metaldiscussor666 wrote:
Emotionally, I don't feel very positively about the show. It's probably been a considerable amount of time since I finished the series (maybe a year ago.) Perhaps my recollection of the series is vague. I'm going by what my gut tells me. I can articulate some, how I feel about the show, and what I actually remember:
The main character, Lelouch, is a super intelligent lead character. First, that's one of my disconcersions with this show. I don't think that having an intelligent lead character makes the series intelligent. I feel allusions of intelligence through complicated plot twists and plain, yet intelligent characters. The characters feel impersonal. As if i'm supposed to relate with this super genius, Lelouch. Sometimes I think the characters are absolutely retarded. How can Suzaku be so righteous, yet lack so much empathy for Lelouch, to the point of being homicidal towards him?
Lelouch's destiny seems to unfold right under his feet. He happens to fall into a truck. Then he gets chosen by a random space chick to be the chosen one. Then random space chick takes a bullet for him. Then Lelouch becomes the harbinger of truth and Justice. It all just feels really inconspicuous to me. I'm not against fictional stories. I get that if there's no conflict of any kind, it doesn't it doesn't lead up to any event, and that doesn't make much of a story at all. However, the series seemed to try to be compelling through a craaaaaaazy plot. That's what I meant by allusions of intelligence. It's like the series is bluffing it's own complicatedness; it tries to lure me into thinking, "oh man, all this crazy stuff happening. In my mind I feel so compelled by this series. Oh hell, this is so awesome."
There's reasons I can't get behind this whole anime thing.
Again, I get the impression that you feel you're supposed to like it be to an anime fan, and that certainly isn't true. I admit that I was a pretty big fan after the first season, but by the time I finished the second season, I was pretty weary of it all. Code Geass is a series that's VERY anime, if that makes sense. They tend to check off quite a few cliches as the series goes on. I can't help but wonder if Sunrise Studios didn't just look at Death Note and go "Hey, that's pretty cool. What if we did that, but put all of the Gundam stuff we're already good at and make a blockbuster!" Remember, in Japan, Code Geass was sponsored by Pizza Hut (which is why CC is always eating pizza). The big thing they tried to do to keep people coming back was having so many plot twists that threw the story all over the place. Sort of like Lost (which I haven't seen, but it became a water-cooler kind of show that everyone talked about).
metaldiscussor666 wrote:
People have told me before; it's just like any other hobby, you have to try different stuff to see what you like. How many more animes do I have to watch before I am an anime fan? It may not be fair that I justify my general lack of feelings for Anime through generalizations. My perspective is admittedly narrow. However, my perspective is all I have. That's the nature of opinions. I can't for the life of me figure out what's so special about this Anime or Anime in general. However, I suppose it would be like if I tried to generalize metal music. I can't generalize something without seeming conceited.
Anime is not like music. I assume metal music, at the very least, is something we all have in common. There's so many albums available, there's enough variety to make my head spin. Anime is not like music. Where is the desire to re experience Anime over and over again? I want to imburse my mind into things, and stuff. What will it take to become a fan of anime?
There's nothing wrong with opinions. The problem is (as best as I figure) you think there is only one way to get into anime and there isn't. Whenever people ask for suggestions, there isn't any set of anime series that EVERY can enjoy. It's better to see what they already like (fantasy, drama, history, etc), and go from there. Looking back through the thread, I see that you're a fan of the new My Little Pony, and because of that, I can see why you didn't like Code Geass (it takes itself WAY TOO SERIOUSLY) but why you DID like Gurren Lagann (which was over-the-top, but knew it and went with it anyway). It makes me want to suggest things like Card Captor Sakura or Fruits Basket, not just because they're "girlier," but because they don't take themselves so seriously. They're just telling a fun, cute story.
I would argue that anime is very much like music (I mean, come on; Gurren Lagann is the Manowar of anime, admit it). The thing is music is VERY broad, everything from metal to trance to jazz to classical to folk and everything in between. Think of Code Geass as something like U2: popular, capable, but kind of has its head stuck up its own ass. Dragon Ball Z is Styx, Cowboy Bebop is Led Zeppelin, and Naruto is Nickelback (I'm just coming up with these off the top of my head; if you think there are better associations, post your own). The point is that there is enough diversity that it's impossible to like everything; go look at stuff like Panty and Stocking or House of the Five Leaves. Because of this, there are facets of anime fandom that don't agree with each other. The mecha fans don't like the moe/slice-of-life stuff because of its silly, pointless stories, the moe fans don't like mecha because its so artificial and stoic, and the animation snobs dismiss them both for being shallow and meaningless. (Metal vs. Punk vs. Prog, anyone?)
Essentially, anime is like any other hobby. But, like any hobby, not everyone will like it. There are plenty of hobbies I don't care for that are loved by other people (hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, etc.). I agree with Marag (and I've said as much before) that if you watch anime, like some of it, and want to watch more of it, you're an anime fan (just like how listening to metal, liking some of it, and wanting to listen to more makes you a metalhead). I think the thing that makes me come back to anime is that it is so unique compared to animation from the rest of the world. Growing up in the US, I got used to the idea that a cartoon was either Looney Tunes, Batman, or South Park, so the idea that animation could tell long, epic stories (like Gundam and Gurren Lagann) blew my mind, and I couldn't get enough, and stuff like this only comes from Japan. Anime also is much bolder than any other animation, willing to be more fantastical, edgey, experimental, and ridiculous, all while appealing to a mainstream audience (most of this is possible because of the MASSIVE manga/comics culture Japan has, which is even MORE bold).
However, every anime fan's reason for coming back for more is different. Maybe they just want more straight-forward, light-on-plot action. Maybe they just want another set of cute girls that "accidentally" flash their panties. Maybe they just want to see animation be capable of great human drama. Maybe they just want to see how far it can push the imagination. The trick is to figure out why YOU like anime (or even animation in general), and then use your conclusions to find more to watch, continually adjusting it over time. Sometimes, you're going to watch a show that you just don't like (for me, I despise Final Fantasy Unlimited and InuYasha). Understand why you don't like it, revise your theories, and try something else. The reason why I'm so confident in my anime fandom and I know what I like and why I like it is because I've just seen that much of it (I've seen over 3500 episodes and 60 movies, and that's pretty small compared to others). That may seem intimidating, so is heavy metal to someone who's just getting into it (I've only been listening for about six years, and I haven't gotten to that much Priest or Maiden yet.)
Sorry for the walls of text, but in the end, my intention is to say "Don't freak out! Be patient, especially with yourself." If you aren't sure about a series, do some research. There's a wikipedia page for every anime series we've recommended or discussed in this thread. The Anime News Network and AniDB.net have encyclopedias for looking up series as well (thought they aren't quite as robust as the Metal Archives here). You also might want to look at sites like My Anime List and Anime Planet, as they're more geared towards providing anime recommendations. It's all out there, you just have be willing to dig into it.