[The Melancholy Code->]
[Melancholies and Demons->]
Oof… here we are again.
Oh they really have the fans in their control. Did you even think that Kadokawa and KyoAni do NOT expect this kind of reaction from us? We are all being led into their just as keikaku master plans. In the first place, why did the original Suzumiya Haruhi series from 2006 have a random episode timeline again? Please do refresh me on that. This is one lucky series you know. If there are thousands upon thousands of youtube and niconico video parodies and homages out there, thousands of fans buying everything from dvds to merchandise, and thousands of online people discussing the series with an unending passion, a risky move or two (or seven, or eight, or…) wouldn’t hurt your bottom line. In fact, this kind of radical programming is just what we need. If anime can’t brave the economic recession with all the cookie-cutter stuff we’ve been seeing for these past few years, I would only honor the ones who really want to make a difference. It’s hard to do that right now.
Do you know what’s the REAL ENDLESS EIGHT for me? Anime. There must be something… “strange” if this plot, this character, or this whole anime reminds you of some other plot, some other character, or some other anime itself that you have watched. Doesn’t everything resemble some part of everything else? In the anime world, everything is deja vu.
If you are in the bishoujo category fetish like me, in 90% of those eroge and bishoujo game-turned anime, the characters look, feel, and act familiar and similar to any other character in any other game. Fancy an onii-chan complex? Da Capo has one. Obviously Da Capo II has one too, as well as Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka, Canvas 2, Gift… this list can go on forever (even with anime that doesn’t come from a game… like Hatsukoi Limited). When you watch an episode with that kind of character, that’s the real Endless Eight. You have seen this kind of character a hundred times in many different variations.
That was just one example. Endless Eight can appear in any aspect.
– Chances are these anime has a Yui Horie character in it.
– Chances are Kugimiya Rie has a tsundere character in these anime.
– Umm this OP song sounds like that OP song.
– Umm this ED movie looks like that ED movie.
– Ahh, the ever-present beach fanservice episode.
– Kimodameshi episode, school festival episode, onsen episode, matsuri episode…
– YES TEH CONFESSION SCENE!
– Oh there was no confession after all… maybe in another episode.
– This is probably the “male character stumbles over the girl touching her body parts and then the girl goes kyaaaa” scene
– Oh and this is the “male character opens some door and the girl is seen with limited clothing and the girl goes kyaaaa” scene
– Oh so this is about a young boy who has potent power and goes into the adventure of his lifetime, and meeting some old master to train him, maybe a sidekick or two, and a princess to probably save along while he battles the evil forces of whatever to save the world?
– Oh so this is about a young girl who suddenly discovers her magic, then a cute mascot appears, maybe a sidekick or four of them, and have multiple prince characters for them to adore while saving the world from evil by their magic wands, transformative costumes and bright pink lights and explosions?
All in all, I don’t see anything particularly offensive with Haruhi’s obviously repeating Endless Eight episodes. After all, most other anime I watch have the same darn thing on it. Strange… I know that I’ve seen this all before… but why am I watching all these cookie-cut anime for more than a decade now?
Hmmm… I don’t know. I enjoy watching anime maybe?
Press Release:
There was widespread speculation about content of the eagerly-awaited new anime from phenomenal bestselling production studio Kyoto Animation. For the first time, fans worldwide will discover the setting for the action and key themes from the forthcoming thriller. Since announcement of broadcasting in April 2009, anticipation for the release of the new sequel featuring this anime’s unforgettable protagonist, Suzumiya Haruhi, has reached epic proportions amongst fans, especially in the online community. The ratings have been equally enthusiastic, predicting that The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi will be the biggest ever hit in anime since records began.
Following the publication of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Kyoto Animation’s other animes Full Metal Panic, AIR, Kanon, Lucky Star, Clannad, Munto and K-ON have all gone on to become multi-million copy international bestsellers. See all the great preview reactions from various press around the world about this revolutionary release:
*facepalm* – Kyon
“Freaking awesome!” – Haruhi
“…” – Yuki
ç¦å‰‡äº‹æ•…ã§ã™ï¼ – Mikuru
“I LOOOOVE YOU” – Koizumi
“Kyon-kun denwa~” – Imouto
“WTF I DON’T EVEN” – Dan Brown
Also see the reactions from some of the fans:
The Haruhi reference in the “Hayate” manga was a bit better than the anime one, but the point is still there. *lol*
Anyway, while I had no problem with the first season of “Haruhi,” I have never understood the religious fervor some have had for it simply because the episodes were aired out of order. The fact that they were put on DVD in chronological order was all the proof I needed that KyoAni had executed a brilliant marketing scheme.
My own ramblings on the subject (if you are bored).
http://astronerdboy.blogspot.com/2009/07/suzumiya-haruhi-no-zangai.html
What’s this familiar feeling? The question is, do I like it? Do I get to remember? Remember what? ^_^
Good bit of irony you’re pointing out there.
Also, by repeating Endless Eight over and over, KyoAni is in effect doing something different and new, causing fans to bitch because what they really wanted was something different and new…
When fans say they want something “Different and new”, what they really mean is: “Something like the old stuff, only shinier”.
Whoa. Comments are working now (couldn’t post yesterday using Firefox, bu tit’s okay now).
I think the going thing with Anime in general is that the industry has
become a parody of itself. They’re trying to get as many bishojo games
and non-anime titles (Marvel and Halo licenses) possibly because
they’ve run out of ideas to use for anime in general. Kind of like how
the US is filled with Reality TV because they don’t need to have much
of a script to work with.
Only a few series now have any notable originality, and oft times the
originality is good but not what an anime otaku would want. And the
thing with Anime Otaku is, they’re the same as US fans–they want more
and more of the same, rather than something ground-breaking. I mean,
how many times have they tried to reinvent Batman and Superman, only
to go back to the old costume and status quo after a few months or a
year (in the comics)?
Da Capo has a crap story but you get sucked in because of the
characters, who are stereotypes that fans like. Heck, this goes a long
way to explaining why Nanaka being shoehorned for most of the DCII TV
series was taken as such a slight even though she wasn’t Kotori per se
(in fact, Nanaka’s much more outgoing).
That pretty much explains why Harem anime/Bishoujo Game anime are
popular even though it’s the same guacamole all over again–the
character stereotypes endear to us, even if they’re not the exact same
character.
To be honest, the only anime I’m following at the moment is Valkyria
Chronicles, and only because I don’t own a PS2.
Ad I can’t remember if I put these up in a previous post:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v612/Wavehawk/Tempbook/?action=view¤t=koto01.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v612/Wavehawk/Tempbook/?action=view¤t=koto02.jpg
Funny. The seemingly predictable premise listed down sounds just like what Filipino comedy movies used to be back in the 80s and 90s — visual gags, beach scenes, action scenes, and a song-and-dance routine ala Bollywood. xD
Oh my lord. Could this be a side-effect of Toei outsourcing animation to their Philippine branch years back? >P