What Constitutes A "Masterpiece" for You? • A Discussion About Styles and Applications of Storytelling?
Which of These Critically Acclaimed Shows Would You Call A Masterpiece?
| I think a lot of the animes up there qualify as extremely well-written and conducted. A few, though I may not like them personally, can contend for a masterpiece position. I feel that Clannad AS should be up there for the slot. Haven't seen an anime with emotional story-telling quite like that in awhile. |
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| This poll doesn't make sense since it's completely partial. Till now I valued as Masterpiece 2 animes: The Tatamy Galaxy for being flawless as any other show I've seen, for having the highest rewatch value and for its production quality (from the first second of the opening until the last of the ending) and Monster, because of its unique pacing that kept me interested during all those 74 episodes and the quality of both the plot and all the characters involved. |
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Lordwen said: This poll doesn't make sense since it's completely partial. Till now I valued as Masterpiece 2 animes: The Tatamy Galaxy for being flawless as any other show I've seen, for having the highest rewatch value and for its production quality (from the first second of the opening until the last of the ending) and Monster, because of its unique pacing that kept me interested during all those 74 episodes and the quality of both the plot and all the characters involved. Monster, if it really has consistent pacing then I fear it'll always be as bad as the first 14 episodes NightAndMoon said: Some might say "all qualities", but I think excelling at one does aspect does make something a masterpiece of its own kind don't you agree? I haven't really seen enough anime to vote on any of the poll options as a masterpiece. In doing so I wouldn't be objective enough to fall within the realms of technical standards but more so inclined to vote on my limited scope of opinions. Which brings me to your quote... Now that you mention it, if something truly excels in one aspect more than anything other it would be safe to say it is a masterpiece in its own kind of way. At least I would like to think that. However, when I think of the term "masterpiece" I tend to think of near perfect. Because nothing can truly be perfect, right? HxH, SSY & DEATH NOTE |
| End Zionazism |
Mikasa said: HxH, SSY & DEATH NOTE Meh. I'd count Death Note out of that if anything. It's a great anime. Just not good enough to constitute a master piece. I'd say it pulls up very close to the hall of fame, but ... eh. Something about it is missing something. |
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Mikasa said: LOLFMAB, Akame ga Kill, Big 3, Fairy Tail and the like |
| I didn't vote... Personally, a masterpiece should make me feel the whole rainbow of emotions. A masterpiece should draw me in and shake my morals and understanding of purpose. I should quiver in excitement, anticipation; wondering why the events unfolding before me make sense despite the fact that I can't or rather, shouldn't condone them; leaving me trembling at the madness I see before me; knowing all too well that such fury exists everywhere, even within myself. There should be moments when I can't control my laughter and moments where I can't contain my frustration and anger. A masterpiece should make me feel or realize ideas previously unknown or subconsciously suppressed. I should be eager to devour the series; constantly reminding myself to slow down the savor it and when finished, there is no applause, no scream of praise; just silence. I always know when I've finished a masterpiece when I'm overcome with a feeling of emptiness and loneliness. A masterpiece should be like a really good, old friend; you may spend years at a time apart yet the fondness between you remains ever present. No words are needed the explain yourself and most importantly, you discover new things each other upon visiting. That, my children, is what constitutes a masterpiece. ...I need to get out more. I'm sounding more and more like a wise grandma by the day (-_-) |
BlueBellBerrySep 18, 2015 5:36 PM
| Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. I might be crazy. So, what's the problem? |
| I'm glad DN is kicking ass. Seems like the hater base was simply a loud minority. Xari said: Mikasa said: HxH, SSY & DEATH NOTE Meh. I'd count Death Note out of that if anything. It's a great anime. Just not good enough to constitute a master piece. I'd say it pulls up very close to the hall of fame, but ... eh. Something about it is missing something. DN is the first anime I called as a perfect story. Where it had a parfect start end and all the in betweens. The music and unique atmosphere as well. BlueBellBerry said: I didn't vote... Personally, a masterpiece should make me feel the whole rainbow of emotions. A masterpiece should draw me in and shake my morals and understanding of purpose. I should quiver in excitement, anticipation; wondering why the events unfolding before me make sense despite the fact that I can't or rather, shouldn't condone them; leaving me trembling at the madness I see before me; knowing all too well that such fury exists everywhere, even within myself. There should be moments when I can't control my laughter and moments where I can't contain my frustration and anger. A masterpiece should make me feel or realize ideas previously unknown or subconsciously suppressed. I should be eager to devour the series; constantly reminding myself to slow down the savor it and when finished, there is no applause, no scream of praise; just silence. I always know when I've finished a masterpiece when I'm overcome with a feeling of emptiness and loneliness. A masterpiece should be like a really good, old friend; you may spend years at a time apart yet the fondness between you remains ever present. No words are needed the explain yourself and most importantly, you discover new things each other upon visiting. That, my children, is what constitutes a masterpiece. ...I need to get out more. I'm sounding more and more like a wise grandma by the day (-_-) Okay grandma. I think 4 of the shows abive made me feel what you said. :) |
| End Zionazism |
Mikasa said: It does get better like any other show since it gets a progression but in this case if you haven't liked it after 14 episodes you won't start loving it all of a sudden. Lordwen said: This poll doesn't make sense since it's completely partial. Till now I valued as Masterpiece 2 animes: The Tatamy Galaxy for being flawless as any other show I've seen, for having the highest rewatch value and for its production quality (from the first second of the opening until the last of the ending) and Monster, because of its unique pacing that kept me interested during all those 74 episodes and the quality of both the plot and all the characters involved. Monster, if it really has consistent pacing then I fear it'll always be as bad as the first 14 episodes What I could notice were multiple ideas that sure worked as an inspiration for Death Note. Comparing both shows Death Note starts in a more thrilling way (Monster is more like a hospital drama for the first 4-5 episodes) but Monster builds it up way better for me at the end. I guess it's a matter of tastes anyway. But what I can tell after watching more anime is that Monster doesn't have a slow pace. Its amount of plot and stuff happening is considerable, you only have to get used to get new characters introduced while losing the track of the main character for maybe a few episodes in a row. But it's fine since everything has a connection at the end. |
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Mikasa said: Nobody said they read it. That's even kess valid. Just KNOWING it is more faithful made them biased. But in a real mature discussion FMA has more almost everytime as I can testify. The confirmation bias is strong with this one. BlueBellBerry said: Personally, a masterpiece should make me feel the whole rainbow of emotions. These are all opinions, and how you define a masterpiece is up to you, but I think it's a little bit too optimistic to think every great anime can make you feel every emotion. You don't have to laugh at a serious plot, and you don't have to cry with a comedy. Besides, what constitutes "interesting" or "good" is often warped by our own experiences. The most objective way to go about it would be to say anime which revolutionized others in its field are masterpieces (set tropes and trends which others follow suit for a long time) but that doesn't take into the account the show as a whole. Personally I think a "masterpiece" is one which you will feel the full extent of the emotions (if not more), enjoyment, awe, interest on rewatches. Something that you can think of fondly and go back to watching without losing any impact. Laugh at the same jokes, cry at the same heartbreaking/warming moments. That's why I tend to value one-trick pony type shows much less than truly immersive and engaging storytelling. |
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| For a story we can divide its components in 2: Ideological component (the very foundation/abstract of the narrative) Its arrangement (the elements that shape the way the story is told) The very fundamental idea must be of human relevancy; “Ping Pong” reflects about the meaning of sport to its performers, it raises questions and it answers them, I find this to be important a story must have something to say about its very essence, we have to know what the author thinks. Characters should be congruent within their fictional context and with themselves. Real masterpieces can touch several “genres” at the same time without leaning to either side, if the representation of humans is the goal of fiction then it is not desirable to maintain a monolithic style of presentation all along the work Other ideas which I regard as enjoyable are those about the very meta elements of the story, author or medium, but these tend to be mediocre more often than not Regarding the arrangement, I find a good story to be enjoyable if it completes a cycle and tells what is needed in the time that is needed a good author knows when is necessary to explain certain concept and how to. A good author does not insult their audience’s intelligence and provides a subtle storytelling when the peripety comes around, if by the time we reach the climax the author has to explain anything then we’re facing a bad work. These are some ideas I have regarding fiction. |
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| One Piece is a masterpiece and masterpiece is One Piece... as simple as that. |
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| The poll results are outrageous. |
Aria-da-Capo said: I agreeThe poll results are outrageous. |
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TheRefractingOne said: Mikasa said: LOLFMAB, Akame ga Kill, Big 3, Fairy Tail and the like |
Aria-da-Capo said: The poll results are outrageous. How so? DN is winning MeinKaiser said: One Piece is a masterpiece and masterpiece is One Piece... as simple as that. Nah, denied. UnoPuntoCinco said: For a story we can divide its components in 2: Ideological component (the very foundation/abstract of the narrative) Its arrangement (the elements that shape the way the story is told) The very fundamental idea must be of human relevancy; “Ping Pong” reflects about the meaning of sport to its performers, it raises questions and it answers them, I find this to be important a story must have something to say about its very essence, we have to know what the author thinks. Characters should be congruent within their fictional context and with themselves. Real masterpieces can touch several “genres” at the same time without leaning to either side, if the representation of humans is the goal of fiction then it is not desirable to maintain a monolithic style of presentation all along the work Other ideas which I regard as enjoyable are those about the very meta elements of the story, author or medium, but these tend to be mediocre more often than not Regarding the arrangement, I find a good story to be enjoyable if it completes a cycle and tells what is needed in the time that is needed a good author knows when is necessary to explain certain concept and how to. A good author does not insult their audience’s intelligence and provides a subtle storytelling when the peripety comes around, if by the time we reach the climax the author has to explain anything then we’re facing a bad work. These are some ideas I have regarding fiction. What's a subtle storytelling though |
| End Zionazism |
| MIKASA IS BACK HIP HIP HOOORAYYY |
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| anything that i immensely enjoyed and/or impacted is considered a masterpiece. But out of the 10 Fate/Zero |
 The peasant is bound by the king. The king is bound by the peasants and their kingdom. But the Viking is bound to nothing but themselves. |
| The only anime I consider a mesterpiece is Death Note for too many reasons..the atmosphere and pace, the most important. |
| The only thing i consider when rating an anime 10/10 (=masterpiece) is how much i enjoyed it. I dont care about anything else. So far its fate zero, aot, yuyu hakusho and angel beats. I also rated akame ga kill and overlord 10/10, but they just scratched that 10 mark. |
| LOL Death Note win the vote. |
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| Something that captures one's heart. Something that keeps you interested in the story (or motifs). Something that makes you care for the characters and the world. Something original and beautiful that you've never seen before. That was Shinsekai yori for me. Started watching LoGH only yesterday, so I can't rate it yet. |
What a beautiful Duwang. |
| Fate/Zero, by far. |
| Main things I look for are plot, character likability and development, and most important it has to be highly enjoyable and memorable. As unique as it may be, if i had to force myself to sit through it it's not a masterpiece, and if 10 years from now i dont remember it, its not either. Most that i would rate masterpieces have some extra unique things that just bring it up that extra notch. Bebop's music, Death note's plot, Bacanno's intertwined stories, Shinsekai Yori's social critisism, Mushishi's serenity. In that regard most of the ones out of the list would be masterpieces in my opinion, with NGE definately being the odd one out with its shit enjoyability factor. |
| I would say berserk, as a parable about the pursuit of your ambitions, and trying to find reason in your existence, it struck a cord with me and I love the tv anime, the trilogy of movies as well as the manga, I had been interested in anime for about a year at the time I watched berserk and I was astonished when I watched the movies, I still believe that the golden age arc is reminiscent of a shakespearean epic. |
| If an anime is worse than Fairy Tail : 1/10 it's trash If an anime is Fairy Tail : 5/10 If an anime is better than Fairy Tail : 10/10 it's masterpiece Edit: more than merely having fantastic production values, characters, and story; a great anime should uses all of these elements in harmony to fulfil one or more purposes (it can be for iyashikei's sake, being thought provoking, etc. etc) IMO. And more than beeing the best of what the anime medium has to offer, a masterpiece would go even beyond that, would take it to a whole new level. |
parazeNov 29, 2015 10:28 AM
| Something that's really good. |
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| stop necroing this shit. story telling has many ways, and everything is depend on execution. i don't understand how one type story telling can be supperior compare to others. if it really happened, if course it's gonna be used by everyone. |
 "If taking responsibility for a mistake that cannot be undone means death, it's not that hard to die. At least, not as hard as to live on." |
| I'm shocked F/Z overtook death note and hxh so quickly, but also understand. It was quite masterful in its own ways |
| End Zionazism |
| Of the poll, I voted Bakemonogatari. |
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| School day should be on the list!! I demand put School day on the list!! ^^ |
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| I didn't really vote I don't want to start thinking about the term masterpiece but my faves from there are NGE and bakemono. Just a point I want to make, I don't think a masterpiece (or a 10/10) should be perfect, because nothing is, I think it should be something new, something that will blow people away, something that is creative and good enough with what it wants to do that the little flaws have no meaning. |
| For me most of what comes down to a masterpiece is mainly 1. How much I like the characters 2. How engaging the story is for me 3. How entertaining it is Things such as art and sound/music are bonuses for me, my score is usually is never affected by the art or sound/music. Unless they are really bad, in which case I may knock off a point, but under normal circumstances these things don't matter to me. The 3 anime I gave a 10/10 to are: One Piece - I really like most of the characters, and I especially like the Straw Hats. I like One Piece's story, although the main plot is pretty simplistic (finding the One Piece treasure) the story is engaging for me because of all the world building it does. Steins;Gate - The story was very intriguing for me. The whole cell phone, microwave time travel thing with parallel universes really peaked my interest. I also like most of the characters as well. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin - I thought the story was very beautifully written myself, and I was constantly sympathizing with the main characters because they went through some real $hit. It was hard not to get engaged with the story or characters. |
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| Something Chinese cartoons will never be |
LittleGaoNov 30, 2015 7:30 PM
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| One of the must for me is to "completely" tell a story. In other words, the audience must feel some kinds of enclosure and be satisfied by the ending. All conflicts must be resolved, and if it's not, it must be for the purpose that not resolving a conflict can convey an even more powerful message. This is only one of the ingredients for masterpiece. |
| My Reviews and Rants: http://bunny1ov3r.wordpress.com/ 痛就是爱 |
| I have none of those rated 10, and haven't seen several, but out of them I'd say Berserk is probably the closest. I don't have it rated the highest, but it's inconsistent animation quality and terrible ending are really the only things holding it back. There are a few other minor details. If it got a remake (not the CGI one on Netflix) and fixed the ending it might be a masterpiece, but I would like it to remain hand drawn which is highly unlikely. As for what constitutes it? It has to be stylistically perfect in my eyes like Space Dandy, KLK, and FLCL. It needs to present ideas that match it's style and tone and execute them in a way that blends perfectly with the narrative. As far as the actual story goes, it can be about anything as long as it works, and I determine that on an individual basis so I can't really use broad strokes here. Space Dandy has all of these elements but entirely lacks a story, so its very nature prevents me from considering it a masterpiece. KLK tells multiple stories simultaneously while destroying (and embracing) many otherwise annoying tropes and blending its symbolism seamlessly with the ludicrous stylistic elements. Basically it combines insane entertainment with enormous depth and everything has a clearly defined and relevant purpose. Oh yeah, I guess that would be a fourth requirement, everything having a purpose. Psycho-Pass has several instances of cheesy writing and inconsistent focus holding it back. |
merryfistmasNov 30, 2015 7:14 PM
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| One of the best things ever. FMA - best shonen series ever Trigun - awesome main character, everything is just to see him NHK - everyone needs to see this show |
| A masterpiece would need to have the elements of a good story. Animation can be somewhat piss poor, but have an excellent story, but at the same time, an anime can have some of the best animation offered in this world, but have one of the worst stories ever told and not hold your interest. Out of that list, a friend of mine says Bakemonkgatari (Flashy and quick). My own pick would be a draw between Death Note and Berserk. |
| Shisekai Yori |
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| From the choices I'd choose Shisekai Yori..., but for me; the greatest Masterpieces ever made are Steins; Gate, Code Geass, and Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso. Those are my top three anime's when it comes to stories. But if it regards other genre's I would choose: Gintama-comedy Shirobako-Slice of Life Monster- mystery Steins; Gate-Sci-Fi Zankyou no terror- Thriller Shigatsu-Drama |
NameLess_NEETNov 30, 2015 7:41 PM
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S0rahana said: From the choices I'd choose Shisekai Yori..., but for me; the greatest Masterpieces ever made are Steins; Gate, Code Geass, and Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso. Those are my top three anime's when it comes to stories. But if it regards other genre's I would choose: Gintama-comedy Shirobako-Slice of Life Monster- mystery Steins; Gate-Sci-Fi Zankyou no terror- Thriller Shigatsu-Drama In what aspects? Geass was mostly an edgy teeny ripoff of death note, Gintama's just another sitcom, and monster had no mystery or thrill whatsoever. |
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| For me, a masterpiece is very enjoyable and well-executed, has likeable characters, unique storyline and good storytelling. I rated three of those anime 10 and I chose Death Note because HxH will probably never end and FMAB was in the same choice as AgK and Fairy Tail which I personally dislike. |
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dtheking said: My favorite anime are masterpieces. A so-called 'masterpiece' is only an opinion. That's "your masterpiece", "a masterpiece" while we can never be fully subjective, some choices are definitely better than others by most opinions/critics. Opinions are subjective but there is an objective side to it which is why we should care about the opinion of critic more than that of a casual, some opinions are simply better explained, better thought out than others. Oh and respects to OP for the option "FMAB, Akame ga Kill, Big 3, Fairy Tail and the like", some people would be pissed, but I completely agree |
| To put it simply, an anime that's absolutely perfect with no mistakes. None of my favorites are masterpieces for me. |
| Demi Valentine Website: Nika 'n Asia Follow me on social media! Facebook | Instagram | Twitter |
JD2411 said: I judge on a case by case basis. I like all of my 10s for different reasons. Exactly. Some of my ten's I would consider more 9.somethings. They each carry their weight on quality for different reasons. Each 10 I rated is completely different from one to another for that reason. |
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RefractingOne said: Mikasa said: LOLFMAB, Akame ga Kill, Big 3, Fairy Tail and the like I'm glad he at least put all the trash together in one option instead of making it waste multiple. |
kingcity20 said: Oh for the love of -_- nvm gotta love MAL |
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