[CENTER]Shanghai's commentary about... Lotsa stuff.
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From video game reviews, to writing ideas, to more writing, to other writing articles... And maybe some anime stuff thrown in. Or something.
[/CENTER]
[IMG]http://www.pokecommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=6819&pictureid=51334[/IMG]
From video game reviews, to writing ideas, to more writing, to other writing articles... And maybe some anime stuff thrown in. Or something.
[/CENTER]
One of the Stooges
Posted January 9th, 2011 at 5:39 PM by Shanghai Alice
NOTE: I stopped and thought about halfway through, and...
I refuse to use "moe" so many times in a blog post. Though it's a bad comparison, I'll just use "cute."
Okay, there's been something that I've been called out on, flip-flopped on, backtracked on, and, to be honest, I'm not really sure of how I feel about it, because I've only given it an amount of thought proportional to the depth of some of the characters concerned.
Yep. This blog post will be my loud thinking (Read: It's a monologue, I'm not shooting for anything profound, or even non-contradictory, should it come to that) about the topic of [B]Moe[/B]. No, none of the other stooges. Just Moe.
That, or moe. Notice the lowercase letter.
Yeah.
Anyway, let me start off with my thoughts on it.
Cute is a good thing. It brings cute characters, it provides diabetes-inducing moments, it makes for a light, funny series. It's... a little pathetic, admittedly, but all in all, it's enjoyable.
[I]But you said you hated cute series![/I]
The word after "cute"... That's the key word.
I hate cute [I]series[/I]. I've seen [I]K-On![/I] and [I]Lucky Star,[/I] and most of the cute series follow the same patterns, use the same jokes, and, in some cases, are simply too cultural to be comprehensible to my casual Western mind.
There is, of course, an exception to that. If I were to give you the choice between a cheap sci-fi novel, and a longer, thicker, more plot-heavy book, I'm sure 9/10 avid readers would take the thicker, plot-heavy book. People want to get something out of reading. They want to feel like they're gaining more than just a tired old story that they'll have forgotten in a month. Just like people want good, healthy food during their meals, people like substance in media. If asked if I prefer candy or, say, meat, I'd answer meat. Ten out of ten times.
But what happens when you've been eating good, healthy food for a straight week, and someone offers you a quick, horrifically unhealthy honey bun?
Well, if it were me, I'd take the honey bun. And I'd eat it within milliseconds.
[I]But Shanghai! [/I]People would cry, [I]You said you preferred meat over candy and sweets!
[/I]
Yes. Yes I did, because I do. However, there are occasions when I need to decompress, indulge, and have no shame.
In that way, I'll watch K-On after I've finished Lain. I'll watch FLCL after... Umm... Well, FLCL is mind-shattering... So I'll watch something lighter after FLCL.
The point is, I hate cute series. They have little to no substance, and, though there are some really, really funny ones out there, most of them can't hold a candle to some of the more well-thought out shows. However, I like to get a cheap laugh once in a while, and I like to see cute girls doing cute things after I've just been told that my existence is completely pointless.
So yes, I hate cute shows, but I need them sometimes.
Now, that brings me to my next point. I typically agree to make cute shows a Let's Never Speak of This Again thing. And yet, I rave about Geass. I ranted about Haruhi Suzumiya when I had first watched it, and Azumanga Daioh still holds a warm, special place in my heart.
Why?
Because there's a [I]big freaking difference[/I] between "Cute series" and "Series that has cute characters." This is, of course, obvious. But...
I don't hate series that use cute characters. If I did, I'd basically be cutting myself off from... roughly everything. Except Lain. But Lain's sorta cute. So, yeah. That counts.
Anyway.
I don't hate series with cute characters. I just hate series that make those characters the [I]entire reason I'm watching.[/I] So, for example, Haruhi. Yes, Haruhi has its fair share of cute characters. But, really, is that the reason why you watch?
Okay, it might be. But for me, I'm actually interested in why Haruhi is god. And I read the light novels, which justifies it. So yeah.
...where am I going with this?
Okay, to summarize: Cute characters in anime are okay. Cute series grate on my nerves, except for when I need to relax.
For example, none of you would call, say, [I]Despicable Me[/I] a great modern work. However, lots of people liked it. It was lighthearted and funny. But, if I wanted something that would make me think, rather than simply enjoy myself-
Who am I kidding? I loved [I]Despicable Me[/I]~
But anyway. You get the point.
Oh! Second point!
Video games have an exception, because I'd rather be destroying things as a pink-haired, really cute girl than... anything else, really. Gnomish Mages FTW!
So, yes. That accomplished borderline nothing.
This post is, ironically, self-demonstrating, then. XD
Yours,
Shanghai
P.S.: Good Suwako, y'all. I feel like I need to take a shower after writing this. I've... I've fallen too far.
I refuse to use "moe" so many times in a blog post. Though it's a bad comparison, I'll just use "cute."
Okay, there's been something that I've been called out on, flip-flopped on, backtracked on, and, to be honest, I'm not really sure of how I feel about it, because I've only given it an amount of thought proportional to the depth of some of the characters concerned.
Yep. This blog post will be my loud thinking (Read: It's a monologue, I'm not shooting for anything profound, or even non-contradictory, should it come to that) about the topic of [B]Moe[/B]. No, none of the other stooges. Just Moe.
That, or moe. Notice the lowercase letter.
Yeah.
Anyway, let me start off with my thoughts on it.
Cute is a good thing. It brings cute characters, it provides diabetes-inducing moments, it makes for a light, funny series. It's... a little pathetic, admittedly, but all in all, it's enjoyable.
[I]But you said you hated cute series![/I]
The word after "cute"... That's the key word.
I hate cute [I]series[/I]. I've seen [I]K-On![/I] and [I]Lucky Star,[/I] and most of the cute series follow the same patterns, use the same jokes, and, in some cases, are simply too cultural to be comprehensible to my casual Western mind.
There is, of course, an exception to that. If I were to give you the choice between a cheap sci-fi novel, and a longer, thicker, more plot-heavy book, I'm sure 9/10 avid readers would take the thicker, plot-heavy book. People want to get something out of reading. They want to feel like they're gaining more than just a tired old story that they'll have forgotten in a month. Just like people want good, healthy food during their meals, people like substance in media. If asked if I prefer candy or, say, meat, I'd answer meat. Ten out of ten times.
But what happens when you've been eating good, healthy food for a straight week, and someone offers you a quick, horrifically unhealthy honey bun?
Well, if it were me, I'd take the honey bun. And I'd eat it within milliseconds.
[I]But Shanghai! [/I]People would cry, [I]You said you preferred meat over candy and sweets!
[/I]
Yes. Yes I did, because I do. However, there are occasions when I need to decompress, indulge, and have no shame.
In that way, I'll watch K-On after I've finished Lain. I'll watch FLCL after... Umm... Well, FLCL is mind-shattering... So I'll watch something lighter after FLCL.
The point is, I hate cute series. They have little to no substance, and, though there are some really, really funny ones out there, most of them can't hold a candle to some of the more well-thought out shows. However, I like to get a cheap laugh once in a while, and I like to see cute girls doing cute things after I've just been told that my existence is completely pointless.
So yes, I hate cute shows, but I need them sometimes.
Now, that brings me to my next point. I typically agree to make cute shows a Let's Never Speak of This Again thing. And yet, I rave about Geass. I ranted about Haruhi Suzumiya when I had first watched it, and Azumanga Daioh still holds a warm, special place in my heart.
Why?
Because there's a [I]big freaking difference[/I] between "Cute series" and "Series that has cute characters." This is, of course, obvious. But...
I don't hate series that use cute characters. If I did, I'd basically be cutting myself off from... roughly everything. Except Lain. But Lain's sorta cute. So, yeah. That counts.
Anyway.
I don't hate series with cute characters. I just hate series that make those characters the [I]entire reason I'm watching.[/I] So, for example, Haruhi. Yes, Haruhi has its fair share of cute characters. But, really, is that the reason why you watch?
Okay, it might be. But for me, I'm actually interested in why Haruhi is god. And I read the light novels, which justifies it. So yeah.
...where am I going with this?
Okay, to summarize: Cute characters in anime are okay. Cute series grate on my nerves, except for when I need to relax.
For example, none of you would call, say, [I]Despicable Me[/I] a great modern work. However, lots of people liked it. It was lighthearted and funny. But, if I wanted something that would make me think, rather than simply enjoy myself-
Who am I kidding? I loved [I]Despicable Me[/I]~
But anyway. You get the point.
Oh! Second point!
Video games have an exception, because I'd rather be destroying things as a pink-haired, really cute girl than... anything else, really. Gnomish Mages FTW!
So, yes. That accomplished borderline nothing.
This post is, ironically, self-demonstrating, then. XD
Yours,
Shanghai
P.S.: Good Suwako, y'all. I feel like I need to take a shower after writing this. I've... I've fallen too far.
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