| For starters, it hasn't developed nearly as big a legacy as other famous anime before it (ie. Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Gurren Lagann, etc.). It's also made with more of an otaku crowd in mind and doesn't seem to have quite as much mainstream appeal with a general western audience. I know a lot of people here would call themselves "otaku", but even then, all those shows I mentioned earlier are hugely iconic anime and are often considered mandatory viewing for anime fans. Some of them are even popular, or at least well-known, with people who wouldn't consider themselves big fans of anime. I'm not ragging on the quality of the show itself. I just find it unusual/fascinating that it manages to be so popular on MAL when it doesn't have the big reputation of classics like Bebop and TTGL. Even Naruto has less followers here, and that show is a huge cash cow! |
Nei-sanJul 18, 2016 11:18 PM
| It's because this site is used mainly by anime fans rather than casual fans. If you look on IMDB you'll notice that DBZ has far more voters than Angel Beats!. |
  |
Nei-san said: For starters, it hasn't developed nearly as big a legacy as other famous anime before it (ie. Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Gurren Lagann, etc.). Clearly this supposed cohort of 'famous legacy anime' aren't the most popular on MAL: 1. Death Note 2. Sword Art Online 3. Attack on Titan 4. FMA Brotherhood 5. Code Geass 6. Angel Beats 7. Naruto etc. It's also made with more of an otaku crowd in mind and doesn't seem to have quite as much mainstream appeal with a general western audience. "General western audience". Largely, I don't think the wider online anime streaming community exactly fits that label and its connotations. I'd also hesitate to call it an otaku show - within MAL's forums, that word tends to denote the Japanese otaku rather than the self-proclaimed western fan 'otaku'.I know a lot of people here would call themselves "otaku", but even then, all those shows I mentioned earlier are hugely iconic anime and are often considered mandatory viewing for anime fans. Some of them are even popular, or at least well-known, with people who wouldn't consider themselves big fans of anime. Fame and familiarity doesn't ensure a contemporary viewership. MAL's userbase is predisposed towards titles of the digital age onwards, probably because both the users and the website itself came to the medium in that time. I'm not ragging on the quality of the show itself. I just find it unusual/fascinating that it manages to be so popular on MAL when it doesn't have the big reputation of classics like Bebop and TTGL. Even Naruto has less followers here, and that show is a huge cash cow! You're singling out Angel Beats, but what about Toradora, (12), Mirai Nikki (9), Soul Eater (15), and most of the aforementioned 1-7? None of these are particularly 'western' familiar classics of the Toonami era either.Quite simply, the anime community (represented by MAL) is largely different/has moved on from those titles and that time. The most popular list indicates raw popularity - what's seen the most. Word of mouth and community interest/accessibility will always have a larger contemporary viewership than titles that can only boast a 'classic' standard. |
CkanJul 18, 2016 11:56 PM
zombie_pegasus said: It's because this site is used mainly by anime fans rather than casual fans. If you look on IMDB you'll notice that DBZ has far more voters than Angel Beats!. True. Still, you'd think there’d be more ‘hardcore’ anime fans here who’ve at least seen TTGL or even Cowboy Bebop. Ckan said: Nei-san said: For starters, it hasn't developed nearly as big a legacy as other famous anime before it (ie. Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Gurren Lagann, etc.). Clearly this supposed cohort of 'famous legacy anime' aren't the most popular on MAL: 1. Death Note 2. Sword Art Online 3. Attack on Titan 4. FMA Brotherhood 5. Code Geass 6. Angel Beats 7. Naruto etc. Ckan said: Nei-san said: It's also made with more of an otaku crowd in mind and doesn't seem to have quite as much mainstream appeal with a general western audience. "General western audience". Largely, I don't think the wider online anime streaming community exactly fits that label and its connotations. I'd also hesitate to call it an otaku show - within MAL's forums, that word tends to denote the Japanese otaku rather than the self-proclaimed western fan 'otaku'. MAL is an American-created site, and a large portion of the user base is from the western world. #1-5 have all had the luxury of airing on cable TV here in the States. Angel Beats has only ever aired on Japanese TV. I know Internet streaming can and does play a major role in bring anime recognition in this day and age, but regular cable TV is still far from dead. Also, Code Geass aired on Adult Swim even before streaming became so commonplace, yet it's still ranked higher than AB. I'm also well-aware that there’re cultural differences between the Japanese and western otaku base. I was referring to "otaku crowd" in the Japanese sense, and with that said, AB doesn't strike me as the kind of show I see a casual American anime watcher going for. I should've been a little more clear on that... Ckan said: Nei-san said: I know a lot of people here would call themselves "otaku", but even then, all those shows I mentioned earlier are hugely iconic anime and are often considered mandatory viewing for anime fans. Some of them are even popular, or at least well-known, with people who wouldn't consider themselves big fans of anime. Fame and familiarity doesn't ensure a contemporary viewership. MAL's userbase is predisposed towards titles of the digital age onwards, probably because both the users and the website itself came to the medium in that time. I'm not ragging on the quality of the show itself. I just find it unusual/fascinating that it manages to be so popular on MAL when it doesn't have the big reputation of classics like Bebop and TTGL. Even Naruto has less followers here, and that show is a huge cash cow! You're singling out Angel Beats, but what about Toradora, (12), Mirai Nikki (9), Soul Eater (15), and most of the aforementioned 1-7? None of these are particularly 'western' familiar classics of the Toonami era either.Quite simply, the anime community (represented by MAL) is largely different/has moved on from those titles and that time. The most popular list indicates raw popularity - what's seen the most. Word of mouth and community interest/accessibility will always have a larger contemporary viewership than titles that can only boast a 'classic' standard. Angel Beats first aired when Internet streaming was becoming a regular thing, so of course it would garner a lot attention. I totally get that. Even so, some of the shows I mentioned (Eva, Bebop, etc.) have made a large impact on the anime industry/fandom not just in Japan but in the West. They still get a lot of praise, and people are still talking about them well after they first aired. Same goes for a lot of iconic American films. Decades-old movies like Citizen Kane, the original Star Wars, and Jaws are still watched and heralded as classics even today. Angel Beats, meanwhile, doesn't seem to have had the same kind of lasting impact as those shows I mentioned before, and I don't see it discussed nearly as much when compared to them. Its popularity just feels a bit disproportionate to me, I dunno. Then again, Avatar is the second-highest grossing film of all time, and it kinda faded from public consciousness a year or two after it first premiered. I guess the whole point of this discussion is that popularity=/=equal legacy, eh? And yeah, you could throw some of those shows like Toradora/Mirai Nikki into the pile too. At least Soul Eater got to air on Toonami, though... |
Nei-sanJul 19, 2016 2:44 AM
| Since when TTGL is a classic? |
 |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Angel Beats! Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )ShibuyaRiver - Jun 25, 2010 |
1752 |
by jilebi_james23
»»
Apr 23, 10:54 AM |
|
Poll: » Angel Beats! Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )ShibuyaRiver - Jun 4, 2010 |
662 |
by jilebi_james23
»»
Apr 22, 2:41 PM |
|
Poll: » Angel Beats! Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )ShibuyaRiver - May 28, 2010 |
565 |
by jilebi_james23
»»
Apr 22, 2:13 PM |
|
Poll: » Angel Beats! Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )ShibuyaRiver - May 21, 2010 |
388 |
by jilebi_james23
»»
Apr 22, 1:44 PM |
|
Poll: » Angel Beats! Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )game8910 - May 14, 2010 |
538 |
by jilebi_james23
»»
Apr 22, 9:16 AM |