| Feel free to share some works of anime and manga that you feel are good representations of the 2D Way, and briefly share with us why. I'll start: Aria (both manga and the anime): Pretty obvious choice. The portrayal of the world in Aria, and especially through the eyes of the main character Akari, is as pure and untainted as one can get. It is free of all vile, unpleasant aspects of the 3D life. Even in instances when there are hints of such (mainly through the secondary characters), it is resolved and rectified to how it should be, and in that way the series is very much like the Sutras which teach us about the wrongs of the world and how we may change them for the better. Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (manga): Another example similar to Aria. However, perhaps the darker sides of the world is somewhat more evident in this work. Nevertheless, the main philosophy of the series is very much a fine lesson to us. YKK teaches us to learn to let go: Alpha, despite the slow decline of the human race and the world as we know it, does not struggle or fight against it; rather she accepts and moves with the tide, and in doing so she is able to find the true treasures of life. Sketchbook (manga, mainly): For more detail, this group and its administrator has quite a bit of enlightening to say about the matter, mainly regarding the main character Sora. The beauty of this series is its appreciation for things big and small; there are few things that go left unnoticed in favor of another. I do think its careful eye for the small, ordinary things is of particular importance. Quite like YKK, it teaches us that we need not always ask for more and more to become happy. There is so much around us, and we can become content by first turning our eyes towards those things. I think all of these works advocate for something that we see practiced in the 3D life less and less. Perhaps it is only possible in the 2D world, free of the distractions and obstacles that litter the 3D realm.. Yet I they give me inspiration to live that 2D world in my own, and to abandon the ways that have become so typical in the 3D. I look forward to hearing your own suggestions! |
| The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi. Haruhi's major motivating principle and the central facet of her life-ethos is the conviction that the real world just doesn't cut it. In comparison to the realm of fiction -- home to aliens, time-travelers, talking cats, etc. -- reality will always be simply too boring to tolerate. The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society. This 1968 album is a paean to the fictional world known as the past. Ray Davies and company lament the ravages time does to friendships, traditions, and innocence -- yet the overall tone, while keenly nostalgic, is also joyful and content. "When I feel that the world's too much for me, I think of the Big Sky -- and nothing matters much to me." Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and what Alice Found There. Lewis Carroll's summary rejection of the adult world and all it stands for. For the last century and a half, grown-ups have defended themselves from the bitter censure this duology represents by painting it as a quaint and naïve children's fairy tale, but don't be fooled. These are two of the most perceptive, reproachful, and, above all, funny books ever written. |
| Interesting, and very much so valid, inclusion of music and literature. I never gave that close a reading to that album aside from the first few tracks, but perhaps I need to take a closer listen. On a somewhat related note, I feel like manga should become considered literature (after all, isn't it?) in academic circles; there's so much to be studied in depth yet it's dismissed as being shallow and of little value beyond entertainment. |
| YKK is Argument #1 for why manga should be considered a legitimate literary form. There is a decent amount of scholarly work which focuses on manga & anime, but I doubt these media will ever really fully overcome the stigma of being a Cartoon. One is reminded of this Calvin & Hobbes strip. |
| A couple that do not necessarily advocate the sort of stance Yutanpo suggests, but do deal with the relevant issues. The Neverending Story. A metafictional masterpiece from the German author Michael Ende. A boy named Bastian borrows a strange-looking book from an ancient shop and, when he begins to read it, comes to realize that he himself is a character. Not a happy ode to the magic of books, but a devilishly complex meditation on the role storytelling plays in our lives, as children and as adults, for better or for worse. Also the victim of one of the worst film adaptations in history. At Swim-Two-Birds. A story about stories from hankgathers' favorite author, Flann O'Brien. Every book takes place in the two-dimensional realm from our standpoint, but this one is set in the 2D world in the universe of the book itself. That is, most of the action occurs within the bounds of a novel being written by the protagonist. And when one of his characters starts writing a novel, things get really messed-up. |
hankgathers said: The Neverending Story. A metafictional masterpiece from the German author Michael Ende. A boy named Bastian borrows a strange-looking book from an ancient shop and, when he begins to read it, comes to realize that he himself is a character. Not a happy ode to the magic of books, but a devilishly complex meditation on the role storytelling plays in our lives, as children and as adults, for better or for worse. Also the victim of one of the worst film adaptations in history. kinda reminds me of "stranger than fiction" (will ferrell), similar kind of story a character finds out that he is actually a character in a story that's being written, he actually goes to find the author (which he does) and reads the draft for the story in which he is supposed to die, and has to make the decision whether the author finishes it or not. |
| Also somewhat similar is Princess Tutu, an anime about a magical girl who fights using ballet (but is actually a duck). I wouldn't be surprised if both works were influenced to some extent by Ende's book. |
| In the category of "If high-school girls were actually like that, life would be kind of cool": Bamboo Blade. About an all-female high school kendō club. Tama and Kirino are the lovable ones, but I've always found Sayako the most fascinating. How are you supposed to describe her personality? This is an excellent series, by the way, with wonderful interplay among characters and a zero-tolerance attitude toward fanservice. [Edit: Antkiller likes it too!] Azumanga Daioh. The standard for the schoolgirl ensemble comedy genre. Chiyo-chan, Sakaki, Ōsaka -- you know them well. Of course, the most entertaining character, Tomo, would actually be terrible to have as a friend in real life. There is an argument to be made that the Genki Girl character type itself -- as exemplified by Tomo, Katagiri Himeko, Minorin, et al -- is wholly a convention of the anime/manga medium, that this personality could never work out in reality, that it would inevitably come across as self-conscious 'zaniness' and be merely annoying. This issue gets to the very root of the matter -- the question of whether fiction is ultimately a representation of our world through a certain lens, or its own discrete universe. Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight. All right, we'll state this right off the bat: no way in hell are these girls anywhere over ten. Once you get over that (potentially massive) hump, there is really no better portrait of an idyllic high school life. If you're not familiar with the series, it takes place a little bit into the future, with futuristic/science-fiction elements here and there, focuses on a school student council, and has lots of famous voice actresses -- Hirano Aya, Horie Yui, Inoue Marina, Nonaka Ai. And, as it turns out, it's not half bad. Hidamari Sketch. The rest of 'em, you can take or leave -- but Miyako is a ten out of ten. Sketchbook. Obvious. GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class. See Manabi Straight for a comment on the character designs. This is an art-student series that's actually about art, in contrast to the previous two. So we get told about pale tones and so forth in addition to the usual school-life hijinks. I may as well admit that my initial impression of the show was that it would be a waste of time; that ought to teach me not to judge a book by its cover. Also N.B. that Aa-san is the law. Gokuraku Seishun Hockey Club. Ouran High School Host Club lies in bed at night wishing it was this manga. A girl of modest means is forced against her will to join a club full of super-rich pretty boys -- in this case, the field hockey club. Various things ensue, field hockey not among them. Features the world's greatest shoujo heroine (and my best friend) Suzuki Hana. Minami-ke. Actually, the best character in this series is a male, and the best female character is in middle school. Nevertheless, Haruka and her classmates earn it a spot on the list. Hayate no Gotoku. That ain't how I remember my school's student council. And then we've got history's sweetest girl, Nishizawa-san. Cromartie High School. Yeah, so it's an all-boys school. And yeah, if some of these guys were real high school students, it'd be kind of a problem. But really, have you ever seen such good-natured delinquents? Relevant entries at TV Tropes here and here. Finally, just to reiterate: Princess Tutu is an anime about a magical girl who fights using ballet. And is actually a duck. |
GulfStandardJan 22, 2010 10:36 PM
| Just read Sumire 16, I thought it was a great example of what this group advocates. Sumire, a puppet, can be considered as a 2D character (not so much dimensionally, but the fact that she is an unliving thing that is given breath through the old man), through which the old man lives his ideal, untainted life. |
| One more: Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" unique perspective on life both big and small. |
| One more: Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" unique perspective on life both big and small. Quite reminiscent of Kobako. |
| One more: Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" unique perspective on life both big and small. Quite reminiscent of Kobako. |
| MAL broke. |
More topics from this board
» Fantasia Utopia (The Science and Societal Implications)slipcritical - Jan 17, 2010 |
3 |
by slipcritical
»»
Jan 17, 2010 10:10 AM |