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MAL indeed to quite an extent capitalises on having a more 'global' public. Ironically, it does so mostly by not specifically catering in any way to non-native speakers, for instance by not opening up specific sections for the exclusive use of language X or Y, thereby assuring that their is a lot of intermingling going on. Specifically, this is visible in the more 'elitist' sections and clubs.
Given that anime used to be mostly something for the real science nerds, where the sex ration still is overwhelmingly in favour of men, a 50/50 ratio or so for those who do know a bit of literature or the arts is quite a shift. I'm not so sure whether that checking to see whether the figurine has appropriately coloured knickers culture is all that prominent in the minds of the average outsider, apart from a realisation that there may be the love of the medium gone too far. A good point of comparison may be Star Trek, which also immediately evokes pictures and stories of the most shameless Trekkie conventions; yet these associations do not overwhelmingly put people off. Though, perhaps, I'm just very lucky to always find myself in certain social circles and thus not having all that much of a clue of what really constitutes 'mainstream'.
As for having something that would break the preconception, perhaps what will be needed is something of a massive theatrical release of one of the more Hollywood- or Disney-style titles. Spirited Away seems to have done rather well in this regard, even if the more elitist hordes will have written it off as children's entertainment.

I have to admit that I still have difficulty with the whole idea of communication being something else than an exchange of information and opinion, so that might intervene here. The same goes for the notion that anything can be truly deducted from something that wasn't stated clearly. I can't agree with you that clothes say a lot about the people wearing them. At best, one can guess, but one can never know. It actually tells more about how one preconceives a certain outfit to express something than about that expression itself. In all honesty I haven't found much more strict rules when it comes to expressing something by means of clothing than denoting time, place and/or social status - and even these cannot always be relied upon.
Absolutely true, the best characters are often those who bring something to the fore that immediately differentiates them but doesn't become a gimmick. Johan is a very good example, as it is so very apparent that everything he does comes naturally to him. Runge is an equally fine example, as his behaviour at first glance actually might seem something of a trapping given to him to make him different yet later on appear to be very much something of his personality and integrates very well with how he interacts with the world. And you're right. Liking and relating to characters are two different things - I should have phrased that differently. What I meant by 'relating' their might best be defined as 'being able to actually care what they do, say or feel'. Johan by being so convincing makes that I think it mattered what he did or did not.

The presentation of the Aria anime do indeed point more strongly to a character-centric show. While the manga also very much emphasises the growth of the characters, it is a bit more something that happens naturally: it isn't so much exploration of self as realisation of self, something that happens instead of something that is sought out. The difference is slight, but present. And then, the presentation of the manga itself goes a long way into putting the characters 'in place'. For example: this double-page spread.
Aria is, by the way, one of those very few manga that I can heartily recommend to anyone who doesn't read manga that often. The languid pace of the series fits a presentation in still shots perfectly and quite often it gives more of an impression of flipping through a book of photographs than reading a book.

Perhaps I might be tempted into spending 10 hours to make the most hideous piece of personal page ever dreamed up by man - and then defend it for all my life by calling it 'artistic'. Though I think I don't want to have Yuunagi suffer every time he must open it for verification purpose.

As you might have already found out, I used your comment on humanity and pornography in the Bradherley's Coach spotlight. I think you have provided me with a very simple - and thereby profound - statement as to why pornography can get away with so much more utter nonsense and objectionable morality than other genres can. When something is not even supposed to be mildly represent the world we live in, anything goes.

Weirdly enough, what might be the case on the European side of things is that anime and manga are far more accessible to the general public than what we have here. With comic books and American cartoons always having been the 'poor man's' version of what the Franco-Belgian publishing houses or independent movie studios produced I think the very elitism that surrounded what we produced may have been the major reason no-one but the kind of people who get offended when we picture them as all wearing berets and sporting a slim goatee actually knows European comic books or cinema. And to be fair, against what America generally deigns to export to the rest of the world (we only get the Tom Cruises, so to speak), the average Japanese show does better.

Well, having finished Guin recently I cannot but make it a very strong contender for both best show of 2009 overall and greatest positive surprise of the year. It manages to stay completely true to form, has impeccable graphical design as far as architecture, clothing and accoutrements go (and that's not even mentioning the fact that, for once, only here and there the cultures of the fantasy world can be directly linked to historical ones) and does an absolutely fantastic job at highlighting the notion and consequences of 'pride'. While Guin himself takes, quite rightly, somewhat of a backseat in the second half, there is still that tremendous arrogance to him that is difficult to actually consider thus, as he often simply is right. What I also really liked was that he rather casually mentions that he 'suki' István, this, while being food for the fanfic-writing boys and girls, for once being used in its more proper sense. In the same vein, I think the show did a great job in managing to make Aldo-Naris very effeminate when it suited him, without attaching any sort of morality to it whatsoever.
Perhaps I'm mixing up my languages here, but doesn't a 'mirror image' mean a 'foil'? Regia's sense of there being things that are simply unattainable only highlights Amnelis' refusal to see that she's outclassed. As for Amnelis, as said, I find myself rather ensorcelled, especially as she, at the end, still refuses to shift her perspective. She's one of the more honest characters I've seen in quite a while and a perfect example of an author/director realising that characters are often full-blown personalities who are unable to see things differently simply because the world acts against their perceptions.

Thank you for the reply on TTGL; for once, there is something worth thinking about and that gives me something of a 'why'.
Admittedly, Kamina's death was unexpected and I have to give the show credit for it. As you say, there is a noticeable difference in style and characterisation for a few episodes afterwards, though it all too easily reverts again. That said, I from the outside considered Simon the lead, and as getting rid of a side character isn't all that remarkable I feel it didn't have that much of an impact in itself. If anything, I really liked the fact that everyone is still talking about him as if he were some great hero years later, while he actually did very little to deserve that respect. I feel that, had the writers given more attention to this aspect, the accent of the show could have shifted to something more strongly resembling a story that manages to tell something.
Then again, as I'm wholly comfortable with Kaiji (even if it starts to repeat itself rather quickly) and do not see what you mean when you talk about that show using overly figurative language, perhaps I'm just not seeing how TTGL works on a more subtle level.
What I simply cannot agree with is that this was a visually outstanding show. Without a doubt it made some very bold decisions and at least had a very consistent overall look (I have to admit that the use of stylised faces as a prominent decorative element, also in architecture, was particularly well and consistently done) and did always show something, I felt far too much of the screen, both in space and time, were taken up with things bouncing around, blowing up or just being filled with those colour explosions that apparently signify fast movement, set against a background that was empty and repetitive. There was also a blatant disregard for rules of perspective in quite a few cases and while this might have been fine if the story actually called for such a shot, it was something so often used that it lost any meaning (a bit like how Battlefield Earth is criticised for being more or less shot completely in Dutch angles).

It's a bit of a shame that the reviewing process seems to be a bit in a slump again. Perhaps it's best if I bother Yuunagi with it directly. And yes, even though I think Dozer might have a point in saying that breaking up a review in specific blocks breaks up the flow of writing, I think we've managed to touch on quite a few different elements without sacrificing too much space for any particular one.

Finally, I see that you managed to put up your blogs about the differences between the studios. I hope to be able to comment on it in some detail at some point (the end of the year draws nigh, meaning that I'll be quite busy again at least until January, what with the tax return forms needing to be drawn up and brought into line with the latest changes in financial legislation...).

LOL we are off topic too much.

I really love Nabari no Ou at the beginning but after the ninja talking show started, ep after another and plus the random moving around I just couldn't take it anymore. The most unbearable thing was the development between Yoite and Miharu. God that was just impossible for me to see it each episode of repeating "I want to save you" *FUCK* I should have realized a little earlier and dropped the show instead of following for like 16 episodes which made my hatred even stronger for the show.

Koihime is a show I watch for what it is which left me with nothing else to say.

Personally I think Railgun is more enjoyable than Index. I am not talking about the story but you know Railgun is a spin-off so you can't ask too much from it.

As for unbearable show:
.hack//Roots, I am really interesting in this show but god knows how much it took from me just to finished this one. Personally I feel regretted for watching it.

Prism Ark, at that I might be too early for this kind of show(echi adaption). I was watching this show with with a grain of whatever you think. After the first 2 episodes I finished the rest with just less than 2 hours. God the finally episode wasn't even make sense.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, I think you should have known my impression from what I have said above. I did finished the TV anime and the first movie. I felt kinda regretted but at least I know something when someone praising this show for best thing ever made.

You don't really have to reply a long comment since this is just my opinion alone. I just want you to keep that in mind LOL

Thanks for white album opinions. They were great.

Hey noteDhero I am offcially on the bandwagon of kill Touya Fujii after what happens to Yuki in White Album #19. Can blame me if because of a guy this happens to Yuki? In any case I can't stand Touya after this episode that's all I have to say give me a opinion on Yuki's mental state in this episode since you were so good at it in Umineko.

See, I think ef is a perfect example of over-directing. Two characters are having a conversation, and then suddenly everything goes black white and the camera starts zooming in on their mouths . Or they're sitting around and they become black silhouettes against a red background. Or they're walking and they randomly turn into clouds. The whole show is directed that way and I grew tired of it fairly quickly. And that phone call scene I just couldn't take seriously. It just felt so out of left field; it actually made me laugh quite a bit ("I'll erase you" - I just lost it there). SHAFT may have been experimenting with direction techniques to see what they liked, but I very much disliked the final product. Bakewhatever, is definitely better in terms of style. The first episode was a bit too heavy on shifting camera angles, but by the second episode the directing was pretty much spot on.

I watched a few episodes of Honey and Clover a while ago. Minus the loli, I was enjoying it, but I ended up putting it on hold when taking a break from anime in general and never got back to it. I might just watch it again from the start at some point in the future.

And I agree with everything you say on Madhouse. They can really nail the more dark and serious shows, but they also are responsible for the absolutely awful chaos head. Although chaos head seemed terrible even compared to their "misses."

It figures that the comedy is more rampant in FMA Brotherhood since it's a more faithful adaptation. The biggest problem I have with the comedy in the manga isn't even that it's not funny. My problem is that it sometimes shows up in the middle of a fairly serious situation and completely ruins the mood. Have you noticed that in Brotherhood?

As for A-1, I've actually been craving a sports show. Okkiku looks perfect, thanks for the rec. Kannagi, however, I'm not sure I could enjoy. A year or two ago I may have enjoyed it, but right now it looks very unappealing. Birdy I've heard say is better than it looks. I might look into it later.

What I mean by trying too hard is that they have too many one-frames. One thing that bothered me about Bakemonogatari is that some of the eps looked like slideshows. It could be party due to their budget being stretched so thin this year too. But SZS is probably my least favorite anime of theirs because all the stuff written on the chalkboard really annoys me.

I'm not familiar with JC Staff, except for Index and Shana, and I don't like romance, so I probably won't be watching the two you mentioned.

Gonzo is #2 for me. I own the complete collection of Gantz, and Strike Witches was my favorite anime last year.

Yeah, you're probably right about sales being marginally off...but it's still extremely successful by anime DVD standards.

And you can't even remotely compare it to live action films. I didn't watch Transformers 2, but it's a special effects bonanza (the main attraction) which had a budget plus P&A of close to $300 million. In other words, the amount of money it made was, percentage wise, is not significantly greater than they spent on it.

There are a lot of great films that are box office disasters and vice versa, but percentage wise, that's far rarer than it is for anime.

Music is a hard case, and even though I'm not a fan, some of the Top 40 hits are catchy to dance to, and at the very least, no one is releasing the exact same song slightly re-mixed eight different ways, which would be the analogy to Endless Eight.

Actually, I think Aria is more realistic and grounded in terms of animation than what I had in mind. Certainly the design is similar to that odious aesthetic, but in the spectrum with Kaiji or Souten no Ken on the left, and something like Clannad on the right, they're still several units away from the right extreme. It also helps that in terms of their bodies, the females are proportioned reasonably.

And Shaft? I like Sayonara Zetsubou, and Samurai Pizza Cats was a lot of fun when I was a kid (well, mostly thanks to the dubbing), but the rest of their shows look miserable.

And yeah, Madhouse isn't batting anywhere close to 100 percent, but when it comes to anime, even .200 would be uncommonly good,.