In today’s episode, one by one, half of the gang falls sick, possibly due to the flu but we don’t know that. The entire episode is filled with poor little Kana running around worrying about people and sick bishojo as well as some fan services in thoughts. In the second half, Kana gets sick and we find out why is it that she just does so much – she’s insecure about her place in this delivery agency; it is her belief that if she becomes less useful for whatever reason, she’ll be abandoned behind and the feeling of loneliness when her grandmother passed away will return.
It’s not a emotionally heavy show and so that there isn’t a huge explosion of feeling nor does it explore feelings deeply. But Kana wonders if she can be an independent person while harboring insecurities about her ability to contribute to the group. All in all, a standard Japanese fear being presented with moe blobs.
If anyone actually watches this show, don’t think, feel. For all the lolicons out there, enjoy the loli moe blob running around.
I think you’ve come up with a good slogan for watching all anime — or even all dramatic art: “Don’t think, feel.”
Anyway, feelings are what I for one look for from anime, movies, dramas, etc. To me, if it’s in your head it’s shallow, but if it’s in your heart it’s deep.
hashi: I agree that “feelings” are important, very much so. I’ve seen plenty of shows and movies that try to tickle my brain, so to speak–the Lains and the Innocences and all. Stories are human stories and they aren’t really “true” stories unless they involve some emotional point of contact. And much that is “intellectual” is really simply pretentious, aspiring to depth without actually reaching it by throwing much mumbo-jumbo and “arty” maneuvers at you. So I get what you mean; shows that leave you cold ultimately don’t work as entertainment.
However, for me the best shows give you both head and heart. Evangelion did at the start of my fandom. So did Kaiba, more recently. They’re not necessarily mutually exclusive. An example of a show that I think is a bit too “feeling” might be Mai Hime, which is like several emotional rollercoasters but takes some awfully dubious plot turns at times. For me it’s hard to turn off my brain entirely when it’s that blatant. I need some modicum of intelligence for something to work.
Though, at the end of the day I still liked Mai Hime, so maybe you are right that “feeling” counts for more! Who knows. I wrote at length about my philosophy of anime criticism here and here, if you’re interested.
Well, Bruce Lee said that line but there are shows that reach out to emotions and maybe that’s the way to go.