Talk about episodes of anime that aren't in the Horror genre that are still frightening to the viewer. Examples include the episode with Nina Tucker in FullMetal Alchemist and the clown episode of Cowboy Bebop.
It would be really cool to look at how explosive the Nina Tucker scene has become. While it horrified most viewers/readers, others made it into memos, cosplayed it, and blew it up to something super popular. – selizabeth10 years ago
Would require a little working on definition of "horror anime" then. Haha, for example, does Madoka episode 3 count? – Justin Wu10 years ago
Since we're having The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan on air this season, I think it will be good if someone writes about why the very name of 'Haruhi Suzumiya' is so big in the ACGN World. It was no doubt a sensation when it came out in mid-2000s, causing quite a cultural stir that very few other anime managed to cause before. A good one could explain to the newer viewers why this anime was such a sensation, from the legendary live band performance, the episodes being broadcast in no particular order, the experimental approach, the never-ending Summer, the ED dance, and how Haruhi popularized the trend of adapting light novels into anime.
A word to the wise: tread carefully here because it's pretty close to sacred ground to some people. I have one article on the topic, one that dealt with a lesser aspect of the show, and I got absolutely blasted away by an avid fan on reddit. On the flip-side, reddit is probably a really good place for information. As for why it's so popular, I have no clue. Something about cross-media interaction, but that kind of stuff is probably best left to the people at /rHaruhi. Best of luck! – Austin10 years ago
I would love to see more written about Haruhi Suzumiya. There are so many interesting rhetorical choices in the show that it could be interesting to tackle them one at a time and try to discern the purpose behind each. It's a fairly unique show in a number of ways, and that it was very deliberate. Maybe this isn't what you were going for, but I would love to see a the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya analysed from a rhetorical and literary point of view. – OddballGentleman9 years ago
This is a difficult topic as he's such a unique director and it would be unfair to make any direct comparisons. That said, there are three directors who would immediately come to mind from Japan who are favorites of mine.
The first, of course, would be Isao Takahata. Obviously when talking Miyazaki any Ghibli director could be mentioned, but it's other co-founder stands out the most. Grave of the Fireflies is considered an all time classic, Pom Poko and My Neighbors the Yamadas are wonderfully unique in the Ghibli library, and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya has gotten a lot of attention lately. He has more films including some before the Ghibli days and all his work is definitely worth checking out.
The second would be Makoto Shinkai. Now he's been labeled the next Miyazaki, but I find that unfair to him. No directer should be saddled with that kind of pressure and overall I feel he has a style all his own anyways. 5 Centimeters Per Second and The Garden of Words are two of my all time favorites, but all his full length film as well as his shorts are worth viewing.
The last would be Mamoru Hosoda. Besides his work with Digimon, he has three excellent full length features in The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, and Wolf Children. His next film, The Boy and the Beast, is coming some time this year. Interestingly, he was originally attached to direct Howl's Moving Castle but things broke down. I think Studio Ghibli missed the boat with him because he's proven quickly to be one of the best around.
The Anime everyone loves, it certainly deceives a list of its own. This won't be just my opinion of the best episode, but also to pick episode that a majority of fans would agree are the best episodes. Episodes like Jamming with Edward, Heavy Metal Queen, and Jupiter Jazz will certainly be on this list.
It could be interesting to discuss Bebop's impact on the genre and each episode's worth. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
I'm not sure a top 10 would be the best idea for CBBB. That means naming almost half the series... – Kristian Wilson10 years ago
In Isao Tahakata's Princess Kaguya, the heroine undergoes a process of ascension in the form of her class status (and later, perhaps spirituality) and suffers the restrictions of Japanese mores in upper-class life.
What is it about an anime that have us start watching? The art? The studio and involved staff?
My money is on our past experience. That tempts us to watch anime with a storyline we're familiar with. – Abhimanyu Shekhar10 years ago
As stated by Abhimanyu, it can be related to past experience. You can see how many animes are aimed to children or are suitable for children, meaning some people grow up anime fans. – Ryan Errington10 years ago
I think it be interesting to discuss this from a non Japanese point of view. Which I mean to say what causes non Japanese audiences to watch anime? It also be cool to discuss the stigma that comes with anime. – Cagney10 years ago
You would have to mention the narrative of some stories. Anime seems like a more adult version of cartoons and so shows like, Death Note and Attack on Titan, present a narrative for an older audience. Sometimes something that might not be able to be created as a live action show due to budget and effects which cost a considerable bit more then animation would. – Tyler McPherson10 years ago
Anime presents sometimes more complex and darker ideas. They also do not use crude humor and cheap jokes like current American animation. They present complex ideas and search for great storytelling, although sometimes anime can be a bit overdramatic. – Travis Kane10 years ago
I find these topics too generic....why bother writing such a generic piece when we could focus on more specific topics? – Justin Wu10 years ago
I can't remember where I read this but it said something like animation is a truer or more pure medium than live-action. Now, I don't mean to say either is better than the other. The way I see it is that animation is more manipulatable and less restricted than live-action. For example, the director in a live-action film is more often forced to make everything in his film look and seem "real" and by real I mean what's on screen resembles reality to a point where we believe it (ex: dragon has lizard skin and real fire effects or else it won't look real). Animation on the other hand is purely an expression or representation of what ever is in the creator's head and is a lot less if even at all restricted by reality. The viewer also accepts that they're watching an animation and subconsciously knows that what ever is on screen is merely a representation of something. This is why I believe some people prefer anime as a medium rather than live-action. TL;DR We watch anime because animation is a medium that favours expression in a different way than in live-action and is potentially more pure to the idea in a creator's mind – ttbloom9 years ago
By quality, I mean the look of the anime, the style in which it was drawn.
Shin Chan is probably the worst looking anime I have ever seen aesthetically (probably purposefully) but it's one of my favorite shows because it's one of the funniest shows ever and the characters are really likeable.
I used to not think it mattered but in later years I have become somewhat of an animation snob. I won't want to watch an anime unless it looks good. I feel like people nowadays are getting used to good animation because technology is changing. It may lead people to not watching the classics anymore like Evangelion and Bebop. Good article idea. – Mary Awad10 years ago
Old Shin Chan was poor in quality, but new Shin Chan, besides all its portrayal of ugly looking humans, the animation is smooth and elegant: the modern variant. As a result, I like new Shin Chan MUCH more than old one, even if old one had better stories. Animation is a deciding factor, and other factors like the story, characters, pace, and development are also important, but animation quality is most important and, in most cases, decides whether the other factors work out or not and finally, whether the work succeeds or not. – Abhimanyu Shekhar10 years ago
I personally think such "yes/no" question should be avoided as a topic, since I can easily the answer to this question is yes and no. Yes, because visual quality is what appeals to viewers right away, which partly explains why Kyoto Animation and PA works' anime always attract many viewers. No, because there are anime with admittedly poor quality but could be immensely popular for many reason, such as Ping Pong (which is often regarded as the best anime of 2014), Aku no Hana (weird and experimental, but most people seem to get past it after a few episodes), Wake Up, Girls! (quality is alright but broken at times, yet it has gathered a fan base and a new movie will come out later this year). What I want to say is, instead of raising it as a "yes/no" issue, it is perhaps more fruitful to discuss how visual quality is implemented in different anime (e.g. why Aku no Hana and Ping Pong deliberately adapt such visual styles) – Justin Wu10 years ago
In my opinion it depends on which piece of animated material we're judging. For me visual quality contributes greatly to a small percentage of enjoyment in the animation, but since we're talking about percentages it can be inferred that visual quality isn't the complete essence of any anime. It's a joint effort from writers, animator, director, etc. Because of that it's my belief that we should take all of this pieces and evaluate them together. – Hassiumhaze10 years ago
I think it does but the story is most crucial. Terrible animation or idiosyncratic art can be tolerated to some extent if the story is enticing enough; however, good art can never excuse a bad story can never. Take Ping Pong the Animation for example. People have dismissed it originally because it's art seems to be too bizarre or unusual, but it turned out to be great and has garnered a lot of positive reviews. On the other hand you can have something like Glasslip which was well animated, but ultimately disappointed a lot of people.
Ideally, we'd all to watch anime with good art and a good story. But whenever we have to settle for just one, most of us would probably watch the one with a good story. – Shellana9 years ago
I'd say it's a personal preference. Personally the style of an anime has a huge impact on whether I'm initially interested in watching it. I have some styles that I will not watch at all, and some that I will definitely try out. The art style is also impacted by the studio producing it, so styles people prefer and studios often overlap. – jajafar9 years ago
I'm thinking of a list of memorable teacher figures in anime/manga and a discussion on why they are so influential and popular both in the shows and among fans. Examples will include Kuro-sensei from Assasination Classroom, Ansai-sensei from Slam Dunk (technically not a teacher, but I think a "sensei" figure could fit into this topic as well), and of course the great Onizuka from Great Teacher Onizuka (GTO). It will be interesting to see what fans see in them and what traits they might not have when compared to other teachers.
I think that would be cool to have like the top/best teachers in anime/manga and then you could also add the worse and why – VICTORIA10 years ago
I'd nominate Asuma from Naruto, who's been a really good teacher – RedFlame20006 years ago
