AnimeSuki Forums

Just in case you'd be interested, this came out for preorder today and is being reserved like crazy. On the offchance you'd want one, thought you'd like to know.

Also, this is a pose and this is a truck.

Eri fits Saber really well. Nico fits Rin surprisingly well. Not sure who Nozomi is supposed to be - Sakura? A gender-bent Shiro? Either isn't the best fit for Nozomi really.

On the whole, a very nice pic. Thanks for sharing!

Friend on FB linked something tonight that scarred me.

For the same reasons, I think you, on the other hand, will really like this.

Now, as for you and I, our experiences are somewhat different. So what we look for in characters and shows can be somewhat different.

Like yourself, I found Asuka and Rei much more endearing and/or interesting than Shinji. I also tend to prefer more upbeat characters that are able to emotionally express themselves. Because that's what I relate to.

Well, I think there's a couple different things going on here.

One thing that was a bit eye-opening to me was the popularity of WATAMOTE. That was a bit baffling to me at first, because I couldn't relate to the female lead. At all. While I certainly wasn't a "life of the party" guy when I was in high school, I also was nowhere close to this level of socially awkward. It's hard for me to see how WATAMOTE could be as popular as it is unless many viewers could relate at least somewhat to the struggles that the female lead went through.

This suggests to me that a lot of anime fans have probably struggled considerably with social acceptance, and getting along with their age peers (outside of the anime community). I think this could also help explain Shinji's popularity.

I think there are some anime fans who, very unfortunately, really do feel cut off from much of the rest of the world, and who struggle with just basic human interaction with other people outside of their immediate fandom circle. So, for them the world is understandably a hostile and scary place, and this has sadly probably continued on into their adulthood. So the desire for escapist entertainment and the desire to self-insert into a socially active childhood/teenage years that was denied them in reality.


Another thing is an issue in Japan itself, which we've probably talked about before. Adulthood in Japan is probably very tough for most people, given the predominant "Salaryman" lifestyle, the economic stagnation, and a surrounding national culture that probably emphasizes industriousness a bit too much, to the detriment of simply "stopping to smell the roses". I can definitely see how something like K-On would be tremendously refreshing after 10-to-12 hard hours of work. People come home from the drudgery of work, and want to simply melt and escape into something that's as different from it as possible. "Adult male in a boring, demanding job" to "Teenage girls goofing around and eating cake" - That's about as extreme a shift/escape as you can get. And that's the point. They want to absorb something that will make them forget all about their daily work-lives. That becomes harder if the setting is an adult workplace. It perhaps hits too close to home for some anime fans in Japan.

The western world is not without its own cultural/economic issues, but I get the impression our work lives tend to be a bit less demanding, at least when it comes to hours worked.

Read something today that might explain why I'm feeling a bit disconnected from recent stuff and why so many people are into it.

Now that part I agree with. That was a big part of what got me into anime and manga.

Somewhat....Cool sometimes but not always. Attractive is nice sometimes but not always. Inspiring, when it's suitable. I always felt that anime was also good at creating reverse effects that were qually potent and evocative. That a despicable villian could also be good viewing or seeing someone be different from the norm could also be interesting.

Here's where I begin to differ. I've never felt that. I saw Evangelion in my teens and I never felt that. Since I was a teen, seeing Misato and Asuka was the main attraction and still is. Even back then, I never related to Shinji. Now I've spoken to plenty of people that say they relate to Shinji and the like, so I do acknowledge this as valid. But I don't feel this personally.

I guess this is a big part of why people enjoy the increasingly escapist nature of anime these days. As for me, I don't self-insert. I've stated before I've rarely liked males in anime and with the few I have, I don't want to be them even if I respect/admire them. And going through that list of my fave titles...they don't match what I want to be or where I wish I was. For me, it's usually shows that challenge my conceptions of people/the world or a way of living that normally wouldn't appeal but is presented in a way that is appealing.

I acknowledge that's what the majority of younger fans want. Never felt it much though - harsh high school times and home life around then showed me such naivete is foolhardy. And on that same token, that dissuades me from wanting to relive my youth. I love being an adult. Most of my friends who are both adults and anime fans certainly aren't reliving their youth. So I call BS on this bit on the more seasoned fans wishing we were young again. The ones I know certainly don't...

The females I know, most of them like Elfen Lied or Higurashi the most. And that is not indicative of who they are or what they aspire to at all....And let's not get started on the males.

Perhaps this is why I'm so lukewarm towards cosplay. I'm not a self-insertion person, so wanting to be a character is not something I feel.


And I think this perhaps does somewhat explain why my tastes differ so much from the norm/popular stuff of recent anime. The self-insertion/escapist nature of current anime isn't something I buy into.

It will probably be FSN: UBW and Mushishi for me this season. Maybe also April is a Lie.

Have been catching up on 2014 over the last week. So far it's between Ao Haru Ride and Mushishi S2 for my fave 2014 title. Sakura Trick and One Week Friends also did well for me.

Sailor Moon Crystal has been rather underwhelming - I don't see where the justification for this remake is. Sword Art Online 2 - all the perks and frustrations one expects from SAO and Kawahara. Persona 4: Golden - while it is nice to see Marie and Kana Hanazawa get to appear, an even bigger super-compression that the first adaptation was....and the art still being off....just not on...

The painful letdown for me this year is Barakamon. Lot of people I knew liked it and said it was a lot like Usagi Drop. I can 'somewhat' see the connection...but while Usagi Drop was calming, cheeky and pleasant, Barakamon is rather toxic for me - makes me angry in a way that hasn't happened to me since....Anohana, I think.

So at the very least, 2014 was a better year for anime for me than 2013 was, but not by much.

The shooting in Ottawa was pretty startling, tragic, and disappointing. But Canadians, by and large, are a strong and hardy people (we have to be, to get through our Winters ), so I'm confident we'll pull through again. I guess we'll have to start getting tighter security around certain locations and cities in Canada. Anyway, thanks for the words of support, it's definitely appreciated.

As for what you linked to, it looks great! Thanks for sharing. Now I have a lot of anime to watch today (Shirabako, Yuki Yana, and Psycho-Pass Season 2 episodes all come out today).