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How His and Her Circumstances Breaks the #1 Writing Rule




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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 24147
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:08 am Reply with quote
I saw His and Her Circumstances years ago and while I remember having big problems with it, I can't remember what my objections were. I don't think it had anything to do with it's "talk, don't tell" credo, but who knows? I remember liking it at the beginning but then it wore out its welcome after a while. I've always thought I should probably go back and give it a second chance.
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Barciad



Joined: 11 May 2004
Posts: 132
Location: St Andrews
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:20 am Reply with quote
Such a good series back in the day. The trick I remember was that rather than be ashamed of how cynical it was. It instead chose to celebrate the fact.
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njprogfan
Collector Extraordinaire



Joined: 08 Feb 2007
Posts: 1221
Location: A River Named Toms
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:45 am Reply with quote
I remember the big complaint was it didn't have any kind of ending, it-just-stopped.
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grooven



Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 1428
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 12:04 pm Reply with quote
I was really disappointed by the anime adaptation and really hoped there would've been a remake. It was such a slog and I don't think the direction helped with how the story was presented. But considering the director I don't think they would've to remake it. At least there's still the manga.
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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2475
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 12:56 pm Reply with quote
I didn't feel like I particularly needed to comment but just to provide a counter opinion to the people above - I think KareKano is the better anime Anno worked on when compared to Evangelion, and the anime is a lot better than the manga too (both in terms of the spots it adapted, and the material that didn't get adapted getting to be pretty... not great at points)
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merr



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 487
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:37 pm Reply with quote
killjoy_the wrote:
I didn't feel like I particularly needed to comment but just to provide a counter opinion to the people above - I think KareKano is the better anime Anno worked on when compared to Evangelion, and the anime is a lot better than the manga too (both in terms of the spots it adapted, and the material that didn't get adapted getting to be pretty... not great at points)

Yeah, doesn’t Miyazawa end up getting teen pregnant and dropping out? (Can you tell I never read the manga?)
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Green Luthor



Joined: 15 Oct 2003
Posts: 28
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 1:53 pm Reply with quote
merr wrote:
killjoy_the wrote:
I didn't feel like I particularly needed to comment but just to provide a counter opinion to the people above - I think KareKano is the better anime Anno worked on when compared to Evangelion, and the anime is a lot better than the manga too (both in terms of the spots it adapted, and the material that didn't get adapted getting to be pretty... not great at points)

Yeah, doesn’t Miyazawa end up getting teen pregnant and dropping out? (Can you tell I never read the manga?)


spoiler[Getting pregnant, yes, but I don't think she drops out; she gets pregnant her senior year (after Arima basically rapes her in the school library; I, uh... I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing that the full run of the manga didn't get adapted, although an actual conclusion to the final story line would have been nice), but she still graduates. Then I think she puts off going to college for a few years to raise their daughter? (The daughter that Arima's best friend decides he's going to marry before she's even born. And does. Did I mention that the full manga not getting adapted wasn't necessarily a bad thing?) (Congratulations, Twilight, you're not the only thing to use that creepy idea.)]

(The first time I watched the KareKano anime, I really, really liked it. Then I watched it again a few years later. Holy crap, Arima is an abusive psychopath! Yeah, yeah, they give him a tragic backstory. But... he goes away to kendo camp for a few weeks, and when he gets back, he thinks Yukino might want to break up with him. His response? He basically corners her and says "Do you really think I'll let you go?" Holy overpossessiveness, Batman! Dude's the reason things like "restraining orders" exist. (And then there's the whole "raping Yukino" thing. Yeah, she says afterwards she was okay with it, but... no.) I mean, I still really liked the good parts, but... the problematic parts... yikes. One of the few cases where I'd say if Anno had been able to continue the series, he should have deviated as far from the source as he could get away with.*)

*(Though given that the mangaka wasn't pleased with the liberties Anno did take, that probably wouldn't have been very far...)

[Spoiler tags added for manga ending content ~Zalis]
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:39 pm Reply with quote
I enjoyed the first half of the manga and hated the second half. Overall, I'd say I preferred Anno's work, though the last 4-5 episodes of the anime take a noticeable steep decline in quality.
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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2475
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 3:13 pm Reply with quote
My favorite episode of the anime is actually the last one. I understand the dislike of the many recaps and "different" animation that a lot of it uses, but I loved it. The ending content - with the childhood basketball friend - wasn't the best, though
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4158
PostPosted: Mon Feb 14, 2022 7:44 pm Reply with quote
"Tell, don't show" is the number one writing rule; If it really as "Show, don't tell", every story would be a storyboard.

Seriously though, even taking the message at its core, it's not one I agree with. If the style you develop is one of overwriting, then feel free to keep on telling, tell some more, don't stop telling, if you need more space, use footnotes.

I've read Infinite Jest before it was cool which is such a weird idea that I still haven't wrapped my head around it.

Even more serious... and oddly on topic... His and Her Circumstances was shoujo so you either have the options of animating still pictures while people talk, talk, talk or showing still pictures while people internally monologue, internally monologue, internally monologue. Or both, it could be both.

Then there's the fourth option, throw out the book you're adapting and animate whatever fever dreams you come with high on drugs and caffeine. That's Kodocha but that takes time, money and talent and Anno had...

I can only safely say he had a talent for making do with no money and no time.
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dm
Subscriber



Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1464
PostPosted: Tue Feb 15, 2022 11:59 am Reply with quote
I loved the series through its entire run.

I loved the cardboard puppets episode.

I even dismiss the "the series doesn't end" criticisms with: the circumstances between hims and hers go on (the last few episodes shift the focus to other couples).

There was so much to like about the visual direction of this series --- I especially liked the use of simple images and floating text --- that it's a surprisingly easy series to share with anime-skeptics.
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Thatguy3331



Joined: 18 Feb 2012
Posts: 1799
PostPosted: Fri Feb 18, 2022 1:54 pm Reply with quote
I remember watching the first episode a few years ago with the intention to watch the rest though was curious about what happened in the manga considering the apparent disagreement the author had with it (though after seeing those spoilers...yeesh.)

I really should get back to the show because I did like it's first episode.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2022 11:21 am Reply with quote
njprogfan wrote:
I remember the big complaint was it didn't have any kind of ending, it-just-stopped.
Just like EVA as well. But that's sooooo Anno. He has never gotten over being so f**ked over by the original Eva Production crew and later being railed on by the fans after his breakdown, (hence Eps 25 and 26), that he can do nothing else. Laughing
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