The General Anime Thread...

[AOS-]

Because most sane people would drop that crap after one episode.

But to expound on the point I was making... for something to be truly slice-of-life, it has to be realistically balanced between the bitterness and the sweetness of life. Not only does it need to be balanced, but it needs to be understated since life is a lot more mundane than most works of fiction, generally speaking. Life isn't adorable moeblobs acting over-the-top adorable 24/7.

A flawless example of a perfectly slice-of-life anime would be the film Only Yesterday. In fact, it's arguably the only anime I've seen that's legitimately "slice-of-life".

Understandable logic, but unfortunately you know that wouldn't sell as well as a full-platter of moe.

 

[Lain]

Understandable logic, but unfortunately you know that wouldn't sell as well as a full-platter of moe.

Definitely, but that isn't gonna stop me from smacking a bitch for calling moe shows "slice-of-life".

 

[DK]

Maybe it's just the cute, adorable slice of life that the genre refers to, while the rest of this hypothetical cake is all of the 🤬-up stuff that not even Eva 3.0 has.

 

[AOS-]

He actually was calling out SOL shows that contained moe contents head-to-toe. You misread that like a Derp'n AOS.

 

[Lain]

Maybe it's just the cute, adorable slice of life that the genre refers to, while the rest of this hypothetical cake is all of the 🤬-up stuff that not even Eva 3.0 has.

Here's the opening line to Wikipedia's slice of life article:

Slice of life is a phrase describing the use of mundane realism depicting everyday experiences in art and entertainment.

Notice that it isn't:

Slice of life is a phrase describing the use of cute moeblobs depicting endless adorableness in art and entertainment.

But to be fair, it does go on to say this regarding the genre's meaning when it comes to anime:

In anime and manga, "slice of life" is a genre that often parallels teen melodrama in addition to using slice-of-life narrative techniques.

Or in other words, anime's stereotypical overdramaticness still applies to anime that would otherwise almost be straight slice-of-life, a la Clannad + After Story. Which is why most anime slice-of-life isn't really slice-of-life, and is why I find most of them completely unbearable to watch. I can tolerate some overdramaticness in a dramatic story (Code Geass), but it comes across as just plain ridiculous when the story and setting are supremely mundane.

Fortunately, as with other anime genres, there are exceptions to the stereotype of overdramaticness. Such as Only Yesterday.

 

[AOS-]

Babies dying is not mundane!

You are a cruel heartless man!

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> ...

~For Your Eyes~

 

[nk4e]

<3

 

[Loliblade ver2]

Regarding the previous argument: The closest I've seen to a 'mundane' SOL show would be Aria because of its slow pace.. but even that is more fantasy/cutesy than real life could ever be.

 

[Lain]

Babies dying is not mundane!

You are a cruel heartless man!

Hence why I said it would just "almost" be slice-of-life if it weren't for the stereotypical anime overdramaticness that plauges it.

There's definitely other things about Clannad/After Story that keep it from being slice-of-life.

Regarding the previous argument: The closest I've seen to a 'mundane' SOL show would be Aria because of its slow pace.. but even that is more fantasy/cutesy than real life could ever be.

Yeah, it's hard to think of any shows that are truly slice-of-life... I certainly can't.

I think maybe it's because slice-of-life isn't really fit for a lengthy 13+ episode story. It's a better fit for movies where things are nice, short and poignant. But even then, I'm hard pressed to think of many anime movies that are SOL. Only Yesterday's a prime example, and 5cm comes very close to being SOL though is a bit too heavy with the romance to seem ordinary, but beyond that... I'm drawing a blank. However, there are a couple films which I haven't seen yet that I think just might qualify as SOL: Ocean Waves and Whisper of the Heart. I think they'll probably lean more towards idealized romance, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[AOS-]

I could've sworn Whisper of the Heart was a romance.

The closest I can get other than Aria is Hyouka, Planetes, or (gasp) A-Channel.

 

[Lain]

I could've sworn Whisper of the Heart was a romance.

The closest I can get other than Aria is Hyouka, Planetes, or (gasp) A-Channel.

It is a romance from what I know, but romance is a part of life... just more mundane than most fictional romance. Thus whether it qualifies as SOL or not depends on whether the romance is believably understated or if it's overly romanticized.

Planetes frequently displays lots of SOL qualities, but it's also definitely sci-fi. Realistic "hard" sci-fi, but sci-fi nonetheless. Not to mention the over-the-top comedic moments and occasional less-than-mundane dramatic moments.

Haven't watched Aria, Hyouka or A-Channel. Though from what I've seen/heard about Aria, I would probably have to agree with Loliskatez that it's too cutesy and perfect compared to real life.

 

[Cano]

-> ...

~For Your Eyes~

Rayearth

Yum.

Yeah, it's hard to think of any shows that are truly slice-of-life... I certainly can't.

I think maybe it's because slice-of-life isn't really fit for a lengthy 13+ episode story. It's a better fit for movies where things are nice, short and poignant. But even then, I'm hard pressed to think of many anime movies that are SOL. Only Yesterday's a prime example, and 5cm comes very close to being SOL though is a bit too heavy with the romance to seem ordinary, but beyond that... I'm drawing a blank.

5 cm per second is also the only movie I can think of in regard to a pure, all-out slice of life. Yes it has pretty heavy romance, but sometimes life can really play like that. I have not watched Only Yesterday but I've read great thing about it.

However, there are a couple films which I haven't seen yet that I think just might qualify as SOL: Ocean Waves and Whisper of the Heart. I think they'll probably lean more towards idealized romance, but maybe I'm wrong.

It is a romance from what I know, but romance is a part of life... just more mundane than most fictional romance. Thus whether it qualifies as SOL or not depends on whether the romance is believably understated or if it's overly romanticized.

Whisper of the Heart is indeed an idealized romance, maybe too much to be called true SOL, as how the characters are driven by their relationship is at times hardly justifiable in a real-life setting, but of course possible. It's pretty cute, watch it.

 

[AOS-]

as how the characters are driven by their relationship is at times hardly justifiable in a real-life setting.

As ironic as it may sound, the way we behave is influenced by media more than you think. How we deal with relationships is partially learned from "romance" we see - for example in TV shows.


Anyway, I'm up to episode 12 in Darker Than Black and I'm having a bit of a tough time seeing the bigger picture of this show.

Spoiler

What is this meteor fragment and what does it do really? There was that one instance Hei and Hillman get brought into a different dimension which looks like Heaven's Gate or something, but it took a life-threatening situation and the appearance of a girl for this to happen. Is it key to reaching this Gate they keep striving for?

Who was that ghost girl? Yin? Hei thanked her at the end of the episode and if that wasn't her who stopped the bullet, I really don't understand how else she may have been involved in this. What is the significance of her taking the bullet? What kind of other powers might she have other than sensing things through water?

what does Hei have to do as remuneration? I don't see him do anything.

 

[Sly Guy]

Pretty much all that gets answered as you keep watching.

And Yin doesn't sense things through water. She can send her specters through water. IIRC this is what Dolls are used for, their specters are used for surveillance.

 

[Loliblade ver2]

The closest I can get other than Aria is Hyouka, Planetes, or (gasp) A-Channel.

Hyouka is close, but it does get a bit too melodramatic.

I would probably have to agree with Loliskatez that it's too cutesy and perfect compared to real life.

It's slice of life... in a utopia.

 

[maxi25]

So any of you guys watching RWBY?

 

[TheCorvette]

So any of you guys watching RWBY?

Yes.
----------------------------
Gawdammit ANN, why did you have to remind me of the always annoying and stupid "Will there be a Rosario + Vampire season 3?" question.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2013-07-19

Why do there have to be so many stupid people?

Some things they really need to know.

1. The anime already went off track from the manga too much (And it wasn't even a faithful adaption in the first place). Continuity is already :censored:ed.
2. FUNimation doesn't make anime.
3. Gonzo can't make a season 3 without being hired first.
4. The second season in disc sales didn't exactly do stellar, just around 3,000 which is basically the break even point.
(Though if the manga did get a boost in sales, then it was successful as an adaption. That's usually the main purpose of them after all, to boost sales of the manga.)
5. Petitions (Especially from foreigners) for anime never work, especially as the Japanese companies will never see them. It's all about source material sales, and disc sales...in Japan.

 

[otakukid96]

I tried to watch the Neptunia anime, but I feel like I'm missing out on way too much since I haven't played the entirety of the games.

 

[Sephy]

So any of you guys watching RWBY?

I want to, but the name makes me angry. It's not anime, though.

 

[TheCorvette]

It still has the artstyle anime is known for.

 

[jeffgoddin]

Been a while, watching Bebop again, just finished Real Folk Blues I, last Ep coming up.

Wolf's Rain is my next rewatch. Yoko Kanno ftw.

Edit: Annie: "Soca, yokata, I'm glad you got to meet Julia..."

Edit 2: reminds me at the end, of both Unamuno, and Calderon, toda la vida es sueno...

 

[Loliblade ver2]

It still has the artstyle anime is known for.

This isn't like you! What are you doing? Guy? You okay? There are semantics to complain about here! Even I want to! Do the thing, don't give into this idea!

We gotta put our foots down on non-anime stuff.

 

[TheCorvette]

I really don't see anything wrong with RWBY's existence.
-------------------------
Watched all 7 Garden of Sinners films recently, including the epilogue (Which I'd go on to say is the most beautiful anime I've ever seen-in terms of visuals), damn good films, especially the 5th and 7th one.

 

[AOS-]

I tried to watch the Neptunia anime, but I feel like I'm missing out on way too much since I haven't played the entirety of the games.

Onry thing you need to know is that the goddess each hold a lot of power on their own world, turf, nation, or whatever land it is. Shows generally aren't meant to leave out people who've never got involved with previous installments (except sequels) so everything basic will probably be explained.

Yoko Kanno ftw.

Yoko Kanno saiko da.

 

[maxi25]

The guy who created RWBY was inspired by anime. Is it really all that bad?

 

[TheCorvette]

The guy who created RWBY was inspired by anime. Is it really all that bad?

Not at all, and that first episode was actually decent.

 

[otakukid96]

Second season of Love Live! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (Really late with learning about this, but I don't care.)

 

[Loliblade ver2]

I really don't see anything wrong with RWBY's existence.

The guy who created RWBY was inspired by anime. Is it really all that bad?

It's not about it being bad or being good, it's just not anime.

 

[AOS-]

You guys are being dekkai finicky about this.