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Anime: Getting better or worse?


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Nirvana



Joined: 30 Apr 2005
Posts: 261
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 3:07 am Reply with quote
What do you guys think of the newer (last 3-5ish years?) of anime? Do you think they're better thant he classics or are they losing their greatness?

I've only been watching anime for about a year, but I've seen so much (though not nearly as much as some of you guys, but relative to my otehr friends who watch anime, a lot Razz)... but it just seems that for me its harder to really get into older animes. The original Dragon Ball series was catchy but I lost interest quickly - and thus never finihsed the series. Ghost int he SHell I couldn't finish, same with Akira. But the more modern animes I seem to be addicted to quickly and i end up finishing up the series/movies asap. It maybe due to the more modern music, better animation, or just better stories. I dont know...

I know by asking "better" it's pretty vague but i just want to know if people are enjoying anime now more than they used to. Better can be whatever you wish =)...
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Acolyte



Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 100
Location: Searching high and low for my missing waist line.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 10:54 am Reply with quote
Hmmnnn...., interesting, veeery interesting. More? Can't say I like it "more", but I do like it just as much. Granted, not all shows grab my interest, old or new, but anime still reigns on my VCR/DVD. The original GITS movie absolutely amazed me with it's animation/CGI work/story-line, as did Akira; in fact it was Akira that brought me into the world of anime, and it ranks as one of the top 5 in my all time personal favorites.

And as for liking the "newer" more than the "older", the original Vampire Hunter D gets watched as much as VHD; Bloodlust. Gunbusters still holds the top-of-the-hill for that genre, and Vandread gets equal billing to RahXephon. And Neon Genesis Evangelion; hailed as a masterpiece of it's time, pales in my estimation to RahXephon.

I've seen the original Bubblegum Crisis, but not Bubblegum Crisis 2040, why?, hell, I don't know, cause I love BC, but BC-2040 hasn't intriegued me enough for a look-see: go figure.

Granted CGI is evolving, and animation techniques improving, but that doesn't always make for "better" story-lines, or lessen the value of older titles.There are new "dogs" and old "gems", and vice-versa.

To be sure, lots of the new titles excite me too. FMA, FMP, Figure 17, Last Excile, so-forth-and-so-on. "Old" doesn't equal bad, nor "New" good.

So to answer your question, IMHO, anime is neither getting better or worse, but still captivates my heart like no other medium. I guess it's all in the opinion of the viewer..... Neutral
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msi435



Joined: 29 Nov 2004
Posts: 465
Location: Behind you!
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:15 pm Reply with quote
Personally I think it's getting better! More people are watching anime now a days so more anime is being produced and the more anime in production the better chance you will get a good series. Look at the last few years in anime. Full Metal Alchemist, Hajime no Ippo, Elfen Lied, Haibane Renmei, Gankutsuou, Howls moving castle, Beck, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, A place promised in our early days, Full Moon wo Sagashite, Monster, 12 kingdoms,.... do I have to keep going? If anything I'm not sure if the anime industry can keep up with the past few amazing years it has had. Wink
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The Future-kun



Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Posts: 46
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:37 pm Reply with quote
It all depends on the individual. There are those fans who recently began watching and would say the new stuff is superior.

Then there are the (and I don't mean this in a negative way) "Old fogies" who have been around since the days of fansubs on VHS and stuff, and they would naturally be inclined to refer to classics such as NGE, Macross, the old Miyazaki films, Akira, etc. and to say that new stuff lacks in quality comparatively.

In my opinion, I think that there are some great old stuff and some great new stuff. And the stuff that is "new" today will become "old" someday anyway. Personally, I try not to think about it and just try to enjoy whatever I watch.
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v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6241
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:53 pm Reply with quote
while i don't think it's getting worse, i don't think we need more wariety.
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7995
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 2:33 pm Reply with quote
I would say the quality has neither decreased nor increased, I haven't noticed it lacking it's just as good as ever to me. However the quality of dubs has definitely increased as well of the quantity of titles being liscensed.
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kusanagi-sama



Joined: 22 Aug 2004
Posts: 1723
Location: Wichita Falls, TX
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 2:41 pm Reply with quote
It could be that more of the older anime series and movies have a deeper storyline than some of the newer ones and it takes more of your attention to understand it, and some people don't have the attention span to watch these. But this is only a guess
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Minako Aino



Joined: 06 Aug 2005
Posts: 2
Location: Mabase, Japan
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 4:17 pm Reply with quote
I think anime's just great. Though sometimes I like the classics more (Urusei Yatsura, Ranma, Dragonball), but sometimes, I like the new animes. (InuYasha, One Piece, etc.) I don't think that it's increasing or decreasing.
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The Future-kun



Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Posts: 46
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 5:13 pm Reply with quote
kusanagi-sama wrote:
It could be that more of the older anime series and movies have a deeper storyline than some of the newer ones and it takes more of your attention to understand it, and some people don't have the attention span to watch these. But this is only a guess


OR...it could be that people just generally assume that "oh, nothing can top the classics".

You never know what new stuff's going to come along and blow away everyone's expectation and memories.

I'm surprised this thread has kept my attention so long Wink

LOL, joke.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 6:18 pm Reply with quote
It all boils down to one's taste. Being one of those "old fogies" I have old favourites that I have not seen out done by the more recent titles. Technically the animation has improved but that is expected with new digital technologies that are really only starting to bud and though have improved of late still have some way to go from the old cel days in my opinion. It's the story plots that have slipped down the hill a bit I find. Too much emphasis on the ecchi side to quench the desires of the "hardcore" otakus and not enough quality stories that one wouldn't be embarassed to share with the family, if you get my meaning. Wink
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Nirvana



Joined: 30 Apr 2005
Posts: 261
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:23 pm Reply with quote
yup, thats why i left "better" open so that whatever people can answer based on what they believe is what is most important about anime.
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Ohoni



Joined: 10 Jun 2003
Posts: 3421
PostPosted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:42 pm Reply with quote
Well, the animation quality has certainly much improved over the years, much sharper and more vibrant, but the writing is both a little up and down. Some of the newer shows have great wiriting and are very engaging, but I think overall, there were a lot of great series back in the day too.
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El Oso



Joined: 20 Dec 2004
Posts: 105
Location: Rummaging through camp sites.
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 12:06 am Reply with quote
I'm certainly still enjoying anime as much as I used to. Old and new have their pros and cons, overall it evens out IMO. I like the animation more nowdays, except for overused CG. Though there is more crap being produced with slim to nill plots (I'd like to obliterate Harem off the face of the earth). However, there are still plenty of series I enjoy to keep my wallet empty.
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Montusama



Joined: 05 Aug 2005
Posts: 16
PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 10:23 am Reply with quote
That's a toss up some things are getting better but also getting worse. Now alot of anime is more ecchi (I don't have a problem with that...but it doesn't help getting people into anime) with the help of CG that video is better than just using cels. In terms of story I'd say it's about the same though older anime does have stuff that newer anime will never have
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mahoro



Joined: 31 Jul 2003
Posts: 310
PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2005 12:19 pm Reply with quote
Generally anime is moving with the pace of technology. IMO while cel animation is dead (unfortunately), the trade off is faster and arguably smoother animation w/cookie cutter animation designs. Gone are the days of beautiful vibrant colors created by paint and cels. Gone are the instantanous recognizable character designs of certain character designers like Mikimoto, Hirano, Takada, Takahashi, Sonoda, just to name a few. Now, the growing trend to a style that really is becoming univeral across many series. Is this good or bad? I don't know for certain, I just know I for one don't appreciate it.

Are the stories becoming better? Original? Rehashed classics like most Hollywood films? IMO there are some good new series, refreshing, original and creative. Are there still revamps of older series, sadly yes. Are they better than the originals? Generally, no.

But as long as artists and writers create new stories, fans will respond be it positive or negatively it is unknown. The future for anime is bright, but the barrier to entering it as a fan (re: employment is unrealistically high). The industry remains supercompetitive and the compensation for this industry arguably is not worth the stress. Yes it remains a labor of love, but you still have to plan for the future, possibly buying a house, raising a family etc, and most animators in the US and JP don't make as much as you'd imagine.

I am looking forward more to the new generation of manga artists and writers, because the old mediums used for manga have not changed drastically and much like anime, the key element is a GOOD STORY w/GOOD CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. IMO as long as that exists, so will the production of anime. Very Happy
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