smartstooge

A very good point about criticism’s acceptance in society. This speaks to why there are so few cynical critics. Yet by saying how people don’t accept criticism well in the US, doesn’t that then support how there should be more criticism so that like in Germany both the negatives can be dealt with in a mature manner and the youth can be introduced to the positives of critical thinking? Comparing how criticism impacts people, positively or negatively, in various situations and locations would be an interesting study to do, and see if, in a active environment, the application of criticism to popular culture could help educate youths the importance at looking at the world around them with a discerning eye. Thanks for the comment, it seems the perfect cynical criticism of my own piece!

Very good article, and the movie sounds like a must-see! I watched a documentary on this very subject and it is stunning how an advanced country like S. Korea can have such a dark overbearing situation (or perhaps it should be expected from richer cultures). One wonders how humanity will develop in the future with such emphasis on beauty as defined by advertising.

I was glad to see the part about schools and Universities not forewarning or aiding women when it comes to the industry. Even as an actor with a degree I never saw even a discussion on the two-facedness and backroom dealings even community theatres dare commit, let alone Hollywood. It’s very true that the way things are done and have been done is to blame, but also education is key to at least warn of these awful things and help try and put more pressure on the system to change. I wonder too if the rising idea of youtube and online stars may help change things one day, especially in environments where women can reach similar heights without risk of an over-watching businessperson with such unlimited power over them.

Satoshi Kon definitely was on to something when he spoke of “escapism”. Too much of a good thing, no matter what, can always lead to harm and he knew that it was fine to enjoy the culture of manga, anime, J-Pop, etc. but the over-obsession and desire to escape real life is where the bad came from. It’s the same with everything from “meatheads” (steroid abusers born of people who enjoy the gym) to “shopaholics” (people unable to stop spending because it gets them away from home and real problems). There’s all sorts of negative stereotypes with fun, innocent activities like watching anime, but of course the headlines go out to the ones who take it to the extremes. It’s a warning of watching yourself and ensuring you don’t forget to live the life that let you enjoy all these interests in the first place. Satoshi’s warning is to not let a good love for something become an obsession and remember there’s a far bigger world outside of one or a few strong pursuits that bring instance pleasure.

A very interesting and thorough article. I have found a lot of “what to watch” articles in general on anime tend to get very (for lack of a better, or existent, word) “Otakuish. When I was younger I asked many what anime to watch (not understanding Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z were indeed from Japan) and I got a lot of suggestions of anime filled with Japanese jokes and cultural references which for a beginner is kind of a turn off when you don’t get the joke and the episode seems to be a boring amount of talking (case in point for myself: Lucky Star). However though many put down series dubs, the one for me that made me enjoy anime was Digimon (once I knew it was an anime). Filled with western references and jokes it made me laugh and I still got the more in-depth serious issues that are universal to human beings. As far as introductory anime go, that for me was the best route, along with silent anime shorts like “Robot Carnival” and the works of Miyazaki. Later learning much more of Japanese culture I definitely have enjoyed anime far more, but those original half-and-half westernized anime actually helped a lot, so I’m glad people can still thank them for being introduced to an untapped world of amazing animation and stories.

John Hughes is not only still relevant, but ahead of his time. Even today people are afraid of how smart young people are. Growing up in a time when kids not only served in the military before they were the age to vote but also were shot in schools for disagreeing with the government, he obviously had a lot of ideas of the wrong impression the world had (and still has) of them. From him then to Don Bluth in the next decade the trust in kids and teenagers they pioneered hopefully will grow and they won’t be treated like idiots rather than inexperienced. But if recent memory since the millennium shows, there’s a lot of catching up to do to this master of movies, John Hughes.

Looking at the idea of originality one need read no further than “Hero of a Thousand Faces” but yes, the new spin a work puts on an old idea is the core of modern art today. An interesting comparison this particular director also brings up is works based directly on another’s. Recently Ghibli switched from Hayao’s own original works (Nausicaa, Porco Rosso) to works others wrote (Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo, The Cat Returns). Since Spirited Away (original Hayao idea) won the Academy Award, I’ve heard many speak of the falling of Ghibli’s greatness. While Ponyo and Howl both did rather well, they never reached the status of Spirited Away (to be fair probably Miyazaki’s best work) and since then each work like Arietty and The Wind Rises met with less acclaim than Ghibli’s first several films (from Castle in the Sky to Spirited Away), though were still recognised as being superior to most current popular animation. This trend of the works being less critically acclaimed and more based on others’ works is an interesting change and as this article proves, worth looking into in the case of originality as important for a work’s worth.

I definitely find the best impact a film or any work of art can make is spanning a whole range of emotions (and Inside Out is a perfect example, haha), the sadder we are, the happier we’ll be. I think Pixar is continuing a trend started by the great Don Bluth: go dark and make the characters have to suffer to enjoy the sweetness of the victory that comes. Granted Bluth went further with the idea than Pixar has, but I hope the trend of exploring the dark issues kids face today will continue to bravely shine light through media on how to understand those young minds most of us left a long time ago.