VIStrings said: Mattafixx: good post, but answer me these two questions:
1) Has it occured to you that maybe you're overanalyzing?
2) With that kind of overanalysis, don't you think that at least 95% of all anime ever released could be considered a "really well-written anime"?
I'm well convinced that I could write a post like yours about most anime I've watched in the 5-7 average score range that most people do NOT consider good, let alone "well-written", and it'd make it seem really good as well.
Haha, I guess over-analysis comes with the territory (law student - so I tend to do it to everything). I guess on a more holistic level, I like it primarily because you can't actually tell who is the "good guy" and the "bad guy." Too many anime lately make it plainly clear from the start who is bad and good, like a lot of old Western movies, where the baddie wore a black hat, and the gooodie wore a white hat. I find that, despite the clarity of knowing who is who, it also means the "baddies" pretty much regurgitate the same old cliches and 'bad guy monologue' which I consider 'crap writing.'
Despite the same old protagonist yelling (eg. "HIYAAAAAAAA"), each of the characters in E7:AO are quirky, and at times throw out unexpected responses and/or actions (Elena/Mirror and the President are good examples of this). Except maybe the stereotypical swagger of 'Truth' and his boasting, I still find even Truth intriguing, as I can't help but feel that his actions will be partially justified for some reason in future eps. And so not knowing who is bad and/or good, makes the series unpredictable. It like good horror for example (another analogy). The best horror films/games are the ones where they don't show you the actual monster/evil, but rather with careful use of lighting, scripting, character dialogue, make your imagination run wild and freak you out, because you don't know where the evil is coming from or what form it is in.
This, and my love of dystopian fiction makes me enjoy this series (dystopian fiction includes: Orwell's "1984", Rob Harris' "Fatherland", "Brand New World" and even "Hunger Games" to an extent). Despite this not being a strictly "dystopian" landscape, its characters are similar, in that, they are hidden and often characterised by the internal struggles by the protagonist (ie. "infighting of emotions/imperatives"). Ill stop - Im overanalysing :P
As a side-note:
I actually didn't rate the original E7 that highly (I was easy on it - as paying out E7 tends to create much anime-rage). I found it VERY slow in some places, and certain aspects of the ending, could be predicted by the end of the first few episodes (eg. Eureka & Renton, some confrontation with Dewy Novak, etc). Yes, the journey was unpredictable in places, but if you know how it ends, then part of the magic is lost. You may say that the specific ending wasn't predictable, but that was merely because it wasn't that clear WTF happened at the end (up to anyone how you interpret it really).
Moreover, some of the characters I found way too stereotypical, muttering the same old phrases a lot of anime tend to tumble into (eg. "Ah hah, YOU FOOL, you have stepped right into my trap" [5mins later] "Blast, you foiled my trap at the last second"). It's also a criticism of the "Truth" episode in AO, because Truth reminded me of the typical anime "bad guy" stereotype. But something makes me feel like he is not the bad guy. Maybe because his motives are so distinct from the rest of the characters (who don't understand what he's doing). I dunno.
Moreover, Renton particularly annoyed me, because his character development felt clunky. I'll stop on E7 now, purely because (i) im probably pissing off fans of E7 on an E7:AO forum (LOL) - who are entitled to their opinion, and (ii) im getting to over-analytical again.
To draw back:
I like it because I can't predict the next episode. More than that, characters are un-predictable, and cant be easily classified as your typical protagonist and nemesis. Third, its a very beautiful anime + has a great soundtrack. Finally, the characters feel more believable - probably because they are a bit more proactive in their actions. They aren't mopey all the type, and when they are, they are usually blowing something up whilst being mopey XD.
There. Sorry again. I really ranted. Eeep. [Sits at computer waiting for waves of abuse from E7 fans :P] |