Disagreeing with reviews: Jibun wo!
Here at The Nihon Review, we’re all civil enough to have the occasional respectful disagreement on anime (although it doesn’t actually happen all that often, arguably to do with the fact that the site possibly attracts like-minded people). Just yesterday we uploaded a review written by Kavik Ryx in which he panned Gasaraki, one of my personal favourite mecha anime. But, that’s fine, we’re both entitled to different opinions and he justified his in his review, which is all that’s necessary in a good review. In this business, we have opinions, we express them and then we either try to justify why we think about a given title in a certain way, or explain our reactions. But I’m not going to point out exactly why I have a difference of opinion over Gasaraki with Kavik Ryx in this post. Instead, I’m going to point out two recent reviews that are little less incongruous with my own views, but I still slightly disagree with. This post has spoilers, but it almost goes without saying on this blog…
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
My inner critic is telling me, screaming at me in fact, that Shadowmage was completely spot on to give Code Geass R2 an “Above Average” rating, but I just can’t bring myself to agree. There are a few things at work here. The crux of Shadowmage’s contention was that the storytelling was forced due to a “because I say so” philosophy, and I agree with this. I also thought the thematics at play throughout the story were pretty weak except for in a few key scenes, but that’s nothing different from the first season. The “mindless fun” is a significant one in determining just why I thought Code Geass R2 deserved a “Good” rather than an “Above Average”, but that doesn’t completely explain it (in fact, it’s a rather basic and dismissive explanation which doesn’t satisfy me at all). And certainly “characters” don’t fill this hole: almost all the characters that were introduced in the second season were throwaway and no single character was likable all the way through (Lelouch is the most likable character, but that’s like winning a science fare against a group of fundamentalist Christians… oooh, controversial).
A big part of it is the ending. No, not the cop-out ambiguous ending that said nothing and, thus, pleased everyone (a politician’s dream), where Lelouch was Schrödinger’s Cat. But I’m talking about Zero Requiem, which wasn’t just a very well made scene in a cinematic sense, but I also just liked what it stood for and what it meant for both Lelouch and the world. On the one hand it’s a throwback to the idea that freedom may be borne from an active subversion of oppressive authority, which appeals to my revolutionary side (a side of myself that was really strong in my younger days but certainly hasn’t died yet). But I especially liked it as a final act of atonement from Lelouch. It showed that, despite all he had been through, and all he had perpetrated, he still maintained a humanity and a sense of right and wrong. Obviously, for this to work, Lelouch has to be dead, but when even Michael is willing to admit that he’s probably dead, then you have to go with it on the balance of probabilities. I always approached it from a “plausibility” point of view. It just seemed more plausible to me that he’s six-feet-under, rather than somehow avoiding the grave and running away without anyone noticing that the Emperor of Britannia wasn’t in the casket like he should be, and then continuing to live his life with C.C. hiding under haystacks in a beautiful place out in the country. Romantic, yes, realistic… wait a sec, when has this show ever been realistic?
I also pay credit for Code Geass’s ambition and genuine knack for creativity. Yes, as Shadowmage pointed out, it doesn’t always conform to good storytelling techniques, but I don’t think that’s so much a case of the writers being ignorant of what constitutes good storytelling as it was them genuinely trying to do something bold and new. It didn’t always work. There were blunders along the way, to take a Palin quote way out of context. But the result is an anime that was definitely unique and frequently defied convention.
Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu no Koto: Natsu no Sora
Most of what AC said in his review of Natsu no Sora, I agreed with, particularly in regard to the animation (I went from “indifferent” to “frustrated” about the animation over the course of the series), and the point about the comparison between Sora and Gouta’s relationship to that between Honami and Kuroda was something that didn’t actually occur to me while I was watching the show. But there are two reasons in particular why I thought Natsu no Sora didn’t deserve a “Good” rating, but merely “Above Average”.
The first is characters. While there was an obvious emphasis on adding lots of idiosyncrasies to the characters to make them a lot more than just the basic archetypes, too often I was left unsatisfied by the character development. Only Gouta had really momentous character development. Kuroda had a bit, but I didn’t like the final conclusion he came to (it was so indicative of the Japanese approach towards employment; let kids be kids and find their own path through life, FFS). Sora didn’t get enough character development for the lead role and Hara, arguably the most intriguing character in the series, ended up being an enigma. As for the rest of the cast, well, for a character driven slice-of-life series, there were simply too many characters that we eventually came to know nothing of value about. In too many cases, the characters would basically be bi-layered: we’d have the basic archetype at the surface and a set of idiosyncrasies that were established over the course of the series way underneath the surface, but it felt like the guts of these characters, such as backgrounds, motivations and relationships, were missing.
The other thing I didn’t like about Natsu no Sora was how they pulled the death card. A lot of the drama in the final few episodes was driven by these frivolous misunderstandings and whatever point they were trying to make by having Sora die was just lost on me. The plot twist struck me as “drama for the sake of it”, which is unbecoming of a show that was otherwise so understated (arguably a flaw in itself, since it struggled to be truly engaging sometimes).
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Anyway, the last part of this post is dedicated to Code Geass: the Meme Factory. Say you want about the series, it really did provide some epic lulz.
The screenshot that started it all.
Nani, mai hunny?
This is where it goes really downhill.
And just when you think it couldn’t get any worse:
Jibun wo!
ㅆ$ㅂ%. There goes my hours of speculations. I’m not a fan of staffs deciding what really happened for viewers, but whatever…
I totally sympathise with Michael, C.C was the reason why I tried so hard to see Lelouch as being alive. It’s infuriating to swallow the fact that C.C saw her quest to escape loneliness is over because her memories with Lelouch (which I wanted much more of) will live inside her for eternity. Yuck.
I’m a person who like big ideas. I like shows that build up to one epic moment (or series of worthwhile moments), and my final opinion of a show driven by a primary story is largely dependent on how well the subplots tie into this end.
The reason I levy the “because I say so” argument so heavily here is because I’m fine with the convention so long as it feeds into something. However, when the writers use a plot device, they better have something worthwhile to discharge it, or I get really pissed off. For instance, I am willing to accept whatever the hell happened to Charles in that one episode because it led to “All hail Lelouch” and, ultimately, Zero Requiem (though not the cop out explanation of Marianne). But things like the reset arc, the comedic romps at Ashford, the China arc, Gino, Anya, et cetera… they were all useless in the larger narrative, and they really only existed for the lulz. Now, aside from the action episodes, the typical episode of R2 was indeed bold, daring and original, but I can’t forgive Sunrise for opening so many doors that really are insignificant to the overall point, especially since virtually everything in the first season built up to “LEEELOOOOUCHHHH!”
Perhaps it all comes down to what you are willing to tolorate in a series and what is unacceptalbe. All the compleately awesome bs in CG would either make a viewer more jaded or force them to give up the notion that method should always follow madness.
All this talk about Code Geass. You know I wrote about MTnTnK: Natsu no Sora too.
@gaguri: I guess it depends on how much credence you want to give to what the staff say rather than what they do. I mean, they say the ending is cut-and-dry, but when you watch it, there’s no doubt that it’s ambiguous and very likely deliberately so. If they’re not going to be consistent with this, then I guess you can also take what they say about Lelouch’s death with a grain of salt if you so please. Not me though, I’m 90% certain he’s dead and I’ve given my reasons.
@SM: That’s actually a good point. There were a lot of frustrating loose ends. That’s one of the big reasons why I never could never forgive F/SN. It’s a fair point, but, well, I haven’t changed my mind. :p
@KR: It’s a series that divides people, but that’s what insanely popular series tend to do. I’ve actually sort of seen it as 2008’s Haruhi, as far as how it’s impacted the online anime community (or the anisphere… ugh, what an awful word).
I disagree more with the language in Shadowmage’s R2 Review, which is too gratuitous with its explicit or veiled insults for my tastes, than with his score or his points, once you strip his choice of certain words out.
But seeing his comment above, I do think the Ashford episodes/sequences and the China arc did serve the overall narrative, even if slightly or moderately so, respectively. That would be more than just “lulz”, which too often seems to be the one thing to focus on at the expense of everything else. Not that the show itself doesn’t feed that angle, as it obviously does, but that’s not all there is.
Also, the reset arc was imposed by outside pressures and circumstances beyond the staff’s control or even their original plans.
Talking about widespread “stupidity” or saying the writing staff supposedly needs “remedial courses” without even acknowledging this other side of the coin feels like too much of a cheap shot. Again though, this goes back to my earlier complaint about the language employed.
I will leave it that. Good evening/night/etc.
I say that the writing of Code Geass R2 is stupid for several reasons including the fact that the writers opt to use convoluted explanations when a far simpler explanation is immediately available. For instances, instead of explaining Marianne’s assassination as VV killing Marianne, then dragging Nunnally out of bed, shooting her in the legs, then having Charle’s Geass her to believe that she was shot in the legs at the same time her mother was killed (as opposed to being placed in her dead mother’s arms), they could have just had VV barge in, talk about how women are natural deceivers, then blow Marianne to kingdom come along with Nunnally (Okay, we can have Marianne commend that VV is early to patch up the “reducing the guards” hint that was provided in Orange’s DVD Picture Story).
Also, the writing that led up to Shirley’s demise was weak, forced and unconvincing. It’s hard to accept that Shirley would suddenly want to join the Black Knights after all that’s happened, and Sunrise essentially wastes a genuinely dramatic scene with some screwball writing. I admit, the death scene itself was genuinely sad, but the events that laid down the foundation of the scene was almost insulting to Shirley’s tragedy.
My third pet peeve is some of the jumps of logic in character behavior in the series. The two that pop to mind are, firstly, Lelouch’s massacre of the Geass Cult and, secondly, CC’s final lines of the show (assuming that Lelouch is in the World of C). After Shirley’s demise, I do realize that Lelouch was upset, but I wonder why he would generally induct that all Geass cult kids must die because Rolo is psychotic. It’s a brilliant and perhaps necessary strategic move, but it’s really an unprecedented maneuver that’s both unlike Lelouch (and carries a disturbingly small amount of weight in his future decisions). My second complaint is about how CC can be so happy after Lelouch kicked the bucket. I do realize that in fiction, some sort of “happily ever after “is in order, but I cannot fathom how CC can suddenly just come to terms with her loneliness.
In regards to the “circumstances beyond the staff’s control”, I do sympathize as a Code Geass fan, but I really cannot forgive them because that would require me to forgive the production staff of Berserk for having such crappy animation and the production staff of Dragonball Z/Naruto/Bleach/etc for having to create so much filler. Production companies need to create the best product they can with what they have. Lack of funding, source material, or magical, time slot changes are no excuse.
SM: Debating how much I agree or disagree with each of your examples is always possible, but going back to your review: I do think one can say that the writing is inferior or subpar without having to insult anyone or anything.
That something or other is convoluted or unconvincing is one thing, but that doesn’t mean it is necessary to speak of its being “stupid” or question the staff’s own education. The need to be offensive is what gets me, not so much your points with which I can somewhat agree or, in any case, respectfully disagree.
Finally, you may not want to “excuse” anything, that’s your own opinion…but those circumstances are a real fact which did affect the show’s production and planning, in contrast to your mention of “remedial courses”, which is either unnecessary or simply an insulting jab at the staff.
But again, I don’t think this matters, really. I just wanted to point out that not everyone simply laughs and smiles at such colorful language.
Well, since we are on the topic, I’d say that the only real issue I had with the CG review was the whole bit about the pink dragon farting rainbows. But I kinda chalked that up to my dislike of gratuitous hyperbole more than anything else. :V
Considering some of the things R2 pulled out of its ass, I’d consider it an understatement.
And not surprisingly, I think it’s still an overstatement. Meh.
[...] side of the spectrum of reactions to Code Geass R2, he sat towards the pro- side, while I was more towards the middle. But when he began second guessing the opinions of those who disagreed with him, culminating in a [...]