Here is another thing that also really bugged me about anime of the past few seasons: the ones that have a very promising first episode only to just fail trying afterwards. I mean, I hate it, but I have to swallow my words about Nobunaga the Fool after watching its second and third episodes, due to how shoddy it suddenly got. Especially Jeanne D’Arc: she turned out to be completely useless. The way this series looks at women being just there as a second thought is much worse than Space Dandy and Kill la Kill.
Even though these series are bad at how they focus too much on their male audience, there is method to their madness. Kill la Kill is all about outfits being empowering, while Space Dandy is told from the perspective of a guy obsessed with boobs. They keep to their rules, while Nobunaga the Fool took a famous French figure and made her just stand by and watch, sometimes just randomly in the main character’s lap.
That doesn’t excuse Space Dandy. I know it’s silly and Cowboy Bebop also had its share of fanservice, but there is such a thing as taking things too far.
The thing however is, that apart from that, Space Dandy is the series I’ve been waiting for for years to come. Finally after years and years of waiting, another series of its kind has arrived: the kind of series that each episode shows a totally different story involving the main characters. I love these shows, even though they’re often labelled as being monster of the week, or having too much filler.
And granted, this is the kind of format that can be done badly. However it brings so many advantages and when done right it can work brilliantly. Some of reasons why I like it:
– Series that have this can be planned much better into their timeslot because every episode needs to be different. Therefore forcing the writing team to be on their toes.
– Fleshing out characters. Random stories like this are excellent at showing the different sides of the characters, plus the different sides about the setting this takese place in. Great for immersion!
– Variety. Series with a linear storytelling are often very predictable as well, and allow for very little chances to spice things up and make things interesting, because of the ongoing storyline.
– There is no chance to drag on. The creators need to create a new storyline every episode so there are no dead episodes, plus none of the episodes look like each other.
– Episodes are also much more standalone because of this. Because of this the individual episodes can take more risks. There is more chance for creativity and interesting storylines. A show can go on a tangent for one episode and then go into a completely different direction the next.
This is the strength of anime. something it got really good at at one point, but the format unfortunately got in discredit due to the bad reputation that the bad attempts got. There was a point at which I saw many people complain about “filler”, to a point where every episode that wasn’t instantly contributing to the plot as instantly bad. I think that Naruto was a big contributor to that with its 100 episodes of filler. Plus, it’s kindof difficult to objectively describe the difference between filler and plain wasting time, and just a good adventure. And this border is probably also different for everyone.
For me, what’s most important is that there must not be “dead episodes”. Episodes that just aren’t fun to watch or were clearly made to just pad out time, without any inspiration. On top of that, the different episodes also need to bring colour to the characters and show a good collection fo the different sides of the setting. It’s something that you can’t simply describe in a tagline, which is what makes this such a tricky thing to judge, and probably lead to the lumping of all good and bad shows together on one heap.
I mean I’m not saying that every series needs to be like this, but a few can’t hurt, right? With so many linear stories around today that are all rather monotone and more often than not don’t even end, it wouldn’t hurt to have just a few series in which every episode is about a different story, right? Just like how things were in the past? I really hope that Space Dandy will inspire a new wave of series that also will embrace this philosophy again, and the upcoming Mushishi will also help really well to achieve that cause.
When you compare this to Cowboy Bebop this obviously is much sillier, but the thing is that Cowboy Bebop only started to really shine when you look at the big picture. Plus, I’m not going to compare the two too much, because Space Dandy being silly has a very different atmosphere, even though some of its design philosophies are the same. And that’s what I find so good about this series: three episodes in and the creators still are making this look really interesting. Plus, the direction is also quite good, if unconventional.
I especially liked episode 2, the search for those fabled noodles. It was a very emotional episode, for some reason. It had that weird to describe sensation that made everything just come together when they finally ended up finding those noodle bar, and that one creature started telling his life story. The way in which this show changes its atmosphere: it’s also really good. And the music! That also is godly!
The question now is whether the stories will be varied enough. Episode three also was very good, but like the first episode the creators did strand on a hostile planet and got chased by monsters again. However, at the same time it also very nicely subverted parts of the previous episode (the monsters were mostly good-natured save for one, they actually got money this time), which is also very good.
The reason why Cowboy Bebop was so critically acclaimed is that on top of being really well made, it had international appeal. It didn’t feel like an anime, and it was and is very different to most anime nowadays which are often circlejerking each other for the same audience that they know will buy. It had international appeal. Shingeki no Kyojin is a recent series that also had a lot of international appeal that it deserved, I believe. Space Dandy really hopes to be the next one to catch an international audience, especially with the way it’s released simultaneously in English and Japanese.
I think the weird fanservice is because of that reason. It’s on one hand the believe that sex sells so it needs to be in everything, and on the other an attempt to not fall in the standard Japanese fanservice cliches that will only appeal to Japanese otaku and not the other demographic.
Also, does every episode have a different OP and ED? That’s what I call respect. Really awesome detail.
“Also, does every episode have a different OP and ED?”
Nah, same one each episode. Not that I mind since their great.
I think there’s space for Jeanne to improve in Nobunaga the Fool. She saved the kids and was practicing archery earlier in the ep. The intro sequence also indicates that she’s going to be doing swordfighting later. It’s a 20+ ep series, and it doesn’t seem as if she was trained to fight back at her home or that she was used to war, so she has plenty of time to grow from a noncombatant to a combatant or at least into someone battle savvy.
The problem is that given the way she was treated in the first few eps, we can’t be sure that that progression for her will definitely happen. Maybe she really will have her potential be wasted and be carried around all the series.
St. Joan of Arc was all about literally inspired military leadership, hearing saintly locutions, and a knowledge of how to read landscape leading to Really Useful artillery placement. She never used any personal weapons in real life, although she carried some.
Of course, if you turn her into someone totally unsocialized who’s viewed as a demon-curse by the rest of the village, it’s hard to get that crucial leadership thing going. I suppose you could view mecha as mobile artillery.
The episodic format is more a Western thing and for many I’ve talked to, the lack of it is the reason that they prefer anime. You gain complexity and more upfront impact when you go linear. Not to say that episodic series can’t be complex, they certainly can (just like many linear series aren’t), but the best of episodic arcs don’t have the impact of the best of longer arcs. If you’re going to build up and climax in something as short as an episodic arc, you have to leave some things unsaid and trust the audience to understand without having things spelled out.
What the episodic format gains, imo, is as you said, diversity, and more importantly, character recognition. There’s a beat of repetition in episodic formats with how characters act and how they’re portrayed, but varying situations allow you to see multiple facets of one coin. It’s not explicit character development, but more like the characters growing on you as you get the big picture, and then small stuff in-between you only really notice because you’ve already captured the essence of their character. It’s something that generic harem anime does to a degree also, imo, but not as noticeable or appreciated because there are too many of the same character types.
I believe these two pieces are more of the reason that Bebop and other series from the 90’s had wide appeal in the Western sphere. It’s more similar to Western media in that you can (for the large part) just jump in whenever and still end up enjoying the series. Shingeki, I think, appeals for different reasons related to the trends of recent years, but not getting into that here.
That said, I’m enjoying Space Dandy, although I have a track record of dropping episodic series that go longer than 1-cour. This is a comedy however, much easier to watch without much effort, so might be different this time around.
I heard that Dandy’s only supposed to be 13 episodes and the 2-cour announcement was Toonami’s mistake.
things are swinging my way.
That ^. I definitely prefer a well made linear storyline to an episodic one. However I also agree that the episodic route might be better than a bad linear storyline (but then again, bad linear storylines are the product of bad writers. And I don’t think those would really excel either way).
I think I’d appreciate Space Dandy more if I found the humour more enjoyable though. Especially because of its “international” nature, it feels like they picked up years of anime comedic tropes and threw them into one anime, using a general style that is a slightly distorted perception of what “appeals to Westerners”. Not that I don’t like it, but I don’t find it exhilarating, nor even remotely as funny as the comedic episodes of Samurai Champloo. It feel a triumph of craft over inspiration, in a way.
“The reason why Cowboy Bebop was so critically acclaimed is that on top of being really well made, it had international appeal. It didn’t feel like an anime, and it was and is very different to most anime nowadays which are often circlejerking each other for the same audience that they know will buy.”
One of the reasons I think it was such a big success is BECAUSE it wasn’t targeted at any one audience. I remember reading a translated interview with Watanabe about Bebop and he said – It was simply, “we’re going to write the best show we possibly can and whoever likes it, likes it.” My brother doesn’t really like any anime besides the few old things from cartoon network like YuYuHakusho, Kenshin, Trigun, etc and he still watches Cowboy Bebop whenever its on CN. Heck back in the day 16 years ago I remember watching it back when it premiered and aired at 11pm on Saturday Nights with my Grandma who also enjoyed it every week. It really left an impression on me that nothing else has, that’s how fondly I hold Bebop.
I see no problem with the “fanservice” in something like Space Dandy or Kill la Kill. They’re hardly degrading or sexist about their fanservice, and I somehow doubt anyone’s watching them for the fanservice to begin with (it’s not much of a draw). Heck, Dandy’s entire premise is that the lead is a shallow buffoon who likes T&A to his own detriment. Even the bimbos he drools over are more competent than he is. Kill la Kill’s already been discussed to death, so I won’t bother here, but similar arguments apply. Look to Yozakura Quartet for an example of an anime where the fanservice was problematic.
As fanservice as show might be most of the times appearance of Scarlet made up for lot of it^^
Am I the only one who watches Space Dandy and does not see fan service? As Hogart already said, that’s Dandy’s character. And all of the T&A is satire. I mean, the characters even make fun of their show, asking if they’re turning into a fan service show in the preview for episode 3. This isn’t serious fan service by any means.
what’s the difference between serious fan service and ‘non-serious’ fan service when it’s still about portraying females as nothing more than their T&A? Making out that it’s for ironic or satirical purposes doesn’t eliminate that.
leave out the idea of ‘fan service’ or ‘not serious fan service’ Is there gratuitous imagery of women focusing on their boobs and their butts?
that gives you an answer on whether it’s sexist or degrading.
I don’t know if it’s just because everyone is so used to seeing a minor level of sexism in anime, that it’s not even a thing anymore. I find it disconcerting that we’re in 2014 and anime fans are like ‘oh yeah big boobs in your face, annoying but nothing really wrong with that, why you even mad?’
No, not disconcerting, depressing.
It troubles me as an female anime fan, but still I keep watching. I couldn’t stomach Yozakura, I find a level of justification with Kill La Kill because at least the women are the main characters and the guys also get naked. Mine Fujiko was also troubling, but she was the MC and had control over her destiny in the end at least. Goddamit, I wish that I didn’t have to accept that if I watch anime (even the good shows with great storylines/action) I have to accept all the scenes of butts and boobs as standard fare.
That’s the problem I have as well. Fanservice has become so standard and commonplace that people are beginning to get used to it, thinking of it as “not a big deal”, whereas the fact remains that nearly all of the best shows seem obsessed with boobs somehow. Call me a prude, but a line needs to be drawn about this degrading attitude towards women.
The thing is that men do also get portrayed as pure fanservice in the series aimed purely at women, however it’s far less prominent here. I don’t get the idea that my gender is being rendered useless as a male by watching these series, the worst thing is probably that I’m surprised by some of the bizarre fetishes these series cater to. Women are much more consistently degraded at this point.
The vast majority of television worldwide in general is targeted at the 18-24(often 30) male demographic. And you can guess what MOST average men in that demo want. Same goes for Japan- and they eat it up. It’s not like its just Japan though- look at any of the smash hits like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead etc… They are all pretty targeted on sex and violence because well- they sell. You can shout about it til you are blue in the face but it’s not gonna change. Ever. That’s why most of us have ‘gotten over it’ because it’s fruitless to complain about it.
I don’t see why a line needs to be drawn at all. “Not a big deal” is precisely the attitude that we should be taking. Sexuality =/= degradation. Because it leads off the assumption that said sexual content somehow dilutes the character or the series. That’s a statement from stigma and conventions rather than actual content. The proof of that, at least with the audience in context, is in the fact that there are moments people consider “tasteful.” Making a big deal out of the large majority of fanservice continues to push that stigma and connotation to the point that it’s the only thing that’ll be noticed, even if it’s not there or trivial in comparison. If people don’t see it as a big deal, that means the connotation/stigma is lost for them. AKA, they are seeing it as just filler and not an attempt to degrade/demoralize/objectify. What depresses me is that people feel the need to bring stigma to the forefront for many series that shouldn’t have it, essentially creating the very issue that they’re calling out.
It’s more nuanced than that, Bagel. First this is an issue that perpetuates itself. That’s why it’s gotten to this point. If all you have to do to earn money is titillate teens, then why do anything else? Anime studios generally aren’t out to create art first and foremost.
Then there’s the fact that these tropes aren’t born from historically-neutral attitudes. They’re very ingrained in our culture(s), to the point where people don’t even want to acknowledge them as potential issues. It’s not clear whether the problem will just go away by ignoring it, since it doesn’t seem to be.
That said, I would love if we COULD do what you suggest, because it ultimately feels like the healthier general attitude. It just doesn’t seem to lead to the results we want.
@Hogart I’m not saying ignore the issue, I’m saying don’t create an issue where there is none or its trivial in the scheme of things. Moderation is what we want, I’m assuming, but why is it that in some cases, the range of what’s “acceptable” for moderation is drastically overstepping its boundaries for the sake of illustrating a “problem” from a larger whole? pick good examples, not try to find supporting evidence from every little thing that employs it.
and yes, the issue isn’t borne from being neutral. it’s borne from being biased towards a certain opinion/stance and part of the issue is this need to apply that circumstance-constrained logic to an environment that doesn’t pay it mind not because it’s irrelevant, but because that’s not what they were aiming in the first place. like you said, they’re not aiming to create art. there’s no commentary there or deeper thought, it’s entertainment as many have said. you can pick out “messages and signals” from whatever if you look hard enough, but what’s the point if you have to dig so deep you’re connecting to a different hole?
@Bagel: the problem is that it’s far too easy to just say “well, it’s entertainment, so who cares” or “it’s traditional/cultural, so it’s fine” (not that you’re necessarily doing so). Nothing will change if we take that tactic.
Focusing on the most egregious examples is the better way to eventually solve the overall problem. You can’t stamp this sort of thing out all at once, and if you try you’ll generally only stamp on things you didn’t mean to.
That’s why I’d say that pointing fingers at something like Dandy is counter productive. You can find “fanservice” everywhere you look right now, but it’s not always meant to be taken as such. In the meantime you’re ignoring the bigger problem to chip away at something aimed at a niche audience that probably already understands these issues to some extent.
I really like to watch series that have strong female characters. However I really want to unsubscribe from the notion that “strong” implies “showing skin”.
It’s a bit difficult to draw the line here. Sexuality-as-strength isn’t the problem, it’s the lazy, sexist, and pandering way that it’s generally used that’s the problem (especially since it perpetuates itself).
Dandy-like anime straddle the line there, but ultimately they’re a step in the right direction at least. You can’t even compare Kill la Kill, which is sexually charged period, to simple fanservice.
I think at the stage we’re at, we have to come up with more definitive terms than “fanservice” or we’re just going to endlessly bicker about pointless minutiae.
in the first place, the term fanservice is in its essence wrongly defined if you want to be a purist about it :p. homages and references are fanservice too, although the term has come to mean largely the sexual type.
but I’m against more “definitive terms.” the issue is the attitude against general sexual fanservice, not that there really exists a “better” fanservice. you can argue about this, but it boils down to a social bias that’s trying to be forced onto an environment that has different perspectives on it. and it’s not just West vs Japan either; these negative views exist in Japan also. I’d rather not let volatile perspectives on either side be in charge of some sort of taxonomy for something that doesn’t need it.
>the issue is the attitude against general sexual fanservice
No, the issue is that “general sexual fanservice” is so pervasive that it’s become a crutch at best, and a detriment at worst. Just ignoring the problem isn’t helping anything so far.
>it boils down to a social bias that’s trying to be forced onto an environment that has different perspectives on it
Pretending it’s not a problem and is just a matter of different perspectives isn’t going to solve anything either. People are murdered because they have different perspectives, and hiding behind numbers to force a perspective is just plain cowardly.
>I’d rather not let volatile perspectives on either side be in charge of some sort of taxonomy for something that doesn’t need it.
First you’ll have to make a case for why “it doesn’t need it”.
If you’ve watched Space Dandy you’d see that it’s not portraying women as T&A. It’s up to you to draw a definite line for yourself, but there is a danger in going too far and claiming something is “fanservice” when it’s not to BE fanservice. Yozakura also bothered me, but Dandy isn’t even remotely comparable.
“leave out the idea of ‘fan service’ or ‘not serious fan service’ Is there gratuitous imagery of women focusing on their boobs and their butts?
that gives you an answer on whether it’s sexist or degrading.”
Is it that simple? Does the context not matter at all? I was disturbed by the fanservice in Yozakura Quartet. For some reason Space Dandy doesn’t feel the same at all. Maybe because nothing it showed was “sexy” at all. Yozakura was “selling sex” to me. I don’t think Space Dandy is.
Nobunaga the fool isn’t really aimed towards a male audience from my point of view.
Jeanne is only here as a self-insert for female viewers.
I mean it’s pretty obvious when you consider the number of handsome male characters with famous VAs in the show, The fool is prime yaoi shipping material.
How anyone could confuse that with regular male oriented fanservice is beyond me.
I say nobunagun is the best series of the new season, follow by Z/X the rest i can only said is paintfull to watch (personal opinion)
What makes ZX any less “painful to watch” to you, out of curiosity? Did it make a gigantic improvement in episode 3?
Episode 4 might well have been the best episode so far.
The continuity is starting to really annoy me, they died in the first episode and died in the fourth and it just carries on with a TBC title card at the end. Its not continued though, it just resets 🙁
That’s actually my favorite thing about the show. Someone always dies every episode and then next episode, “Oops, they’re back. No explanation given/required.” I especially liked Episode 2 where they got ejected into space and yet the next scene shows they’re fine.
The 4th episode was really good. I concur. 😀
About world reset, that is typical in comedies, though nowadays it isn’t so usual (like the house or the lab being intact next scene after an explosion). At least, they include someone poking fun at the fact sometimes (see preview in 1st for 2nd chapter here).
I usually enjoy seeing what has not been reset and what is acknowledged as “it did happen” in the world. You should get used to it, don’t give it too much thought and enjoy the show 😛
Where’d you go?