Detestable main character drives a ridiculous/boring plot through her constant ineptitude and mistakes. She embodies the "shy purest of maidens" stereotype so the two main male characters fall in love with her when what she really deserves is a stern talking to.
One of the main characters suffers from depression so the rest of the characters try to fix him by being overbearing.
There are a few moments here and there when the show isn't terrible but the characters and plot are so badly thought out I can't believe anybody wrote it, or bough it, or decided to make an anime out of it. And now we have a film coming? It's almost as ridiculous as Trump and Clinton being the only two candidates for president.
Yeah, the Nichijou OVA really just bored the crap out of me. I didn't find it to be very charming and most of the jokes were badly stretched out worse than anything Azumanga Daioh ever did (no small feat there). But I do keep hearing good things about the series and have seen some funny clips floating around, so I have been considering giving the TV series a watch. I'm not entirely sure, though. I was very disappointed in Lucky Star (as a Haruhi superfan, I really thought I should have loved that show) and I'm kind of getting a lot of the same vibes from Nichijou. I do think I'll give it a shot, though, some day.
I don't really see Azumanga Daioh as being that "bizarre" though. It's really silly at times, but the only time I felt it ever got overly crazy is during the dream sequences, and dreams are dreams so whatever. As far as truly bizarre slice of life comedies go, Zetsubou Sensei is my favorite in that regard, though I see you've only watched one episode of that. The closest thing I've probably seen to the overall feel of Azumanga Daioh (in my eyes) is Minami-ke. I've only watched the first season of that so far, though. The fact that they changed the art style for the second season kind of turned me off to it when it was initially released and I haven't gotten around to getting back into the series since. Haha, looking through the anime pages for the franchise, it's actually been handled by three different studios (over only four TV seasons). I think I'm more interested in getting back into reading the manga at this point, eventually. As far as the "heartwarming" slice of life aspect of Azumanga Daioh goes, I think Binbou Shimai Monogatari was one of the best examples of that I've found. Such a sweet little series.
Ah, thanks! It's nice talking to you, too. I usually do my best to not take things personally, even when people talk down about things I love. I just try to see things from their perspective and understand why they feel that way. I do get a little mad and irritated at some reviews that I see (not yours), but usually when that happens its just a knee-jerk reaction. And those reviewers are usually either trolling, shouldn't have been watching that show in the first place because it's obviously counter to their tastes, and/or they completely missed the point of the show or had the wrong kind of expectation for what it should have been.
I actually haven't read any of Murakami's stuff. I had heard of him briefly though, since his "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" had been mentioned as an inspiration for Haibane Renmei (one of my all-time favorites, and one you were a little more than lukewarm on?). Sadly I'm a very slow reader so there are tons of things I'd like to read but haven't had the time for. I read about as fast as I can talk, so I've begun getting into audio books lately. I'll have to see if I can find "Hard-Boiled Wonderland" sometime. Do you have any other recommendations of his?
As far as your dynamic passion for anime goes, I think there are two possibilities: (1) You might learn to appreciate and understand things that you didn't like before, softening your hate for things like what's in Wolf's Rain. In this case, I feel that your passion for the things you've always loved would be safe. (2) Your hate for things like what's in Wolf's Rain begins to soften not due to understanding or a broadening of tastes, but instead due to an overall reduction of your passion for art and entertainment. In this case, your love for other anime would also sadly decline.
Just speaking from my own levels of enthusiasm, while I don't tend to hate things very often, I definitely truly love what I end up giving 10s to. Things like Toradora!, Haibane Renmei, and the Orange manga have moments that touch me so much on an emotional level that I just cry my eyes out (in a good way). Azumanga Daioh is always funny and heartwarming. Higurashi is always a blast to watch even though there are no more surprises left. Haruhi and the Monogatari series have some of my favorite characters ever and the interactions between them is always fun to watch. Etc. etc. So just because someone can't bring themselves to hate very many things, doesn't mean they can't love things.
Yeah, I actually wanted to go into computer programing out of high school, but I had issues when I went to college the first time. I ended up changing my major to Art after the first year and dropped out after my second. After that I didn't want to live with my parents anymore and ended up enlisting in the Air Force. I wanted to go into a graphic design or photography career, but I was in a rush and went into Basic as "open general" and ended up getting placed in financial management. I separated after my initial 4-year term and now finance is what I have training and experience in. So that's the story of how money became my career. (not that you asked) =P
Most people are probably more critical than me when it comes to anime. But it's not that I don't have the capacity to be critical. I just don't really feel the need to put too much work into it when it comes to anime and other things that I tend to enjoy. Again, I have such broad tastes that I like a lot of things. I don't have a lot of things in entertainment that bother me. I very rarely "hate" characters and I'm okay with a variety of different story telling styles and elements (so things like the stuff in Wolf's Rain doesn't bother me). There are a few themes that I'm not a big fan of like military/political stuff (maybe a little ironic being a vet and current government employee), but I usually try to avoid those things and if I do encounter them they usually just bore me and I don't particularly "hate" it. Again, just a matter of taste.
Haha, okay. I might go ahead and try checking out the anime soon. I usually just tend to like experiencing the original version first if I can. As I mentioned Berserk, I'd never watched any of the anime since I always heard about the drop-off ending of the old series. Then when the movies came out, I heard a lot of negative comments about the CGI usage and then even worse stuff about the new TV series. I've decided to mostly just pretend that the anime doesn't exist at this point and just went deep into the manga. I might check out some of the anime some day just to see it in action, but I have pretty low expectations. But yeah, checking out the Flowers of Evil anime would be a lot easier than reading the manga since I can just pull it up on Crunchyroll, but I do have a lot of stuff that I'm already "Watching" right now so I want to finish off some stuff before adding to the list.
Oh, and I missed your last paragraph about comparing our usage of "10" ratings. You must have edited that in while I was writing my last comment. While you have scored 21 anime with a "10" and I scored 71 with a "10", I've scored significantly more anime than you (your 130 vs my 692). Therefore, the percentage of times that I've given a "10" is actually lower than you (16% for you vs 10% for me). Also, considering that I don't rate anything that I drop and that anything I'd drop would be below a "10" if I did rate it, since I have 200 dropped anime that would potentially bring my percentage down to 8%. There is also the issue of series to consider. I'm a huge Monogatari Series fan which accounts for six of my 10s although they're essentially all part of the same series. Nodame Cantabile also accounts for six 10s and Zetsubou Sensei accounts for five. Comparing that to you, your most significant series of 10s is Evangelion with four entries. Sorry to get all analytical on that. I'm kind of a numbers person and work in finance, so yeah. ^_^"
Glad you enjoyed my comment. Maybe I'm getting really used to shy Japanese girls (I've read a lot of shoujo manga and Kimi ni Todoke is a big favorite of mine), but I don't really get that much of a pure otome vibe from Naho. The future version of her, maybe, but high school Naho just comes off as shy, indecisive, and oblivious to me. Which, again, can be annoying, but it doesn't bother me so much.
I haven't checked out Flowers of Evil yet, but I'd like to. I think I'd much prefer reading the manga first for fear of the animation style of the anime being a little hard to handle. That's the main reason I've held off on it, I think. I know a lot of fans of the original manga hated the anime for how "ugly" and different from the manga it was, but that would actually make me want to watch the anime more after reading the manga. I find it interesting when they put a significantly different spin on a series when it's adapted. I'll have to try reading it soon since I've finally caught up with Berserk; only took me about five months to read through the first 38 volumes. XD
And yes, I did really enjoy WataMote. I really felt like I should have hated Tomoko because she was just so damn delusional and bitter most of the time, but I could still relate to her at other times. She also provided some genuine laughs, although it kind of felt a little wrong laughing at some of the stuff in the series, almost like laughing at the mentally handicapped. But it was definitely an interesting show. I'd almost describe it as a "Madoka Magica" of the slice of life gag-comedy genre: a major deconstruction of that form, completely turning it on its head.
Interesting, yet brief, take on Orange. I've come across others who were rubbed the wrong way by Naho and while I understand how people can see her that way, I personally can't help but relate to her. Although I'm not a girl, I was incredibly shy, plagued by social anxiety, and oblivious to a lot of social situations. I still am those things to an extent, although with age and observation I'm at least more socially aware these days. While I can't really speak fully on the anime as I'm only a little more than half way through it (though I've heard that the pacing was kind of screwed up and I can kind of see that so far), the original manga was one of the most touching reads I've experienced in a long time. But hey, different tastes for different people. Can't fault anyone for not liking what they don't like.
Actually, what I find really interesting about your list is how dynamic it is! I've seen other people with a good amount of low scores like you before, but I think you're the first such person I've seen who also has a relatively large amount of items scored at a 9 or 10. I find that really interesting. I give a pretty large number of 10s myself, but I really like a wide range of entertainment and tend to watch things for enjoyment without a critical eye in mind going into it. Scores below a 7 for me are pretty rare for non-hentai, non-fluff material (meaning things like bonus fan service specials and add-on movies/OVAs for shounen shows that don't really mean anything to the actual story). To see someone who is both very critical of things you don't like, yet also willing to freely give a perfect 10 to the things you loved watching is something that I don't think I've really seen before now. When I see a lot of people with very strict scores and barely anything rated above a 7, it always gives me an impression of, "Why do you even watch anime?" Sure, some people have different interpretations of what the scores mean to them, but still. Anyway, I just wanted to say that seeing the scores on your list was very refreshing to me. Have a great day and keep finding anime that you love! ^_^
Eh... Sore ga Seiyuu definitely has more gimmick than Bakuman and opposite from what you says I think this anime better fits younger audiences or at least younger audiences would find this anime more digestable than Shirobako and Bakuman. I also enjoyed the anime though, just want to point out my disagreement on your points
I went looking for people who gave low ratings to Wolf's Rain, as an indicator of possible compatibility of taste. I agree with your ratings list pretty well! I will be looking closely at some of your top picks.
Thats what im talking about man. Your review of SAO is aweosme. I know right, it was so good, action and awesome stuff and then it got crappy suckish and romance shit
I've said this to others before, but I feel your resentment on what seems to be an overabundance of "bad" anime. But what sells, sells (right?). You'll see all the same in music, film, and literature.
Let me suggest Wings of Honneamise, Grave of the Fireflies, and Only Yesterday. One way to describe Wings is "Planetes meets GAINAX" -- but it's so much more than that. You'll love it, I promise.
Oh, and welcome to MAL. It's nice to see folks with taste. Don't mind the ratings. I don't even trust IMDb these days.
All Comments (14) Comments
Detestable main character drives a ridiculous/boring plot through her constant ineptitude and mistakes. She embodies the "shy purest of maidens" stereotype so the two main male characters fall in love with her when what she really deserves is a stern talking to.
One of the main characters suffers from depression so the rest of the characters try to fix him by being overbearing.
There are a few moments here and there when the show isn't terrible but the characters and plot are so badly thought out I can't believe anybody wrote it, or bough it, or decided to make an anime out of it. And now we have a film coming? It's almost as ridiculous as Trump and Clinton being the only two candidates for president.
I don't really see Azumanga Daioh as being that "bizarre" though. It's really silly at times, but the only time I felt it ever got overly crazy is during the dream sequences, and dreams are dreams so whatever. As far as truly bizarre slice of life comedies go, Zetsubou Sensei is my favorite in that regard, though I see you've only watched one episode of that. The closest thing I've probably seen to the overall feel of Azumanga Daioh (in my eyes) is Minami-ke. I've only watched the first season of that so far, though. The fact that they changed the art style for the second season kind of turned me off to it when it was initially released and I haven't gotten around to getting back into the series since. Haha, looking through the anime pages for the franchise, it's actually been handled by three different studios (over only four TV seasons). I think I'm more interested in getting back into reading the manga at this point, eventually. As far as the "heartwarming" slice of life aspect of Azumanga Daioh goes, I think Binbou Shimai Monogatari was one of the best examples of that I've found. Such a sweet little series.
I actually haven't read any of Murakami's stuff. I had heard of him briefly though, since his "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" had been mentioned as an inspiration for Haibane Renmei (one of my all-time favorites, and one you were a little more than lukewarm on?). Sadly I'm a very slow reader so there are tons of things I'd like to read but haven't had the time for. I read about as fast as I can talk, so I've begun getting into audio books lately. I'll have to see if I can find "Hard-Boiled Wonderland" sometime. Do you have any other recommendations of his?
As far as your dynamic passion for anime goes, I think there are two possibilities: (1) You might learn to appreciate and understand things that you didn't like before, softening your hate for things like what's in Wolf's Rain. In this case, I feel that your passion for the things you've always loved would be safe. (2) Your hate for things like what's in Wolf's Rain begins to soften not due to understanding or a broadening of tastes, but instead due to an overall reduction of your passion for art and entertainment. In this case, your love for other anime would also sadly decline.
Just speaking from my own levels of enthusiasm, while I don't tend to hate things very often, I definitely truly love what I end up giving 10s to. Things like Toradora!, Haibane Renmei, and the Orange manga have moments that touch me so much on an emotional level that I just cry my eyes out (in a good way). Azumanga Daioh is always funny and heartwarming. Higurashi is always a blast to watch even though there are no more surprises left. Haruhi and the Monogatari series have some of my favorite characters ever and the interactions between them is always fun to watch. Etc. etc. So just because someone can't bring themselves to hate very many things, doesn't mean they can't love things.
Most people are probably more critical than me when it comes to anime. But it's not that I don't have the capacity to be critical. I just don't really feel the need to put too much work into it when it comes to anime and other things that I tend to enjoy. Again, I have such broad tastes that I like a lot of things. I don't have a lot of things in entertainment that bother me. I very rarely "hate" characters and I'm okay with a variety of different story telling styles and elements (so things like the stuff in Wolf's Rain doesn't bother me). There are a few themes that I'm not a big fan of like military/political stuff (maybe a little ironic being a vet and current government employee), but I usually try to avoid those things and if I do encounter them they usually just bore me and I don't particularly "hate" it. Again, just a matter of taste.
Oh, and I missed your last paragraph about comparing our usage of "10" ratings. You must have edited that in while I was writing my last comment. While you have scored 21 anime with a "10" and I scored 71 with a "10", I've scored significantly more anime than you (your 130 vs my 692). Therefore, the percentage of times that I've given a "10" is actually lower than you (16% for you vs 10% for me). Also, considering that I don't rate anything that I drop and that anything I'd drop would be below a "10" if I did rate it, since I have 200 dropped anime that would potentially bring my percentage down to 8%. There is also the issue of series to consider. I'm a huge Monogatari Series fan which accounts for six of my 10s although they're essentially all part of the same series. Nodame Cantabile also accounts for six 10s and Zetsubou Sensei accounts for five. Comparing that to you, your most significant series of 10s is Evangelion with four entries. Sorry to get all analytical on that. I'm kind of a numbers person and work in finance, so yeah. ^_^"
I haven't checked out Flowers of Evil yet, but I'd like to. I think I'd much prefer reading the manga first for fear of the animation style of the anime being a little hard to handle. That's the main reason I've held off on it, I think. I know a lot of fans of the original manga hated the anime for how "ugly" and different from the manga it was, but that would actually make me want to watch the anime more after reading the manga. I find it interesting when they put a significantly different spin on a series when it's adapted. I'll have to try reading it soon since I've finally caught up with Berserk; only took me about five months to read through the first 38 volumes. XD
And yes, I did really enjoy WataMote. I really felt like I should have hated Tomoko because she was just so damn delusional and bitter most of the time, but I could still relate to her at other times. She also provided some genuine laughs, although it kind of felt a little wrong laughing at some of the stuff in the series, almost like laughing at the mentally handicapped. But it was definitely an interesting show. I'd almost describe it as a "Madoka Magica" of the slice of life gag-comedy genre: a major deconstruction of that form, completely turning it on its head.
Actually, what I find really interesting about your list is how dynamic it is! I've seen other people with a good amount of low scores like you before, but I think you're the first such person I've seen who also has a relatively large amount of items scored at a 9 or 10. I find that really interesting. I give a pretty large number of 10s myself, but I really like a wide range of entertainment and tend to watch things for enjoyment without a critical eye in mind going into it. Scores below a 7 for me are pretty rare for non-hentai, non-fluff material (meaning things like bonus fan service specials and add-on movies/OVAs for shounen shows that don't really mean anything to the actual story). To see someone who is both very critical of things you don't like, yet also willing to freely give a perfect 10 to the things you loved watching is something that I don't think I've really seen before now. When I see a lot of people with very strict scores and barely anything rated above a 7, it always gives me an impression of, "Why do you even watch anime?" Sure, some people have different interpretations of what the scores mean to them, but still. Anyway, I just wanted to say that seeing the scores on your list was very refreshing to me. Have a great day and keep finding anime that you love! ^_^
I've said this to others before, but I feel your resentment on what seems to be an overabundance of "bad" anime. But what sells, sells (right?). You'll see all the same in music, film, and literature.
Let me suggest Wings of Honneamise, Grave of the Fireflies, and Only Yesterday. One way to describe Wings is "Planetes meets GAINAX" -- but it's so much more than that. You'll love it, I promise.
Oh, and welcome to MAL. It's nice to see folks with taste. Don't mind the ratings. I don't even trust IMDb these days.