Anime snobs

[Lace Neil Singer]

This is something that really gets on my nerves. There are a lot of anime fans who sneer at people who like popular animes, and act as tho they're better cuz they like the obscure ones that hardly anyone has heard of.

I like Naruto. There, I said it. I find it fun to watch, I like the characters, who are well rounded with faults and flaws like real people, and it's funny in parts. I generally prefer to watch the sub, then the dub, cuz the subbed is unedited and the dub shows me things I missed while reading subs. However, a lot of anime snobs sneer at fans of the show and refuse to class it as a "proper" anime.

I like other animes too; including some that were around when a lot of these snobs, who tend to be teens, were sucking their thumbs and having their nappies changed. However, a lot of snobs just assume that anyone who likes Naruto is a total anime philistine and therefore not worth talking to.

[tabbyblack13]

I don't consider myself a snob but I do have my likes and dislikes. I love anime but personally can't stand Naruto. I grew up with Dragonball Z and can no longer stand the chi fighting style. I have seen these people and been around them. They are fools if they think that because of the shows they watch makes them a special little snowflake. They want to believe that they are special when they are like everyone else. As for the obscure anime, these usually are this way for a reason. A small audience due to the genre is one of many reasons. If an anime that these snobs like becomes popular they will either say "I told you so" or start insulting the show.

I watch a verity of anime from Hellsing, Ghost in the Shell, Blue Seed, and ect. When a new anime comes on I try to give it a chance. I can only watch what I like and if I don't like it from the beginning I won't bother with it.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Ghost In The Shell rules; I sadly had my video borrowed and not returned a while ago, and haven't been able to replace it. -.-

I understand someone disliking an anime for the reasons you gave; it's just the people who stand there sneering at the anime just cuz it's popular; and you're dead on the money as far as the obscure ones go. I've watched one or two, just to see what all the fuss is about and they're nothing special.

I've watched bits and pieces from Hellsing and I like it; Elfen Lied I love; Inuyasha gets on my nerves cuz it's packed with filler. -.- I know that Naruto has some filler, but at least the filler episodes are mostly watchable.

Slightly going off on a tangent, I also dislike people who think they're special just cuz they read the manga. Not everyone has access to manga; where I live, there's not anywhere to buy it save at this one shop, and that shop only does certain mangas. In any case, I don't have the time or money to devote to buying manga; I will read it if I'm linked to online mangas but I prefer to watch anime cuz to me, it just flows better.

[anakhouri]

I have no problem with people watching whatever they like. Teenagers especially may not have access to a wide variety of anime and manga and are stuck with what is available on the Cartoon Network and online; stuff like Naruto and Bleach. I don't particularly like either but if it's something you enjoy, go for it.

I stick with more mature stuff myself- obviously I'm a huge fan of the Ghost in the Shell universe. ^_^

I disagree about obscure anime though. There are some truly great anime series that just fly under the radar . Kino's Journey...Mushishi...Monster...all divine recent series that few people watch. There are no hot chicks or mecha or sword fights, so most anime fans aren't interested in them. Wait, I guess that sounded snobbish. I mean the main demographic of anime fans in America are teens (there are adult fans too- I'm 30- but the majority of fans I have seen are teenagers) and they aren't interested in quiet series like Mushishi.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'm not bothered about whether it's obscure or not; if it's good, has an interesting storyline and characters you can care a damn about, then it passes. Same goes for books, movies etc. A lot of animes are based on books or movies or video games; I've heard that there's an Earthsea anime around, based on the books, which I'd like to see. Howl's Moving Castle was based on a book too, I think, tho I haven't read the book, only seen the anime.

Interestingly, I've seen the movie of Death Note but haven't gotten round to viewing the anime. I disagree with your statement that you can't find anything save Bleach and Naruto online; it's all there, if you know where to look. One of my fave animes is Streetfighter; I found that online, in parts. You can also buy videos of anime in places very cheaply.

I guess my point is, that there is no point in attacking someone for their likes and dislikes. I've just found far more snobbish behaviour among the anime community than in any other genre, which is just irritating to me. Hell, I even had a thirteen year old Avatar fan tell me that Naruto wasn't a real anime; the irony! XD

[Sylvia727]

The book of Howl's Moving Castle is nothing like the anime. In the book, there is no war, there is no war (it's important enough to say twice), there is no steampunk, Howl's curse is not transforming into a giant bird monster, all of the characters are fleshed out with actual personalties, Sophie's family members (both sisters) play pivotal roles in the plot, Michael is about 16 instead of about 10, the bad guy of the movie is the good guy of the book and vice versa...I could rant for a very long time. Basically, the anime chopped the character list in half and ignored the breaking-the-curses plot in favor of a new war plot.

I read the book first, and was ecstatic to hear there would be a movie, but I really think of them as two different stories that happen to have some characters with the same names. Besides giving me visuals for the book, the only two things I think the anime did better than the book was expressing Calcifer's personality (I'm really a powerful fire demon! Rar!) and the way Sophie's curse changes with how old she's feeling at the moment, which really ties into the book's plot well. I reread the book hoping to use "changing age" as an alternative interpretation, but the text doesn't directly support it very well. If anyone intends to read the book second, I warn you the book moves more slowly and doesn't have any bombs at all. I still like it better though.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I still want to read it. XD The Earthsea anime doesn't follow the books very closely, or so I've heard; the premis is much the same, but it's basically a new story with elements from the books.

I love Calcifer; he's easily my favourite character.

[anakhouri]

As a huge LeGuin fan, I thought the Earthsea movie was wretched. It combines The Farthest Shore and Tehanu, but not well, and I thought it made little sense as a standalone movie either.

Just my opinion though. It's the first Ghibli movie I ever hated.

I haven't read Howl's Moving Castle but I did like the film.

[Sylvia727]

The Earthsea anime cannot be worse than the Earthsea miniseries. If it is, my soul will be crushed. I got about sixty seconds into the miniseries- I turned it off after 1) the characters were white 2) Sparrowhawk was addressed as "Ged" and 3) their first conversation was a clumsy info-dump on the nature of magic. Three strikes and my brain is out. LeGuin critisized the miniseries heavily, especially how they changed all of the characters from blacks to whites. I haven't seen the anime but I hope it's at least a tiny bit better.

[anakhouri]

In the anime, all the characters are also white. Ged has a slightly darker skin tone than everyone else though.

It's not worse than the Sci Fi Channel (sorry...SYFY Channel) travesty, but it's not much better either.

I taped the miniseries and fast forwarded through most of it, only giving up completely when I saw that the Undertomb was INCREDIBLY WELL-LIT.

[Slytovhand]

Firstly - THANKS!!!! for informing me Earthsea had been brought out of the books! I loved that series! (all 5 of them... although the filler #4 was a little meh). Oh, and in searching for this, I found that it was also a mini-series brought out a few years ago (that'd be the 'movie' I presume...). So far, I like it!! (other than the bad CGI on the city/castle flyover shots)

Secondly, I'm going to be a bit snobbish (apparently). 'Popular' often means 'trite' these days. Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's actually any good. And the obscure is often better because it is more...'meaningful' (or crap )

[Lace Neil Singer]

Warning; the following will show me to be a complete geek. XD

1) the characters were white

Argh. Just, argh. Only the Kargs are described as being white; they are white with blonde hair. The other people, including Sparrowhawk, have dark skins; Vetch is described as black, if I'm remembering correctly. There are no white major characters, cept for Tenar. Jeez.

2) Sparrowhawk was addressed as "Ged"

*screams for about half an hour* Didn't these people you know, READ the fucking books?! The premis is that people don't give out their true name; they have a "use name" which they use. Only Tenar and Lebannen go by their real names, at least in the last book anyway; and both of them have use names too. Sparrowhawk never is addressed by Ged, save by those who know his real name; everyone else calls him Sparrowhawk.

I taped the miniseries and fast forwarded through most of it, only giving up completely when I saw that the Undertomb was INCREDIBLY WELL-LIT.

For fuck's sake. -.- It's dark. Tenar finds her way around by touch and memory, for the love of fucking CHEESE. No-one ever uses a light in the Undertomb, which was why Tenar was so shocked to see one there when Sparrowhawk went there to steal the half of the ring.


OK, went a bit off topic there; anyways, I posted that rant after being bitched at by teens for daring to have a Naruto-themed Gaia signature; it's of Gaara actually, due to my having a similar temperament cept for the random killings of course. (or is it? ) One was an Avatar fan; Avatar is far more obviously not a "real" anime cuz it was made in America, not in Japan; however, I would not dream of bitching at people who like it. Each to their own; their enjoyment of it doesn't affect me in any way.

I tend to point and laugh at a lot of Naruto fans too; especially all the crazed Sasuke fangirls. XD They make me laugh; especially if you put the words "Sasuke" and "gay" together. Honestly, the guy turned down two hot babes to run off after a Michael Jackson lookalike. What does that say to you?

[Slytovhand]

Vetch is described as black

When I first saw him, I thought he looked like Jack Black.. does that count??

Now.. the Sparrowhawk bit. Remember, I read these about a decade or so ago, so memory is a bit fuzzy on this bit. I thought Sparrowhawk was his 'use' name, and Ged was his True Name. But that could easily be mixing them up. I thought I also recall him using his True name extensively in the last couple of books, because he had defeated the Gebbeth, and thus his 'true name' was no longer accurate or true for him... or that no-one could claim power over him because of his dealing with the shadow side of himself...??? Lace?

Oh, and most don't really know their truename. It takes a wizard to find it out for you (IIRC).

So far, although I don't remember everything clearly, I am liking what I've seen. And I can deal with minor alterations that don't do a lot of change for the plot. (although... Roke got raided and the archmage killed???? I don't recall that bit!)

[Sylvia727]

You're right, Slyt, Sparrowhawk is his usename and Ged is his truename. The miniseries got that horribly, horribly wrong, along with everything else in the plot. Though to me, the most horrible and irredeemable mistake was making all of the characters white (exept for Tenar, who is white in the books and Asian in the miniseries). LeGuin deliberately wrote most of the protagonists to be nonwhite since nonwhites were so scarce in the genre (getting a little better now). It was a conscious choice both in terms of the internal geography and the real world politics. Apparently, Earthsea had a huge impact on nonwhite fantasy fans of the time, since it was one of few or the only fantasy novel to cast someone of their race as a protagonist. For the miniseries to screw that up so dramatically...

From LeGuin.

[Lace Neil Singer]

In the book, the archmage Nemmerele (spelling is off, but I can't be bothered to look it up right now) died after saving Sparrowhawk from the shadow, when he summoned it by mistake; he was actually summoning Elfarren, but the shadow came too. O.o The archmage Gensher died of old age, and Sparrowhawk was the next archmage. No mention whatsoever of Roke being raided.

Slyt, the shadow wasn't a Gebbeth all the time; only when it was persuing Sparrowhawk in the body of Skiorh when he ended up at the court of the Terranon. It was a shadow beast thing most of the time, with claws. O.o It clawed Sparrowhawk accross his face and he kept the scars for ever after.