| I think this club could be very interesting and helpful. Having a list of realistic anime is a good way to start and I agree it should be the main goal of this club. However I also believe that first we should establish some rules on what anime should or shouldn't be considered realistic. For example I don't agree with Zipang being in the list and the MAL entry for Mouryou no Hako has a tag for supernatural, which should exclude this anime aswell. So, what is a realistic anime? In my opinion and in one sentence, a realistic anime is an anime which tells a story that could happen in the real world. This means the exclusion of many if not most of anime shows. Every anime with themes or plot devices based on: - Fantasy - Magic - Sci-fi - Supernatural - Superpowers Should be excluded from this type of anime. It doesn't matter how realistic is the personality of the characters or how realistic is the interaction between characters, or even how the story resonates with our own real lives. If it has unrealistic elements it can't be a realistic anime. Any thoughts about this? |
| Well, I personally had an entirely other definition of realistic in my mind. More character based. How do the characters act, how do they look like, how are they animated? How is the story told? How is the art? Are there ridiculous plot twists or not? Because my goal was to collect series of my favorite kind (and if you ask me one can easily see that Zipang, Yomigaeru Sora and Moonlight Mile are "one of a kind" just by taking a look at the art and character designs for example). And if you take the time travel in the beginning away from Zipang, it's very realistic, same for Planetes or Moonlight MIle if you leave out the (also pretty realistic) sci-fi elements. As for Mouryou no Haku, I don't remember that being really supernatural. In my interpretation it just uses asian mythology to tell a story that could as well have been told with psychic disorders instead of "demons" and it's most likely meant at least half-symbolically. I really found it to be hard to find some definite criteria for "realistic" anime". But I'm okay with that, because the club is small and the number of shows that fit are too and I can personally weigh the pros and cons for each series. The issue I have with your approach is that it would basically open the door for a lot of CRAP. School romance, ecchi, moe, harem - as long as no supernatural aspect is involved it could happen, right? Well, I find something like Zipang more realistic than 5 hot girls drooling over one wimp, or a bunch of girls doing nothing than being moe and cosplaying their whole life, etc... The point is, that there are tons of series who do not involve any of your themes that I would never put into this club's related list. As I said, I was talking less about plot devices (mild sci-fi or symbolical appearance of a supernatural tag are the limit though, I don't want any plots that are even more "unrealistic") and more about the general approach/atmosphere of the series, which one can mostly conclude from the art. I just have to take a peek at most of the shows and I immediately know what kind of show it is (mature themes, realistic approach, intelligent characters), I don't even need to know any of the plot. With my criteria all the comedies, romances, moe/slice-of-life or harem shows out there that don't have any of your plot devices still do not count as realistic - and justified so. When the art looks like in a barbie commercial, or the standard animation techniques are constantly used to support comedy by stretching faces and doing other unproportional stuff to the bodies of the characters, then even the most realistic "plot" let's the series still seem a lot less "real world" than something like Zipang or Mouryou no Haku. Bottomline: If I adopt your criteria, the club would become meaningless for me because the idea I had in the back of my mind when I created the club would be thrown out the window and substituted by something entirely contrary. I hope you can understand that :) I really appreciate it that you took your time and gave it some thoughts though! e: For example I would't include Kimi ni Todoke in it, because even though there's nothing supernatural about it, the shiny art and other elements just don't make this series "feel" like the others I've added so far (even though I loved Kimi ni Todoke). Though that is something debateable (most romance anime are, as are most sports series). So if you are not mad that I disagree on your criteria, I'd love to discuss other series individually regarding if they should be in the club or not. I'm leaving for a week on Sunday though. |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
Higashi_no_Kaze said: I hope you can understand that :) I really appreciate it that you took your time and gave it some thoughts though! Don't worry, I understand your point of view and besides my main goal was to start some talk. There's a lot I agree upon. Yes, the type of art and animation are very important, and I agree moe/harem anime are less realistic than anime like Planetes, and it shouldn't be included. Maybe I was being too radical, maybe a more comprehensive approach should be in order and a mixture of art, characters and plot should taken into consideration instead. Perhaps really the best solution is to consider each anime case-by-case. But the problem with having a case-by-case decision is that it may become a little too arbitrary. For example, I haven't seen Kimi ni Todoke yet, so I can't say anything about it but does this means you're more willing too add shows with a bit of sci-fi or even supernatural than to add slice-of-life/coming-of-age shows like Honey to Clover or Welcome to NHK? I consider these 2 anime realistic, don't you? |
| Well, I'm not sure if I would include Welcome to the NHK. Many things are exaggerated for the sake of the plot (not that I disliked it, I loved it). I would consider it, but I'm really not sure (as for Kimi ni Todoke). Honey & Clover is a good one though, adding it. After giving it some thought, I'd say we can apply your criteria to romance and slice-of-life stuff (I've added Kimi ni Todoke after all plus Nodame Cantabile). Though I still say sci-fi is okay, as long as it is trying to be as realistic as possible. On that note what do you say about Eve no Jikan being added? Have you seen it? Or Flag (a very realistic near future mecha series)? Or something like Steamboy? Or comedy like Great Teacher Onizuka or Detroit Metal City? Not unrealistic, but over the top. As for sports series I'd suggest everything without any "special moves" would qualify. what about black lagoon? no supernatural, but I'd say way over the top. or something like akagi, one outs or kaiji? Or something with an alternate world setting, but everything in there is realistic (area 88 OVA for example)? e: Sorry to overwhelm you, but I'm quite motivated and I'd like your opinions on all thsoe questionable cases up there ^^. |
AlcoholicideMar 30, 2012 8:52 PM
| I probably regret this post by now. |
Higashi_no_Kaze said: Well, I'm not sure if I would include Welcome to the NHK. Many things are exaggerated for the sake of the plot (not that I disliked it, I loved it). I would consider it, but I'm really not sure (as for Kimi ni Todoke). Honey & Clover is a good one though, adding it. What things did you find exaggerated? Satou is a hikikomori, a psicotic one, it's his imagination pulling tricks on him. Scenarios, character design, character behaviour, plot twists, it felt ok to me. Maybe the story is a bit too pack together, too many weird stuff happening just to one guy, but these things happen during a timelapse of months, and they are things that usually happen to people in the position of Satou, so... But if you don't feel it, it's ok. It would be so good to have more opinions on this matter, maybe you should keep NHK out until we get more members. After giving it some thought, I'd say we can apply your criteria to romance and slice-of-life stuff (I've added Kimi ni Todoke after all plus Nodame Cantabile). Though I still say sci-fi is okay, as long as it is trying to be as realistic as possible. Please don't feel forced to accept it, it's just that some slice-of-life seem very realistic, in my opinion. On that note what do you say about Eve no Jikan being added? Have you seen it? Or Flag (a very realistic near future mecha series)? Or something like Steamboy? I haven't seen Flag or Steamboy yet, as for Eve no Jikan I feel it a bit more farfetched than Planetes. I did like it but I wouldn't include it, it's up to you. Or comedy like Great Teacher Onizuka or Detroit Metal City? Not unrealistic, but over the top. Comedies? I don't know... I haven't seen GTO but DMC, although great, the best anime comedy I have watched, it has pretty wacko characters and situations, so no, I don't think it's realistic, I don't know if any comedy can be realistic. As for sports series I'd suggest everything without any "special moves" would qualify. Sure, but good luck in finding those. You already have Giant Killing. Maybe there's some basebol or basketball anime realistic, but sports anime isn't really my area. what about black lagoon? no supernatural, but I'd say way over the top. Another one I haven't seen but yes, I have heard it's over the top too. These action anime usually have over the top "special moves" and too many Mary Sues or Marty Stus. or something like akagi, one outs or kaiji? Kaiji is good, if Akagi or One Outs are like Kaiji then go ahead! Or something with an alternate world setting, but everything in there is realistic (area 88 OVA for example)? About that, I see you're adding a lot of anime. Aren't you afraid of clogging the Anime Relations column? Maybe you should just add one anime representing the whole franchise? e: Sorry to overwhelm you, but I'm quite motivated and I'd like your opinions on all thsoe questionable cases up there ^^. To tell you the truth, if I wasn't so anti-social and lazy I would have created this club myself :) So yeah, I like this club. |
UltimonomeMar 30, 2012 9:45 PM
| Lets see if I can contribute to the Realistic anime list. I still don't know exactly what your parameters are, I know a realistic art if that's how I can say it, with realistic proportions is something that you are looking for, and don't like shiny art. There are some anime in my list that I know probably fit what could be considered realistic. And how do you feel about supernatural elements like the ones placed naturally in there and still have almost everything pretty realistic like Mokke or Momo e no Tegami. What about Aria taking place on Mars. Bakuman Uchuu Kyoudai Blue Submarine No. 6 Cross Game Flag Fly High Golgo 13 Hajime no Ippo Himitsu Top Secret Initial D Kuragehime Major Moyashimon Musashi no Ken One Outs Shion no Ou Shura no Toki Usagi Drop You're Under Arrest Nitaboh |
     Short of the day: Monotonous Purgatory(MAL) ✰Public Domain Club | One Piece Club✰ |
| From that list I only watched Blue Submarine, Kuragehime and Moyashimon. Blue Submarine No.6 isn't realistic in my opinion, can't really tell why without spoilers but if you read my first post you can realize why. Kuragehime I think it's a good addition, but the characters might be seen as borderline. Moyashimon if one can overcome the "seeing microbes" stuff, it's also a good one. Again some characters are borderline. |
More topics from this board
» Realistic Anime reviewsMaegil - Apr 6, 2014 |
0 |
by Maegil
»»
Apr 6, 2014 5:32 PM |