What makes a good anime and what makes a bad one

[mercenary]

In my last discussion, I focused on what we tought was tired out and old. This time, let's focus on what we think makes a good anime and what makes a bad one. I think this could help us make better constructed comics and storylines. So I ask you, what makes a good anime or western and what makes a bad one? There's a lot ideas out there, so lets hear'em.

[mercenary]

Sorry, too post again, but cite some shows that helped you arrived at that conclusion. I feel that would help some of us in our studies.

[Aires]

theres the edit button at the end of your post you can use

the story and the characters are what makes a good animation,

trigun, kenshin, naruto? Blue sub, Last Exile.

Decent stories, strong characters

[Azmodeus]

Mystery and suspense in the plot that makes us watch the next episode for find out whats really gonna go down for the main character.

Action scense that are creative. Well played out and not to much of "Hey where'd you get that bazooka from!" crap. A little is okay, not a bunch

Tigun, Berserk and definitely Naruto

Drama. A well developed character concept, one that makes the audience understand where they are coming from. Or that has the audience liking them so much they start to feel thier pain.

Evangelion, Naruto, maybe Escaflowne

We western folk like guns, violence, and talking teenage turtles that kick major ninja ass every where they go. Even if the remake show screwed thier storyline over.

Outlaw Star and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/TMNT

. . . so there

[Naota]

This is a broad topic, so this is just in general:

Good anime:
1. Characters that can be easily related to
2. Interesting theme (yeah, futuristic computer ran world kinda gets old)
3. Complex, intruiging, yet simple intruiging storyline

Bad anime:
1. Card battle theme
2. Un-needed catch phrases (Pikachu, I chose you!)
3. Demon this, underworld that
4. Yes, there is such thing as too much gore and sexual humor
5. Too much talking and emotions, not as much conflict and action

[The Bran Eating Zombie]

The same thing that makes any story shitty.

But also shitty artists and low budget animation.

[Robosockmonkey]

The Bran Eating Zombie said it. To me if you have the best, most well planned out story, and the animation is horrible then I cannot watch it. However, great animation can boost a horrible story up to a okay one (maybe not the best, but okay).

[mercenary]

A story, where the characters make progress and overcomes obstacles, makes a story more interesting. Instead repeating themselves over and over again.
A story needs something to keep the audience on the edge of there sets, that will have a huge impact on something that's important. Using stuff like a stand-off, conservations, and emotional difficulties shouldn't be used to keep a story held together.

[Hiltz]

The GOOD

- Originality

Apply this to stories and it's characters as much as possible. Viewers are even more interested in watching something they have not yet had the chance to experience. However, this doesn't guarentee that a series with alot of originality will be a good series.

Example: Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex. There's a huge amount of originality to it. The concept is so great that it's originality alone is what makes Ghost in the Shell even more enjoyable than the cast of main characters.

- Interesting Characters

Any character that has a sense of realism to their personality,attitude, and motive towards everything.

Example:Vash the Stampede from Trigun. He's a superior being and legendary gunman. Despite all of that he is a flawed character. He's protective, naive,sensative generous,funny,nice,and a hypocrite.

He chooses to be this way because he believes that there must be a way to save everyone from harm without resorting to killing. Because of Vash's way of thinking and motives he puts himself into much more radically dangerous and life-risking situations.

Plot Twists

I for one liked to be surpised when watching any type of series that has you thinking something is about to happen and didn't come out the way you thought it would have.

Example:Cowboy Bebop. One of the biggest plot twists I've personally ever seen was the ending to Cowboy Bebop. I wasn't surprised, I was utterly shocked. To make the plot twist even better this series did it in style and in music that helped make one of the most single memorable scenes you'll always remember or should remember from any anime series.

THE BAD

- Uninteresting characters

A flawless character that seems too much like an unrealist goody two shoes. Characters that seem to be perfect at everything they say and do.

Example: Haru Glory from Rave Master. Everything from his personality to his motives and attitude towards life come off as unselfish and highly unrealistic. Put simply, he is an extremly boring character because there isn't anything interesting about the way he thinks or does things, he's the dreaded heroic stereotype.

- The Katana

I don't know about you but I'm sick of seeing so many characters that use a katana sword. Even worse are characters that swing swords like a pathetic amateur that lacks swordsman skills. I have respect for the japanese samurai but I hate watching foolish characters think they are and pardon my french, hot shit for using a katana weapon. Characters need to expand on the weapons they use instead of resorting to the standard katana despite how cool it is.

Example: Bear Walken from Gungrave:Beyond The Grave. He's an African American mobster using a sword that thinks he is a skilled Japanese samurai in a modern world . He's like one of the a perfect example of an out-of-place character. Personally, I love Bear Walken's character for who he is but he really has got to lose the sword and pick up a gun.

- Predicable plot twists

It's one thing entirely to have a plot twist in a story but it doesn't do it any justice to the plot twist/plot twists if theyare too predictable. That isn't how you surprise viewers it is how you disappoint them.

Example: Arc the Lad. One of the most predictable and dull anime series I've ever seen. Every plot twist they threw at you was as if they were trying to do it by the book and it was typical and it was boring and it was disappointing. I've only seen this series because it aired on The Anime Network * FREE Video on Demand* and it sure was a waste of my time.


- Repetitive Fighting/Storyline

Example: Inuyasha. It's been well over 80 episodes of Inuyasha the anime series and you can expect nothing but repetitive demon slaying over and over again. The story plot basically died around episode 50 or purpose even earlier than that when they still have made little progress in their mission to seek revenge against Naraku.

Want an even worse repetitive fighting/storyplot series?

Dragon Ball Z/Gt/Gt Lost Episodes.

The lowdown of how it goes. Collect dragon balls, fight a main super villain, save Earth. It's almost as if GT used the idea of going into outer space to collect dragonballs as a way to coincidentlly fight new and horribly overpowered and stupid super villains. The only good thing about DBZ/GT is that it actually has an ending to the series.

Bottom line: Anything that is extremely repetitive is boring.

[gmpilot]

music ALL THE WAY. You can always tell a good movie by the music...and a good anime by the music.

[chain2treechick]

and hiltz's done it again. sigh.

music is definitely important, but not essential, just very very very good. (ie: flcl, cowboy bebop)

originality also pretty darn important (ie: (and despite its flaws) wolf's rain stands out, as does of course...well, when u think about it, bebop, trigun, flcl) darn. i'm being repetitive.

although me thinks the most important aspect of all is that u must love the main character(s). i mean just really love them and care what happens and see them as a real entity. someone too great to touch but so real that they can always be a real part of u.

[Hiltz]

Lol, may have over done it a bit.

Music? Very true.

It seems that Western animation don't seem to have as much appriciation to the opening and closing of their series as much as Japanese animatino does. :)

Music can set the mood and feeling of a scene and sometimes it can express things better than mere dialouge of a character or between characters.

True, loving the main character or loving to hate who they are.

[chain2treechick]

loving the main character or loving to hate who they are.

perfect ^-^

beautiful graphics is always a big big plus too.

has anyone read clamp's shirahime-syo? twas just too beautimus...

[Hiltz]

I agree that Low quality animation is going to degrade an anime series even if it has a good storyline. Afterall, what we are watching is a visual interpretation of animated characters performing the story's plot.

Art Style
Speaking of animation, the arty style used is important too. It should fit well with the series and it is nice to have an original and unique style. A series that has a distinquished art style helps make characters both appealing and memorable to viewers. However, that isn't to say that all characters must look attractive they can literally look like ugly sons of bitches but the art style they are done in is what should be appealing.

An important thing with an art style's success if if a viewer can look at a specific character from a series and immeditatly recognize what anime series he/she is from soley based on their character's art style and it doesn't always have to be a main character, heck even better is when it is a minor character.

Voice Acting

There are two things that viewers focus on when they are introduced to a character, their physical appearence(visual) and the sound of their voice(audio). Does the voice fit go with the character or not? If animation can be low quality than so can the sound quality of audio, in this case the character's voice.

It definetly sucks when a character looks appealing until you hear the sound of the voice. Just the sound of a character's voice can be enough to ruin the character.

Simplicity and Complexity

For the story's plot is it simple to understand or complex? Is it too simple or too complex? This can depend on the age group of target audience.

Example 1: Ninja Scroll movie. Put simply this movie follows a fairly simple story plot but that doesn't mean it sucks. Does it suck because it is so simple and easy to understand? No, because the way the presentation of how the characters and the scenes were played out in the story was entertaining and interesting to watch. Although, that doesn't mean everyone who watches it will like it.

Example 2: Ghost in the Shell:STA. Everything about this series is complex and ironically enough the word "complex" is in the title of the series". Fron the dialouge,episode plots, animation,and to characters, nothing is really simple. The show is rated for viewers of ages 16 and up because it is aimedfor a more mature audience that can have an easier time understanding the series.

Blood,Sex,Violence

The three things that many viewers like. However, as cool and likeable as watching these three are there's a point where they just became repetitive and lose their impact.

Example: Ninja Scroll movie. This movie contained blood, mild but brief sex- related scenes, and a lot of violence. Was it repetitive? A little bit. I say that because you are interested to see which interesting enemy the main character had to fight next.

[Hiltz]

Feels like we are missing some other things that have no yet been discussed. Brain is hurting :shock: