has no interest in her mind, since he is quite content with her vegetative state. He basically wants to own her. He orchestrates her kidnapping and sexual abuse in the virtual world and attempts to physical rape her in the real world, because he sees her as a thing rather than a person of value. Even the premise of the show could be considered a commentary on the otaku. The game creator cares so much more for the worlds and people that he has created that he has no scruples entrapping people and stealing them (and their lives) from the real world, because he has more value for fantasy than he does for reality. I think anime is problematic when people cannot dissociate it from the real world. However, I think that is true of all media. If I only watched Soap Operas and rarely interacted with people, I would begin to believe that poor (heck middle-class) people do not exist, everyone is related at least through marriage, half of the people I know have a different father than who they think it is, and that it is perfectly acceptable to turn away from a conversation to have a soliloquy. I think it is easy to get obsessed with anime and that could skew one’s version of reality in dangerous ways. – Nocturngirl499 years ago
Because of what the majority of anime is, I think it can be problematic to indulge in it too much, depending on your state of mind or your mental health. Anime is a very idealized view of the world and the people in it. It's a fantasy fulfillment in many aspects, not the least of which is relationships. And if you are a young kid going through puberty and adolescence, and experiencing harem or romance animes, it CAN often be an encouraging thing to ease your mind if you are depressed, as it did for me. But it could also warp your mind into believing that it is the perfect world, whereas real life will eventually not match up to that idealization you have built in your imagination. I don't necessarily think it can cause disasociation with regards to human worth (specifically in men when they think about women), but this could occur in extreme cases. Just to be clear, though, I love anime. I don't love it as many others do, because I don't ever find myself watching it endlessly. But I own a decent amount, and I love quite a few dozen specific shows. So I totally get the appeal. However, the concept of "otaku" is a real thing, especially in Japan, and films/documentaries like "Otaku No Video" talk about it's extremes and how it can affect one's life and personal/social interactions. Therefore, anime exploration should be taken with a certain amount of caution. I also think the anime industry itself would do well to pull back on some of their most prevalent stereotypes and stylistic choices, because since the year 2000, the most popular anime series have become excessively one-note, and very pandering to the needs and desires of the 15 year old viewing market, which I think could be doing them more harm than good, including the fact that they're not getting as good television in general as they would have in the past. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
What about anime like Hyouka, Durarara, and Tanaka-Kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge? – Santafox8 years ago
Hideaki Anno initially did not want to redo the ending but felt forced to by the fan base. In doing so, he included many subtle stabs at Eva fans and is able to metaphorically represent the complaining viewers.
Some ways Anno is able to do this includes:
- Including the death threats he received in the film
- Shinji being exceptionally resistant to piloting the Eva while being forced to by everyone around him (perhaps representing everyone wanting Anno to redo the ending?)
- The more confusing and symbolic ending could be an attempt to give the viewers too much of what they wanted.
- YouTubers DouchebagChocolat and ReVolutionofEVa both cover some of the themes and symbolism included by Anno that could represent his hostility to redo te ending – cbazil9 years ago
Another note is to include some details about how an audience can be powerful enough to persuade an author to redo a part of their work. For example, the death threats I mentioned before count as one of the ways viewers pushed Anno to redo the ending. – cbazil9 years ago
Discuss the huge impact and wild success of the franchise LoveLive!, relating to its various forms (from manga to anime to game), and its problematic themes that have stirred many arguments within the franchise's fanbase and outside anime fans. Is it really problematic, or is it the context, the period, and the many tropes it 'uses' that make it seem like that?
In addition, compare it to different franchises and rhythm games and their own success and popularity.
If I remember correctly I did see an article on how there are certain locations in which people can now make offering to their favorite female anime character with LoveLive! being a main focus of it. I for one have never seen the series, but have been told by friends to watch it. XD – Kevin Mohammed9 years ago
Write a list of anime television series which may not have been big cross-over hits like Attack on Titan and Full Metal Alchemist, but probably could work as popular series in this market. Series that come to my mind are Eden of the East, Paranoia Agent, Terror in Resonance (mystery series), High School of the Dead (zombies), Maison Ikkoku, Nana, Usagi Drop, Kaleido Star and other sports anime (soaps), Dance with Devils (fantasy), Sound Euphonium (music)… any others that come to mind may be added, but try to avoid anime-only genres such as mecha, ecchi (too much of it anyway) and magical girls.
Before you got to the examples, one of the series that was screaming in my mind was indeed Eden of the East. It is series like these not are not only easier to relate to a US/European audience but also make it easier for them to watch as it becomes more relative. – Kevin Mohammed9 years ago
Great to hear you agree! That show is fantastic. – Jordan9 years ago
A bit concerned about calling 'zombies' and 'music' TV genres - that makes the article swing more towards the realm of finding shows that remind us of Western shows (The Walking Dead being the case in point for the former). Unless that's the point. In fact, a guide correlating a really popular Western show to a few anime, popular or not, could help shed light on how the moe side of things isn't all that different to whatever you're planning to binge on Netflix tomorrow. I'd happily try to put that together. – JekoJeko9 years ago
Are newer fans of anime missing out on old anime? I consider such anime as Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, and even FLCL (although a little more modern but still under the radar from most newer fans) to be essential, classic anime viewing. Most anime fans today are into Attack on Titan, Madoka Magica, Kill la Kill, Angel Beats, etc. Do you feel that it's important that they watch some of the older anime series? I absolutely think so. A lot of those anime like those I mentioned tend to touch intellectually on a deeper level.
Yes...yes they are. And it's not really their fault in any way. For one, there are very few old school animes other than Cowboy Bebop from 1999 that get much modern exposure and online streaming runs. Well okay, there are actually plenty of older animes that you can find for free from Nozomi, FUNimation, and TMS on Youtube official channels. But beyond that, very few older animes have found their way on Netflix, Hulu, and perhaps even Crunchyroll. I'm not sure how far back Crunchyroll's catalog goes in terms of age. However, unless you know that older animes exist (like, you are actually aware that there must be some decent ones that are 20-30 years old), then you're going to have a very hard time stumbling across them, and an even harder time finding out how to watch or obtain them. So many really good and fairly good ones are out of print and are hard to track down. I own quite a few myself, since I was lucky to grab them before they got incredibly expensive. But by this point, unless some of these shows get re-releases in the near future, very few newcomers will have a chance to enjoy them. Things like The Slayers Film and OVA series, Hyper Police, Gate Keepers, Urusei Yatsura (everybody always wants Ranma. Nothing but Ranma. Can't we have Urusei Yatsura on Blu-ray please?), Gokudo (that's really hard to find), and a few others. Some shows like "Irresponsible Captain Tyler" have gotten reprints, and Magic Knight Rayearth has a new DVD and Blu-ray coming from Discotek Media. The Dirty Pair TV show and Films are all in reprint editions from Nozomi. Same with Space Pirate Mito (that was a cute and exciting one) and Lost Universe (not so good, more meh.) Many many more out there. Things like Dragonball and Dragonball Z, though, will always have reprints till the end of time. So not much need to worry about that. – Jonathan Leiter9 years ago
The term "Anime Starter Set" or "Gateway Anime" are very relevant to this case. The main problem being that whatever a person see first is what their anime experience is circled around. Usually if asked by a friend what anime to start off with, I try to base it off what regular series they enjoy since it helps give them a familiar area: sometimes old series and other times new. But usually they stick around that area instead of exploring beyond their safe zon. If you can, try and get a survey going of what a person's first independently watched anime as well as what they consider an anime starter set. – Kmo9 years ago
