+Digibro In May this year, an animator/animation director, Yuka Sugizaki, passed away at the age of 26. I learned this through searching for a film she's worked on lately, Doukyuusei (a phenomenal film from A-1, though credits goes to the staff members). She apparently is very talented, and had worked on a bunch of random stuff. It just pains me to know that she's gone before she could really show off her skills. I couldn't imagine the same thing happening to the big name animators, that would be horrible.
When Digibro said that. My first thought was Matsuki Miyu and I got instantly sad. When I think of my all my favorite seiyuu, character designers, writers, and directors, it worries me if something were to happen. Especially since people in anime productions are indispensable. They cannot be replaced easily and it really hurts if someone is no longer able to work on anime. Jun Maeda is a recent case which worries me because he was hospitalized recently for quote " idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (unexplained enlargement and weakening of the heart's left ventricle)". He has been hospitalized since February so it was worrying that one of the biggest influences on the anime community wasn't feeling well.
I think Amazon bought the rights to all of Noitamina so if it aint streaming there it aint one of there shows. Also this drunk rant speaks well to a heavily intoxicated me nice fuckin work dude.
I often erase my comments because I think they were stupid or that they might start a Troll war. So, sorry for erasing the question you answered. Thanks anyway
i'm a little confused at 31:50-32:40 are you saying being an anime critic is a shitty job? or am I just being an idot? p.s. I would totally watch a video about rakugo by you
I think this may be your best vlog yet. I feel like screaming most of this to every single anime fan I met who irritated me with comments like: "Anime today sucks!" "Why isn't anime as good as the 90's?" "I think only certain anime are good. Most are shit." "Moe anime is crap!" Feels good to hear a rant like this so I don't have to (though I probably will anyways with a friend). Edit: "Well great, you liked 10 anime shows. You're not a fucking anime fan" is almost the same exact words I have been saying to any anime fan who brags about shitty modern anime and praises only certain anime after watching like 10-30 anime shows. My words would be: "Congrats, you watched like 10 anime shows. Now shut up and watch more anime."
I completely agree with that sentiment. Generally, the shows that I watch from 70s-90s are all recommendation based shows instead of watching from a seasonal list of that particular year. I have to really search for shows that may reach my individual tastes for recent seasons, and I'm fine with that. If you are too lazy to explore the anime medium, then you don't have any business saying that anime was better back in the day.
MrSomebody54 For the most part, I believe that anime fans should search for their own anime rather than to rely *only* on recommendations. Rather than giving new anime fans recommendations, long-time anime fans should also give new anime fans the resources to find their own anime every season. Whether it be a seasonal chart or a link to a site like Crunchyroll. I think that would serve new anime fans better than just handing out the most popular recommendations and letting a fan go on his way. As for anime fans who say older anime were better. My rule is that if you haven't seen enough anime from both the decade in question (80's or 90's or both) *AND* from the past decade (2005-2015 for example). Then there is no argument to be had about the quality of anime as a whole. A person needs significant perspective on those decades for an argument to be had.
AnimeCommander1 Pretty much. When first watching anime, I would rely a lot on recommendations and heresy. But my viewage increased massively when I discovered sites like Funimation, and Crunchyroll. Currently, I still like to have recommendations here and now, but I have enough resources to be able to really go out on my own consume the medium as much as I would like. Unfortunately, my backlog is staggering. But, yeah, prescribing access to the medium rather than recommending the best the medium has to offer is key when preventing anime elitism in newer fans. In regards to significant perspective, I personally find that idea to be relative from person to person. What would be considered enough? Still, I do agree that a certain level of research/experience in the medium is required to hold a rational argument about the fidelity of the old and the new. For me personally, I don't care to get into that particular argument. I recently had a phase of whining about Gunbuster and Diebuster, complaining that the older series is better, but then I took a look at the directors for both ovas and realized how stupid that 'old vs new' debate really was. Kind of got a little rambly near the end, ugh.
MrSomebody54 I don't believe that giving them the resources to find anime or making them have their own motivation to find their own shows prevents anime elitism. But it instead creates independent and self-sufficient attitudes in an anime fan. So say instead of them always asking "What anime is this?" or constantly asking someone else for "good" anime. Giving them their own resources to use helps foster self-growth and freedom rather than creating a safety bubble for them. I was not specific on what is "enough" because it depends on which decade is in question. Each year has a significantly different anime amount of anime produced in total. I could say percentages like "50%" and say you should watch that much at the very least, but that isn't feasible for everyone assuming: 1) Japanese is not your native language nor is understandable to you, thus meaning you can't watch anything without subtitles and 2) The anime is still available on DVD/VHS/Blu-ray re-master (older series that was re-released on Blu-ray), a streaming site, or a torrent/download site. There are some anime that is essentially lost to time so even if you find a copy, assuming Assumption #1, it wouldn't even matter anyways. So there is really no clear way to tell what is "enough" for a specific decade. But the point is that you look beyond just what was available to Western audiences and get some perspective by watching other shows of that era. Example of shows/series I saw from the 90's: -Oruchuban Ebichu -To Heart -Tooi Sekai -On Your Mark -Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories -Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team -Macross 7 -Macross Plus -Macross II Lovers Again -Kurogane Communication -Konpeki no Kantai (currently watching because it is raw and episodes are 40+ minutes) -Hikyou Tanken Fam & Ihrlie (Ruin Explorers in English) -Ao no 6-gou (Blue Submarine No.6) -Kurenai no Buta I had only seen about 47 shows from the 90's era (according to MAL). So what does that say? Not much really but I believe it is important to watch at least some obscure shows and see what else a certain era had to offer besides what you just saw as a kid or teenager.
When I mean 'preventing anime elitism' I mean: fostering the desire to see more from the medium with an open mind. My concept of an anime elitist is the fundamental lack of intellectual curiosity. The willingness to explore different genres within a medium is my definition intellectual curiosity. In my subjective experience with anime elitists, the school of thought that 'older anime is better' or that 'anime is declining as a medium' is prevalent. That is the particular reason for why I do agree with your statement that giving resources over recommendations could be considered helpful for a new anime fan/enthusiast. A safety bubble would most definitely be a bad thing, but that is not what I was getting at. Perhaps you have a different idea/view of what is considered an 'anime elitist' but I personally find the view to fit the topic of the video and this discussion. Going forward, again the idea of enough would be different for each viewer to obtain the fundamental tools to have a fair view of a particular decade. We all process information differently and our environment clearly gives us different perspectives on the ideas and concepts that reach our ears. To that end, the percentage value would be inherently different from person to person. I do like that you decided to broaden the idea of 'enough' to the idea that people should just reach for anime outside of what is easily available. That is the crux of this discussion. All in all, I do like what you had to say and I could probably take a gander that you have much more knowledge about the medium under your belt, and I appreciate the amount of time and effort you put into your comment and I also appreciate the passion you have for the medium. We may share some different ideas in regards to the details of this topic but the goal of a more knowledgeable community is definitely a shared desire.
Anime always had shitty, trash-tier, pieces of pussy farts series. While also having great, deep, emotional masterpieces at the same time. Time has not ruined anime, and probably won't. The more popular anime gets, the better animes will be crafted. The more fans anime series get, the more content anime will produce. Anime industry will continue to grow, with no prediction of declining. The only thing that won't get better are Berserk adaptations. As much as i fucking absolutely love Berserk, what a garbage, shameful, ass breath that CGI is. Fuck you Millepensee, i'll fucking murder all of you.
Anime won't be growing consistently forever, the way it is doing now. Right now we're in a bubble just like in the early 2000s, and eventually too much anime will be made too expensively, the market won't sustain itself and some studios might have to close. Then we won't get as much anime with quite the same budget for a while, until the market stabilizes. It's happened before and will happen again
+Alice of the evening I think growth not just in volume increase, but also advancing technology, new artistry, cultivating new creative voices. These are the things that would never go away, and even if there's an eminent market crash, I can easily see studios and creatives who take these chances to survive. We'll always have our new favourite Yutaka Nakamura cuts, as long as he's not dead (T_T)
Sunny Dong Yeah it's true that anime technology will continue steadily improving, even if the market won't. I'm not so sure that the general storytelling artistry will /improve/, as much as it will just change styles, tropes and ideas. Basically throwing out old tired tropes while creating new tired tropes, yet along the way some truly good and innovative creators and works come along to replace the previous big creators and works.
I'm saying that is makes more than enough good and important points to justiify being on the main channel despite not being edited, full of curses and so long.
+equle I meant that he should edit it to match all of his other main channel vids so he could actually put it on there. I'm sure his main channel would benefit from this more if its presentation was more formal/professional. He can't exactly just put a video of him being drunk and yelling at a camera for 40 min on his main channel, you know? That's what After Dark is for lol.
Rakugo, Shirobako, Hyouka, Ping Pong, Eupho, Steins;Gate, Yona of the Dawn, Honey and Clover, K-on!, Space Brothers, Tamati Galaxy, Kyousougiga, Yozakura Quartet, Space Dandy, Mushishi, Aria, Tamayura, Nodame Cantabile. Yeah. Modern anime sucks (EDIT. My sarcasm needs work, according to the comment below). My ass. the 90s and 80s had plenty of bad shit, but HEY, people forget about them. Dear pessimists: Keep living in your fantasy where the 90s is 50 shows a season, 49 of which are masterpieces.
Hmm, haven't seen Honey and Clover, Space Brothers, Kyousougiga, Yozakura Quartet, Tamayura and Nodame Cantabile, and Eupho. Time to increase my backlog -__- , thx for that by the way. Edit: When you mentioned Eupho, were you referring to Hibike Euphonium? Didn't really think about that.
I think every Season has a hidden gem in it. I'll take 2015 as example. Winter Season: Yuri Kuma Arashi (43k Members on MAL) Spring Season: Punch Line (80k Members on MAL) Summer Season: Gatchaman Crowds Insight (37k Members on MAL) Fall 2015: Concrete Revolutio (42k Member on MAL) These are all great, unique shows in their own way, but many people won't watch.
People keep on saying 90% of anime is trash. News flash peeps, 90% of every medium is shit. Music, film, games, cartoons etc! Also for anyone who says that anime nowadays are irredeemably bad, I implore you to check out Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. This show proves that anime still has it in terms of being an artform. Seriously if you think theres nothing good this year except for retro remakes, just check out Rakugo.
Watched episode 1, didn't really like it. The characters, the plot, the writing. Lot of things that either didn't interest me or took me out of it. The entire concept is inherently hard to get into because it's so cultural and foreign to me. But then you slap on these generic character archetypes with the goofy hopeless loser MC, the hardened, silent but secretly caring teacher and this tsundere side girl. If it ever gets good, it still has to work within this plot and with these imo, mediocre characters.
+Slimcognito2012 Well... yeah. But aren't all first episodes used as frames of reference for the rest of the series? And while the first episode also introduces us to rakugo as an artform, are these even bad things? With both of these going on, the first episode is still incredibly well directed, has a pretty nice look to it, has some great animation especially being from Studio Deen, had interesting characters who got you invested in them rather quickly, and had absolutely phenomenal voice acting. Rakugo Shinjuu has some of the best voice performances I've ever seen in an anime. And even if the large majority of the show was technically a flashback, it was so incredibly captivating, had such great characters, and such a good and emotional story that I didn't even care. SGRS is a fantastic anime, and ask everyone to give it a chance sometime. While I didn't think it was "perfect", it is absolutely worth your time even if season 2 isn't out just yet. For me, it was an easy 10/10.
+James Hughes ...okay, so apparently my previous comment was mostly pointless. For some reason, thePANDEMIC's comment never showed up for me. But to clarify, everything I said was still true. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a fantastic anime; it may be hard for some people to get into at first, but it's definitely worth watching the entire thing, even if you had never even heard of rakugo before this anime like myself. It's also worth pointing out that, for season 1 at least, the majority of the anime doesn't actually follow the cast your introduced to in episode 1. I would personally argue that they're all more complex characters than the archetypes that were listed but I understand that not everyone will feel that way.
I literally never even heard of "Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu" guess I'll give it a go. Digibro you should really make videos on good shows we should watch. Maybe have a vlog or series that let's us know about them? I personally don't have time to go through every episode of all the anime released each season so yeah.
This is pretty much the big reason for me, too. On top of that, with the increase in anime we're getting, we get an increase in bad anime, so that 70/80/90% of bad anime looks bigger than before. However, on the flipside, there are now more great anime among that small 10/20/30%. Like Digi said, you just have to look for it.
I remember when this vid came out.. hearing you talk about Takahata reminded me of how upset i was at his death. Funny when you said "Yuasa, who knows what hes gonna do!" and now he is one of the most respected directors in the modern scene. Prophetic lel
As a content creator is who is currently working on a first impressions of the season. I have to say that this year is probably going to surpass 2014 by the fall shows that are coming out. There are a numerous amount of titles that are coming out currently that have an exceeding amount of potential that it just makes me giddy to see where they head. If you look at the last two seasons I could name 10 shows that I found enjoyable to worthwhile and I did watch Rakugo Shinjuu and I immensely loved it. This year has been a great rise of shorts really learning how to really get its messages across. If I were to name three shows I feel will be the most overlooked shows of the season I would have to put Cheer Danshi, Days, and Bonobono (2016).
What the fuck is the point of your video? Old shitty anime exist have been forgotten/There's always great anime every year? What's a 10/10 for you might just be an average show for someone else. A large portion of the community feels like the anime industry has been on a decline since 2008. If such a large portion exists, then there must be a reason. Saying "First half of this, second half of that was good" is hard to take seriously. I can't predict the future, but as of now, some of the shows you mentionned are already forgotten and don't have what makes a classic a classic i.e Log Horizon. You watched 2 episodes of Rakugo Shinjuu and claim it's a "masterpiece" and then use it as an example for a "good" modern show throughtout your video. Because it wasn't the most popular anime of the season in the west, you get upset?? YOU didn't even watch it.
"A large portion of the community feels like the anime industry has been on a decline since 2008. If such a large portion exists, then there must be a reason." This sounds like Argumentum Ad Populum, just because a bunch of people say something doesn't mean it's true. Large amounts of the population in the USA are Truthers but it's complete bullshit. Also anime is on a decline in what sense? Financially not so much, most of the top selling shows were made after or during 2008, heck even Osomatsu-san has the best selling amount of DVDs+Blu rays for it's first volume. (Source someanithing.com) Adding to that anime adaptations are still boosting manga sales (See the 2015 sales of Seven Deadly Sins) and there are opening more and more animation studios. So there's still an incentive to make anime. Popularity not so much, Digi's chart about that in his recent IS THIS SEASON OF ANIME THE BEST Proves that. Critically again not so much judging from MAL, most of the Top shows are from 2008+, and the Animetacritic (counting only the MAL scores of active bloggers) post done by The Cart Driver does show plenty of post 2008 titles and that was made in 2014. So it seems like a statement that is not backed up by reality.
I have literally never heard anyone talk about time slots in anime before. I'm a 4th of the way through this video, no idea how much this devolves by the end, but thank you for enlightening me.
i enjoy both critically acclaimed and bullshit shows. i finished rakugo, konosuba, and testament of sister new devil. i'd rate them as 10, 10, and 6. You explained you're views excellently. It's like if someone thinks rap music is currently terrible when the only music they've heard recently is future and the many bandwagon clones without looking for other artists who don't sound like that. Such as logic, tre tha truth, kendrick lamar, etc.
i am preaty much like you cause i don't care if the show is bullshit or critically acclaimed if i enjoyed it i enjoyed it. and that is what most people strangely don't do. well from a certain point they do but then they throw they opinion down your throat and the rest is a well known thing.(it's preaty annoying)
Anime was better before that bastard Walt Disney ruined everything with making it more than about funny drawings. Although I'm sure some animators hold that opinion.
I have thought about this so much lately, especially whenever I watch someone who talks about how anime now isn't as good. They look at the best shows from the 80s or 90s and the average from now, because like you said, that's what they've seen in a lot of cases. Overall this was a great video I think you expressed just about ever single point I could possibly think up on the subject.
Your click bait title makes me cringe like Sword Art Online positive reviews. Jokes on you, I watch every one of your videos anyway! Take that, click bait!
For me it feels like anime just keeps getting better. This season I'm going to attempt what you're doing and watch as many first episodes as I can. I'm already at least interested in continuing several shows I may have otherwise ignored.
Nothing in 1998 compares to Shirobako...wow. What an incredible, interesting AND unique perspective. I could write a book on this one statement alone. Truly, your opinion is way above us simple plebs, Digibro.
It's a good thing you made this 40 minutes long digi. It would be bad if the normies got a hold of this and started bitching about your opinions on erased and phantom world when they have no idea where you're coming from. shit dammit this channel is so cool.
Yeah directors for anime are very important to the animation process, much so than I ever thought. I was recently at anime midwest for TRIGGER's KLK panel with Sushio, Wakabayashi, and Koyama and what stuck to me was how long it took them to plan out the designs for the characters(they started the show immediately after panty and stocking), especially Ryuko, and how, after Yoh Yoshinari left to make LWA they made very little progress until he came back. And pretty much all the crazy premises, like bondage, a sailor suit controlling a girls' body, were all thought up by the one crazy mind of Imaishi. Sushio, Wakabayashi, and Koyama are all amazing at what they do, but without the main directors like Yoshinari and Imaishi shows like KLK, LWA, and Gurren Lagann would have never happened. When they were describing Kiznaiver's process, Sushio's said he much preferred working with Imaishi instead. The animators for Kiznaiver were mostly new and had a rougher time doing the more energetic animation that both Sushio and Imaishi liked, the style of the show had more delicate line work and Sushio described that for animating Kiznaiver it took a lot more thought than say KLK where a character can take one step forward and take up the entire screen. Oh and a couple other interesting bits they described, Inou Battle was pretty much a cash out. They said they realized such ln adaptions were really popular, and needed more money after KLK so they decided to go with that. And someone asked something about Shirobako which I'm surprised they knew about, and it was either Koyama or Wakabayashi who said that the show wasn't that realistic, Shirobako made it look quite tough to be an animator but to them what they do is fun...and also there aren't any cute girls' like in shirobako lol.
It's funny to say it because Digi was drunk, but this is the kind of thing I'd pay him for. He makes me think about things I don't have perspective on and I probably should put more thought to. Good rant Digi, great topics to think about for sure.
NOW I BEG YOU please make a video about shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu. Make people talk about it like you did with Utena back there. I only could make people watch rakugo shinjuu because Kumota Haruko (the author of the manga) also wrote some BL/Yaoi manga and I'm always like "hey, her Yaoi/BL is great and you should watch rakugo because is made by her too". ( Algo, her BL/YAOI are great btw and Itoshi no Nekokke is probleby one of the best BL manga ever that no one in the fujoshi fandom talks about)
Functioning in a contemporary-centric fashion seems really counter-intuitive to me considering that we live in the information age in which it is easier than ever to find an array of media, even more so when taking into account how good the internet is at being an archive. It was once true that if you didn't see a show when it aired it could be nigh impossible to find it after the fact (some shows even had novelisations for this reason). Now though, you can find things from a decade ago, easily. Heck, even way older stuff than that. There is a wealth of worthwhile entertainment that is available. And yet, the cultural gaze is still drawn to the new (even through those oh so fashionable nostalgia goggles). Like is said in this video, one need only look in order to find more material. Heck, we have a preoccupation with televised anime, so perhaps some should take a good look in the cinematic roster in lieu of the season chart. Besides, 'now' will pass and anime will continue to be made. The backlogs will only get bigger and bigger, creating an environment from which only the truly beloved will be recalled. We should not have an aversion to age.
I dunno while I liked the quality of space dandy I didn't really enjoy it all that much no matter how much I tried even though I loved Cowboy Bebop. Honestly I think the reason people feel like anime is shit now is because they watched anime as kids. And as a kid you watch pretty much everything and enjoy it. I remember watching every anime released every season and liking it. Now I have a hard time finding a single show per season maybe 2 but that's pretty rare. So compared to the time when I watched everything yes, it will seem like shit. But so was my taste as a kid.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm a pretty hardcore otaku, and before 2010 I have only ever gotten 2 years that have exceeded 10 favourites, (2006-2007) (most of those anime in that time turned to shite at the end, due to annoying cliffhangers, annoying moments etc, now D.Gray Man is the only 1 from those years that I truly care about 😞) but from 2011-now I have all of them getting over 10 favourites and I could recommend you loads that stayed good towards the end!! also 2014 is my highest year for favourites and 2016 has almost bet it, even though 2016 isn't over yet! so no anime is not shite now, nice video Digi!
This is a complaint made about every single artistic medium ever. I think the primary reason for it is that people remember the great classics whereas they're exposed to every fucking piece of shit with transient popularity in the now. They forget about the fucking pieces of shit with transient popularity from the old days.
What I struggle with sometimes is that it often feels safer to hate than to love. It's like an emotional defense, hating an anime allows you to simultaneously detach yourself emotionally so it doesn't matter if people agree or not, as well as put yourself in a higher position than the anime. If an anime doesn't meet your standards, it seems like your taste is more advanced or something, but if you love an anime that means it was enough to satisfy you, so people who disagree will think that your tastes are shallow. What we like is a lot more personal and revealing than what we don't like. You liking K-On is really cool to me because to some people you've lost credibility because of it, but you disliking Erased just made a lot of people think you were wrong about that one thing. I don't think that many people hold onto that as much, there are no "well you didn't like Erased so I can't take you seriously" comments (at least that I've noticed, compared to K-On ones). So in the context of old shows vs new ones, people have had enough time to reach a pretty solid consensus on things like Cowboy Bebop, but new shows like ReLIFE are a bit more split, and it feels like it's safer to mildly like it or dislike it or hate it. I fucking love it though, enough so that to me it's in my top 5 favorite anime now. Cowboy Bebop is like a 7 to me because I never got that emotional attachment to it that a lot of people had, it was fun but to me it was never special, and it feels really weird to not call it a masterpiece when so many other people still think it's the best thing ever. I feel really vulnerable saying that to me, ReLIFE is a masterpiece, because it's so new and some people are already dismissing it as a shallow experience. So basically it just feels safer to not take anything seriously until the consensus has been decided. You have been an influence on me though, and I've been trying to be more open with the things that I love even if it feels like people will give me shit for it.
Lain > Ping Pong Cowboy Bebop > Space Dandy Gurren Lagann > Kill la Kill Welcome to the NHK > Watamote Ghost in the Shell > Psycho Pass Retro always wins.
+Digibro After Dark Hey Digi, I just recently finished Utena, but for whatever reason I wasn't sure how I felt about it afterward. As shallow as it sounds, the constant reuse of animation bothered me from start to finish, and was my main gripe throughout my marathon. Granted, I knew going in that it wasn't new for a (sort-of) magical girl show, so I was expecting the story to make up for it for the most part... Yet I didn't feel like it was the case. Anyway, I've heard you bring up the show in your videos for a while now, and every time you do it's usually followed by praise or a recommendation. I know it's selfish to ask, but at some point, could you please explain why you like the show or what you think made it so good? Thanks.
>didn't finish Rakugo yet What? You prasing this show so much and didn't finshed it? Its golden show and its not too long, it's worth a couple of hours of yours, so just finish it to bee sure in what are you talking about in 100%.
I do find, that as an adult, I am way more picky about what anime I watch than i was as a teen. I can also draw direct parallel between anime and video games. When a super successful game comes out you can guarantee 101 clones of said games will flood the market shortly thereafter. Most, if not all, will suck. If we are lucky one will succeed.
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Serial Experiments Lain, Angel's Egg, Sadness of Belladonna, Rose of Versailles, Kare Kano, Perfect Blue, Wings of Honneamise - These are some older anime and I don't feel we really got anything like them. You compared Serial Experiments Lain and Ping Pong on the ground that they're both experimental, which doesn't say much. They're still extremely different shows. Grandted, I do think we had amazing anime in the last ten years. I love Masaaki Yuasa, especially Kaiba and Tatami Galaxy, Loved Mononoke, Casshern Sins, FLCL (older, but I'd call it new, since it's already from the era of digital coloring), Star Driver, Mushishi, Stand Alone Complex, Kyousougiga or Princess Kaguya. Thing is these shows are quite different from those first ones I mentioned. We didn't get similar shows that were better. But I don't think this is bad either. Each era will have its works that achieved the hight of the style or the genre, there's no point in trying to outdo them. It's better to try create something new. I don't think we'll ever get anything lik angel's egg, eva, lain or utena. In fact considering all those failed shows that tried to be the next eva like Raxhephon, Gasaraki or Argento Soma, it's better that people don't try.
Why would someone need a very particular connection to Bebop to like it more than Dandy? If Dandy was just a series with the best 12 episodes from both seasons, I could possibly agree with you. S1 was pretty ehhh while dully treading familiar territory too many times and that's not dandy.
Really surprised to know Utena wasn't well known in the US in 2008. Here where I live, it was aired around 1999 on the afternoon. I don't think it became really popular, but it was remarcable because we didn't got many anime shows on tv back then. 9 yo me didn't get what it was exactly about, but it felt special somehow. And the battles kicked ass.
Well, every time I say an year sucked on something, it isn't about everything that came out that year sucked, but rather, 99% of the time, "people are liking the wrong shit, and thus less popular good stuff doesn't rise to the surface". And unfortunately, as a busy person, I can only go so far from the surface to find what's good in my view.
This is also what hapened, to classical music, and ragtime, and Rock. Only the good and medeocre can survive. Bad cave art exists, but some great cave art exists too, did you know in one cave out there(I forgot the exact location) there is a drawing of a horse running in the single frame that people usually avoid drawing because it's so insanely difficult. A CAVE DRAWING.
With new studios constantly emerging, as while as studios like bones and a1 doing multiple shows, could it be predicted that the quantity of shows will continue to increase?
Honestly every year theres a solid 10-15 shows that fucking capture me completely. Anyone who says theres no good anime is flat out ignorant, just as anyone who says _____ music genre is dead. Sakamoto, Fate Zero, FMAB, as you said Ping Pong, theres just SOOOOO many good shows in the last ten years that I could list its crazy. As always though great rant, poignant yet hilarious all at once.
I just went to crunchyroll to check out Showa Genroku and was surprised to find I had added it to my queue. Unfortunately, I'm really bad at getting through all those shows. But I'm definitely moving it up my priority list now
This should be written into a video essay and put on your main channel. Maybe incorporate some talk of Sturgeon's Law like some other guy in the comments mentioned, and it'd be pretty much a perfect response video for anyone who thinks anime has somehow gotten worse.
I watched rakugo as soon as it aired without any of the hype from internet peeps. Just saw it was a joesei and jumped straight in XD. OMFG that drunken walk around 35 minutes in- fucking amazing.
Isn't all of this subjective? Good taste? Shows that everyone likes are "Bullshit"? Shows you are claiming are shit actually being shit? I mean I have always appreciated Digi's opinions and his take on Anime and Otaku culture, because it really is unique compared to the "general fans" as even he might describe them. (Not really a criticism of others just an observation). But this just seems like another video that is meant to criticize people who don't directly like the things he does, or more explicitly criticizing the people who like the things he claims are "shit". Now I will agree 100% that there are a lot of what could be described as "shovel ware" anime that are of (subjectively) lesser quality or even "duplicate" anime that try to capture the lighting in a bottle of other popular or good anime that actually were (subjectively I will keep using that word) good! However, does that really diminish the quality of those same anime to others who DO enjoy them? I might agree it will not improve the quality of those anime but clearly (regardless of whether its right or wrong) if the animators create something that people watch, then by definition it must have SOMETHING good going for it (even if it is just fan service and I will say for the record its sad that is how it seems to be working). Might not capture everyone or be the next K-On, but still it had something. Honestly I am sure I am going to (unintentionally) incite some sort of comment from someone that is less than positive, and I am all for an open dialogue, but its really getting hard to keep hearing Digi just "shit" on the people who might even have a hint of liking the shows he claims are "shit" which again is all subjective anyway. I don't know. I respect Digi's point of view but its hard to see him get so angry about it. Granted I like that he keeps saying the not all anime genre is for everyone and that's commendable. But come on, your not an anime fan if you like only up to 10 or less than 10 anime? Sure I will agree they are not a "super fan" sure but they clearly liked something, even if it was things you did not like. I dont know, even if its good intentioned I doubt attempting to argue my point with Digi is going to accomplish much. Again I am open for a dialogue.
Marcus I appreciate that insight. Certainly a very good point to make and I do agree that (in any medium) Fans and Critics do generally have differing opinions that are, as you put it, radically different. As for Critics having to use a set of standards that is different than the general fan, I guess on some level I understand that but I I just wish the barrier of what that standard supposedly is (i.e. declaring that something is good or bad compared to something else, which again is subjective -there is that word again lol) did not have to separate the critics from the fans to such a degree that they start (as digi so elegantly puts it) "shitting on each other" over their opinions trying to declare who is right. (Which ironically lead to a case of Objective criticism, which we all know Digi does not believe in as a concept LoL)
Marcus Hahaha, Ironic, Digi may not have intended himself to be considered the "authority on what is right and wrong with anime" but I think we can agree he is more than willing to accept the ideal (and defend it when it comes to opposing video's by other you-tubers and commentators)
Digi can you put down all the people you talked about in the description or somewhere? I had to searched for 30 minutes because i didn't know the right way to spell their names. Corect me if I'm wrong and if I missed someone: Satoshi Kon, Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Mamoru Hosoda, Isao Takahata & Masaaki Yuasa
Can you please make a video explaining your love for Shirobako? I watched it and was unimpressed to say the least... Maybe hearing your recommendation of it set my expectations too high? Idk but i would really love to see what about it you love so much.
'ReLIFE' seems pretty popular right now. How does that fit into the question of people liking a quality show? I watched Rakugo Shinju week to week and talked about it with a coworker. I know were not at Anime Expo (It's over 100,000!!!!!!!!) I heard the new Makoto Shinkai movie, 'your name', completely filled a 3,000 seat hall and received 3 standing ovations. (Maybe AX is becoming Cannes?) They showed the trailer for the Netflix original anime 'Perfect Bones' at the Production I.G. panel. It looks PHENOMENAL! (Don't know why they haven't posted the trailer on their CZcams channel yet) Apparently Netflix came to I.G., asked what ideas they had that could not get off the ground and encouraged them to swing for the fences with a complex, adult, general audience sci-fi drama like they used to do with Stand Alone Complex. (As if Netflix did not want even more comparisons to HBO.)
It's the same story every-time, a certain group of people expect 'great art' delivered on a silver platter and any modern subversion of their expectations for that art is an immediate red flag for them.
The reason, I think, people often say that "x art form was better in y time period" is due to the fact that the great pieces of art from that time have survived critical scrutiny while others have not.
Damn, this was one of your best rants yet. You explained your points eloquently (considering how drunk you were) and they are all very good points. I am sick of people putting their heads in the sand when it comes to modern anime but still acting like they are the authority of modern anime, because their opinions are objective or something. Guess what? Your opinions are just as worthless as those of the otaku scum who buy asterisk BDs, but that's why we're here, to culminate all of our shitty opinions into meaningful statements.
I will elaborate by saying that there are some opinions that hold more weight than others, based on their conviction and justification mostly. But opinions cannot have absolute true or false value simply because opinions cannot be proven and can be disagreed with.
ruh roh Yeah, an opinion based on a completely wrong fact is pretty much invalid. If I say that in my opinion we should nuke the moon because it's made of cheese it shouldn't be regarded.
I had to pause the video and try to absorb the lines "YuYu hakusho is shit". It actually caught me off guard for a second. But what you said right after was hilarious.
You know what also came out in 1998 Outlaw Star. Maybe it's the general mood of the shows in question but I always felt that Space Dandy took more from it and Space Adventure Cobra than Cowboy Bebop.
I think a few of these people are the tryhard elitists who just reiterate what they hear from other people/'critics' about why x show is such an amazing classic without actually trying to understand the shows they watch, especially the newer ones -- not necessarily people who didn't watch many shows in a season. And that's my only nitpick here; this is my favorite After Dark video now. Thank you.
I love you Digi, you have a clear passion and knowledge of anime that I think very few people can match. I feel myself always learning from watching your videos. Thank you.
I agree, anime is still amazing. 2014 was a phenomenal year for anime and good/amazing anime still come out. I still haven't watched Utena.(I will though!) It also pisses me off when people never watch the hidden gems/good shows of each season... Very interesting video, I thought your perspective on why anime is changing to be very true, I never though of it that way. Also, RIP Satoshi Kon.
I understand that Digi is just trying to say that some otaku or anime fans out there don't know better than to check all that the anime season has to offer and completely forget about certain animes that deserve more recognition. And he does say that there is no objectively good animes and some shows aren't made for everyone. But I don't know how I feel about him criticizing certain people for liking what they like and not liking the "good stuff." It made me feel guilty that "maybe I do like shit, but isn't that just my preference? I'm sorry other anime studios & creators!" I get this is on his more relaxed, vlog channel where its a little more unplanned compared to his main channel videos, but I think it would've been said better if he just said if you are truly a fan of anime, you should be giving everything a chance before you give your top 10 best of the year or decade. And that if you see something especially good that isn't getting talked about a lot, then talk about it!! Don't be scared that your opinion will be challenged because what you think is super good isn't considered "mainstream." Thats why we have Digi! I wouldn't have heard about certain shows without him. We live in a world now where everyone's voice can be heard thanks to the internet, so what do you got to lose? Great Insight!
Well if you don't think anime is shit, then it really doens't matter what you're watching. This is more about people who think anime has gone to shit, even though they don't watch stuff they'll like.
This sounds like an extended, and more intimate version of: Gigguk's AZ Rant: The Golden Age of Anime. I really think you are right there, like many other things there's good anime and shit anime and most of the time we have the time/chance to appreciate the good ones. Nice video, very enlightening.
I blame juvenoia. We experience anime (or anything really) through our biases. We assume that the latest version of something can't compare to the "good ol days". Our fear of getting older causes some to resent anything that threatens our interpretation of the past. They will completely forget the negatives. They have to believe cowboy bebop is the pinnacle anime and nothing else can touch it. I'd rather be excited for the future. more importantly, I'd rather enjoy the present.
Bebop is better than Dandy, not because of the year of its production - because who cares about such shit? - but simply because the stories were better and more gripping and entertaining for a more mature audience. Dandy was nice and dandy and really funny and creative but it was non-committing, not engaging, stand alone singular experience. You can't divulge in Dandy as you did on Bebop. Bebop is always regarded a classic, while nobody will be talking about Dandy in a couple years.
hmm, interesting video topic that speaks to us Admittedly we have kind of had our nose up to modern anime and have always been looking for more underrated shows to talk about (i guess we are just more hipserish and picky with our anime) but find too much noise and overhype for bubblegum fluff... like in every other entertainment medium to be fair So just out of interest, so maybe we could get to highlight some better shows on our channel - apart from Ping Pong and Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - could you recommend 2 or 3 other titles you feel that are extremely underpraised / under appreciated from the last 2-3 years? We enjoy your commentaries by the way, we don't always 100% agree but you are very well spoken / articulated and at least explain yourself thoroughly Appreciate it - thumbs up
The fact that there are more anime being made now is precisely the reason why one-to-one comparisons don't make sense. Percentage is a far better measure. Just throwing out numbers here, but if 10% of 1988 anime were good compared to 5% of 2001, then I would say 1988 was a better year for anime than 2001. Aggregate that over decades and it's totally possible that contemporary anime in general is worse (or better) than it used to be.
I am reminded of how I once said "porn is for noobs and people without standards". I fully admit that when I was 13, I used the internet for porn as much as anyone. I didn't understand the nuance of quality, I just knew I liked seeing naked women more than I liked seeing those same woman with clothes on. These days, I get my T&A from erotic literature, not imagery. A few months ago, I found a Porn DVD at my brother's house, my morbid curiosity got the better of me and I decided to borrow it so I could see if it was any good. IT WASN'T! The sex scenes went on way too long, the cinematography was meaningless, the sound mixing was sub-par, it for some reason started off pretending it had a plot only to give up on even pretending only like 5 minutes in, I was actually bored when watching it. A movie about an act of passion should never be boring! If I'd found that when I was 13, I probably would've watched the whole thing and thought it was the hottest T&A ever. These days, I understand there's a lot more to making good porn than just naked women having sex, but directors of a vast majority of the Porn industry either don't understand that or don't put it into practice because to paraphrase what you once made a video about "good porn is hard to make". I once watched a documentary about the porn industry on Netflix, and the people interviewed shared similar complaints about how the industry is flooded with and geared towards mediocrity and putting effort and quality into it is just a good way to lose money they're not going to make back, why would the masses pay for good porn when they can have crap for free? The masses don't seem to put much value in higher quality, they're content to just tolerate the mediocrity. They watch mediocrity because that's what the industry pumps out, "noobs and people without standards" is a large audience, why bother putting time and money into something that large audience will watch regardless? You lamented that fact yourself with your recent "we have accepted mediocrity" video.
Good vid, Digi. I liked what u said about shows like Lain, Trigun, Utena, weren't popular back then when they were being released, in fact were comercial failures, but over time became considered masterpiece by every one... We can still see this today, a great show like Shouwa Rakugo, that is often overlooked by everyone, even by the "anime elitists", will eventually considered a classic, and people will appreciate more in 5-7 years than now. But no one gives a shit now.
Also on the topic of Late Night anime, I was under the impression that nearly ALL anime were late night anime with the exception of some shounen anime, like you'll be able to tell if they're on a night slot or day slot by if they have lyrics in the opening like last season's Hero Academia and Gyakuten Saiban. Is that wrong?
"Anime style change because people died." That got way too real.
I legit almost cried both times I listened back to that part, and while saying it.
+Digibro In May this year, an animator/animation director, Yuka Sugizaki, passed away at the age of 26. I learned this through searching for a film she's worked on lately, Doukyuusei (a phenomenal film from A-1, though credits goes to the staff members). She apparently is very talented, and had worked on a bunch of random stuff. It just pains me to know that she's gone before she could really show off her skills. I couldn't imagine the same thing happening to the big name animators, that would be horrible.
Yeah, I paused the game I was playing because then I actually had to look at the video.
One Piece is real.
When Digibro said that. My first thought was Matsuki Miyu and I got instantly sad. When I think of my all my favorite seiyuu, character designers, writers, and directors, it worries me if something were to happen. Especially since people in anime productions are indispensable. They cannot be replaced easily and it really hurts if someone is no longer able to work on anime.
Jun Maeda is a recent case which worries me because he was hospitalized recently for quote " idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (unexplained enlargement and weakening of the heart's left ventricle)". He has been hospitalized since February so it was worrying that one of the biggest influences on the anime community wasn't feeling well.
i was watching when my father came in the room and saw Digi, he instantly said "what is this? an islamist??" i died inside
I'm deD
your father deserves a medal for his ignorance
Bob The Almighty Destroyer of Worlds and Bringer of Rectal Fissures Animu Akbar
Being radicalized by Digi means spending more money on body pillows and fapping to lolis?
Seems like a decent religion.
the cool thing is is that translates to animu is great
"I created the English Utena fandom." - Digbro, 2016
*neither Amaama to Inazuma nor Orange is on Noitamina. Battery is, tho.
*also I have 300 patrons
What's important is now I know you're watching Amaama. Sure I should have assumed it.
1st comment: What does that mean?
2nd comment: Congrats! ^_^
I think Amazon bought the rights to all of Noitamina so if it aint streaming there it aint one of there shows. Also this drunk rant speaks well to a heavily intoxicated me nice fuckin work dude.
I often erase my comments because I think they were stupid or that they might start a Troll war. So, sorry for erasing the question you answered. Thanks anyway
I like to imagine you finished filming this, sobered up, and then got drunk and angry again just to write that title.
ROFL, nope, it's been hours and I'm still wasted.
i'm a little confused at 31:50-32:40 are you saying being an anime critic is a shitty job? or am I just being an idot?
p.s. I would totally watch a video about rakugo by you
I think this may be your best vlog yet. I feel like screaming most of this to every single anime fan I met who irritated me with comments like:
"Anime today sucks!"
"Why isn't anime as good as the 90's?"
"I think only certain anime are good. Most are shit."
"Moe anime is crap!"
Feels good to hear a rant like this so I don't have to (though I probably will anyways with a friend).
Edit: "Well great, you liked 10 anime shows. You're not a fucking anime fan" is almost the same exact words I have been saying to any anime fan who brags about shitty modern anime and praises only certain anime after watching like 10-30 anime shows.
My words would be: "Congrats, you watched like 10 anime shows. Now shut up and watch more anime."
I completely agree with that sentiment. Generally, the shows that I watch from 70s-90s are all recommendation based shows instead of watching from a seasonal list of that particular year. I have to really search for shows that may reach my individual tastes for recent seasons, and I'm fine with that. If you are too lazy to explore the anime medium, then you don't have any business saying that anime was better back in the day.
MrSomebody54 For the most part, I believe that anime fans should search for their own anime rather than to rely *only* on recommendations. Rather than giving new anime fans recommendations, long-time anime fans should also give new anime fans the resources to find their own anime every season. Whether it be a seasonal chart or a link to a site like Crunchyroll. I think that would serve new anime fans better than just handing out the most popular recommendations and letting a fan go on his way.
As for anime fans who say older anime were better. My rule is that if you haven't seen enough anime from both the decade in question (80's or 90's or both) *AND* from the past decade (2005-2015 for example). Then there is no argument to be had about the quality of anime as a whole. A person needs significant perspective on those decades for an argument to be had.
AnimeCommander1 Pretty much. When first watching anime, I would rely a lot on recommendations and heresy. But my viewage increased massively when I discovered sites like Funimation, and Crunchyroll. Currently, I still like to have recommendations here and now, but I have enough resources to be able to really go out on my own consume the medium as much as I would like. Unfortunately, my backlog is staggering. But, yeah, prescribing access to the medium rather than recommending the best the medium has to offer is key when preventing anime elitism in newer fans.
In regards to significant perspective, I personally find that idea to be relative from person to person. What would be considered enough? Still, I do agree that a certain level of research/experience in the medium is required to hold a rational argument about the fidelity of the old and the new. For me personally, I don't care to get into that particular argument. I recently had a phase of whining about Gunbuster and Diebuster, complaining that the older series is better, but then I took a look at the directors for both ovas and realized how stupid that 'old vs new' debate really was.
Kind of got a little rambly near the end, ugh.
MrSomebody54 I don't believe that giving them the resources to find anime or making them have their own motivation to find their own shows prevents anime elitism. But it instead creates independent and self-sufficient attitudes in an anime fan. So say instead of them always asking "What anime is this?" or constantly asking someone else for "good" anime. Giving them their own resources to use helps foster self-growth and freedom rather than creating a safety bubble for them.
I was not specific on what is "enough" because it depends on which decade is in question. Each year has a significantly different anime amount of anime produced in total. I could say percentages like "50%" and say you should watch that much at the very least, but that isn't feasible for everyone assuming:
1) Japanese is not your native language nor is understandable to you, thus meaning you can't watch anything without subtitles and
2) The anime is still available on DVD/VHS/Blu-ray re-master (older series that was re-released on Blu-ray), a streaming site, or a torrent/download site.
There are some anime that is essentially lost to time so even if you find a copy, assuming Assumption #1, it wouldn't even matter anyways.
So there is really no clear way to tell what is "enough" for a specific decade. But the point is that you look beyond just what was available to Western audiences and get some perspective by watching other shows of that era.
Example of shows/series I saw from the 90's:
-Oruchuban Ebichu
-To Heart
-Tooi Sekai
-On Your Mark
-Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories
-Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team
-Macross 7
-Macross Plus
-Macross II Lovers Again
-Kurogane Communication
-Konpeki no Kantai (currently watching because it is raw and episodes are 40+ minutes)
-Hikyou Tanken Fam & Ihrlie (Ruin Explorers in English)
-Ao no 6-gou (Blue Submarine No.6)
-Kurenai no Buta
I had only seen about 47 shows from the 90's era (according to MAL). So what does that say? Not much really but I believe it is important to watch at least some obscure shows and see what else a certain era had to offer besides what you just saw as a kid or teenager.
When I mean 'preventing anime elitism' I mean: fostering the desire to see more from the medium with an open mind. My concept of an anime elitist is the fundamental lack of intellectual curiosity. The willingness to explore different genres within a medium is my definition intellectual curiosity. In my subjective experience with anime elitists, the school of thought that 'older anime is better' or that 'anime is declining as a medium' is prevalent. That is the particular reason for why I do agree with your statement that giving resources over recommendations could be considered helpful for a new anime fan/enthusiast. A safety bubble would most definitely be a bad thing, but that is not what I was getting at. Perhaps you have a different idea/view of what is considered an 'anime elitist' but I personally find the view to fit the topic of the video and this discussion.
Going forward, again the idea of enough would be different for each viewer to obtain the fundamental tools to have a fair view of a particular decade. We all process information differently and our environment clearly gives us different perspectives on the ideas and concepts that reach our ears. To that end, the percentage value would be inherently different from person to person. I do like that you decided to broaden the idea of 'enough' to the idea that people should just reach for anime outside of what is easily available. That is the crux of this discussion.
All in all, I do like what you had to say and I could probably take a gander that you have much more knowledge about the medium under your belt, and I appreciate the amount of time and effort you put into your comment and I also appreciate the passion you have for the medium. We may share some different ideas in regards to the details of this topic but the goal of a more knowledgeable community is definitely a shared desire.
>1998 in anime
>didn't get much else that year
>doesn't mention pokemon the first movie
what am i even subcribed for
lolol I didn't even realize it aired that year. ...I don't think it'd be hard to name a number of recent movies that are better lol
I'm way more upset that he didn't mention Cardcaptor Sakura than Pokemon the first movie personally. But that's frankly minor.
***** hahahaha i was very much kidding, i mean it did come out that year but yeah, it's not exactly Great Cinema or Great Anime or anything
Pokemon the First Movie sucked
It had mewtwo , my seven year old self loved it.
This is the type of gold that you only get in a Digi vlog
Anime always had shitty, trash-tier, pieces of pussy farts series. While also having great, deep, emotional masterpieces at the same time.
Time has not ruined anime, and probably won't. The more popular anime gets, the better animes will be crafted. The more fans anime series get, the more content anime will produce.
Anime industry will continue to grow, with no prediction of declining.
The only thing that won't get better are Berserk adaptations. As much as i fucking absolutely love Berserk, what a garbage, shameful, ass breath that CGI is. Fuck you Millepensee, i'll fucking murder all of you.
Anime won't be growing consistently forever, the way it is doing now. Right now we're in a bubble just like in the early 2000s, and eventually too much anime will be made too expensively, the market won't sustain itself and some studios might have to close. Then we won't get as much anime with quite the same budget for a while, until the market stabilizes. It's happened before and will happen again
+Alice of the evening I think growth not just in volume increase, but also advancing technology, new artistry, cultivating new creative voices. These are the things that would never go away, and even if there's an eminent market crash, I can easily see studios and creatives who take these chances to survive. We'll always have our new favourite Yutaka Nakamura cuts, as long as he's not dead (T_T)
***** i'll keep that in mind next time
i'll have you to thank for adding "pussy fart" to my vocabulary as a metaphore for bad quality.
Sunny Dong Yeah it's true that anime technology will continue steadily improving, even if the market won't. I'm not so sure that the general storytelling artistry will /improve/, as much as it will just change styles, tropes and ideas. Basically throwing out old tired tropes while creating new tired tropes, yet along the way some truly good and innovative creators and works come along to replace the previous big creators and works.
This belongs on your main channel.
Well though this video has a lot of well thought points its more of a rant than a written out analysis.
I'm saying that is makes more than enough good and important points to justiify being on the main channel despite not being edited, full of curses and so long.
Agreed. He should redo this video with a bunch of nice editing and shit for his main channel. This was super informative. One of my favorites of his.
Otonashi Ryuuji Nice editing doesn't improve anything for this video. It'd be a lot of totally unnecessary work
+equle I meant that he should edit it to match all of his other main channel vids so he could actually put it on there. I'm sure his main channel would benefit from this more if its presentation was more formal/professional. He can't exactly just put a video of him being drunk and yelling at a camera for 40 min on his main channel, you know? That's what After Dark is for lol.
This channel should be named "Digibro after drunk". More immersive.
Digibro after dank
Rakugo, Shirobako, Hyouka, Ping Pong, Eupho, Steins;Gate, Yona of the Dawn, Honey and Clover, K-on!, Space Brothers, Tamati Galaxy, Kyousougiga, Yozakura Quartet, Space Dandy, Mushishi, Aria, Tamayura, Nodame Cantabile.
Yeah. Modern anime sucks (EDIT. My sarcasm needs work, according to the comment below). My ass. the 90s and 80s had plenty of bad shit, but HEY, people forget about them. Dear pessimists: Keep living in your fantasy where the 90s is 50 shows a season, 49 of which are masterpieces.
It seems like you made up that fantasy.
Rorikon Kuro
I THINK you are missing my point?
Hmm, haven't seen Honey and Clover, Space Brothers, Kyousougiga, Yozakura Quartet, Tamayura and Nodame Cantabile, and Eupho. Time to increase my backlog -__- , thx for that by the way. Edit: When you mentioned Eupho, were you referring to Hibike Euphonium? Didn't really think about that.
+MrSomebody54 Nodame cantapile is greatest love story ever told
Jepze Ohhh, that gets me excited since I love a good romance. I think I'll marathon that series after finishing KaleidoStar.
I learn so much from this channel when you're drunk. Please make more alcoholic educational videos like this sensei
I think every Season has a hidden gem in it. I'll take 2015 as example.
Winter Season: Yuri Kuma Arashi (43k Members on MAL)
Spring Season: Punch Line (80k Members on MAL)
Summer Season: Gatchaman Crowds Insight (37k Members on MAL)
Fall 2015: Concrete Revolutio (42k Member on MAL)
These are all great, unique shows in their own way, but many people won't watch.
>Says Paprika is a masterpiece.
>Actually watches it years later and gives it a 4.
People keep on saying 90% of anime is trash. News flash peeps, 90% of every medium is shit. Music, film, games, cartoons etc!
Also for anyone who says that anime nowadays are irredeemably bad, I implore you to check out Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu. This show proves that anime still has it in terms of being an artform. Seriously if you think theres nothing good this year except for retro remakes, just check out Rakugo.
Watched episode 1, didn't really like it. The characters, the plot, the writing. Lot of things that either didn't interest me or took me out of it. The entire concept is inherently hard to get into because it's so cultural and foreign to me. But then you slap on these generic character archetypes with the goofy hopeless loser MC, the hardened, silent but secretly caring teacher and this tsundere side girl. If it ever gets good, it still has to work within this plot and with these imo, mediocre characters.
Nope. First episode is a frame for the actual story of the series. It's also a primer for the viewers to learn what rakugo is as an artform.
+Slimcognito2012 Well... yeah. But aren't all first episodes used as frames of reference for the rest of the series? And while the first episode also introduces us to rakugo as an artform, are these even bad things? With both of these going on, the first episode is still incredibly well directed, has a pretty nice look to it, has some great animation especially being from Studio Deen, had interesting characters who got you invested in them rather quickly, and had absolutely phenomenal voice acting. Rakugo Shinjuu has some of the best voice performances I've ever seen in an anime. And even if the large majority of the show was technically a flashback, it was so incredibly captivating, had such great characters, and such a good and emotional story that I didn't even care. SGRS is a fantastic anime, and ask everyone to give it a chance sometime. While I didn't think it was "perfect", it is absolutely worth your time even if season 2 isn't out just yet. For me, it was an easy 10/10.
There are differences between types of enjoyment for each medium. So, 90% of every medium isn't shit.
+James Hughes ...okay, so apparently my previous comment was mostly pointless. For some reason, thePANDEMIC's comment never showed up for me.
But to clarify, everything I said was still true. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a fantastic anime; it may be hard for some people to get into at first, but it's definitely worth watching the entire thing, even if you had never even heard of rakugo before this anime like myself.
It's also worth pointing out that, for season 1 at least, the majority of the anime doesn't actually follow the cast your introduced to in episode 1. I would personally argue that they're all more complex characters than the archetypes that were listed but I understand that not everyone will feel that way.
I literally never even heard of "Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu" guess I'll give it a go. Digibro you should really make videos on good shows we should watch. Maybe have a vlog or series that let's us know about them? I personally don't have time to go through every episode of all the anime released each season so yeah.
He did have a "10 must see anime" series a while back, but I'm not sure if he's going to keep doing that.
do you have time to watch his seasonal weebcasts where him and his friends talk about all the new shows?
Yeah, I usually listen while working on other stuff. If I were to just sit there and listen, there's no way I would have time to do that.
movelea I don't. Maybe in 10-15 sittings per seasonal weebcast.
He still has his MyAnimeList profile. He keeps it mostly up to date
Sturgeon's law. That is all.
That too.
This is pretty much the big reason for me, too. On top of that, with the increase in anime we're getting, we get an increase in bad anime, so that 70/80/90% of bad anime looks bigger than before. However, on the flipside, there are now more great anime among that small 10/20/30%. Like Digi said, you just have to look for it.
You're the only CZcamsr I watch who I'll actually be sitting through the entire 40 minute video.
I remember when this vid came out.. hearing you talk about Takahata reminded me of how upset i was at his death. Funny when you said "Yuasa, who knows what hes gonna do!" and now he is one of the most respected directors in the modern scene. Prophetic lel
As a content creator is who is currently working on a first impressions of the season. I have to say that this year is probably going to surpass 2014 by the fall shows that are coming out. There are a numerous amount of titles that are coming out currently that have an exceeding amount of potential that it just makes me giddy to see where they head. If you look at the last two seasons I could name 10 shows that I found enjoyable to worthwhile and I did watch Rakugo Shinjuu and I immensely loved it. This year has been a great rise of shorts really learning how to really get its messages across. If I were to name three shows I feel will be the most overlooked shows of the season I would have to put Cheer Danshi, Days, and Bonobono (2016).
What the fuck is the point of your video? Old shitty anime exist have been forgotten/There's always great anime every year? What's a 10/10 for you might just be an average show for someone else. A large portion of the community feels like the anime industry has been on a decline since 2008. If such a large portion exists, then there must be a reason. Saying "First half of this, second half of that was good" is hard to take seriously. I can't predict the future, but as of now, some of the shows you mentionned are already forgotten and don't have what makes a classic a classic i.e Log Horizon. You watched 2 episodes of Rakugo Shinjuu and claim it's a "masterpiece" and then use it as an example for a "good" modern show throughtout your video. Because it wasn't the most popular anime of the season in the west, you get upset?? YOU didn't even watch it.
"A large portion of the community feels like the anime industry has been
on a decline since 2008. If such a large portion exists, then there
must be a reason."
This sounds like Argumentum Ad Populum, just because a bunch of people say something doesn't mean it's true. Large amounts of the population in the USA are Truthers but it's complete bullshit.
Also anime is on a decline in what sense?
Financially not so much, most of the top selling shows were made after or during 2008, heck even Osomatsu-san has the best selling amount of DVDs+Blu rays for it's first volume. (Source someanithing.com)
Adding to that anime adaptations are still boosting manga sales (See the 2015 sales of Seven Deadly Sins) and there are opening more and more animation studios. So there's still an incentive to make anime.
Popularity not so much, Digi's chart about that in his recent IS THIS SEASON OF ANIME THE BEST Proves that.
Critically again not so much judging from MAL, most of the Top shows are from 2008+, and the Animetacritic (counting only the MAL scores of active bloggers) post done by The Cart Driver does show plenty of post 2008 titles and that was made in 2014.
So it seems like a statement that is not backed up by reality.
I have literally never heard anyone talk about time slots in anime before. I'm a 4th of the way through this video, no idea how much this devolves by the end, but thank you for enlightening me.
i enjoy both critically acclaimed and bullshit shows. i finished rakugo, konosuba, and testament of sister new devil. i'd rate them as 10, 10, and 6. You explained you're views excellently. It's like if someone thinks rap music is currently terrible when the only music they've heard recently is future and the many bandwagon clones without looking for other artists who don't sound like that. Such as logic, tre tha truth, kendrick lamar, etc.
Good. You are doing god's work.
That Hip Hop analogy is really good.
i am preaty much like you cause i don't care if the show is bullshit or critically acclaimed if i enjoyed it i enjoyed it. and that is what most people strangely don't do. well from a certain point they do but then they throw they opinion down your throat and the rest is a well known thing.(it's preaty annoying)
Hit me hard about directors dying. It's true, can never find their specific style again so it creates this illusion that anime has declined in quality
I wish Digi could have a meet-and-greet so we could all just get drunk and rant about anime the whole time lol. He seems like a fun drunk.
ThatAnimeSnob is butthurt because Digi always roasted him.
Do you record all your videos at night or do you just shut out the sun?
at night
he does it after dark
Upon further deliberation, I retract my comments. Anime is great.
Anime was better in the 40s, tbqh.
Good to know that Michal Haneke respects anime
Anime was better before that bastard Walt Disney ruined everything with making it more than about funny drawings. Although I'm sure some animators hold that opinion.
"Worst year in anime history says 20-something white anime blogger."
If The Onion hasn't written this article yet, they should.
>Hey, let me praise this show
>I've watched only 2eps
also, anime is getting worse is an argument based on the peaks, not the valleys.
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Fou-Lu, The Dragon Emperor Good.
I have thought about this so much lately, especially whenever I watch someone who talks about how anime now isn't as good. They look at the best shows from the 80s or 90s and the average from now, because like you said, that's what they've seen in a lot of cases. Overall this was a great video I think you expressed just about ever single point I could possibly think up on the subject.
Your click bait title makes me cringe like Sword Art Online positive reviews.
Jokes on you, I watch every one of your videos anyway! Take that, click bait!
For me it feels like anime just keeps getting better. This season I'm going to attempt what you're doing and watch as many first episodes as I can. I'm already at least interested in continuing several shows I may have otherwise ignored.
Nothing in 1998 compares to Shirobako...wow. What an incredible, interesting AND unique perspective. I could write a book on this one statement alone. Truly, your opinion is way above us simple plebs, Digibro.
worshiping shit affects the visibility of the good stuff, thus it affects me
searching through garbage to find gold is time consuming
It's a good thing you made this 40 minutes long digi. It would be bad if the normies got a hold of this and started bitching about your opinions on erased and phantom world when they have no idea where you're coming from. shit dammit this channel is so cool.
Yeah directors for anime are very important to the animation process, much so than I ever thought. I was recently at anime midwest for TRIGGER's KLK panel with Sushio, Wakabayashi, and Koyama and what stuck to me was how long it took them to plan out the designs for the characters(they started the show immediately after panty and stocking), especially Ryuko, and how, after Yoh Yoshinari left to make LWA they made very little progress until he came back. And pretty much all the crazy premises, like bondage, a sailor suit controlling a girls' body, were all thought up by the one crazy mind of Imaishi. Sushio, Wakabayashi, and Koyama are all amazing at what they do, but without the main directors like Yoshinari and Imaishi shows like KLK, LWA, and Gurren Lagann would have never happened. When they were describing Kiznaiver's process, Sushio's said he much preferred working with Imaishi instead. The animators for Kiznaiver were mostly new and had a rougher time doing the more energetic animation that both Sushio and Imaishi liked, the style of the show had more delicate line work and Sushio described that for animating Kiznaiver it took a lot more thought than say KLK where a character can take one step forward and take up the entire screen. Oh and a couple other interesting bits they described, Inou Battle was pretty much a cash out. They said they realized such ln adaptions were really popular, and needed more money after KLK so they decided to go with that. And someone asked something about Shirobako which I'm surprised they knew about, and it was either Koyama or Wakabayashi who said that the show wasn't that realistic, Shirobako made it look quite tough to be an animator but to them what they do is fun...and also there aren't any cute girls' like in shirobako lol.
I was shocked when you accidentally said that "Yu Yu Hakusho sucks". Still love you tho Digi.
It's funny to say it because Digi was drunk, but this is the kind of thing I'd pay him for. He makes me think about things I don't have perspective on and I probably should put more thought to. Good rant Digi, great topics to think about for sure.
You, matthewmatosis, and the switcher are the only youtubers I'll listen to for long periods of time. Great work digi
I got scared for a moment, when he said Yu Yu Hakusho was garbage.
NOW I BEG YOU please make a video about shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu. Make people talk about it like you did with Utena back there.
I only could make people watch rakugo shinjuu because Kumota Haruko (the author of the manga) also wrote some BL/Yaoi manga and I'm always like "hey, her Yaoi/BL is great and you should watch rakugo because is made by her too".
( Algo, her BL/YAOI are great btw and Itoshi no Nekokke is probleby one of the best BL manga ever that no one in the fujoshi fandom talks about)
Functioning in a contemporary-centric fashion seems really counter-intuitive to me considering that we live in the information age in which it is easier than ever to find an array of media, even more so when taking into account how good the internet is at being an archive. It was once true that if you didn't see a show when it aired it could be nigh impossible to find it after the fact (some shows even had novelisations for this reason). Now though, you can find things from a decade ago, easily. Heck, even way older stuff than that. There is a wealth of worthwhile entertainment that is available. And yet, the cultural gaze is still drawn to the new (even through those oh so fashionable nostalgia goggles). Like is said in this video, one need only look in order to find more material. Heck, we have a preoccupation with televised anime, so perhaps some should take a good look in the cinematic roster in lieu of the season chart. Besides, 'now' will pass and anime will continue to be made. The backlogs will only get bigger and bigger, creating an environment from which only the truly beloved will be recalled. We should not have an aversion to age.
I dunno while I liked the quality of space dandy I didn't really enjoy it all that much no matter how much I tried even though I loved Cowboy Bebop. Honestly I think the reason people feel like anime is shit now is because they watched anime as kids. And as a kid you watch pretty much everything and enjoy it. I remember watching every anime released every season and liking it.
Now I have a hard time finding a single show per season maybe 2 but that's pretty rare. So compared to the time when I watched everything yes, it will seem like shit. But so was my taste as a kid.
I'm not gonna lie, I'm a pretty hardcore otaku, and before 2010 I have only ever gotten 2 years that have exceeded 10 favourites, (2006-2007) (most of those anime in that time turned to shite at the end, due to annoying cliffhangers, annoying moments etc, now D.Gray Man is the only 1 from those years that I truly care about 😞)
but from 2011-now I have all of them getting over 10 favourites and I could recommend you loads that stayed good towards the end!!
also 2014 is my highest year for favourites and 2016 has almost bet it, even though 2016 isn't over yet!
so no anime is not shite now, nice video Digi!
This is a complaint made about every single artistic medium ever. I think the primary reason for it is that people remember the great classics whereas they're exposed to every fucking piece of shit with transient popularity in the now. They forget about the fucking pieces of shit with transient popularity from the old days.
What I struggle with sometimes is that it often feels safer to hate than to love. It's like an emotional defense, hating an anime allows you to simultaneously detach yourself emotionally so it doesn't matter if people agree or not, as well as put yourself in a higher position than the anime. If an anime doesn't meet your standards, it seems like your taste is more advanced or something, but if you love an anime that means it was enough to satisfy you, so people who disagree will think that your tastes are shallow. What we like is a lot more personal and revealing than what we don't like. You liking K-On is really cool to me because to some people you've lost credibility because of it, but you disliking Erased just made a lot of people think you were wrong about that one thing. I don't think that many people hold onto that as much, there are no "well you didn't like Erased so I can't take you seriously" comments (at least that I've noticed, compared to K-On ones). So in the context of old shows vs new ones, people have had enough time to reach a pretty solid consensus on things like Cowboy Bebop, but new shows like ReLIFE are a bit more split, and it feels like it's safer to mildly like it or dislike it or hate it. I fucking love it though, enough so that to me it's in my top 5 favorite anime now. Cowboy Bebop is like a 7 to me because I never got that emotional attachment to it that a lot of people had, it was fun but to me it was never special, and it feels really weird to not call it a masterpiece when so many other people still think it's the best thing ever. I feel really vulnerable saying that to me, ReLIFE is a masterpiece, because it's so new and some people are already dismissing it as a shallow experience. So basically it just feels safer to not take anything seriously until the consensus has been decided. You have been an influence on me though, and I've been trying to be more open with the things that I love even if it feels like people will give me shit for it.
Lain > Ping Pong
Cowboy Bebop > Space Dandy
Gurren Lagann > Kill la Kill
Welcome to the NHK > Watamote
Ghost in the Shell > Psycho Pass
Retro always wins.
+Digibro After Dark Hey Digi, I just recently finished Utena, but for whatever reason I wasn't sure how I felt about it afterward. As shallow as it sounds, the constant reuse of animation bothered me from start to finish, and was my main gripe throughout my marathon.
Granted, I knew going in that it wasn't new for a (sort-of) magical girl show, so I was expecting the story to make up for it for the most part... Yet I didn't feel like it was the case.
Anyway, I've heard you bring up the show in your videos for a while now, and every time you do it's usually followed by praise or a recommendation. I know it's selfish to ask, but at some point, could you please explain why you like the show or what you think made it so good? Thanks.
>didn't finish Rakugo yet
What? You prasing this show so much and didn't finshed it? Its golden show and its not too long, it's worth a couple of hours of yours, so just finish it to bee sure in what are you talking about in 100%.
I do find, that as an adult, I am way more picky about what anime I watch than i was as a teen. I can also draw direct parallel between anime and video games. When a super successful game comes out you can guarantee 101 clones of said games will flood the market shortly thereafter. Most, if not all, will suck. If we are lucky one will succeed.
I love listening to Digi talk this video just flows, it's fascinating. Thank you for your insight.
Neon Genesis Evangelion, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Serial Experiments Lain, Angel's Egg, Sadness of Belladonna, Rose of Versailles, Kare Kano, Perfect Blue, Wings of Honneamise - These are some older anime and I don't feel we really got anything like them. You compared Serial Experiments Lain and Ping Pong on the ground that they're both experimental, which doesn't say much. They're still extremely different shows.
Grandted, I do think we had amazing anime in the last ten years. I love Masaaki Yuasa, especially Kaiba and Tatami Galaxy, Loved Mononoke, Casshern Sins, FLCL (older, but I'd call it new, since it's already from the era of digital coloring), Star Driver, Mushishi, Stand Alone Complex, Kyousougiga or Princess Kaguya. Thing is these shows are quite different from those first ones I mentioned. We didn't get similar shows that were better.
But I don't think this is bad either. Each era will have its works that achieved the hight of the style or the genre, there's no point in trying to outdo them. It's better to try create something new. I don't think we'll ever get anything lik angel's egg, eva, lain or utena. In fact considering all those failed shows that tried to be the next eva like Raxhephon, Gasaraki or Argento Soma, it's better that people don't try.
+Pacal Have you seen Garakowa?
Nope, I have not. Do you recommend it for a specific reason?
Why would someone need a very particular connection to Bebop to like it more than Dandy? If Dandy was just a series with the best 12 episodes from both seasons, I could possibly agree with you. S1 was pretty ehhh while dully treading familiar territory too many times and that's not dandy.
Really surprised to know Utena wasn't well known in the US in 2008. Here where I live, it was aired around 1999 on the afternoon. I don't think it became really popular, but it was remarcable because we didn't got many anime shows on tv back then. 9 yo me didn't get what it was exactly about, but it felt special somehow. And the battles kicked ass.
Well, every time I say an year sucked on something, it isn't about everything that came out that year sucked, but rather, 99% of the time, "people are liking the wrong shit, and thus less popular good stuff doesn't rise to the surface". And unfortunately, as a busy person, I can only go so far from the surface to find what's good in my view.
The time slot thing is something I'd never thought about before. Interesting!
This is also what hapened, to classical music, and ragtime, and Rock. Only the good and medeocre can survive. Bad cave art exists, but some great cave art exists too, did you know in one cave out there(I forgot the exact location) there is a drawing of a horse running in the single frame that people usually avoid drawing because it's so insanely difficult. A CAVE DRAWING.
With new studios constantly emerging, as while as studios like bones and a1 doing multiple shows, could it be predicted that the quantity of shows will continue to increase?
Honestly every year theres a solid 10-15 shows that fucking capture me completely. Anyone who says theres no good anime is flat out ignorant, just as anyone who says _____ music genre is dead. Sakamoto, Fate Zero, FMAB, as you said Ping Pong, theres just SOOOOO many good shows in the last ten years that I could list its crazy. As always though great rant, poignant yet hilarious all at once.
I just went to crunchyroll to check out Showa Genroku and was surprised to find I had added it to my queue. Unfortunately, I'm really bad at getting through all those shows. But I'm definitely moving it up my priority list now
This should be written into a video essay and put on your main channel. Maybe incorporate some talk of Sturgeon's Law like some other guy in the comments mentioned, and it'd be pretty much a perfect response video for anyone who thinks anime has somehow gotten worse.
I watched rakugo as soon as it aired without any of the hype from internet peeps. Just saw it was a joesei and jumped straight in XD. OMFG that drunken walk around 35 minutes in- fucking amazing.
Isn't all of this subjective? Good taste? Shows that everyone likes are "Bullshit"? Shows you are claiming are shit actually being shit? I mean I have always appreciated Digi's opinions and his take on Anime and Otaku culture, because it really is unique compared to the "general fans" as even he might describe them. (Not really a criticism of others just an observation). But this just seems like another video that is meant to criticize people who don't directly like the things he does, or more explicitly criticizing the people who like the things he claims are "shit". Now I will agree 100% that there are a lot of what could be described as "shovel ware" anime that are of (subjectively) lesser quality or even "duplicate" anime that try to capture the lighting in a bottle of other popular or good anime that actually were (subjectively I will keep using that word) good! However, does that really diminish the quality of those same anime to others who DO enjoy them? I might agree it will not improve the quality of those anime but clearly (regardless of whether its right or wrong) if the animators create something that people watch, then by definition it must have SOMETHING good going for it (even if it is just fan service and I will say for the record its sad that is how it seems to be working). Might not capture everyone or be the next K-On, but still it had something. Honestly I am sure I am going to (unintentionally) incite some sort of comment from someone that is less than positive, and I am all for an open dialogue, but its really getting hard to keep hearing Digi just "shit" on the people who might even have a hint of liking the shows he claims are "shit" which again is all subjective anyway. I don't know. I respect Digi's point of view but its hard to see him get so angry about it. Granted I like that he keeps saying the not all anime genre is for everyone and that's commendable. But come on, your not an anime fan if you like only up to 10 or less than 10 anime? Sure I will agree they are not a "super fan" sure but they clearly liked something, even if it was things you did not like. I dont know, even if its good intentioned I doubt attempting to argue my point with Digi is going to accomplish much. Again I am open for a dialogue.
aaand you completely missed the point of the video
Marcus I appreciate that insight. Certainly a very good point to make and I do agree that (in any medium) Fans and Critics do generally have differing opinions that are, as you put it, radically different. As for Critics having to use a set of standards that is different than the general fan, I guess on some level I understand that but I I just wish the barrier of what that standard supposedly is (i.e. declaring that something is good or bad compared to something else, which again is subjective -there is that word again lol) did not have to separate the critics from the fans to such a degree that they start (as digi so elegantly puts it) "shitting on each other" over their opinions trying to declare who is right. (Which ironically lead to a case of Objective criticism, which we all know Digi does not believe in as a concept LoL)
Marcus Hahaha, Ironic, Digi may not have intended himself to be considered the "authority on what is right and wrong with anime" but I think we can agree he is more than willing to accept the ideal (and defend it when it comes to opposing video's by other you-tubers and commentators)
Digi can you put down all the people you talked about in the description or somewhere? I had to searched for 30 minutes because i didn't know the right way to spell their names.
Corect me if I'm wrong and if I missed someone:
Satoshi Kon, Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Mamoru Hosoda, Isao Takahata & Masaaki Yuasa
o I thought Grimgar was really good :/
Golden Boy > All anime ever created
I remember fapping to it. And fuck everyone i didnt like dub at all.
Can you please make a video explaining your love for Shirobako? I watched it and was unimpressed to say the least... Maybe hearing your recommendation of it set my expectations too high? Idk but i would really love to see what about it you love so much.
"You like ten shows. You're not a fucking anime fan."
Whenever somebody tells me that anime is terrible nowadays, I face palm so hard that sometimes i think i might leave a crater on my forehead.
I see you on alot of videos and I love your personal input in things. Ever thought of becoming a reviewer? Even if only through a blog or something?
o maybe. Not doing videos though. I don't know a thing about good editing and wouldn't have the time anyway.
AnimeFlyz understandable.
o i can do written reviews on a blog though. i just wouldn't know how to start one.
'ReLIFE' seems pretty popular right now. How does that fit into the question of people liking a quality show?
I watched Rakugo Shinju week to week and talked about it with a coworker.
I know were not at Anime Expo (It's over 100,000!!!!!!!!) I heard the new Makoto Shinkai movie, 'your name', completely filled a 3,000 seat hall and received 3 standing ovations. (Maybe AX is becoming Cannes?)
They showed the trailer for the Netflix original anime 'Perfect Bones' at the Production I.G. panel. It looks PHENOMENAL! (Don't know why they haven't posted the trailer on their CZcams channel yet) Apparently Netflix came to I.G., asked what ideas they had that could not get off the ground and encouraged them to swing for the fences with a complex, adult, general audience sci-fi drama like they used to do with Stand Alone Complex. (As if Netflix did not want even more comparisons to HBO.)
It's the same story every-time, a certain group of people expect 'great art' delivered on a silver platter and any modern subversion of their expectations for that art is an immediate red flag for them.
"Kill La Kill is about as good as Gurren Lagann".
No, just no.
Why? Why not?
Neither of those are really "good"
but i agree gurren lagann is better
.... I thought Kill la Kill was better than Gurren Lagann.
xxangelxoxx OH MY GOD
NO
Both are just OK anime
Your room's acoustics are recorded so well that I thought I had my speakers on listening through headphones.
The reason, I think, people often say that "x art form was better in y time period" is due to the fact that the great pieces of art from that time have survived critical scrutiny while others have not.
Damn, this was one of your best rants yet. You explained your points eloquently (considering how drunk you were) and they are all very good points. I am sick of people putting their heads in the sand when it comes to modern anime but still acting like they are the authority of modern anime, because their opinions are objective or something. Guess what? Your opinions are just as worthless as those of the otaku scum who buy asterisk BDs, but that's why we're here, to culminate all of our shitty opinions into meaningful statements.
There's a degree of value for every opinion. Not all opinions are the same so why should they be placed into a category that opposes their opinion?
Well Asterisk bombed pretty hard 2173 BDs in Average.
I will elaborate by saying that there are some opinions that hold more weight than others, based on their conviction and justification mostly.
But opinions cannot have absolute true or false value simply because opinions cannot be proven and can be disagreed with.
ruh roh Yeah, an opinion based on a completely wrong fact is pretty much invalid. If I say that in my opinion we should nuke the moon because it's made of cheese it shouldn't be regarded.
I had to pause the video and try to absorb the lines "YuYu hakusho is shit". It actually caught me off guard for a second. But what you said right after was hilarious.
You know what also came out in 1998 Outlaw Star. Maybe it's the general mood of the shows in question but I always felt that Space Dandy took more from it and Space Adventure Cobra than Cowboy Bebop.
This is your best presented rant in months.
I think a few of these people are the tryhard elitists who just reiterate what they hear from other people/'critics' about why x show is such an amazing classic without actually trying to understand the shows they watch, especially the newer ones -- not necessarily people who didn't watch many shows in a season. And that's my only nitpick here; this is my favorite After Dark video now. Thank you.
I love you Digi, you have a clear passion and knowledge of anime that I think very few people can match. I feel myself always learning from watching your videos. Thank you.
This is my favorite vlog ever
The only things I can't really think of modern parallels for are Furyo Manga Adaptations like Kyou Kara Ore Wa, Crows, or Shonan Junai Gumi.
Digibro reading you a bedtime story like your programmer dad
You are way more passionate about this than I am but I got a ton of good recommendations from this so thanks.
I agree, anime is still amazing. 2014 was a phenomenal year for anime and good/amazing anime still come out. I still haven't watched Utena.(I will though!) It also pisses me off when people never watch the hidden gems/good shows of each season... Very interesting video, I thought your perspective on why anime is changing to be very true, I never though of it that way. Also, RIP Satoshi Kon.
I tried watching the whole video but you thinking Space Dandy is as good as Bebop just kept repeating in my head
I understand that Digi is just trying to say that some otaku or anime fans out there don't know better than to check all that the anime season has to offer and completely forget about certain animes that deserve more recognition. And he does say that there is no objectively good animes and some shows aren't made for everyone. But I don't know how I feel about him criticizing certain people for liking what they like and not liking the "good stuff." It made me feel guilty that "maybe I do like shit, but isn't that just my preference? I'm sorry other anime studios & creators!"
I get this is on his more relaxed, vlog channel where its a little more unplanned compared to his main channel videos, but I think it would've been said better if he just said if you are truly a fan of anime, you should be giving everything a chance before you give your top 10 best of the year or decade. And that if you see something especially good that isn't getting talked about a lot, then talk about it!! Don't be scared that your opinion will be challenged because what you think is super good isn't considered "mainstream." Thats why we have Digi! I wouldn't have heard about certain shows without him. We live in a world now where everyone's voice can be heard thanks to the internet, so what do you got to lose? Great Insight!
Well if you don't think anime is shit, then it really doens't matter what you're watching. This is more about people who think anime has gone to shit, even though they don't watch stuff they'll like.
I see! You probably did say that at one point but there was just so much to digest from this vid I may have missed it. Great job though!
This sounds like an extended, and more intimate version of: Gigguk's AZ Rant: The Golden Age of Anime.
I really think you are right there, like many other things there's good anime and shit anime and most of the time we have the time/chance to appreciate the good ones.
Nice video, very enlightening.
This doesn't apply to just anime , but to all of entertainment
You killed me with "I'm too drunk. Or not drunk enough?"
I blame juvenoia. We experience anime (or anything really) through our biases. We assume that the latest version of something can't compare to the "good ol days". Our fear of getting older causes some to resent anything that threatens our interpretation of the past. They will completely forget the negatives. They have to believe cowboy bebop is the pinnacle anime and nothing else can touch it. I'd rather be excited for the future. more importantly, I'd rather enjoy the present.
Bebop is better than Dandy, not because of the year of its production - because who cares about such shit? - but simply because the stories were better and more gripping and entertaining for a more mature audience. Dandy was nice and dandy and really funny and creative but it was non-committing, not engaging, stand alone singular experience. You can't divulge in Dandy as you did on Bebop. Bebop is always regarded a classic, while nobody will be talking about Dandy in a couple years.
This actually might be my favorite video on this channel.
Keep it up!
hmm, interesting video topic that speaks to us
Admittedly we have kind of had our nose up to modern anime and have always been looking for more underrated shows to talk about (i guess we are just more hipserish and picky with our anime) but find too much noise and overhype for bubblegum fluff... like in every other entertainment medium to be fair
So just out of interest, so maybe we could get to highlight some better shows on our channel - apart from Ping Pong and Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu - could you recommend 2 or 3 other titles you feel that are extremely underpraised / under appreciated from the last 2-3 years?
We enjoy your commentaries by the way, we don't always 100% agree but you are very well spoken / articulated and at least explain yourself thoroughly
Appreciate it - thumbs up
The fact that there are more anime being made now is precisely the reason why one-to-one comparisons don't make sense. Percentage is a far better measure.
Just throwing out numbers here, but if 10% of 1988 anime were good compared to 5% of 2001, then I would say 1988 was a better year for anime than 2001. Aggregate that over decades and it's totally possible that contemporary anime in general is worse (or better) than it used to be.
I am reminded of how I once said "porn is for noobs and people without standards". I fully admit that when I was 13, I used the internet for porn as much as anyone. I didn't understand the nuance of quality, I just knew I liked seeing naked women more than I liked seeing those same woman with clothes on. These days, I get my T&A from erotic literature, not imagery. A few months ago, I found a Porn DVD at my brother's house, my morbid curiosity got the better of me and I decided to borrow it so I could see if it was any good. IT WASN'T! The sex scenes went on way too long, the cinematography was meaningless, the sound mixing was sub-par, it for some reason started off pretending it had a plot only to give up on even pretending only like 5 minutes in, I was actually bored when watching it. A movie about an act of passion should never be boring! If I'd found that when I was 13, I probably would've watched the whole thing and thought it was the hottest T&A ever. These days, I understand there's a lot more to making good porn than just naked women having sex, but directors of a vast majority of the Porn industry either don't understand that or don't put it into practice because to paraphrase what you once made a video about "good porn is hard to make". I once watched a documentary about the porn industry on Netflix, and the people interviewed shared similar complaints about how the industry is flooded with and geared towards mediocrity and putting effort and quality into it is just a good way to lose money they're not going to make back, why would the masses pay for good porn when they can have crap for free?
The masses don't seem to put much value in higher quality, they're content to just tolerate the mediocrity. They watch mediocrity because that's what the industry pumps out, "noobs and people without standards" is a large audience, why bother putting time and money into something that large audience will watch regardless? You lamented that fact yourself with your recent "we have accepted mediocrity" video.
Good vid, Digi.
I liked what u said about shows like Lain, Trigun, Utena, weren't popular back then when they were being released, in fact were comercial failures, but over time became considered masterpiece by every one...
We can still see this today, a great show like Shouwa Rakugo, that is often overlooked by everyone, even by the "anime elitists", will eventually considered a classic, and people will appreciate more in 5-7 years than now. But no one gives a shit now.
Also on the topic of Late Night anime, I was under the impression that nearly ALL anime were late night anime with the exception of some shounen anime, like you'll be able to tell if they're on a night slot or day slot by if they have lyrics in the opening like last season's Hero Academia and Gyakuten Saiban. Is that wrong?