2013-07-08, 03:23 | Link #642 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Age: 31
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Well that's funny, because people who've been to Japan told me this is common among girls. Clearly your experiences revealed something different. |
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2013-07-08, 03:35 | Link #644 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Age: 31
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As for whether it's good, that depends on what you're looking for. If you only want fanservice, it's great. If you want character and story...eeeh. But that's just my impression based on the first episode. |
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2013-07-08, 07:47 | Link #646 | |
Nitro+ fan
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Hyogo
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The degree to which a behavior scans as masculine or feminine varies enormously between and within cultures anyway. A lot of men in Japan tote around handbags that, in many parts of the U.S., would get mocked as being too much like women's purses. I don't care if the Free characters are labeled unrealistic. Realism is a virtue, sure, but it's not one that--to my mind--trumps all others. Many of the best characters and narratives I've come across in my life would fail the realism test... however, even the most exaggerated or improbable or stylized personalities and stories can contain a powerful and resonant emotional truth. Do I seek that in Free? Nope, I'm just here for the entertainment, haha. Entertainment value is a virtue, too! But what irks me is calling the Free character unrealistic because they seem too feminine. There is so much else for people to pick on if they aren't amused by these characters--I mean, how "realistic" is Haruka's obsession with water? The guy sits in a tub in his freaking swimming trunks before breakfast. In real life, we'd probably be urging him to go to therapy. So out of all the silliness and comic behavior, why zero in on feminine traits (whatever that really means) as being particularly problematic? To me, this seems like saying that boys or men who do not perfectly adhere to some kind of narrow conception of acceptable masculinity cannot and should not exist in real life, or, at the very least, that boys/men who bend gender norms are implausible as fictional characters. That disturbs me.
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2013-07-08, 08:59 | Link #648 | ||
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Age: 31
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As I already said, there's a huge difference between unrealistic with the purpose of creativity and emphasis (such as Haruka's obsession with water) and making characters, and more problematically a whole group of them, needlessly act in ways you simply don't see in real life. However, I realized that my and some other posters' disagreement might actually come from our misunderstanding of the reason these characters are acting girly. See, I assumed that they're acting like that because whoever wrote this show doesn't know how to write convincing male characters (hardly surprising considering Kyoani's track record), which does seem to be a common problem among female authors (and vice versa of course). However, there is the explanation that they're written like this because girls simply dig girly guys. I admit I find female otaku's tastes hard to grasp, but putting it that way explains why you and others see this as believable in the same way as Haruka's weird quirk. |
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2013-07-08, 10:01 | Link #649 |
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2006
Age: 38
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How about you guys just accept that Free guys aren't supposed to be treated like they were modeled after any kind of male found in the real world? They are supposed to be objects of affection, they aren't to be treated like real people. Good God, are you unable to handle imagination of this sort? There is no connection to reality at all! One might say that they bring out as much emotion as real human beings, but so can cute little puppies. Until you realize that, just stay the fuck away from anime; you'll get hurt otherwise.
So this is perfect grounds to make further criticism: Free!'s characters are soulless because we can recognise them as imaginary constructs from a mile away. Some stories try to make their characters believeable, this just isn't Free!'s goal. If you enjoy artificial constructs, which I do in this case, this show is for you, but don't say they act like real people, c'mon. The only thing genuine in their case could be their ripped bodies, just like huge tits from harem shows. Everything else is fantasy. |
2013-07-08, 10:34 | Link #650 |
Eaten by goats
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Rokkenjima
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Speaking of that...in Free!'s case, unless I'm guessing the genders of the names wrong, the original author whose novel the series was based on is male, and so is the person who wrote the script for the first episode.
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2013-07-08, 11:00 | Link #651 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
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2013-07-08, 12:28 | Link #654 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Age: 31
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Not to mention, this show is aimed at women. Even if the guy behind the script knows how to write convincing guys, I'm sure he'd know better than to do so in a show that's basically fujoshi bait. |
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2013-07-08, 12:38 | Link #655 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
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I just miss my endurance and speed. Swimming drills are awesome. Doing kickboards for minutes hurts a lot but the endurance gained from that is really noticeable.
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2013-07-08, 13:39 | Link #658 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Eh i think you need to hang out with more high school athletes
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Kind of a depressing perspective though, albeit not inaccurate. |
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2013-07-08, 14:03 | Link #660 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2003
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Which is why I didn't think it was worth bringing up, but sure!
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abs, fabulous, sports, water animation |
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