CriticalOtaku

Definitely one of the most interesting articles on anime I’ve read in a while, and I’m happy to see someone tackle this issue as it is something that does bother me quite a bit when it comes to anime. I didn’t know that kill la kill was meant to be a parody–but granted, I didn’t know anything about it except that I’d heard it had a ridiculous amount of fanservice. It’s definitely a bit of a relief to know creators of shows are using familiar tropes to create new meaning–and while I still wish fanservice wasn’t the way to go about that, I do appreciate the intent when it comes to making artistic choices.

Really great read. I’m a huge fan of the film and I was always curious as to why there was so much in-depth talk of the various musicians and albums mentioned.

Interesting article. Game of Thrones is certainly not a perfect show considering the amount of sexposition and graphic violence used either for titillating the audience or for the sake of shock factor (neither of which entail quality drama). Season 5 thus far may be the weakest as well because of how much the showrunners rely on having the characters undergo horrible things without these events impacting the plot or character development in any significant manner. And the vast amounts of pointless nudity in prior seasons drags down the integrity of the show too. Hopefully the showrunners can take a hint from the vast amount of backlash they’ve received, and actually do something different and meaningful in the next season.

Really interesting article. I tried watching the first episode a little while ago (the one dealing with “red eye”) and I wasn’t a huge fan, but I’ll probably give the show another try because I had no idea Bebop was so steeped in intertextuality.

I’ve personally never read fanfiction but I agree with you on the point that originality isn’t really something that should be placed above all else especially because most of the subjects, if not all of them, that current authors and past authors have written about have been so many times. And it’s not just something that happens in literature but in music and art as well. As long as an artist (whether writer, musician or painter/sculptor/etc.) can move an audience member, originality shouldn’t be the thing that’s emphasized.

Really interesting article. I never knew the use of shadows could be categorized like this in writing–for me it’s always generally been associated with creating a sense of drama or heightened tension

Definitely an interesting idea for an article. I agree that whether or not a person has had formal training in film criticism is irrelevant so long as they have evidence to support the claims they make. At the same time, I do find it difficult at times to judge a film or a show objectively because any time you’re interacting with a creative piece, the experience you have from it is largely subjective, and your opinions are subsequently influenced by that; that’s part of the reason why I believe one person can think a film is objectively excellent and another can completely disagree because the subjective experiences for the two viewers are just not the same.

Nice article! When I watched it as a kid, I always just thought of it as another show on Nickelodeon (albeit one of my favorites); I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a “motion comic”–it reminds me quite a bit of how manga is often adapted into anime.