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Old 2012-10-09, 17:51   Link #18
relentlessflame
 
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 41
Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
People who like serious drama, and are looking first and foremost for serious drama, may well find that a show like Tari Tari is not dramatic enough for them. Labeling shows like Hyouka and Tari Tari as "dramas" may well do a disservice both to these shows, and people who specifically go out of their way to find dramas.

I can certainly see labeling a show like AnoHana a "drama". The drama is thick enough in that show that I think it would satisfy drama lovers who are specifically looking for "drama". But is the drama thick enough in Tari Tari that it should first and foremost be labeled "drama"? Honestly, I really don't think so.
It's because you've exchanged "melodrama" for "drama" in your mind. "Drama" is just about a story that emotionally develops characters, usually with realistic themes, usually revolving around a critical juncture in their lives. I added the "coming-of-age" description to further describe the juncture at issue (the threshold between childhood and adulthood).

Part of the problem in the first place is that people are using terms incorrectly. The only way to fix this is to help people understand what the terms mean (preferably per some sort of standard, accepted industry definition) and help them use it correctly. To that end, we have to help people understand that "drama" and "melodrama" are not the same thing. AnoHana is a melodrama. Kokoro Connect is also a melodrama. Obviously, Tari Tari and Hyouka are not, but they are still dramas.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Triple_R View Post
Another issue I see with "Coming of Age" is that it really is extremely commonplace. Would anybody deny that Accel World is a coming of age story? Would anybody deny that many Gundam shows are coming of age stories? Would anybody deny that Gurren Lagann is a coming of age story?
I think you're confusing "theme" with "genre". Coming of Age may be a theme in many works, but it is not a defining genre. I do deny that Accel World is a "coming of age story"; it's a science-fiction action story. If people start misapplying the label to everything, then we have to tell them they're doing it wrong, just like people are currently doing with Slice-of-Life.

If your objection to coming-of-age is that it would apply to too many shows, I have to think that School Life is even worse in that regard. I'd estimate that at least half of all anime have "School Life" as a central element in the story. So I'm not really sure how this is better just because you've specified the setting and because it still has "life" in it. Why carry that over when people are doing it wrong to start with? And I still don't think it really tells me anything about the type of story it will be, just that it concerns students. If you're worried that people will errantly apply "coming-of-age" to Accel World, surely they'd apply "School Life" to it as well -- and in the latter case they're probably more arguably right.
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Last edited by relentlessflame; 2012-10-09 at 18:08.
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