Wow. I finally come out and say it, but this season has been pretty weak. Aside from continuing shows like DRRR, everything that has come out this season has been weak in different ways. Let me dissect everything with the Dragon Slayer Sword from Berserk.
1. Weak plot full of characters with excuses that we’re supposed to sympathize with.
Ex. ANGEL BEAT, of course!
Oh OK, so I’m supposed to believe that Naoi’s background would make him a dictator. Oh sure, like there’s such a strong connection that I can’t miss. Oh sure. I mean, I should’ve seen seem it coming a mile away…Well, I was told that, yeah, my guess wasn’t too far off, you know, a neglect father, no mother, being ignored. Oh, what’s new? Even though I missed the specifics, I got most of it down before I even watched the episode. But there’s a strong lack of a convicting turning point from his childhood to present.
So what? At the end of the day, he’s healed in one episode, and joins the SSS. He even takes part in a comic relief scene. Oh fuckin’ brilliancy. What could’ve been a potential touching and powerful struggle not to mention the extension of serious drama gets cut short. So what do we get at the end of the episode? Another angel. Of course.
2. Convenient appearance of villain that triggers awakening – but no set up.
Ex. Daimaou, OF COURSE!
God, I really like this show, with all the cute girls and an interesting plot about a really nice person who’s always misunderstood. But yeah, this guy just kicks too much ass, all the time, every episode. OK fine, no urgency, no worries. That’s OK. A lot of today’s anime watchers just can’t take a good story, because a good story always involves some kind of pain. Fine. Then don’t do the hero thing! Don’t all of the sudden make his sidekick into someone who was injected with story material fit for a protagonist. It’s distracting. Handled right, of course, stories like two best friends turn against each other are classics. They are wonderful for good story telling. But Hiroshi’s been pretty much just your regular comic relief. He hasn’t shown any promise as the antagonist until THE LAST EPISODE? When all of the sudden, those of us who are shrewd realized that he was the Brave? The Hero? Like the hero VS the Demon King thing? REALLY?
God, just don’t do it out of nowhere!
3. Whacky humor for whacky humor’s sake.
Ex. Arakawa Under the Bridge
Look, maybe it’s cultural difference, maybe it’s because I’m mostly for well-timed slapstick and punchlines, I just can’t make myself liking this. Sure, it’s got humor, sure, Sawashiro Miyuki’s Maria is way-harsh and hilirious, but the show does senseless things just for the sake of making them senseless. The underlying concept critically examine self-reliance VS selfishness, being independent VS being independent so much that you close off yourself, and “does every kindness have a price?” If I’m rambling that’s because the show rambles on and adds more wacky characters that are supposed to make fun of certain stereotypes, but it’s such a uber-champloo or mish-mash of too many things that it’s quite disorienting.
Good grief, maybe all these people need to get over it.
4. Please, stop repeating yourself, we get it. You’ve wasted your life and it sucks.
Ex. Tatami Galaxy.
Oh I’ve been there. In fact, half of the time I feel like I’ve wasted my life. My life has been a utter failure when compared against the classic definition of success. Oh I get it all right. That said, does the show have to repeat itself over and over and over again? It’s the same person, meeting nearly the same people, and repeating his failure all over again. What is this, Greek Hell? Not! It’s a Japanese anime! And it’s taking too long to get to the point! I know that’s done on purpose but please stop. Torturing for the sake of torturing isn’t that interesting unless you’re sadistic, and I refuse to be tormented any longer.
Riiiiight…So there are Greek Hell elements here and I’m supposed to get it…ooooohhhhhh suuuurrre.
5. He can be a stalker as long as he’s a bishonen and saves the girl all the time.
Ex. Kaicho wa Maido sama, OF COURRRRRSE!
Oh boy, this is a classic definition of reinforcing a negative stereotype about women – they think you’re harrassing them because you’re ugly looking, but when you’re hot, they like it and don’t complain (which may be true anyway). Hell shit, if I were 6″5′, blond, lean and good looking, I can probably get away with serial rape! Or at least serial stalking, as Usui has done. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s shoujo. Yeah well fuck it, stalking is stalking. Negative stereotype reinforcement is stereotype reinforcement – unless of course, it’s not a NEGATIVE stereotype, it’s what women do instinctly – then in that case, I congretulate the author for the manga and the creator of the show. You guys (girls) have got it down to a T. Fucking brilliant.
And Misaki thinks that other student president is well-mannered and good looking. Oh how easy! All too easy…(hiss, think Darth Vader).
Of course, I must be way off.
6. Act spoiled! It’s OK! You’re a cute rich girl and even the rich is suffering!
Ex. Mayoi Neko Overrun
Like hell. Umenomori is so spoiled she’s incredibly annoying. However, the worse part is that…NOBODY cared that the purple haired cat girl is … A CATGIRL! I thought this is supposed to be a pretty normal slice of life but shit, they totally blew that out of window with the last episode. I get it, really I do. It’s a crazy show that begs you to throw common sense out of window. I do enjoy that. That said, what didya mean, even the rich people feels pain sometimes? Of course they don’t! That’s why the world sucks and yet they are still prospering! Fuck it, I’m 13 trillion percent certain that no rich people in the history of mankind had a heart and cared for people’s sufferings. But seriously, watching shows like this and Princess Lover, one seriously wonder if the creators throught it through before they slapped the trait of “loneliness” onto any rich girl who’s super cute, and asked us to just accept it as it is. Brilliant.
Oh, once again, I’m way off, I’m sure.
Big facepalm for me today. Big one.
Next time: what I consider as bright points of this season. Yes, there are some.