Panning for Gold
This Friday, June 28, I will be completing what I expect will be a quarterly ritual of naming my most and least favored anime of that season. This current spring anime season is ending now, so I will name all the anime I've been watching, which ones I've liked, ones I don't, and what I will term "honorable" mentions. I will also note which anime I'm looking forward to with the upcoming season.
It's crucial, however, to make clear what my criteria are. That may sound relatively mundane and simple, but it is important for two reasons. One, everyone's tastes differ. Two, that which I like becomes plausible for future inclusion in my Book of the Shadows, and therefore knowing what criteria I use helps with understanding how my story takes shape.
Firstly, I don't care about genre. Shounen, shoujo, harem, slice-of-life, action/adventure, comedy... it doesn't matter. Some people, I find, pigeonhole themselves into select genres either by saying they will only watch shows in this category or conversely will never watch shows in another genre. Every genre has the potential to wow, or at the very least entertain. So, when I decide which shows I will or won't watch, I don't use the genre as a criteria.
Second, I don't care about the writer, director, or artists. Well, I won't say I completely don't care, but it's not a significant factor in choosing a show to watch. Before they were famous, the big artists, big writers, and big directors were no-names just starting out. Conversely, everyone fails sometimes, so a hit-maker may end up scuffling. You can never tell when the next new legend will show up, so I feel that picking up shows only based on the names attached is a bad idea. I try to give every show a chance.
Third, because I know it comes up, is the level of eechi content. If you don't know what that is, don't worry about it. I think that in general there is a very immature approach to the subject. In short, I don't care how much or how little eechi content there is. There are a significant number of people who will discount a show immediately once they see mention of the term. I think the story will speak for itself. I've seen some shows where the eechi content makes little to no difference in the overall quality of the show, some where it adds some important meaning, and some where it takes away from the overall story. The only way to know is to watch the show... or read some reviews.
Finally, I am looking for entertainment. I only really care about being entertained by the show. I'm not looking for some revolutionary, groundbreaking story. I'm not looking for some ingenious implementation of graphical prowess. It would be nice to get those things, but not at the expense of entertainment. I don't need an anime to go out of its way to make some grand point. I know that some people would prefer it that a show be that sort of grand affair, retelling some great historical tale or great tale from history, but this doesn't concern me - not if it will take away from the overall entertainment factor.
So that's it. In the end it all comes down to how entertaining the overall story is. Everything else is secondary. Doesn't have to be spectacularly funny, doesn't have to be too serious, doesn't have to have some grand moral lesson - do you enjoy watching the show. That will be the determination for my best and worst come Friday.
It's crucial, however, to make clear what my criteria are. That may sound relatively mundane and simple, but it is important for two reasons. One, everyone's tastes differ. Two, that which I like becomes plausible for future inclusion in my Book of the Shadows, and therefore knowing what criteria I use helps with understanding how my story takes shape.
Firstly, I don't care about genre. Shounen, shoujo, harem, slice-of-life, action/adventure, comedy... it doesn't matter. Some people, I find, pigeonhole themselves into select genres either by saying they will only watch shows in this category or conversely will never watch shows in another genre. Every genre has the potential to wow, or at the very least entertain. So, when I decide which shows I will or won't watch, I don't use the genre as a criteria.
Second, I don't care about the writer, director, or artists. Well, I won't say I completely don't care, but it's not a significant factor in choosing a show to watch. Before they were famous, the big artists, big writers, and big directors were no-names just starting out. Conversely, everyone fails sometimes, so a hit-maker may end up scuffling. You can never tell when the next new legend will show up, so I feel that picking up shows only based on the names attached is a bad idea. I try to give every show a chance.
Third, because I know it comes up, is the level of eechi content. If you don't know what that is, don't worry about it. I think that in general there is a very immature approach to the subject. In short, I don't care how much or how little eechi content there is. There are a significant number of people who will discount a show immediately once they see mention of the term. I think the story will speak for itself. I've seen some shows where the eechi content makes little to no difference in the overall quality of the show, some where it adds some important meaning, and some where it takes away from the overall story. The only way to know is to watch the show... or read some reviews.
Finally, I am looking for entertainment. I only really care about being entertained by the show. I'm not looking for some revolutionary, groundbreaking story. I'm not looking for some ingenious implementation of graphical prowess. It would be nice to get those things, but not at the expense of entertainment. I don't need an anime to go out of its way to make some grand point. I know that some people would prefer it that a show be that sort of grand affair, retelling some great historical tale or great tale from history, but this doesn't concern me - not if it will take away from the overall entertainment factor.
So that's it. In the end it all comes down to how entertaining the overall story is. Everything else is secondary. Doesn't have to be spectacularly funny, doesn't have to be too serious, doesn't have to have some grand moral lesson - do you enjoy watching the show. That will be the determination for my best and worst come Friday.
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