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PR: Anime Expo® and MTV Cast for True Life


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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 4:28 am Reply with quote
This one's right up Justin's alley. Cool
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LuckySeven



Joined: 02 Sep 2008
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Location: Georgia, USA
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:36 pm Reply with quote
I'm not sure about this myself. Seems okay, but you never know when the suits at MTV might use this to paint anime and its fans in a bad light. Doesn't really matter for me anyways since I'm outside of the age group that they are looking for. But even though I've just about all but stopped watching MTV, I may check this one out when it airs.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:49 pm Reply with quote
LuckySeven wrote:
I'm not sure about this myself. Seems okay, but you never know when the suits at MTV might use this to paint anime and its fans in a bad light. Doesn't really matter for me anyways since I'm outside of the age group that they are looking for. But even though I've just about all but stopped watching MTV, I may check this one out when it airs.


Have you ever seen True Life? It's easily the best show on the network and probably one of the best things they've ever produced; there is no commentary, no judgment. They simply follow someone, film them and that's it. There are great episodes about people with OCD, eating competition contestants, beauty pageant winners, Jersey shore girls - all very fair, even-handed. In fact if any documentary series were to highlight anime fans, this would be the ideal one. I'm looking forward to seeing it when it airs.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:49 pm Reply with quote
Zac:
Quote:
It's easily the best show on the network


I didn't know MTV had a best show, since I thought they stopped having standards ages ago. Laughing
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ArthurFrDent



Joined: 05 Aug 2008
Posts: 466
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 3:57 pm Reply with quote
I'd have to disagree Zac. Editing tells a story, and the editor is the one who decides what gets included, and what doesn't. MTV has/needs ratings, so they will edit to get them, even though there is no real script. How you interpret a buncha' colorful characters versus a buncha' losers is an exceedingly fine line. IMHO this wont turn out well, unless they have a fair amount of exposition.
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doctordoom85



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:11 pm Reply with quote
Well, since Zac seems to be the only one who's seen the show, I'll take his word for it. Heh, this'll be the first time I've watched MTV since like 2004 (and that was because my dorm roomate was watching it).
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bahamut623



Joined: 23 Jun 2005
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:13 pm Reply with quote
Well, they had two episodes of Made where they transformed anime fans. One was a complete weeaboo fangirl in love with Ed Elric, cat ears, Akatsuki coats...the whole shebang. And the other wore a Naruto headband and gloves to school everyday.
Overall their fandom wasn't necessarily poked fun at or anything, they focused more on their social awkwardness. But they really did help them out. Any non-anime fan watching would think "anime fans are nerdy"...but they would have thought that anyway.
I don't normally watch MTV (okay maybe I've enjoyed an episode or two...or three...of Paris Hilton's New BFF), but I tuned in randomly a week ago and they gave them back to back so I watched.

True Life probably won't go into it as "Look, NERDS!!"...it's just very likely nerds will be there. I think they'll approach it as looking at one of the biggest events for this small subculture which most people know very little about.
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reanimator





PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:19 pm Reply with quote
I'm too old for this. (Age 32) Maybe I could pass off as 25 year old for being Asian. Wink
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Jih2



Joined: 24 Jul 2007
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Location: East coast
PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 10:59 pm Reply with quote
Hmmm, this'll be interesting. I've seen episodes of True Life before but I think I'll be far more interested in who they pick. There are some normal people who watch anime that aren't always watching DVDs and chatting about the newest series in Japan, I highly doubt that hybrid will be represented but then again it very well could be, we just have to wait and see.

Nevertheless, I'll watch it but I probably won't care if MTV or its (dare I say) "fanbase" understands anime fandom or cares. This doesn't look like it's going to cause people to execute anime fans so I think we're safe no matter what happens.

Plus. How many people actually watch MTV?
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Zac
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:49 pm Reply with quote
Jih2 wrote:
Hmmm, this'll be interesting. I've seen episodes of True Life before but I think I'll be far more interested in who they pick. There are some normal people who watch anime that aren't always watching DVDs and chatting about the newest series in Japan, I highly doubt that hybrid will be represented but then again it very well could be, we just have to wait and see.

Nevertheless, I'll watch it but I probably won't care if MTV or its (dare I say) "fanbase" understands anime fandom or cares. This doesn't look like it's going to cause people to execute anime fans so I think we're safe no matter what happens.


Is there some particular reason that anime fans seem to expect every single mainstream documentary or article or brief mention on a news site about anime fans to be a glowing press release that talks about how amazingly balanced and normal all anime fans are and how awesome anime is? Besides the eternal victim complex, I mean.

It doesn't seem to matter where the commentary comes from, ever. If the commentary - or even simple footage, for crap's sake - on anime fans doesn't come from a diehard anime fan sympathetic to the victim mentality, then it must be bunk, stupid drivel from a clueless outsider who only wish to paint the lot of us as drooling morons obsessed with questionable cartoons.

Hating on the mainstream media and the people who would document our ways doesn't negate the fact that we are a subculture and people want to explore who we are, and hey, it might not always be a shining happy endorsement of everything every anime fan has ever done ever. Get over it. You want to fly your freak flag, then expect people to see it.
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Jih2



Joined: 24 Jul 2007
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:14 am Reply with quote
Uhhh yeah.

I did say I didn't care about the whole thing anyway but I'd probably watch it if I got the chance. I don't think I'm particularly siding against mainstream exploration of anime fandom but I do feel like they're going to skip out on "normal guy who watches on anime when he can."

MTV very well could create something that's totally non-biased but I personally have my doubts. Not huge doubts but I certainly think it's very possible.

I'm not expecting something glowing, just accurate.
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Zac
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:22 am Reply with quote
Jih2 wrote:


I'm not expecting something glowing, just accurate.


Uh, yeah "accurate" based on what standard?
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Jih2



Joined: 24 Jul 2007
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:30 am Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
Jih2 wrote:


I'm not expecting something glowing, just accurate.


Uh, yeah "accurate" based on what standard?


Because that's not a loaded question.

In keeping within the reality that not everyone who watches anime is a socially awkward "nerd." There are tons of people in this fanbase. Obviously it's impossible for them to project every single view point but I they can illustrate something that shows a few basic types of fans.

You appear to have stated things without a rectum search, why do you think MTV will do this episode so well? What's your standard for accurate and how do you see the average fan these days?
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bahamut623



Joined: 23 Jun 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:22 am Reply with quote
Obviously they're gonna go for the truly hardcore, more extreme fans. They won't go for someone casually into anime...they never go for anyone casually into anything that they base their episodes on.
"I watch anime when I get home but otherwise am like everyone else" won't be interesting to watch. "I cosplay on a regular basis, plan my vacations around anime-cons, talk to my friends in Japanese, have walls and walls of DVDs and manga" is interesting to watch.
If they do an episode about weightlifters or something they won't follow someone who goes to the gym once or twice a week, they'll follow someone who devotes their life to it.

Anime is inherently geeky. It's hard (impossible, really) to do a documentary on anime fandom while skirting around that fact. Besides, they usually have several people each with a different angle to their story. So while one may be uber-nerd, the rest might not be.
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geishageek



Joined: 28 Nov 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:15 am Reply with quote
And besides, an anime fan may not even be picked at all for the show. Its for comic book and fantasy fanatics as well. People geek out over many a thing and I'm sure they will paint an accurate picture of any person they choose to use. Whether they be an uber otaku obbsessed with moe girls and has body pillows all over their bed or everyones "favorite" BL fangirl who glomps and paddles everyone.

And I agree with Zack. If you are going to attract attention to yourself with your geekyness, than you deserve all the flack that comes with it.
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