Comments on: Why So Serious?

By: Michael | Low on Hit Points

Michael | Low on Hit Points — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:16:10 +0000

“You know what I’d like to see? Thoughtful bloggers who throw away the philosophical pretense and simply muse about anime on their own, using their own terms. I think that’s infinitely more valid that throwing philosophical terms around. It shows to me that the author can think on his own, rather than borrow ideas from dead men all the time.”

I’m a bit late to this party, but I just had to quote this segment for good measure. I’ve always felt this way about highbrow “critique” and “analysis.” Stop quoting other people. Did they themselves become famous for quoting other people, or did they not come with their own ideas? Seriously. If the point you’re trying to make is sound enough an argument, you shouldn’t have to hide behind a famous name or quote.

By: Missing Link » Arkisto » Väritä vallankumoukseni!

Missing Link » Arkisto » Väritä vallankumoukseni! — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:20:25 +0000

[...] unohtanut jotain mielenkiintoista tai saanut itseni näyttämään naurettavalta puhumalla puuta heinää jostakin? Utena on minulle sydämen asia, joten arvostaisin [...]

By: Meta, Meta, Meta | Anime Diet

Meta, Meta, Meta | Anime Diet — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:18:39 +0000

[...] by moritheil on 04 Mar 2009 at 6:18 pm | Tagged as: Editorials A lot has been said about the art of anime reviewing lately, and as a writer new to the scene it behooves [...]

By: moritheil

moritheil — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:08:33 +0000

The greatest thing about this article is that, as metadiscussion falls firmly within the realm of critique, the discussion is technically in violation of its own precepts (roughly stated as “dissecting things is wrong.”)

I don’t think that Akira is wrong for not wanting to deconstruct everything, but at the same time, there are those reviewers for whom deconstruction is a way of life: they watch a movie and see symbols and references and this is their enjoyment of the thing. One experience isn’t wrong any more than the other is; people just read things at different levels, and it should come as no surprise that if you don’t read things a certain way you may not enjoy having them read to you that way either.

(This last paragraph is, essentially, what TheBigN has said already, but with a postmodernist slant. Enjoy.)

Kavik Ryx, I am scratching my head a little over your post. While indeed Shakespearean works were mass entertainment at the time they were written, the passage of time has elevated Shakespeare from pop culture to erudite literature. Beowulf, similarly, has become relatively obscure, and thus more respectable. Or is it your assertion that a work can never transcend genre?

By: Gargron

Gargron — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:08:32 +0000

@Kavik Ryx: I laugh-out-loud and die of shock at the same time. If you call Shakespeare “pop culture”, what do you think is not “pop”? What next, the Bible and Torah also “pop culture” books?

By: Art and Aniblogging: A Non-Critical Take on Criticism — Memories of Eternity

Art and Aniblogging: A Non-Critical Take on Criticism — Memories of Eternity — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:15:55 +0000

[...] faith in our community that we will continue to provoke discussion and debate (even debate like this), and that we will continue to learn about the medium of anime from doing so. However, I also [...]

By: ansert

ansert — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:08:17 +0000

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ptitlebqmxtrir9bav?from=Main.WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic

By: Kavik Ryx

Kavik Ryx — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:14:03 +0000

You know, I actually have to agree with Akira on this one. Anime may be an art form. But most of all, it is a medium of entertainment. I don’t take the time to over analyze anime for the same reason I won’t for Star Wars, or Shakespeare, or Beowulf, or a porno. It’s all pop culture. Anime is about the viewing experiance, and it there is a message, it will be part of said experiance. To look too much into something often complicates things by circumventing the main idea.

This is not always an issue. looking at Beowulf or a 17th century play from a historical perspective, for instance, offers an insight into the mind of the culture of the time. Sometimes looking too far into something can be an excellent tool for personal introspection. And occasionally, it can just be to have fun. I and a lot of other Evanagelion fans are known for this.

But to dissect every little theme to an Aristotelian principle or Freudian reference is rather empty. If these are there, often they are simple and symbolic, requiring little more than the viewing experiance to grasp the full picture.

P.S. Oh yeah, Ans. I can only speak for Region 1, but Flag has had a domestic release for some time now.

By: TheBigN

TheBigN — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:26:09 +0000

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with overanalyzing anime, especially if that’s how the author likes to write. I just don’t take it as seriously or think about things in that way as the author does. But it helps if what’s being said can be made more accessible to people who don’t get the references or concepts being explained. And it also depends on who the target audience is supposed to be for these ‘serious’ posts.

To be honest, my first thought at this post was “Why are you so serious, Akira?”

By: Kara no Kyoukai Movie 5: Paradox Spiral - Impressions and Analysis » Behind The Nihon Review

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:07:50 +0000

[...] moderate spoilers (as well as a splash of the pretentious philosophical discourse that Akira was railing against). As far as I can see, the only person who’s really attempted to analyze this film in depth [...]