Spotlight Anime: Mirai Shounen Conan MAL Anime Information Page: Mirai Shounen Conan MAL Score - 8.16 (4516 users) Ranked - #343 Popularity - #2251 Please approach this thread as a critical review of the work in question. Avoid fallacious arguments to the best of your ability while taking these criteria into account. Story: Characters: Art / Animation: Sound / Music design: Other production elements. If you are having trouble writing up a review or coming up with specific pro's and cons, please don't worry. Just do the best you can with it and if you can only write two or three sentences about any of the 4 elements then that's OK. Not everyone here is currently at a level which will allow them to articulate their thoughts and opinions completely. After your initial post is made you can feel free to civilly discuss issues of contention. Everyone has the right to their opinion, please try to be respectful to each others views and formulate constructive arguments in response to the work being spotlighted. RESULTS OF THE YOU DECIDE POLL (19/09/2015) Mirai Shonen Conan was NOT inducted into the club Anime list: 42% - Yes: 5 - No: 7 - I haven't watched this anime: 66 ~ Abstained: 3 |
LindleNov 7, 2015 1:22 PM
Current FAL Ranking + Previous best::  [ |
| well, the art's gorgeous despite being simple and for a show that seems to be aimed at children, it's fairly interesting. obviously a hugely influential show. that being said, I would have a hard time rating above a 6 or a 7 because although certain aspects are done very well (especially the art and the animation), it holds little appeal in the other categories unless you're a child yourself. the main characters are both extremely simplistic and crazy static in that there's virtually no development here the entire time. the villains experience some development, in the classic Grinch-style "the main characters' compassion and desire to save the earth made my heart grow 3 sizes." there is SOME development here. just nothing complex and nothing particularly interesting, the plot itself is rudimentary, although for a children's show it's fairly interesting. the themes are recurrent in Japanese manga and anime, specifically environmental destruction brought about by selfishness/technology, but again, the examination of these themes is fairly basic overall it's incredibly well done for a children's show and improving on the aspects that make me dislike it would risk ruining the appeal to children. |
Mayuka said: did you call holier than thou bitch right here last.fm |
| @Truisms: I agree with what you said, mostly... I'm also a fan of the art & animation, and I would agree the plot is fairly simple. However, I would argue that the characters are probably my favorite aspect of the show. You're right that they don't show much development, and are kind of static, but I also feel like every story doesn't have to be a coming of age tale, and I feel like this is a great example of characters that are done well without having much of any development throughout the show. The characters here have just enough depth to be interesting while still being uncomplex enough to retain that simplistic feel, and I feel that's what makes so many of them classic and memorable to me, and an absolute joy to watch on screen. The plot, while I still think it's good, is perhaps the weakest part of the show for me. It's paced somewhat slowly, and hangs it's hat on it's thematic elements, which are pretty basic, and at this point have all been overused. However, I still think the story goes some interesting places and there are definitely some great moments, both heartwarming and heartbreaking. On top of that, the story provides us with this grand adventure (which is perhaps my favorite kind of tale), with a lot of large "set-piece" kind of moments. This makes the show really fun to watch, and it builds up to these moments with interesting and dynamic character interaction... forming a nice contrast between the high adventure and the more laid-back moments. The ending also doesn't disappoint, and is perhaps the best part of the show for me. Overall, while going through it, I started at a 7, bumped it up fairly early, and had it sitting around an 8... until the last few episodes when I bumped my score up to a 9, as the final act was just... really, really well done. This will be a definite "Yes" vote for me. |
vigorousjammerSep 6, 2015 5:05 PM
::End of Transmission:: What have I been watching? Click here and find out on my viewing blog, "Vigorous Viewing" |
| It's the kind of anime I watched as a child in rented VHS tapes. I don't remember it anymore, but I'm not keen on rewatching it. Therefore, I'll abstain. |
 Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
| If it was aimed at kids and I hated it when I was a child, what does that make it? |
| @vigorousjammer suppose it's just a difference of opinion then. personally, if I'm dealing with static characters, I prefer there to at least be complexity in their motivations and traits, etc. I understand why with this anime and target demographic that isn't possible, but I have a hard time calling characters this simple strong when there's no development. |
Mayuka said: did you call holier than thou bitch right here last.fm |
truisms said: @vigorousjammer suppose it's just a difference of opinion then. personally, if I'm dealing with static characters, I prefer there to at least be complexity in their motivations and traits, etc. I understand why with this anime and target demographic that isn't possible, but I have a hard time calling characters this simple strong when there's no development. I mean, I'm sure a lot of it is simply just my own taste, for sure... Perhaps I just really like the type of characters they had here... However, even though I like it when characters have development, that's only really because normally, the characters that don't have development usually end up feeling boring and stale, and a chore to watch on screen. That is far from the case with the characters in Future Boy Conan, and I think a lot of it has to do with the strong writing. All of the characters are written with such flare and vibrancy, yet, the writers and the voice actors still managed to keep the characters grounded, never letting them get too much over-the-top, while still giving them all interesting personalities that simultaneously feel cartoony & realistic. I think that contrast may partially be what kept me infatuated with them throughout the series, despite the simplicity of their motivations and goals. In some respects, I feel like developing characters by giving them an arc can sometimes be a bit of an easy way out. Giving an otherwise uninteresting character an arc over the course of a story where they change or grow as a person can bolster them somewhat, but if they were uninteresting to begin with, I feel like it's not that interesting in the end. I see this far too often in many anime; where they substitute interesting character traits for an interesting character arc. I think that may be the important difference in our opinion. None of the characters in Future Boy Conan have much of an interesting arc, but almost all of them have interesting traits... and I think that's more important than an arc in some respects. Sure, both are important, and the absolute best characters will have both interesting traits and an interesting arc... However, it's my personal opinion that if I had to choose just one or the other, having interesting character traits on their own is much better than an interesting character arc on it's own. To me, a character arc is like whip cream. By itself it's okay, but nothing special... yet, you can put it on just about anything and make it taste a little better. Still, it only truly shines when you put it on something that already tastes great, like a slice of pie. However, that slice of pie still tastes incredible without whip cream... the whip cream just gives it a little something extra. |
vigorousjammerSep 14, 2015 6:31 PM
::End of Transmission:: What have I been watching? Click here and find out on my viewing blog, "Vigorous Viewing" |
vigorousjammer said: I think that may be the important difference in our opinion. None of the characters in Future Boy Conan have much of an interesting arc, but almost all of them have interesting traits... and I think that's more important than an arc in some respects. Sure, both are important, and the absolute best characters will have both interesting traits and an interesting arc... However, it's my personal opinion that if I had to choose just one or the other, having interesting character traits on their own is much better than an interesting character arc on it's own. I think the important difference in our opinions the statement that almost all of them have interesting traits. Again, I'm fine with a series lacking a character arc for main characters. Just don't find the characters interesting or with any depth whatsoever, even for anime. |
Mayuka said: did you call holier than thou bitch right here last.fm |
| I remember having it watched when I was a kid, but I can only remember part of it. Therefore I'll "abstain". |
 |
| I'll throw my two cents in here: Characters may be relatively simplistic, but they have defined roles and characteristics that either make them endearing or vilifying - sympathetic characters I react to who serve a purpose in the narrative, logically written switches in motivation and the developing relationships (in either direction) between characters are never uninteresting. The main villain is, without a question, one dimensional, though. It's a charming adventure (it reminds me of watching early Dragonball when I was younger in that sense) - embarking on a journey full of fun and laughs with breaks of seriousness with believable perils of danger, the exploration of the world after the apocalypse (environmentalism message isn't exactly subtle, but it's not too much of a problem here), what it means to live in this time of decay and embracing it, and it's great visually speaking - fluid animation, expressive in the way it helps you empathize more with the characters (even in its exaggeration) and how it conveys personality through character action, Miyazaki knows how to make action scenes very exciting, and so on. I'm positive it's one of best from the 70s despite the limited exposure to that era. I like it. |
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