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Is anime getting repetitive?


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gundam83



Joined: 22 Jun 2010
Posts: 93
Location: Caribbean
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:34 am Reply with quote
My wife and I was watching Initial D first stage last night(which I already saw) and she raised an interesting point saying that everyone wants to beat Takumi(the main character) in racing just like everyone wants to beat Kenlchi(Kenlchi the mightest disciple) in fighting. So I wondered if anime is getting repetitive?(Storyline or characters etc.)
My opinion is I don't think so, I haven't seen any anime that reminded me of another anime but I'm now getting back into anime so I could be wrong!
Your thoughts? Smile
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Haterater



Joined: 30 Apr 2006
Posts: 1728
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:54 am Reply with quote
If you like certain themes of some shows, then it could be repetitive. Like if you like Shonen, you're very likely to see the usual "I have to beat X to become stronger and win!" over again. If you like the characters, storyline, and settings enough, then you might not care if its "repetitive" as it'll always be interesting to you.
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Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18435
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 9:09 am Reply with quote
Haterater is correct; certain types of shows tend to recycle the same themes and story elements.

However, this is hardly unique to anime, and it's hardly a new thing. Recycling story structures, themes, basic concepts, and even cast behavior and personality distributions has been commonplace in anime since at least the mid-'70s and probably isn't, percentage-wise, any more prevalent today than in previous decades. The only thing that's changed is what's being copied.
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Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 11:56 am Reply with quote
I don't think anime is becoming repetitive. What you're talking about is tropes, and and tropes are not cliches.

Every single work ever invented takes things from other works, it's the way things go.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 2:35 pm Reply with quote
Chagen46 wrote:
I don't think anime is becoming repetitive. What you're talking about is tropes, and and tropes are not cliches.

Every single work ever invented takes things from other works, it's the way things go.


No, every single fictional work does things that have been done before, whether it is deliberate borrowing or just ignorance of previous works. So people can have their own ideas that are original to themselves, but not to the world.
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Sanosuke_Inara



Joined: 23 Nov 2009
Posts: 1662
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:17 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
No, every single fictional work does things that have been done before, whether it is deliberate borrowing or just ignorance of previous works. So people can have their own ideas that are original to themselves, but not to the world.


Unless I'm just misunderstanding what you're trying to say, I disagree. I'm sure we both know that every single story that can be told hasn't been, so I don't think it's possible for every fictional work to do something that's been done before.
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Penguin_Factory



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 732
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:31 pm Reply with quote
Getting repetitive? It's been repetitive for a long time. There are obvious exceptions, but most series seem to retread familiar ground (which of course doesn't automatically make them bad, just derivative).
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Sanosuke_Inara



Joined: 23 Nov 2009
Posts: 1662
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:39 pm Reply with quote
Penguin_Factory wrote:
Getting repetitive? It's been repetitive for a long time. There are obvious exceptions, but most series seem to retread familiar ground (which of course doesn't automatically make them bad, just derivative).
I can agree with this more. And it's not like anime is the only thing that can sometimes "retread familiar ground," all types of fictional works do this.
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Soundmonkey44



Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 1243
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 3:45 pm Reply with quote
Penguin_Factory wrote:
Getting repetitive? It's been repetitive for a long time. There are obvious exceptions, but most series seem to retread familiar ground (which of course doesn't automatically make them bad, just derivative).


I third this statement, Anime has been repetative for along time, it may be repetative in afew diffrent ways, but still. Not that thats a bad thing, I mean theres only so many ways to tell a story. Anyform of entertainment could be called repetative, its the execution that makes somthing good or bad. (as well as the viewers personal preference and tastes.) We will always have repetative media, just as we will always have good & bad media.
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KyuuA4



Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 1361
Location: America, where anime and manga can be made
PostPosted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 11:37 pm Reply with quote
Just have Americans produce SOME anime... and see what they come up with. Then you'll get some fresh stories and fresh genres --- maybe even in some old genres too. Razz
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ArsenicSteel



Joined: 12 Jan 2010
Posts: 2370
PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 12:17 am Reply with quote
I am having a hard enough time digesting most of the OEL manga...English produced anime now. Crying or Very sad
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Soundmonkey44



Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 1243
PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:03 am Reply with quote
KyuuA4 wrote:
Just have Americans produce SOME anime... and see what they come up with. Then you'll get some fresh stories and fresh genres --- maybe even in some old genres too. Razz


We have those, they are called CARTOONS! Laughing

sorry if I sound rude, but Anime is just the broad term for animaton in japan, and US toons have been just as bad as japan in some cases.
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John Casey



Joined: 31 May 2009
Posts: 1853
Location: In My Angry Center
PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:23 am Reply with quote
Name one anime in the last decade that doesn't borrow 90% of its tropes from some other source.

Question answered.
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sonickid101



Joined: 24 Apr 2009
Posts: 132
PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:58 am Reply with quote
uhh yes, yes it is getting VERY repetitive! but thats fine, as so much shows just fall into the glutton of entertainment, we can all catch up on old shows, and after a while we'll see somthing good again
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HaruhiToy



Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 4118
PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:00 am Reply with quote
John Casey wrote:
Name one anime in the last decade that doesn't borrow 90% of its tropes from some other source.


I might be reaching out of the decade and of course you can quibble about what "90% means" but:

Paprika
Revolutionary Girl Utena
Paranoia Agent
Serial Experiments Lain
The Last Exile

all come to mind. I see more variance there than anything the Lifetime Channel has broadcast in two decades.
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