I don’t care about the plot of a show. I can appreciate a show for having a well put together plot, but I don’t find enjoyment in a show from following its plot and finding a narrative through the plot. Rather, I see the plot of a show as a medium for aesthetics and ideas to be conveyed through and I enjoy a show through the narratives I find in those elements. I don't need even the slightest semblance of a plot to thoroughly enjoy a show.
When it comes to what I pay attention to most in a story it would probably be the characters and how their interactions affect one another. Because I have a rather limited amount of social interaction my obsession with these kinds of shows comes from both my desperate attempts to reaffirm the importance of relationships to myself so I don’t live alone for the rest of my life and at the same time me wanting to fully indulge in escapism by trying to vicariously feel what it's like to have meaningful friendships thus encouraging me to live alone for the rest of my life. It’s a double-edged sword, or in this case a very cute double-edged anime girl.
What it comes to anime specifically however, I would have to say the most important aspect of a show is its aesthetic. Whether it's the cute, marshmallowey aesthetic of K-On! or the old fashioned, rustic aesthetic of Cowboy Bebop I find myself becoming very easily attached to shows with very expressive aesthetics. If a show has a very distinct "feel" to it then it allows me to relate a very nuanced and distinct feeling of my own to the show and as a result it allows me to easily give context to emotions I would have no way of interpreting otherwise, making the distinct aesthetics even more memorable and further compounding my overall enjoyment of the show.
I don’t care nearly as much about manga than I do anime. I can never get as much out of a manga as I can out of an anime for the sole reason that there's less elements, such as audio and color, being used to enhance my consumption of the media. I also really dislike reading manga online, so I usually just read manga I find at local bookstores when my eyes are too irritated from staring at my computer screen for too long and want something similar to anime to fill my time with.
As a result of having a peculiar taste, I will watch literally anything because I will never know what I will like/dislike. I will also drop a lot of shows because I want to watch as many shows as possible and I don’t want to get hung up on a show that I don’t like. My dropped list isn't strict at all meaning that I could easily pick up certain shows that I have already dropped.
Don’t put too much emphasis on the specific rankings of each of my favorites. My taste is prone to change and my favorites change frequently (or at least they did when I still had enough drive to binge shows on the regular). Any of my favorites could easily be shifted down except for a certain few.
Please don’t think I’m pretentious or anything like that, I just like to think a lot about anime.
10 - An anime that has become a fundamental part of my existence. These shows were made for me.
9 - Still an all time favorite, but for one reason or another are not quite as important to me as a 10
8 - Consistently very enjoyable or interesting shows or shows that are more inconsistent but have incredible peaks
7 - Decent enough to be well above average, but not memorable enough to be any higher
6 - Doesn’t relate to me at all, or several flaws, but I’m still glad I watched them
5 - Average run-of-the-mill shows. I don’t hate these shows, but don't really like them either
4 - Either the show is oftentimes boring, or it has fundamental flaws that I can’t look past
3 - Very low quality shows that have only a few or one positive trait
2 - Nothing is good about this show but at least its not offensively bad
1 - My eyes have been violated
If I haven't given a score to something it means that either its a short/special or I simply don't remember enough about the show to confidently rank it
I agree with everything you said. Aiko, alongside the other girls, is such a good representation of a kid (while still having that larger-than life, moe anime feel). Her attempts to "act adult", through her business endeavors, handling of chores in her household, etc. never fail to bring a smile to my face.
Doremi is great! I have been watching it on and off since last summer, and tend to watch it in bursts every so often. An episode once in a while is good too, I would often watch it in the evenings at college last year. It's such a light and easy-going show, but the more poignant moments sprinkled throughout really work. As you said, the show handles Aiko's experience as a kid with divorced parents well. One of my fav episodes in the show is Sharp's episode 15, "Mother's Day and the Drawing of Mother". I love how Sensei relates to her students' feelings of sadness around a holiday focused on a parent, when both her and her students have lost one. I also love the Sharp episode about Doremi learning to get over her past sadness of playing the piano, to allow Pop to try it out and reinvigorate their mother's passion. The show in general, does such a wonderful job of representing dynamics between children and adults. I love how the adults are often in the wrong, and learn to fix their misjudgments to help the kids they are mentoring thrive. I just got to the episode of Motto where Nagato finally expresses her fears of school based on past trauma, and that was so well handled, with the reunion between her and her past teacher being the sweetest. I would 100% show this show to kids, and I am surprised it was not more popular in America. As you can see from my MAL, I am about to start the final season, so I will keep you updated on my thoughts on that!!
I've never been hiking before as where I live doesn't have any interesting hiking spots nearby. Hopefully, next time I got to America, I'll try it then!
I also play a lot of video games and watch a lot of youtube. I go to archery once a week and I started playing volleyball a few months before lockdown so I never really got to play.
Most of the time, I spend my time drawing anime characters and spending hours on Instagram or writing original stories.
They all sound really interesting, I'll have to add them to my plan to watch list.
I'm currently watching To Your Eternity which is a really heartwarming show about an orb being sent to earth and experiencing humanity. It's quite slow-paced but doesn't feel too slow and it has one of the best first episodes of any show. I'm also watching 86 which is a really cool mecha show which deals with a lot of issues. I'm watching quite a lot of shows at the moment, about 19.
I'm also rewatching Demon Slayer as I'm going to be watching the film at the cinema on Saturday.
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Doremi is great! I have been watching it on and off since last summer, and tend to watch it in bursts every so often. An episode once in a while is good too, I would often watch it in the evenings at college last year. It's such a light and easy-going show, but the more poignant moments sprinkled throughout really work. As you said, the show handles Aiko's experience as a kid with divorced parents well. One of my fav episodes in the show is Sharp's episode 15, "Mother's Day and the Drawing of Mother". I love how Sensei relates to her students' feelings of sadness around a holiday focused on a parent, when both her and her students have lost one. I also love the Sharp episode about Doremi learning to get over her past sadness of playing the piano, to allow Pop to try it out and reinvigorate their mother's passion. The show in general, does such a wonderful job of representing dynamics between children and adults. I love how the adults are often in the wrong, and learn to fix their misjudgments to help the kids they are mentoring thrive. I just got to the episode of Motto where Nagato finally expresses her fears of school based on past trauma, and that was so well handled, with the reunion between her and her past teacher being the sweetest. I would 100% show this show to kids, and I am surprised it was not more popular in America. As you can see from my MAL, I am about to start the final season, so I will keep you updated on my thoughts on that!!
Archery is quite relaxing but can be expensive when buying your own stuff.
Your interests are cool as well!!
I also play a lot of video games and watch a lot of youtube. I go to archery once a week and I started playing volleyball a few months before lockdown so I never really got to play.
Most of the time, I spend my time drawing anime characters and spending hours on Instagram or writing original stories.
I'm currently watching To Your Eternity which is a really heartwarming show about an orb being sent to earth and experiencing humanity. It's quite slow-paced but doesn't feel too slow and it has one of the best first episodes of any show. I'm also watching 86 which is a really cool mecha show which deals with a lot of issues. I'm watching quite a lot of shows at the moment, about 19.
I'm also rewatching Demon Slayer as I'm going to be watching the film at the cinema on Saturday.
What hobbies do you have outside of anime?