| First impressions are really important when you start watching something. Chances are an anime will just be ignored if it didn’t grab hold of the viewers’ attention long enough and people will just proceed to try to find something else to watch. But how can a show grab hold of your attention in the first episode and make you want to watch more of it? I believe there are three things a show should do to make it right: Tone, characterization, and setting. Starting with the simplest of the three; the tone of a show. Having a fitting tone is a really important thing that many anime ignore, thinking it is unnecessary. An anime should establish the right tone for it as quickly as possible. If it is going to be a light adventure, a heavy drama, a psychological thriller, a comedy, etc. It shouldn’t try to mix atmospheres. If they are mixed, it creates a weird idea of “not knowing how to feel”, and this leads to the viewer not caring for certain scenes. Out of place mood swings or just random ones can make any conflict that was shown seem less memorable or just fully break the immersion the anime tried to create. An example would be when a heavy drama scene is followed immediately by a comic relief, it gives the impression that the characters and what they feel aren’t really a priority. If the anime went from action to comedy, then to gore, and back to comedy, and then ended with a drama in its first episode you have no expectations to what will follow in its next episodes and have no idea how you should feel about its characters. On the other hand, a show that knows how to set a tone perfectly can use it not just to make a better immersion, but it can also improve its characters. Like using the audiovisuals to show emotions related to a certain character or changing the atmosphere when a new character is introduced so it creates a certain feel towards said character, this is really common when a villain or a character that establishes the conflict of the story is introduced. While discussing tone I talked about using it to help with characterization, that’s because it is the most crucial thing that a show should do correctly. Every tool used to make it great is welcome. A first episode should make the people watching it care for its characters and it should be done by showing things about them, they aren’t just characters, they should feel like real people. Their personality, how they are, how they think, how they interact with other people, some of their flaws and qualities. It is the simple things that make a good characterization and help to create a bond with the characters. So the viewer will care for what is going on, root for the characters, and feel motivated to follow what these people will do as the story progresses. One thing to add: The motivation of the characters and what their goals are, and what they are trying to achieve in the story, is also really important. This is a tool that can be used to do characterization. Knowing what the character wants can really increase how relatable the character is. This is also used to set the story, the characters’ arc, and point where the conflict will end. It’s not mainly needed because there are some stories that are fine without showing motivation right away. This is mainly related to the genre of the anime: Slice of life and comedies are examples of genres where motivation isn’t really needed at first. Another factor to take into account while talking about motivation is the purpose of the story, if the themes of the story only start to be explored later on, it’s not a priority. While talking about character motivation, I mentioned using it to set the story, but how much of it is needed? Simple, just the setting. Anything else related to the plot, most of the time, is overdone. All the basic rules about how the world works and what is happening there is enough, telling this avoids many plot holes that can happen in the future because of the lack of explanation. There is no need to show everything about it, again, all that is needed are the basics. This creates a more friendly connection to the characters because that is also supposed to be what they know. If the anime just starts and the viewer just gets info dumped onto them, and the story just starts going and going, with no room to breathe, you don’t get any characterization or feeling towards what is happening. You just see random people doing things for some reason. A story starts and ends with its characters. To sum it up: characters, tone and setting. The tone should be established soon to give a good idea of what is to come, and the setting helps with immersion and to avoid plot holes later on, and characterization is the most important aspect because it helps the viewers sympathize with the characters. Now, the most important part: How are these three aspects relevant to the viewer? They are as important as the viewer wants them to be. If the person watching a certain show is focused on other elements, like animation for example, these aspects are just not going to be noticed. If the viewer has a different mindset, the aspects I discussed can break a show. You guys agree with the aspects i discussed or think i missed something? Or actually disagree with one aspect and what i said about it? What are your favorite first episodes and least favorites ones? |
| Remember guys, I AM NOT A PARAGON OF TASTE. I HAVE SHIT TASTE LIKE THE REST OF YOU. |
| I agree, but you know that already~ |
| No validation, no applause You don't have prove you got it when you know it's yours https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSSKDIcpdSE |
| You are just being a hater. ;-; |
| Remember guys, I AM NOT A PARAGON OF TASTE. I HAVE SHIT TASTE LIKE THE REST OF YOU. |
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