Forum - View topicYour ideal hypothetical anime?
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Gatherum
 Posts: 773 Location: Aurora CO |
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What anime do you want to see made, and what are its defining (and/or subtle) characteristics, assuming that such a perfect work (in your mind) doesn't already exist for you?
Me, I'm a sucker for philosophical/mythological reference, a large emphasis on character development (psychological elements quite welcome), action scenes that are well-produced and executed, yet not drawn out, and themes and plotlines that allow for a happy ending, but also acknowledges that tragedy must sometimes occur in order to get there. I would love it if the soundtrack was comprised either of underground metal (more in the direction of post-metal or drone metal than the more bombastic genres; think Isis, Jesu, Nadja, Sunn O))), etc.) or music inspired by such. Also, nothing wrong with something other than moe, which is not a bad style, but overused. Perhaps a style less vibrant and altogether more faithful to actual human anatomy. This is all general because I don't actually feel like going on a tangent about my preferences. Maybe later. But you can be as specific as you want. What do you want to see? |
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GlassShadow
 Posts: 50 Location: State of Confusion |
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It's a little hard to compile a specific list, considering the diversity of enjoyable elements. But here is one for reference sake:
- Excellent character development overall - Main character need to be some what of an anti-hero, not your generic "i want to save the world" type. It feels more genuine and relatable when characters have those fine human flaws. In other words, they aren't morally or physically perfect. - The opposite could be said for antagonist. I prefer three dimensional antagonist who are flawed and fallible over ones that are stereotypically sinister, psychotic, and all powerfull. - Female characters are not used as plot devices or love interest, they are strong independent being who are essential to the story. - Sophisticated plot that makes you think and speculate at every turn of event. (I prefer spiderweb plot over linear ones, meaning there are many interrelated subplots) - Some actions - Little if any fan service - Explores philosophical and moral issues - Deals with loss, but never loses sight of hope - Good pacing throughout - Ending that ties up all lose threads, but never to a point that leaves little space for thought. - In terms of art style: I cannot stand moe. When a girl's eyes occupy 2/3 of her face, I find it hard to concentrate on the rest of the scene. (But this is purely personal opinion, many of my friends enjoy this kind of art rendering) I actually based this preference off Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which is the closest thing I've seen that could be labeled as near perfect in my book. I have little to no complaints about the series. Though, there are other series that I thoroughly enjoyed but don't really fit within this frame. So I guess even though I do prefer certain genre over others, I am not looking for a specific plot or a combination of themes per se, it really all depends on the overall execution of the story. Even if a series doesn't really fulfill my usual expectation, as long as it has internal logic that is consistent with the nature of the story, it will probably click for me. Also, I find it easier to come up with things I DON'T want in an anime: moe, ecchi, excessive fan service (a little for comedy relief is tolerable), harem, random power up, destined to fulfill a heroic role...and all the other aforementioned qualities. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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I want to see PCP from Bakuman get an actual real-life Anime series, when I heard Takagi explain the premise I got shivers down my spine. Alas, the Manga would have to be made first . . .
But to answer the actual question: I guess what I want is an intelligent show with intelligent and slightly cynical characters (no plucky young heroes for me), a plot which starts off deceptively simple but sucks you in as each layer is revealed, a serious tone but enough room to do lighter moments when they are appropriate, a story with moral ambiguity, and a pre-determined episode count so that the pacing can get things 'just so'. |
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Raftina
 Posts: 3282 |
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1. A good ending
In recent years, a better budgeting plan has generally averted the older problem of the last episodes of a series getting severely downgraded animation. However, the same cannot be said of the script. It's far too often that an overly ambitious script needs to be hurried to a conclusion in the last few episodes, resulting in a rushed feel that fails to tie together many loose ends. I prefer the ending to come to a conclusion. Like most people, I prefer a happy resolution, though a bittersweet or tragic ending is still quite acceptable. The important part is that the ending is executed well, particularly with regard to pacing. I do not want to see disjointed scenes trying to cover every angle--and failing at all of them. This is a common enough failing in anime that I don't want to list any particular example. 2. Sympathetic protagonists I acknowledge that an anime with other types of protagonists can be good. I can enjoy such anime. However, I greatly prefer anime whose protagonists are conventionally likable people. More specifically: a. I prefer straightforwardly good protagonists. They need not be heroic. They need not be the Messiah. They need not necessarily have the moral high ground. Their cause need not be stainless. They certainly need not be without flaws. However, they themselves should be unambiguously good. Having highly morally questionable or even evil anti-heroes as the protagonist is really a big turn off for me. I do not enjoy watching such people. I tend to lose interest in their problems--whatever they may be--when I find out that the protagonist is some sort of amoral, immoral, or evil bastard. I might still enjoy the anime, and I might still find the story interesting--I like Black Lagoon, for example--, but the loss of personal sympathy for the protagonists greatly degrades the series. On a related matter, I despise attempted paradigm shifts in the fictional world to accommodate the morality--or lack thereof--of the protagonist. I find such setups cheating and further degrades the protagonist in my eyes. Such a title had better have strong elements otherwise to keep me interested. For example, I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate Kiritsugu Emiya. I would have dropped Fate/Zero long ago had it not been for Saber and Irisviel. As it is, I am not particularly looking forward to the last part of the series. b. I prefer rule abiding protagonists. To borrow D&D terms: I find chaos and anarchy inherently flawed. While a chaotic person might not automatically be evil, I find such people less likable than lawful people. If the protagonist breaks the rules, he needs a better reason than simply "it's not my style." Thus, even though plenty of shounen heroes fits criteria a perfectly, I dislike them, because they make it a point of disobeying authority for no apparently good reason. It annoyed me to no end that Rygart from Broken Blade keeps disobeying the chain of command, though the movies are fortunate enough to show that he is stupid for doing so. It didn't help that he looks like Ichigo from Bleach, another character that I mildly dislike for his "my way or the highway" attitude (mildly, because Soul Society is the type where the rules need to be broken, but overall disliked because Ichigo doesn't seem to have coherent reasons for breaking them other than "it's not my style." c. I prefer more down to earth protagonists. They can be quite accomplished. They can be geniuses. However, they should be humanly approachable in some way. Sinon Kouzuki of Starship Operators is an academic with an interest in military tactics and history. She pulls off brilliant maneuvers that border on miracles. However, she is a normal person among the cadets. I like her much better than Motoko Kusanagi, super genius. d. Conclusion As you might see from the length, the protagonist(s) contribute a great deal to how much I like a series. It is, in many respect, the most important factor--good, sympathetic protagonists can go a long way in making me ignore whatever flaws the series might have. 3. Effective villains By effective, I really mean competent. Whether the villains have a sympathetic motivation or present some greyness of morality is not relevant here. In general, attempts to give the villains some excuse tend to be disastrous. As a matter of safety, I'd prefer if the writers didn't try it, though a well done execution is to be admired. |
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st_owly
 Posts: 5234 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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These are the elements that would come together somehow to make not just my ideal anime, but my ideal manga, film, TV show etc... These are not in order of preference, just the order I write them down in.
1. Characters who are well written and develop as the series goes on. If I'm going to invest my time in a show, I expect some kind of return on my investment. I like characters who grow as the series goes on, and have reasons for doing what they do, rather than it being "destiny" or being in the right place at the right time a la Shonen Jump heroes. I'm not too fond of really stupid protagonists either. They just irritate me. Examples of this for me are Ed and Al from FMA. They have a reason for going on their quest and doing what they do, and they grow incredibly over the course of the series. I really cared for them, and that's a very important part of how much I enjoyed the show. A more recent example is the karuta club from Chihayafuru. I cared about all of them so much, and got far more out of the show than I would've otherwise if I hadn't cared so much. The same goes for villains. I enjoy a show much more if the antagonist is well written, like L from Death Note, rather than a bland cookie cutter villain with a bigger sword than the hero. Like heroes, villains need to have a compelling and sympathetic reason to do what they do, otherwise I don't care about them and the show. 2. A direction for the story to go in. I can appreciate many different types of story, be they complex or simple, but I'm not really a fan of stories that don't go anywhere. I like seeing how people resolve their problems and move the story on. Which leads us to... 3. A satisfying ending. Like most folk, I prefer a happy ending, but I'll take a well written tragic ending over a badly written happy ending. I like conclusive endings which tie up any loose ends and actually feel like an ending without rushing everything suddenly to get there, not like the ending of the XXXholic manga, which just sort of, stopped... 4. Believable romance. In a non specifically romantic show, any romantic elements shouldn't feel forced and out of place. 5. Comedy at the right moments. Even the most serious of shows is greatly enhanced by some comedy at the right moments. Life isn't completely serious. 6. Consistency. This might be the most important thing of them all. I enjoy fantasy shows set in different worlds, but the laws governing those worlds should be consistent throughout the show. It really irks me when a world is established to work a certain way which is different to the real world, and then the characters go and do something completely opposite to that. It completely destroys the set up of the world when that happens and I hate it. 7. Well done art and animation. I'm not too fussy about art style, but I do prefer some styles over others. I'm not too keen on generic moe, but I don't mind it so much if it's well animated. Consistency is again important here. Generally, this isn't a deal breaker unless the art and animation is really horrible. 8. Use of music. A good score can drastically enhance or improve a show and in my opinion, can send a show from good to great. As a musician, I can appreciate complex, painstakingly written music, but what matters more is how it's used within the show. A good battle theme can make a fight that much more exciting. Again, not really a deal breaker unless it's truly dire. |
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jl07045
 Posts: 1527 Location: Riga, Latvia |
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I'll tell up front that I have no idea what my ideal anime would be like and I don't think it would be worth it for me to try and figure it out. The reason for that is that, in my opinion, you can't make an ideal anime (or any work of art for that matter) out of ideal components or even simply all the components that I like in anime. I could compare this to attempts of making an ideal woman. You choose the most beautiful eyes, most beautiful lips, nose, hair, breasts etc., but the end result might be even revolting. So I guess, no, I can't either build up from or break down into components an ideal anime.
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4179 |
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My ideal anime is whatever I'm watching at the moment. Not to steal a little from "Time Enough at Last" {because I'm pilfering the whole point of the show} but ideally would be a matter of time for anime watching rather than content.
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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[EDIT: No one-liners. -TK]
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APPLE 01 DOJ
Posts: 33 |
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[EDIT: You, too. No one-liners. -TK]
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7995 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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Something like Babylon 5 Seasons 2-5 in anime form probably....with some Space: Above and Beyond, and a little Star Trek thrown in. Primarily set on a space station, starships, aliens, telepaths, spoiler[intergalactic war, tactical space fleet combat, starfighter dogfights, sieges, blockades, isurrection and revolutions], the whole nine yards of a space war epic. Closest I've seen to what I ideally want was Heroic Age, which I really enjoyed.
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Snomaster1
 SubscriberPosts: 2988 |
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Well,what I'd love to see is something like this:
I'd love to see an anime that's set in America,that has a Japanese girl and an American boy joining a secret organization that fights demons and things. And many of the demons are based on folklore from all over the world so I'd love to see that. And I'd hope that it's a lighthearted mix of "Chrono Crusade" and "Evangelion." That would really help it. I'd also like to see a harem comedy that's set in the United States. I'd love to see that. What do you guys think? |
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st_owly
Posts: 5234 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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It would be just as terrible as a harem comedy set in Japan. |
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Snomaster1
Subscriber Posts: 2988 |
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Well,I've got another hypothetical anime that I hope gets made. It's called "Tenchi in America." It's about Tenchi coming to the United States for a short time as an exchange student. He's also living with some American relatives. The American relatives are a pretty friendly group and his American cousins sometimes called him "Tench." Needless to say,Tenchi's harem is less than thrilled about this,so like what happened with "Tenchi in Tokyo,"they have Washu build a bridge between Japan and America so they can visit Tenchi whenever they want. But then they have to deal with an evil alien that wants to conquer Earth,starting with America. This might get made. The Japanese know that Americans are fascinated by aliens so they might decide to do this one day.
This time,I've got a hypothetical anime that's not set in America. It's called "Naruto and the Girls." It's sort of an Indiana Jones-type thing in which Naruto teams up with Sakura,Hinata,and Tenten to race a group of bad guys to a long lost treasure. What do you guys think about these ideas for an anime? |
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Br0m0n1028
 Posts: 4 |
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What I really like to see emphasized in anime is the characters. The most important thing is that there is some actual character development and depth. After a while it can get kinda of old watching the same character react to the same problem over and over again without the slightest original thought. I mean hypothetically why are you even living? As far as depth, I don't think you can really involve yourself in the situations encountered by the main character unless you have a deep understanding of that character, and that can't happen unless he/she actually has some depth.
Secondly , as far as animation goes, i like to see the emotions of the characters pretty deeply ingrained in their responses. (I Particularly like strong facial expressions...Is that weird?) It doesn't have to be over the top either. It can be something rather subtle. Its just nice to have a little insight on the characters feeling without having to resort to lengthy and rather fake speeches Finally as far as villains, I love it when they don't make the ethic lines so clear cut or even when a lot of the corruption or evil is coming from the protagonist side. With a straight forward plot line where there's only two sides, good and evil, you kinda already know who's gonna win. In addition it just doesn't seem realistic.When you have to ask yourself, "why are we REALLY fighting this guy" and when you even come to doubt the actions of the "good guys" that's when you really get a subversive plot and that is when you can truly think (to some extend) that the characters making his/her own path. A few other notes - good soundtrack is key -as somewhat talked on before a not so straight forward plot line. (for instance, Baccano!'s plot line) -Physiological Elements -Realism/Bravery: Don't be scared to show a little blood or take a plot course that perhaps doesn't end happy but is more realistic and for gods sake don't make the main characters invincible. |
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dragon695
 Posts: 1377 Location: Clemson, SC |
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I think it's terrible, especially since it sounds like typical, otaku, wish-fulfillment fan-fiction. The treasure hunting part may have merit, but it would be much more interesting under the auspices of a reunited team 7 once Naruto saves Sasuke. |
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