Forum - View topicpacing in anime
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skyfishing
 Posts: 30 Location: West Coast, USA |
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after watching some really great anime recently i have been starting to compare some anime that I've really liked and some i couldnt stand. one of the things that kept me from really liking some series out there was the pace of the anime. some anime have really great pacing where you dont really notice the transition from one action sequence to another because it keeps you so engrossed. A couple of my favorite anime series are very short like FLCL and kino no tabi where they never do too much of one thing and find a good ballance of action and dialog. Some other anime with filler or way too much dialog in building up to action like Gantz. So onto what makes this topic different from a rant.
Has the pacing of a anime ever stopped you from finishing it? If so which one and why? Do you think that limiting the episodes of a series makes the series beter so that it doesnt include too many filler and recap episodes? |
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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Pacing is central to my enjoyment of a series. There are actually three major pacing structures that are common and annoy me.
The first and worst is what I will refer to the Shounen Jump paced series. This can be found in everything from Hokuto no Ken to Bleach. This usually plagues longer series and series based off of manga probably is what the original post is also complaining about. The fault for this one probably lies in the series planner and series director. In these series a single fight can often span several episodes giving it a running in place feel. I often feel as though less has happened in a Prince of Tennis release (3 DVDs) than what occurs in a 90 minute film. 12-13 episodes should be enough time to tell an entire series. I can see why Viz is leaning towards multi DVD releases since I can summarize what occurs in PoT 4 in a few paragraphs. Shows that make the best use of their half hour time include Mushishi, Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop, and Elfen Leid. Ideally these series (if they are not episodic) are the ones where you will be lost if you miss an episode unlike many Jump series. The second pacing problem that annoys me, but not everyone out there is when series bombard you with events. This is more of a problem with the script and episode director, although they might just be following requests from those higher up. Ironically enough FLCL and many other works by Gainax fall into this category. The worst is when a really intense moment is cut short (cheapened) by a stupid joke and visual gag. This would frustrate me in series like Fullmetal Alchemist and Get Backers which would usually cut to a silly super deformed sight gag instead of letting the drama play out. Series that let the audience catch their breath include Gantz, Ghost in the Shell SAC, and Gunparade March. As noted above this can work against the series for some people who find these moments to be boring. The third pacing problem which really annoys me is the episode structure pace. All to often it is obvious in an episode if it is the beginning middle or end by the plot structure. This is common in many magical girls and super robot series, but is found in almost every other genre. Many of my favorite series that break up the formula and have blurred episode breaks include Crest of the Stars, Starship Operators, Gundam 0080, and Berserk. There are so many elements that pacing involves that it is hard for a series to get it just right for me. What gives a series proper pacing does however differ from viewer to viewer but for me I feel that series structure often feels too slow (big plot points) while in episode pacing often feels too rushed. This is more common in series aimed towards casual anime fans (popular television shows where people might miss episodes or change channels) and least evident in series aimed towards the otaku/ video release (Legend of Galactic Heroes and OVAs) market. |
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zhir
 Posts: 353 Location: Nampa, ID, USA |
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The long-form shounen style annoys me to no end. I typically won't watch anything over 75 episodes long for that reason (LoGH being a notable exception). I agree that the episodes in SAC where there wasn't a break in the case were nice. It also feels more real than having Section 9 work on one case without doing anything else. Crest was a very accurate adaptation of the books, so it makes sense that it wouldn't be neatly divided into twenty-five min mini-arcs. Great show though. |
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JacobC
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3728 Location: SoCal |
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Pacing is absolutely crucial to me loving a series.
Note I said: lovin'. If the pace is abysmal, (like every Shounen Jump title except for Death Note) I can appreciate it on a "random episode when I'm bored and when it's on" basis, hooray. That's the answer to question one, by the way. Shounen Jump titles (and DBZ) are the only ones I think I've dropped interest in based on pace merits alone. Usually, there are other reasons to me completely dropping a series. But if I'm going to buy it, a series can't be letting me "out of the box." What does that mean? It means there's a little box, your TV, temporarily controlling your thoughts and emotions when you get involved in a drama, or even a comedy. If my thoughts are wandering to something menial outside the plot and I can suddenly see the static environment of my room instead of only being focused on the world in the box...there's a problem. Static moments don't cause this. Slow pacing is often welcome. There are about twenty-thirty seconds of silence and non-motion in episode one and two of Gunslinger Girl that are absolutely engrossing, which sounds absurd in animation. It's all in the approach. To counterpoint that, incessant repetitive activity isn't bad, either. In a show like Naruto, it becomes obnoxious and boring, but in Trigun, how long did that scene where spoiler[Legato is telling Vash to shoot him, Vash says no, the girls scream, Vash hears voices in his head, yes he'll do it, no he won't, rinse, repeat...] ...how long did that cycle of yelling and confusion last? Ten minutes, but it felt like ten seconds. It's all in the drama, and how well it's structured. AND with the exception of drawing anything out to 250+ episodes, I don't think shorter series have better pacing. I've often felt like thirteen episodes didn't accomplish enough in a show, and rarely, (or, Fullmetal Alchemist) that 50+ episodes could have carried on even longer. We know from recap episodes that 25+ episodes of backstory and information can be carried in 5-10 minutes. It's all about the drama and how long it can sustain itself. Usually, building revelations and turning conflicts can accomplish this...unless you do it a little too much. It was the only thing that kept Death Note going until it's very cleverness at turning plot killed it by spoiler[killing off L and replacing him with far less fascinating foes.] |
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skyfishing
Posts: 30 Location: West Coast, USA |
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i agree that if some shows have too much filler they can get too boring especially if the show runs over the usual amount of episodes, especially if the anime decides to slow down in order to catch up with the original storyline. there are some overly long shows that i have enjoyed though and one of the best anime that had a very long episode roster was MONSTER. the show had episodes somewhere in the 70's but it would keep you transfixed all the way through even in fillers.
While there are some anime that do bombard you with info it can be confusing such as with FLCL, but i think that is a plus with some of the better shows since it gives you the chance to re-watch the series to get a better understanding and to love it even more. I cant think any some comedy anime that has bad pacing because either they keep up with the jokes or sometmes arent funny at all. Do you think that this topic only concerns action and drama anime or are there other genres that have bad pacing problems? |
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Randall Miyashiro
Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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Going back to my post and the three problems with pacing. There are a number of long running comedies that seem to run in place. These include Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, and Zatch Bell amongst others. These fall into the you can skip a DVD or two and still feel as though you have not missed anything category. Rumiko Takahashi really has some major pacing issues. Many comedies fall into the second category since by nature and fall into the non-stop barrage which can be tiresome and counterproductive towards character development. The quieter moments like the teachers' night out in Azumanga really are effective in some comedies. Although common, this trait tends to bother me less in non-stop comedies compared to non-stop shoot em up shows. Formulatic plot structures are very common in comedies and the most obvious series that comes to mind is Nerima Daikon Brothers which has that "seen one, you have seen them all" feel. Everything about the episodes (not counting the last two episode) plays off of formula down to specific musical numbers. |
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kizzmequik_74
 Posts: 302 Location: QC, Philippines |
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To answer the OP's first question: YES. Most of them are long-running shounen titles: waiting an entire week for someone to land a punch or charge a laser in DBZ (and similarly-paced shows) essentially killed any enjoyment I had in watching it.
Like JesuOtaku, my favorite series draw me in completely, tuning out the distractions of the outside world. More tangibly, the best-paced series don't give me any chance or reason to check the clock or progress bar (which means the show is too slow-paced), nor should a series force me to pause and rewind a bit (too fast-paced). Unfortunately, a few years of watching too many madcap comedies have increased my tolerance towards anime that are too fast-paced. This has also skewed my sense of pacing to the point that I find a disproportionate amount of fiction to be too slow-paced for my tastes. I'm a guy who goes to the toilet multiple times while watching a Hollywood blockbuster in a moviehouse. ADD, much? 
To answer the OP's second question: it depends on the story being told. I usually prefer the shorter 12-episode format, if only because it forces (or should force) the production studio to come up with a short, cohesive story that should fit into a cour's length. But, some types of stories simply require loads and loads of episodes. I personally think that a series should use up as many episodes as it needs to tell a story, nothing more, nothing less. |
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