Gavrev
Dandy Guy, in Space
I was recently asked by bakum4tsu about my choice of anime, and as I considered my response I stepped back further to consider what qualifies “good”, and further realised that this might be an interesting point with which to launch a little thread.
Whenever I look to an anime and make a choice about whether I’m interested, I usually put the internet to its best use and see how others regard it - you probably do the same. This can be a good general guide, but I have on occasion encountered anime features which receive highly polarised reviews, or even downright negative ones, and I would bet that this will have caused many to miss some gems. Traditional favourite cult films of my own such as “TRON” and “The Black Hole” spring to mind as examples of movies which have garnered a good appreciative following, in spite of their flaws and popular roastings by the critics. An anime example which I can personally speak of is “Rin: Daughters of the Mnemosyne”, which beyond the obvious content is one I personally consider to be quite intriguing. I find the main protagonists themselves are very likeable because of their misfortune and the way they handle the cards they’ve been dealt by life, but I know many other people who have quite readily written it off into the hentai basket (sorry for that one). A lot of critics seem to praise or slate a piece of work based upon an artist’s past work, and granted this is the obvious source of comparison. However, as someone who is something of an artist himself I know that any one piece of work can be intentionally related to another previous effort, or as something which stands quite apart. If considerations such as this aren’t appreciated by the audience, who may have themselves been skewed by an inconsiderate review, then such pre/misconception can often sink a piece before it’s had a fair shot. On that basis, I might use opinion as a starting point, but I will also very mindfully choose to approach a viewing and take it for what it is. Do you do the same? I’m interested to know what people think. Given that anime can be a minefield because of costs and availability, has anyone discovered any gems which may not be immediately obvious from their internet reviews?
Whenever I look to an anime and make a choice about whether I’m interested, I usually put the internet to its best use and see how others regard it - you probably do the same. This can be a good general guide, but I have on occasion encountered anime features which receive highly polarised reviews, or even downright negative ones, and I would bet that this will have caused many to miss some gems. Traditional favourite cult films of my own such as “TRON” and “The Black Hole” spring to mind as examples of movies which have garnered a good appreciative following, in spite of their flaws and popular roastings by the critics. An anime example which I can personally speak of is “Rin: Daughters of the Mnemosyne”, which beyond the obvious content is one I personally consider to be quite intriguing. I find the main protagonists themselves are very likeable because of their misfortune and the way they handle the cards they’ve been dealt by life, but I know many other people who have quite readily written it off into the hentai basket (sorry for that one). A lot of critics seem to praise or slate a piece of work based upon an artist’s past work, and granted this is the obvious source of comparison. However, as someone who is something of an artist himself I know that any one piece of work can be intentionally related to another previous effort, or as something which stands quite apart. If considerations such as this aren’t appreciated by the audience, who may have themselves been skewed by an inconsiderate review, then such pre/misconception can often sink a piece before it’s had a fair shot. On that basis, I might use opinion as a starting point, but I will also very mindfully choose to approach a viewing and take it for what it is. Do you do the same? I’m interested to know what people think. Given that anime can be a minefield because of costs and availability, has anyone discovered any gems which may not be immediately obvious from their internet reviews?
