Forum - View topicWhat makes a good anime?
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animefan473
 Posts: 36 Location: Somewhere between here and there |
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For me, it's the writing more than anything else. You can have the best animation ever, but if the story is totally boring it doesn't matter. A Tree Of Palme comes to mind. They spent a lot of time and money on this, but the actual story is like watching paint dry. It looks really nice, but that alone is not enough to carry it. Anyway, your thoughts?
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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I definatly agree with writing, although characters and their development is also important. A decent dub is also neccesary, or a good sub. If I can't understand the sub (because its in Engrish or another language), it doesn't matter how good the story is, I won't be able to understand it. Animation won't make an anime for me, but if its just too awkwardly distracting, it can break it, although I have yet to see that. Overly elaborate animation can hurt anime for me too (I found the Jing: King of Bandits manga so detailed, its distracting at times). if everything visual and audio is good in balance and terrific, it can just make an anime phenomenal for me.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar  Posts: 16963 |
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This question has come up more than a few times here. Personally I share your opinion on the subject. The story and plot is what really makes something great, good, or just awful in my mind. As you said a show can have amazing animation and visuals but if the story is as entertaining as watching paint dry then who cares? A powerful and very entertaining story can make a show worth watching even if the visuals suffer some. By today's standards most animation (just the animation and visuals themseves) from shows from the 80's and early 90's is simply not as good. I'll be damned though if many of those shows with the lower quality animation from then don't have better stories then a lot of the dribble produced today. Too often anymore series suffer from the fact that the crisp and sparkly visuals are there to make up for weak stories and plots, and lack of character development. Animation, dub quality (regardless of language), and other ascpets can help raise or lower a show no doubt, but in the end for me the story/plot is what is going to make or break a show and determine if it's a good show or a bad one. |
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animefan473
Posts: 36 Location: Somewhere between here and there |
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I agree that dub quality is important. Honestly, I hadn't even thought of that, but I watch most of my anime dubbed, so it is important. As for the writng, I think there's a tendency sometimes to rely too much on gimmicks like fan service and so forth.
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Veoryn87
 Posts: 808 |
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I'll have to agree that writing/story and characters really make the show, but that's not the only thing I'm looking for. If that's all I cared about I'd read a book. There's also music. I didn't care for Hellsing Ultimates music. I just tended not to pay attention to it, but The Girl Who Leapt Through Times music really helped enhance the scenes and make them more compelling. Voice acting helps a lot too, much in the same way as music. It doesn't matter how well the writing is, if the acting is bad then I can't take it seriously.
Now a lot of people say animation doesn't matter, but to me it depends. If it's an action series then it better have good animation. I can't stand an action series that relies too much on still-shots and very noticeable shortcuts. I watch action to see action, not static pictures. If it's more of a dialogue driven show like Fruits Basket or His and Her Circumstances then I'm not nearly as picky. I pretty much enjoyed those two for their characters. Other things like art and character design are important too, but nothing that I can spend much time talking about. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18446 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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But isn't this impression partly because shows still surviving in fan consciousness from that era are usually the better ones? The volume of anime released every year in Japan is also at its highest levels ever, so naturally there'll be more drivel to sort through. (By some figures I've seen the volume of releases now is double or more what the volume was 15 years ago.) If you compare the better shows being put out the last couple of years, they stand up quite well to the better shows of the '80s and early '90s classics in every respect. That aside, Veoryn87 brings up an interesting point: how important quality animation is to making a series "good" depends a lot on the kind of series it is. Action series die from bad animation, but the one he(?) mentioned absorb the minimalist animation approach without blinking and still produce great results. For me, an anime title must excel in no less than two of the following to be considered "good:" entertainment value, writing, and production values. A title can succeed with one of those factors being mediocre but not with two. Case in point: the movie Origins ~ Spirit of the Past ~ features some of last year's best production values but sorely lacks in both writing and, to a lesser extent, entertainment value, so despite how impressive it looks I cannot consider it "good" anime. |
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar Posts: 16963 |
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See for me I consider the entertainment value inherently part of the story/plot. Now the dub and visuals can add or detract from the entertainment value and value of the show but again I think the story and plot add the greatest part to the entertainment value. I mean again even with good visuals or a good dub/sub track if the story sucks then honestly how entertained are you? Entertainment value and story just seem to run hand in hand to me. And trust me Key I know there are good shows coming out now and the good ones of today rival anything of eras past. It's just I see more drivel being released. I do take into account that production is at an all time high in the past few years, but even taking that into consideration I think there are more shows on average being released that are sub-standered in the story department. I also am admittedly a bit critical when it comes to plots so maybe I'm just a bit hard on newer stuff. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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For me it's some type of indescribable balance between storywriting, characters, and animation. The less the boat rocks with those waves the better my opinion of the show will be. The most important core of it being the story if that isn't entertaining I'm definitely not going to watch. Conversely sometimes interesting, likable, or mysterious characters are enough to carry a series for me (ex Spice and Wolf) if there is not much of a story present. Also sometimes certain animation visual styles just repulse me and I will not enjoy the series. Happens rarely but it's not unheard of (ex Kaidohmaru) I generally have no problem with watching older anime or budget skimping anime, but those that choose to animate in a certain art style or another that I don't like might bug me.
Everything else is just frosting on the cake. |
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chichiriNoDa
 Posts: 532 |
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As for me, it all depends if the series can hook, move, and entertain me, by first viewing. I do like good animation but if the series isn't my taste I will not consider it good. I label an anime good base on enjoyment and if a feel that I miss the characters.....
Hahahaha it might sound weird but everytime I consider the anime good, I feel the need to see the characters again I don't know why. I can't describe what I feel..... Ha! anyways so mine it's really base on enjoyment, it doesn't have to had a mind blowing plot or very complicated concepts. I prefer endearing and unforgettable characters like the characters in Fushigi Yugi it might not the best when it comes to animation, but this show played with my emotions really well. |
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Vuwazy
Posts: 208 |
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One that has good action. I think I'll go with that. You can have a story that had potential and some good ideas. But if the action for the most part is yawn inducing (and if it also barely gets above that) then it can affect everything else. Like, I can just forget what a plot to a show may seem to have promised if it doesn't have any kind of action that does things to amaze the eyes or make scenes to remember. Action can move everything else along and be a spark. How things are executed and such. Can be any kind of action and what is used. It is from that when I might see how exciting a certain series can really be. I can read up on how interesting a plot to an anime might sound but I want to see how it is done in action to know if I feel anything about it. When I think the action is good to something I like, then I know if I'm feeling it or not. The action is where I want to see how things go down.
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LydiaDianne
 Posts: 5634 Location: Southern California |
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For me, there are several factors. A good story and plot, likeable and/or intriguing charaters and the animation.
Although, the animation is NOT a major factor. It helps but it isn't the end all, be all of whether or not I like a series. For example, I recently got Legend of Himiko. It's animation was 1999 vintage. But, it looks old. That didn't matter because the story and the characters hooked me in right away. They made me care about them. They made me want to see them succeed beyond their wildest dreams. Heck, I even cried when a member of the bad guys' team died. Without a good plot and storyline and good characters, you don't have a series. Regardless of how great the animation looks, if you don't have those two factors, you might as well wad it up and toss it in the trash. Fullmetal Alchemist is probably a good example of where all four come together well and really work. The animation, in my opinion, superb. The story and plot - worked! And the characters -  the characters were incredible. You could understand the reasons WHY Ed and Al chose their path. You could understand WHY Scar made the choices he did and, in a way, his strange mercy of spoiler[poor Nina and Alexander]. I understand Lust's desires and regrets. The writing made me LIKE her. And it made me cry in the final moments of Sloth. It gave me a love/hate relationship with Roy Mustang - love because I understood the torment the man went through and hate because of his enjoyment of tormenting Ed.
FMA is one of those series that comes around every few years and is the standard that other anime are held up to - and don't usually make it. I have to say that I hated - hated - Helga from Fantastic Children. Could not stand her. Wanted to slap her into the next century. I hated the fact that she just sat like a lump and got rained on, literally, and was completely oblivious to the fact. Because of her, I came very close to just stopping the series cold. But, because of the excellent word of mouth by others on here, I persevered. And what a payoff! Once Helga got off her butt, the story really exploded and I enjoyed the heck out of it. Put me with those who say plot, storyline and characters. |
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Masked Devil
 Posts: 27 Location: The Abyss |
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I would say it's definitely a combination of elements that makes an anime great. Animation, music, writing, dubbing. One poor element in this chain can slightly degrade the overall sheen of the product. The Hellsing Ultimates, as previously mentioned, had lackluster music, so for me it downgraded the experience. Cowboy Bebop was a great example of all of these elements working in tandem. Especially that finale! Hooboy.
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Iria76
Posts: 5 |
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I think an anime has to have good story to be able to pull you into the world it's wanting you to suspend reality for,plus,good characters to pull us even more so into that world,i love the girls/guys in anime so much and their performances is what makes an anime awesome for me-english dubbed or subbed.
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Vortextk
 Posts: 892 Location: Orlando, Fl |
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It's funny how many people say they don't care about animation but then something like the second season of Gunslinger Girl is getting a bit bashed for low production values.
If by "good anime" you're implying top end, like an excellent or masterpiece on ANN's rating, the title has to be very good in all areas. I can't overlook shoddy animation. I may see that a series is pretty good with a well told story, but the animation will bring it down a few points. Same with music. A story is important but if I wanted to watch panned shots of oddly shaped characters with bad techno in the background, though with an amazingly deep and well written plot, I'd rather read the book. Not everything has a hard hitting "story" anyway. A recent highly related release like Mushishi is pretty much as episodic as they come. A handful of characters appear in like 3 or 4 episodes with only the main always around. I would say the mood is as much a part of this anime as any story telling going on. The underlying written elements have never been enough for me. This doesn't mean that all masterpieces I've given out have perfect animation or that I give out masterpieces just for the animation. I just expect the same as I do from any other medium, to be exceptional and well rounded in all that it accomplishes. |
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Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
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For me the most important are characters:
If I find an interesting character and even characters that I don't like to be well developed and behaving like real people then I may like that series, for example: NANA I don't like Hachi she sometimes annoys me but she is well developed characters so I can stand her I just hate when in books/anime/manga I see characters that heve for instance exaggerated kindness that seems like "product of imagination" and characters that are simply too Mary Sueish. I like if character is more complex and no one-dimensional. Storyline is important too, but also what is important is how it is presented if it is an action anime then I want to see action for example Black Lagoon it is action anime that goes at an appropriate pace. Animation, backgrounds, character designs don't really matter I can still enjoy it even if it is old or weird, for example: Lady Oscar or Windy Tales. The fact that in anime are bunch of good-looking guys don't help if I don't like them. I like fan service but if there isn't anything more then that I won't watch it. However sometimes anime may lost in my eyes if it has moe character designs for characters that is loved by other character that is adult and look too be much older, in those cases I have paedophile vibrations and for example is why I don't like Hagumi paired with anyone. It is too difficult to swallow. Although if those moe characters aren't liked in that why I can bear moe character designs if storyline and characters are great f.e: Higurashi no Naku Koroni. I also don't like if characters have body of teenager but brain of a toddler -> Chobits in those cases I also have paedophile vibrations. If it is especially an action in anime then it would be nice if it hadn't had to many close-ups of face during fight it is annoying to watch two characters staring at each other when they should fight. Music - a nice addition but doesn't change anything. |
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