My Insignificant Suggestions That Won’t Make A Difference in the Anime Industry
I’m tired, tired of anime nowadays because they seem to run on the same line; overwhelming fan service, lolis run wild, excessive pantsu shots, gore splashing everywhere, triangle love relations, predictable plots, and the list goes on.
The anime nowadays are re-runs where nothing is new and the plot will bear some semblance to a title that I’ve watched before. The difference would of course be the title of the series, the name of characters and minor things here and there that wouldn’t make much a difference. Say for example you like Myself Yourself. I’d recommend Tokimeki Memorial and Kimikiss Pure Rogue. The plot rings a bell, no?
So where’s the innovation? Isn’t it important? Though low in anime spirits now, I still hope to see some of the below happening one day.
#1. Bring me CSI but anime-styled.
I don’t seem to be able to find a good detective series where science, logic and suspense are involved. So far Kindaichi is almost there but not scientific enough to make the mark. Previously I thought that Nijuu Mensou no Musume might be a good detective series but when Twenty Faces do superhuman stunts, the series entered my entertainment list. Where’s the forensic science element? Bring in DNA profiling, introduce the Kastle-Meyer test and solve cases the way real life detectives do.
#2. Adapt anime from English novels.
If we can adapt anime from manga and anime from a classic wuxia novel like The Return of Condor Heroes, then why not from English novels? The vampire chronicles by Anne Rice would be great; especially “Interview with the Vampire” where it would be different from Hellsing, Blood+ or Black Blood Brothers. Mitch Albom’s “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” would be different from the usual genres that we can find in anime and I believe that there are many other novels that can be adapted.
#3. Some fanservice for female viewers.
Been to Gotham Penthouse that’s located at Singapore’s Clarke Quay? There, they have sexy and hawt male dancers who dance half naked just to entertain the customers.
Female characters with b00bs like rags? Lots of pantsu shots? Loli with super kawaii smile? No thanks, I’ll pass. Where’s the fanservice for female viewers?
#4. Beef up the reverse harem sector.
I switched off my TV when Neo Angelique Abyss was aired on my local TV station and I’ve no idea why there was even a sequel to it. It was a boring and a below average title.
Haven’t caught it yet? Good, don’t waste time catching. The female lead is the typical damsel in distress and the male characters try to be charming though I was never once charmed by them for a second. Chibi-like characters are not my cup of tea so I’ve eliminated a couple of reverse harem titles and that leave me with few where none are impressive.
#5. Travel series and cross cultural exchanges.
I don’t travel overseas but I like to watch discovery channel and its travel programs. What I noticed in anime is that there’s little to nil cross cultural exchanges in the majority of the series. To me, utilizing a few lines of English in an environment where everyone speaks Japanese does not make it a cross cultural experience (Think Revy speaking English in some Black Lagoon episodes). Bring me series where I can learn of the other countries; the people, their culture, and the food. Better yet, make a series that’s something like Saving Face.
#6. Go unconventional.
It’s difficult to come up with something innovative but I’ve already seen too many shoujo-ai and yuri series that are set in schools. Schools are everywhere; we all love schools and uniforms don’t we? And we love to death senpai-kouhai yuri-ness right? True to some extent and I’m guilt of loving the schools in a yuri flick but what about a change of setting? I’d recommend the yuri manga, Tetragrammaton Labyrinth, if they’re looking to adapt a yuri manga that is unconventional.
#7. Attack the unripe concepts.
Instead of spinning more series from existing and over-played concepts, what about the other concepts that are not yet exploited? I don’t recall seeing an epic title that’s solely on dancing or fishing. What about a series on Bartenders and cocktail mixing? Attack those unripe concepts and spin awesome series from there.
These are my insignificant suggestions as I clearly am nobody who can shape the anime industry. Meanwhile I’ll keep my fingers cross and hope what I’ve mentioned will come true one day. Oh, on a side note, if you’re looking for an awesome but not so smoky pub, there’s IndoChine at Wisma Atria that’s open air. They have the famous Singapore sling , which I didn’t like as it tasted like medicine IMO. (::
>Say for example you like Myself Yourself. I’d recommend Tokimeki Memorial and Kimikiss Pure Rogue. The plot rings a bell, no?
Hmm, I’m go out on a limb and say that these 3 series are essentially very different actually. :)
At its core, M;Y is a tale about growing up and more focused on family woes than it seems. TM is a light hearted yet nostalgic take on first taste of teenage love. Kimikiss is more dramatic with the theme of cherishing those who are near. Of course I oversimplify but that 3 series can be enjoyed very differently. :)
#1: Detective Conan. If you want something shorter, Himitsu: The Revelation. Something that airs right now? Mouryou no Hako, although it involves some typical japanese supernatural.
#2: What? Romeo & Juliet, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables and countless others already have adaptations. Not to mention, World Masterpiece Theater series.
#3: virtually every non-ecchi/harem anime has fanservice for girls these days. And then you have stuff like Angelique, Monochrome Factor, Marginal Prince and Kyou Kara Maou that’s 80%+ fanservice.
#4: Why would they? Anime is about Japan. But, if you say so: Saiunkoku Monogatari, fantasy as it is, is still Ancient China-esque. Monster takes place in Germany. Spice & Wolf travel through a middle ages esque European Landscape. D.Gray-man is supposed to be Dark Ages Europe. Not to mention every single World Masterpiece Theater series…
#6: I’ll not mention anything but yuri, for convenience. Yami to boushi to hon no tabibito, Touka Gettan to an extent, Koihime Musou, Project Ice, Ga-Rei-Zero. I’m not a big yuri fan, though, so I’m sure I missed stuff.
#7: Dancing: Princess Tutu. Fishing: Grander Musashi.Bread baking: Yakitake Japan. Baking cakes: Antique Bakery. Mahjong: Akagi. Go: Hikaru no Go. Riding a bike: OverDrive. Gambling: Legendary Gambler Tetsuya, Kaiji, One Outs. Acting: Skip Beat. Theater acting: Kaleido Star, Hana Yori Dango (the movie). Classical music: Nodame Cantabile, La Corda D’Oro, Violinist of Hameln.
#4 there is number #5, sorry. Reverse harems: Kiniro no Corda, every other Angelique series and OVA, Saiunkoku Monogatari, Hakushaku to Yousei, Fushigi Yuugi, Harukanaru toki no naka de. Added to that, male reverse harems: instead of a female lead, a guy with guys running around him in heat.
Good list of suggestions, and I’d especially love to see more of #2. We’ve had series like Romeo x Juliet and that Monte Cristo series, but those are more bastardizations than adaptations.
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Anime is business and business is about making cash.Theres no chance any of the big wigs invest in a not true and tested concept that might not spawn countless otakucash.Its sad but true.Why should they invest money into something uncertain when theres so much money to be earned by spinning the wheel to modify certified Plan X.
This isnt an Anime only thing but a complete entertainment business problem.The only ray of hope are Indie makers and well i have high hopes for the future digital distribution.
Its not only the industries fault alone but also of he countless people buying the same crap over and over again just with a differenr wrapping.Aslong as theres a market theyll feed it until it bursts.
If youre interested in an Anime playing in a different culture try Monster.It plays in Germany and even tough it isnt always accurate it manages to capture the german spirit of that time quite well.A big part of it plays in Düsseldorf,my neighbouring city *cough* *cough*
Another interesting series is Baccano.One of its interesting points is the Pulp Fiction kind of storytelling with lots of timejumps and great 1920-30 flair.Youll have to be open to a bit of supernatural stuff tough
Good Post! Well except for the idea of female fanservice :D
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@Anca: Thank you for your suggestions and don’t worry about the mix up in labeling.
Here’s what I think. (:
#1: I will give both titles a try but will skip Mouryou no Hako as I’ve watched and dropped it last season. I’m looking for real detective series where normal detectives catch normal thugs. No supernatural and irrational gimmicks.
#2: We seem to share different taste. Do you feel that those titles that you’ve mentioned are great series?
#3 & #4: It’s confirmed. We have differing preference. I do not find the reverse harem of the titles that you’ve mentioned hawt or sexy enough. ^______^ I’ve a special dislike for loli kids or chibi characters trying to be sexy.
#5: For this, I’m looking for something with realistically. A series set in ancient China, or Egypt or Paris does not equate cross cultural exchange. If so, Birdy The Decode would be cross planet exchange. D.Gray-man is more shounen than Discovery Channel if you get what I mean.
#6: I’m a yuri fangirl and I’ve watched almost everything. Trust me on this. True that there are yuri titles not set in schools but they are not epic enough. Till date, Strawberry Panic and Maria-sama ga Miteru are the 2 more distinguished ones and they involve the school. Yami to boushi to hon no tabibito is the most confusing yuri title that I’ve watched, Simoun is too psychological to my liking and the other titles that you’ve named are neither epic nor yuri enough to qualify. (e.g. Koihime Musou and Ga-rei Zero have their fair share of shoujo-ai moments but they’re not yuri genres).
#7: Oh you’ve watched the Jdrama for Hana Yori Dango? Have you caught the movie yet? It’s ridiculously hilarious but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Yes those titles that you’ve mentioned are the rare gems where the anime concepts are not exploited yet. What I want is more of those and more of those where the concepts are not even covered yet.
Nice list! I was fond of #5 (see above link).
But do you think they’re really targeted to the majority audience? Niche doesn’t sell – selling is the purpose of the industry/capitalism. Perhaps if the ‘sphere forms its own indie anime studio……that would be amazingly orgasmic.
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@Stripey: Geez, you’re right that they cover different issues. They’re not the best examples around. >.>
@Kiri: Exactly! I’d love Anne Rice’s works to be adapted by a good studio, of course.
@Blowfish: LOL at my own point on female fan service.
Its sad but true that industries are driven by profits and without demand, there would be no supply. I still fall trap to such plays by the industry and would pay for manga only to find that I’m getting the same stuff, only that the wrapping is different.
I trust your taste and have noted Monster and Baccano into my list, we can discuss more about Düsseldorf after I’ve finished the series. *wink* *wink*
@lelangir: Thanks! If they go Discovery Channel, they would not have the majority of the audience on their side. And thanks for the “anitations”. Come to think of it, yeah Benny. very geeky and Americanized. I see the light now…I should pick up the pieces here and there and learn a little of every culture from the various series. (:
Hell, Anca seems to have answeredyour queries already, so I’ll just throw in my two cents. Anime, though a medium of entertainment, is also a way to make money. How do you make money? By pandering to the majority. That’s why we see the same stock themes rehashed almost every season with only a few gems appearing now and then. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If you’re attempting to compare Western shows and even the plots of books from around the world with anime, you’re definitely going to come up short, considering that the fact that the former two categories surely outnumber the latter.
That being said, I’ll always wish for shows that are innovative in their own right, that push the envelope and challenge limitations and boundaries. However, THAT said, I’ll most likely enjoy twists on standard genres and tropes in any show; perhaps there’s too mcuh focus on not conforming to stereotypes. If you can take a formula and change it to give a fresh view, then that may provide the same level of entertainment as an entirely untested, or rarely used concept.
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#1. You’d have to find some numbers but I don’t think CSI-type shows do well here. They’re not on basic TV and there’s only a few on satellite. The other thing is that the way cops and detectives operate are different, I think. It would probably involve more dialogue and be more like a “Murder, She Wrote” than a science/crime show.
But I agree that there should be more reverse harem/fanservice for girls, food-type contests (because they’re all over the regular TV), and some cross-cultural exchange type stuff, particularly as Japan becomes more diverse.
I didn’t say anything of the list is a great series, just that they fit the criteria XD sorry for being misleading. As for #2 – Romeo x Juliet is a horrible adaptation, but Gankutsuou is one of the best anime ever made (imho).
#3 – still, they’re fanservice XD I find the Saiunkoku cast /very/ pretty and I’m watching Hakushaku just to squee over Edgar.
#5 – you already seem to have decided to watch Monster, which is pretty much the nearest to discovery channel you’ll find in anime. Still, Spice & Wolf came near, although not about lansdcapes but trade (and a lot of series are discovery channel for japanese folklore, places in Japan, sports, games or the various things anime covers).
#7 – I’ve only seen the anime series, and I meant the anime movie. Compared to what I’ve heard of the jdrama, and how good the anime was, the movie is really not worth seeing. It was in the list as an example XD And that’s a lot of series to watch for ‘rare gems’. I’m sure there’s an anime about ANYTHING, and if not an entire anime, then a few episodes in an anime. Gintama had an episode about ‘wash your hands after using the toilet’. Recently a series about libraries + military aired, followed by one about chocolate. An anime about death metal music just finished and Skip Beat is still airing.
Late to the party, but… here goes nothing.
1. I know a forensics professor who recommends CSI to his students if they want a good laugh.
2. GONZO’s Gankutsuou bombed in Japan.
3. It’s called BL. What do you think Vampire Knight is?
4. Ouran High School Host Club. Great reverse harem.
5. And I thought anime watchers expect to learn something about Japan and their ways when watching anime. There are tons of other foreign entertainment markets that you can look into. Why learn about other cultures from Japan’s skewered perspective?
6.7. There are so many anime out there already which you can explore to your liking. So many genres covered, so many stories, and so many on the way. Anime fans aren’t just critiques, we’re also explorers of the medium, so we don’t expect for something special to get tossed in our lap, we search for those precious gems. If you don’t have the patience for that, then I’m very worried about your anime fan self.
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@Miha: Hi Miha, thanks for commenting. You’ve made very good points (especially point 3) where I know of many babes who dig BL Vampire Knight. Geez, how could I forget this!
Ah, it seems anime is limiting in bringing out another country’s culture because I come to know of other cultures through reading. I’ll probably get myself physically involved in countries by traveling when I have the money.
You’re taking forensic science too? My lecturer and mates love to make fun of CSI during class because the characters do stuff that go against the protocol (e.g. they do not wear gloves when they should, luminol is used wrongly, etc). Though CSI does not accurately portray the forensics 100%, I like it that they at least try to implement real Science into the series. Try Criminal Minds, it’s also exciting.
*Notes Gankutsuou into my December watch list* and I applaud 6.7; I should try harder to uncover the gems.
Since you got such long comments, I’ll be quick: Man, I totally agree with you on everything. Especially the first point you made, although add a bit of BONES or Criminal Minds style. I like watching musicals from time to time as well … they should do that in anime.
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If my cross-cultural illustrated novels ever see the light of day I’ll give you a call when they get turned into Anime. I mean they’re turning Professor Layton and the Curious Village into an Anime, why stop there?
Maybe when the Valkyria Chronicles anime based on a PS3 game will have a similar, but different styled charm as the Disgaea anime did?
I don’t really watch fanservice shows because there’s enough fanservice in regular shows as it is. Hyakko is currently on my watch list and it’s great.
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Be warned that Monster is quite long (about 80 episodes if i remember right) and Baccano! features some graphic violence.In my opinion Claymore is more violent so i dont think youll have a problem with that even tough you dislike violence.
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@Omisyth: Though I scout for gems, I’d also dig the usual genres if the formula is presented in a different way. (:
@Anca: +Spice & Wolf into my December watch list. It’ll be interesting to look into Japan’s trade after studying the history of China’s Silk Road.
Ah Gintama! Many of my friends love Gintama too. (: But I prefer a series where I learn something in every episode (discovery channel) VS a series where I learn only a few minutes (or an episode worth of run time) after catching 24 episodes of it. Now I try not to be picky and I’m learning from the few moments minutes that I can catch in every anime.
Oh, please consider giving Hana Yori Dango (the Jdrama) a try. I think Season I and II are well made and they’re one of my favorites (Jdrama) around. Music-wise we have Ai Otsuka, Hikaru Utada and the actors/actresses (e.g. Jun Mastumoto won the Best Supporting Actor award) did a good job. Really, you should watch Meteor Garden I & II (Taiwanese version) and you’ll be brought to tears by the awesomeness of the Jdrama. Putting sarcasm aside, the Live Action (Hana Yori Dango Finale) wraps up the whole Hana Yori Dango series well but in a ridiculous and entertaining way. There is no plot for the movie though, be warned.
@Caitlin: Yup, it seems like there’s more focus on detective-styled anime instead of forensic-styled ones where Science is involved. I also wish for more anime that deals with cross cultural issues to be produced too.
@blissmo: +1 to blissmo. That’s a great suggestion blissmo, I’d like to see musicals in anime too. I haven’t caught Bones yet but it’ll be on my list as soon as I’ve finished Blood Ties.
@Asperger’s Anime Blogger: I’ll take your word for it. Good luck buddy! (:
@Blowfish: Ok, the remaining of my December holidays will be spent on anime, manga and Blood Ties. Omg, 80 episodes! I’m going to get real busy.
Musical? You already have stuff like Macross Frontier!
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Uh, Spice and Wolf isn’t about Japanese trade, just… trade. Pseudo-european setting.
If you want to learn, you might also like Noein. It involves physics (in a non-SF setting). And Saiunkoku Monogatari teaches a lot about Ancient Chinese politics and organisation, even though, just like S&W, it’s not in the ‘real Ancient China’. They even go into the effects that a plague can have on a kingdom later.
Allison and Lillia almost pulled off #5, I think, since the whole traveling the lands aspect of it was what drew me in the first place, but it lost that feeling for me midway into the season. I want anime CSI too, though I fear it would be too dialogue heavy and bore me to death.
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I agree completely. There are too many shows nowadays that bank on standard moe characters to attract the overweight nerdy otaku crowd. Toradora, Kanokon, Clannad, Kannagi etc. etc. etc. all do the same things – instead of providing us with a unique and solid storyline they shower us with moe to cover up the lack of substance. Its sad that most of the otakus have such bad taste as to keep on loving such shows.
I’ve just watched a couple of shows from recent times that kind of break this genre, I could recommend them to you if you want. Sadly, such shows are rare nowadays as more and more animes turn to moe instead of substance to their audience.