Over the years I’ve met all kinds of anime fans, both in real life and online, who love anime in different ways. I’ve come to realize that there are perhaps two main relationships to anime that fans could have…
The first main reason for liking anime is for its aesthetically pleasing or analytical elements. These fans love the discussion-inducing aspect of anime, whether it’s exalting a series for how great it is or deriding it for its flaws. They praise things like a creative story, good animation techniques, and faithfulness to the source material while condemning things like cliches, fan pandering, and poor marketing. These fans often become quite knowledgeable about things like anime directors and studios, and they often watch a variety of genres because they like to and/or it allows them to be more active in all fields of anime discussions. Their discussions are mostly comprised of things like “[insert name of anime] could have been better if [list reasons]” “[insert name of character] was flawed because [list reasons], “[insert name of studio] should have done such-and-such with [insert name of anime].” The majority of anime blogs I’ve seen tend to lean toward this way of relating to anime.
I’ve personally encountered many fans who like anime for this reason. But sometimes it seems like they spend more time talking about their criticisms or analysis of anime than simply being pleased with it. I often think “Do they truly love anime or do they just like talking about it and compartmentalizing it?” This doesn’t apply to everyone of course, and there are plenty of fans who can analyze anime but also passionately love it for whatever reason.
Which brings us to our second reason for liking anime, which is almost the opposite of the first – loving anime pretty much unconditionally. These fans have certain aspects of anime that they love, whether its a fan girl who loves bishounen or a fan boy who loves mecha or moe girls. They often don’t care to dwell on anything intellectually stimulating about anime – they just love certain characters, genres, or story elements, whether they’re cliche or not. Often times, they don’t care to watch a variety of anime genres and like to stick to the ones that have what they’re looking for. They rarely engage in any analytical discussions about anime or think about things like the competence of the staff behind the anime. They just love the anime at face-value for what it offers. Their discussions are mostly comprised of things like “[insert name of anime] was so good!,” “[insert name of character] is so cute/cool/hot/funny!” The majority of fangirling/boying/gasms and guilty pleasures come into play with relating to anime this way.
To give a personal example of this, I have a couple of friends who adore action/fantasy anime, and the occasional cool characters. They never dwell on things like narrative quality, plot flow, fan pandering, animation studios, etc,. They never read editorials or anything intellectual about anime. They just love the anime for providing what they want and don’t care about why or how.
I usually feel that I’m somewhere in between these two reasons, though I tend to lean more towards the second. I love to analyze and discuss certain anime titles and anime fandom in general, to a point at least. But on the other hand, I like 90% of the anime I’ve watched simply because of my unconditional love for anime that doesn’t need a reason other than the fact that it’s anime and has some things I like about it.
One recent example of when I was really feeling this division is when the new starter pokemon for Black & White were revealed. Me and a couple of my other friends were like “Whee, new pokemon finally! They’re so cute! I can’t wait for these games!,” while many others were like “Ugh, they’re so ugly! Why can’t Game Freak be more original? The old games were better.” To me it seems like my friends and I were looking at the new pokemon for the second reason – unconditional love – while others were looking at them for the first reason – analyzing/criticizing their creativity. I got a similar feeling during Haruhi’s “Endless Eight” fiasco. I thought that the true fan is the one who can have intellectual discussions about anime, but at the same time can passionately love it and accept it for what it is. But I feel that I’m probably just being biased.
Do you feel that the fandom is divided, more or less, between those who love the intellectually and aesthetically stimulating part of anime, and who like to analyze, criticize, and dissect anime they watch and put the fandom under a microscope, and those who love anime unconditionally and often for trivial reasons, who don’t care to dwell on any deeper aspects of it? Or do you believe that most fans exist somewhere in between these two reasons, so there’s no need to think of it this way?
The latter is more true for most fans and people who only posts on forums. Generally, the Aniblogosphere tends to go to the second because it’s more interesting.
Criticism is fun… but negative criticism is even more fun when the Anime/Music/whatever is not good. I tend to be fair in my criticism, although in some cases like Endless Eight for example…
@ chikorita157
Yeah, criticism can be fun, especially if the person writing it presents it in a refreshing, amusing way XD I have no talent for making fun of flaws in anime, so it’s entertaining to read the writing of those who do.
If I didn’t like anime, I wouldn’t watch ’em. There are only a few anime I will watch and be happy enough with just that experience. That’s because most anime (and entertainment in general) aren’t lucky enough to be “perfect”. And the more anime I watch, the more obvious the imperfections become. So I use almost all anime as a staging ground for discussion instead – I don’t generally like to pick apart an anime itself, but rather the concepts it introduces.
There are always a couple shows here and there I won’t hesitate to pick apart in a fan-wank way. Why? Because with so little effort they could have been better. I realize that my armchair commentary is a form of pointless arrogance, but some shows still inspire this behavior from me. It’s just to let off steam, though, not for some perceived delusion that my opinion matters.
@ Hogart
“And the more anime I watch, the more obvious the imperfections become.”
When I first got into anime, it was all just so amazing and good, I wouldn’t even think of picking out flaws and cliches. But now that I’ve watched more series and become more “hip” about anime, I too have realized all the imperfections. But in spite of this, I still try to look at the good points for all the shows I watch.
“It’s just to let off steam, though, not for some perceived delusion that my opinion matters.”
That’s a good way of looking at it. It makes it more fun because you’re letting off steam and getting your opinion out there for others to work with, but you’re also not intent on forcing others to care about your opinion.
Altough I rarely actively analyze shows, I certainly don’t belong to the second group.
I’m a strong proponent of the idea that all love should be conditional. When you’re separating the good from the bad, you always have to do this based on their own values and merits. Not based on some preconception you had about it. If something awesome suddenly starts sucking you have to be able to admit this. This doesn’t solely concern anime for that matter. It goes for pretty much everything. It’s especially present in the voting habits of people during elections etc.
Having a flexible mind, capable of adapting a viewpoint based on new information is a great feature in a person.
In general I try to find beauty everywhere. When I’m confronted with the sheer lack of it I’m not scared to point it out. Everything is relative. If you place something good and something bad next to eachother and call them both great, you’re not just ‘being kind’ on the crappy work, you’re also being insulting to the decent work, by placing the two on the same level.
Whenever I’m watching an anime, my sole goal is to enjoy it and relax. It doesn’t keep me from deciding afterwards that I would’ve spent my time better by rewatching Planetes instead of giving Saki a go.
@ Reason
Very good points. Although I like most anime I watch, I do try to think about what’s not to like in them as well. Like you said, everything is relative – I still love the Pokemon anime as much as many other (better) series, but for different reasons. Because the reasons are different, I’m not going to say that the two are equally good – only that I happen to like both of them.
I have the same basic expectation for all series: Be good; entertain me. Series will do this in vastly different ways (I’m entertained by Code Geass in a different way than I’m entertained by Monster, for instance), but at the core, I watch anime (and read books, watch movies, etc.) because I want to enjoy what I am watching. Anything beyond that I leave for the series itself to raise my expectations.
I’d say I’m in between No. 1 and No. 2. If a series just wants to present a good story or an entertaining experience, or whatever, then I am willing to roll with just that. But if a series wants to engage my mind, ask questions and get me thinking, then I am only too happy to do that as well.
@ Shinmaru
Wow, almost everything you said is exactly how I feel too =)
The main difference here is really in how people choose what to watch and what to talk about.
A lot of anime bloggers will choose to watch shows that give them something to talk about, since one of their main reasons for watching *is* to talk about it. So there’s this concept of trying to approach each show with some neutrality, letting it either rise or fall accordingly, and discussing everything you observe. In this case, they might continue watching a show they don’t really enjoy as long as it provides good material for analysis, is popular enough to gather interest and start conversations, and so on.
But other people don’t have the time/patience to watch shows they don’t really like, and would rather focus on the things they do like instead. These types of people tend to either choose their shows with extreme bias (only sticking to genres they know they like, for example), or drop them very quickly if they don’t enjoy them. So as a result, it gives the impression that these sorts of fans “love everything”, but in fact they tend to have a very narrow list things of things they like a lot and simply don’t talk about anything else.
Personally speaking, I think analysis can be a good thing, but I find that many who do this sort of analysis can be a bit on the arrogant/self-important side. Generally speaking, I would rather read people talk seriously about the things they enjoy, rather than those who write, often mockingly, about the things they don’t. Because at the end of day, most of the analytical bluster that people manage to muster all comes down to taste anyway.
@ relentlessflame
Excellent points – you summarized the two reasons in my post better than I could
I’m guilty of watching shows just because people are talking about them, but 9 times out of 10 I’ll enjoy them anyway, so it doesn’t matter. Since I’m not picky at all when it comes to anime, I rarely feel like I’m watching a distasteful show just for the sake of discussion.
I too prefer reading about how much someone truly loves a series rather than pointing out all the reasons to hate it. You’re right that in the end it all comes down to opinion, so you might as well spend more energy on things you enjoy rather than things you hate, for me at least.
I’ve been jocose at times, but I have for the most part taken an exegetical stance in the anime I watch. I also enjoy mindless harems, taking them for what they are, but I prefer series that stimulate my mind or force me to think about the themes they discuss. I love anime, and that’s the reason I watch it, but I don’t love all anime.
Just like other media, most of anime is bad. There are some gems spread out across the seasons, however, that simply justify your anime viewing. I’m not really a fan of vituperating anime series, but I can do that when a situation calls for it; I’m more a fan of writing about the series that I love and appreciate, series that offer a lot of food for thought, and then trying to dissect its multiple layers of meaning.
@ Micheal
Yeah, I don’t think there’s anyone who loves all anime, but I’ve come to love, or at least like, the majority of anime I watch, and anime in general. But I think it’s because I just don’t watch the genres of shows I don’t think I would like (which is only a few really)
I agree that most anime is mediocre, but if you can find the gems that pop up every now and then, they help remind you of why you’re a fan. I think I would still enjoy anime even if they were all mediocre, but I wouldn’t have the absolute love for it that I have now without the many “gem” series =)
Unconditional love is silly. It’s impractical to think that you will love every aspect of every anime you watch. That you’ll drool over the screen at a part that doesn’t entertain you. Anime isn’t even supposed to be good at every single instant, as with all media.
I think as bloggers a lot of what we do is try to bring up points for review that other people can beware when they’re watching. Or use to decide not to watch something. Or things along that line.
Just gushing out our joy over something is not very effective, in my opinion, and I wouldn’t want to read it. True views always have pros and cons, I believe. Always.
@ mefloraine
I’ll admit that I have unconditional love for a few aspects of anime, but not all of course. For example, I love most cute animals (all the pokemon for example) and gorgeous animation can often make up for a lot of flaws in a series for my taste. Other people I’ve met have unconditional love for bishounen, well played action in a series, or high fantasy settings. But yeah, you shouldn’t be unconditional about everything.
I enjoy reading about how much people love a show, but only if it’s in an intelligent, well thought out way. They need to give real reasons for way they love the show and how it makes them feel. I won’t read something that has too much fangirling/boying and not enough serious explanations for their opinion.
After five years of being an anime fan, I still feel like a newbie making wonderful discoveries when I watch anime. I have a naturally analytical mind, but my impulse is to gush more than to analyze – anime still feels fresh to me, in other words. It’s one area of my life where I’m inclined to let go of judgment and just enjoy what I’m experiencing.
On the other hand, five years of watching anime has given me enough background to recognize derivativeness when I see it, like with series like Uraboku. ;) But even recognizing the un-originality of its various elements doesn’t stop me from enjoying it.
@ Jan
It seems the more anime people watch, the more cynical they tend to get. I don’t think it’s good to be too cynical to the point of rarely enjoying any anime – finding a balance of when to analyze and when to simply enjoy is a good approach to the fandom, and it looks like that’s what you’re doing =)
Oh I’m a bit of both. I’d say I like to analyze far more than just fanboying over certain elements in anime though. I view anime as a legitimate medium for both story telling and expressing oneself, kind of like comic books and film. If anything, I kind of hate mere fanboying/fangirling over something because it’s cute or something like that.
To be honest though, I do view some deep analysis of certain shows rather obtuse, but I haven’t really come across any examples of that anywhere. There are shows that invite analysis, shows that blatantly put forth its themes, and shows that just don’t have any. I think if you’re watching and loving something like Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei or Mind Game because the visuals are cool, then you’re missing the point. Likewise, if you’re trying to inject meaning into K-On!!, then you’re also missing the point. In the end, I think it’s an accurate division of fans of anime. Some love analyzing anime, some just love anime, and some love doing both.
@ Mystlord
Very well said. I especially like the examples in your second paragraph. Some anime, like K-ON!, are just meant to be enjoyed if you like that genre. It’s great if you can find things to analyze about it, but it’s not the kind of show that should be condemned because there’s nothing to stimulate intellect.
I’d venture to guess that most anime fans fall into the “unconditional love” category, who gravitate toward a niche that appeals to them and who rarely care about digging deeper into it or exploring a significantly wider spectrum of anime. This certainly isn’t how I choose to interact with anime (or music, film, or any form of art or entertainment), but it’s certainly their right to do so. Anyone who wants to fixate on a few titles or a specific genre and absorb it without a second thought doesn’t have to feel bad about it. I’m sure I behave this way in other aspects of my life that I’m not even aware of.
I guess I’m pretty tolerant of that behavior in theory (as if these viewers lived in a vacuum) but I break down pretty quickly whenever I see their dogmatic, uninformed impressions of what’s “right” and “wrong” take over yet another conversation and continue dictate the culture of the entire fandom in general both online and off. But that’s a post that I’m trying not to make here, so…
Most fans probably reside somewhere in between, which is probably a healthy symptom for any hobby, or at least I hope.
@ Joe
With all the moe/harem anime coming out in recent years (and the accompanying merchandise for those series you can find from Japanese retailers), it almost seems like the Japanese anime industry is catering to this kind of fan first, while the fan who likes intellectual or artistically stimulating anime is secondary.
I’m pretty tolerant too, but if I see either type of relation to anime in its extremity, I probably won’t be interested. I agree that a good balance of both is a great way to approach any hobby.
I’m in the first group. I love reading and be part of a discussion about anime. I started my blog exactly for that reason, because I lack the real life people that I can spazz to when it comes to anime.
I would like to think I am partially in the second group as well but then I remember that I dropped or put on hold a lot of anime because I can’t stand the storyline, the cliche, the character or just the genre.
Though I am still a bleachtard despite how far the story has gone down the hill nowadays.
@ kluxorious
“Though I am still a bleachtard despite how far the story has gone down the hill nowadays.”
We’ve probably all had an anime like this at some point in our fandom ;) I think it’s especially good for someone who leans more towards the first group to have a series they like for the second reason – it let’s them “see both sides” so to speak.
It’s more like the fandom is divided between the vocal minority of extremists from both the categories you mentioned vs the (relatively) silent majority of so-called “casual fans” (thus labeled by the extremists) who neither gush excessively nor nitpick everything to death.
@ Casual Fan
Ah, that’s a good way of looking at it too – how the vocal and non-vocal fans relate to anime, or the extremists versus casual fans. You may have inspired me to write a post about this sometime in the future =)
Sure, be my guest.
I think I’m in between too. I place anime a bit higher on the pedestal, but at the same time, I don’t unconditionally love all anime.
Also, it kind of depends on what I’m looking for when I watch anime. If I am in the mood for some mindless fun, I watch Queen’s Blade. If I am in the mood for serious thoughts, I watch something else.
It’s hard to generalize fandom into one or the other.
@ Yi
I’m pretty much the same way. I don’t look for anything in particular when I watch a series, such as if it’s extremely unique or intellectual, or if it looks like just mindless fun. Once I actually start watching it, then I’ll usually grow to like it for one reason or another. The reason doesn’t matter to me as long as there’s something to enjoy =)
Well, 99.9% of people are gonna be inbetweens anyhow, and more leaning towards simply enjoying than analytics; just how the nature of fandoms roll. I frankly doubt anyone is loving even their favorite aspects ‘unconditionally’, even those who love pure-shounen-action or overflowing-melodrama or whatever will eventually develop some medium of measurement on good.vs.bad (same with chars, especially in the department of character assassination).
But we do have our favorite aspects, and often willing to dumb things down a lot more in order to get it. As I once said to a friend: “I’m a key fan, even if it’s bad I’ll learn to like it.”
@ Aorii
Good points. Fans of individual aspects of anime, such as shonen action, shojo drama, etc., vary in how picky they are when it comes to the quality of these aspects that they like, with some leaning more towards “unconditional” than others. That’s a good quote, too. I think it’s good when we can recognize the bad points of a series that we’re watching, but at the same time, find enough things we enjoy about it to justify our watching.
I think I’m echoing a lot of other people here, but I think I can easily snap to either one of the reasons you posit for liking anime – just loving it for what it is versus loving it via analysis. I love analyzing Revolutionary Girl Utena. I love shutting off my brain and watching Kyoushiro to Towa no Sora/Shattered Angels. I think the real lovers of anime know how to do both; yeah, maybe we kvetch a little bit about lack of creativity or something of the sort, but generally we know when to be thinking about what we’re watching and when to just watch away.