In advance, thank you for reading.
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So you’ll always expect a show which, either, is very esoteric and appeals to a small number of people and/or a show which is super high-minded and “deep” about stuff—you’ll always expect those shows to have a much lower score than they deserve…assuming they deserve a high score. Because, again, they’re just so niche that, to the average viewer, you’re not going to—it’ll just miss the mark entirely.
I’m always accused of hating anime because I’ve seen so much, yet my mean score is grossly low. And everyone looks at that and is like, “Uwah god! Why do you even watch anime? You obviously just hate it. Why do you have to hate so much? Uuuuuuwaaah you’re such a contrarian.” And I explained it to one person, one person only, because explaining it to them and seeing how easy it was to explain to them after how hard they came at me, I figured, if I can explain it to this person, then I can explain it to anyone else and don’t feel the need to because it’s a waste of my time—and I’m too busy anyway. So I explained it to this one person, and I was satisfied for life, and haven’t bothered with the asinine comment since. What I said to them was, how often do you go see a movie? And they’re like, I don’t know, every month, every other month, a normal amount. To which I said, okay, well why do you go see the movies you go see? And they said, well, because they look like they interest me, so I go see it as I’m pretty sure I’m going to like it. And I said, okay, cool. Now imagine you see every single movie, period. Like, you go out—every single movie that’s showing in theaters, you go, and you see it. Do you think your score, your average score for movies, would be as high as it is now? And they go, well, no, because—oh, okay, I get it. And that’s how I explained it to them; that’s why my mean score is so low. I fucking love anime. Like, it’s the same thing with…everything else, you know? I like eating. I like food. We all like food, right? But there’s a lot of food that we would hate. Granted, I guess this isn’t really a good example considering most people probably like most food, but if you’re a picky eater, you don’t like most food, but you still like food! Anyway, I’m talking about myself too much and **** will probably take this review down for being irrelevant or something.
But the point is, it’s a niche show. Like, it is a josei slice of life show, so if you wanna categorize it, that’s the category to put it in, but the way it goes about executing that formula is…not very formulaic and will inevitably fall outside the bounds of most people’s strike zones. It’s a show about Minare Koda who is just a normal ass person, she’s just getting by as a part-timer, not trying to get rich quick but also not about to let herself stagnate completely. She’s implied to have no higher education, but if she was to find any more success then she had at the start of the story, which is to say, no success at all, then it wouldn’t be through a high-paying, white-collar job either way. Just, you know, maintaining as a waitress for the time being, and she has this bad break-up—and it’s amazing because the show starts with a monologue. As the title of the show suggests, or at least as the Japanese title of the show suggests, it’s about radio and about being a talk show host, which she becomes over the course of the show. So it starts with her monologue and she’s like, you know, I like to think I can get over any tragedy in five days, but I’m always the biggest mess on the fifth day, and then for the remaining twelve episodes she proceeds to be a total mess, and it’s…relatable, um…
*nervous laughter*
If you’re young—I’m not trying to be condescending or talk down to anyone, but if you are a young viewer, if you’re a college kid and you haven’t really gone out in the world yet, or if you’re even younger—if you’re like a teenager or something and still in highschool—you probably don’t want to watch this show. The characters are dumb people. They make a lot of dumb decisions, dumb uninformed decisions, and they’re probably going to annoy you. A lot of young people like to think of themselves as really smart just because they haven’t—how do I say this. A lot of young people are, like, really arrogant—and not in a bad kind of way! Or, yes, in a bad way, but not in an intentionally mean-spirited way. They’re not trying to be like, oh, I’m this genius motherfucker, I’m this prodigy—some of them are, but a lot of them aren’t. A lot of them are just subtly arrogant, and they kind of just look at adults as these weird, illogical creatures who make crazy decisions even though they have all the responsibility and everything to lose. You know, adults are always, always, constantly talking down to kids—parents are always telling their children, you don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about, you haven’t lived life, I have, I make the decisions, I know what’s right for you. And then the kids hear that, and they look at their parents and they see these adults just break themselves down: like going through substance abuse issues, going through affairs, breaking families, breaking the law, being hypocrites. All these stereotypically self-destructive decisions are stereotypical because they happen to a lot of people. And kids look at this and go, well, adults clearly aren’t that smart because how are they pulling all this shit? And…if you’re young, you will look at this show and you will see that. You will see a lot of people making overemotional decisions because, you know, they’re adults now, and everything’s on them, and it’s stressful, and they’re just out in society doing their thing, and they’re also fucking stupid.
And it’s relatable—again, if you are of age, and you’ve had your share of real decisions to make, if you’ve been on your own terms and made your own decisions, many of which you likely regret, then this show will be incredibly relatable and poignant to you. Now, this show is also really funny, despite, um, what I just said. Something that adults are great at is being unempathetic, and laughing at other people even though they’re more than likely looking in some sort of mirror. The great woes of teenagerdom—and I extent that into being a college kid, like, from ages twelve to twenty six, you are very concerned with what other people think of you…which is fine. I mean, it can hurt a lot of people permanently, trust me of all people, I know, but generally, it’s not a dangerously unhealthy practice, because the fact that’s all you have to worry about is a good thing which should be a reassurance. The only thing you really have on your shoulders at the time is who you want to look like, so when you fail at that and gain a toxic social status, you feel as if you’ve failed as a person. Whereas when you’re an adult, though, all that shit is kind of diluted by the gravity of everything else on your plate, so you’re a lot more detached about what bothers you on a societal level. As a kid, you’ll watch, like, The Big Bang Theory, or The Office, or Friends and laugh at these…human, but transparently fictitious situations and personalities, but if you were to have seen something like…The Howard Stern Show, then you’d see these freaks he brings on and just be put-off by them because you’ll get to a point where you just have to sit back and accept the reality these people are not screen-written. These are just weird bastards who are just out there doing their thing, and like, THAT is real cringe radio. Obviously, no one in this show is on that level, but they’re stupid and they make bad decisions, so when you watch it and they overreact to certain things and they have all these boisterous conversations you’re—it’s like the self-deprecating laugh, it’s like, you’re an idiot, but, boy, have I been there before? And if you’re young, you probably haven’t had the chance to fuck up badly enough to have actually been there yourself, so everyone will probably just come across as a totally unbelievable character.
Although it’s not a comedy—that’s another thing. MAL is misguided in tagging it as such and giving viewers the wrong idea as to what they should be expecting. It’s funny, but it is not a comedy, and that’s a very important distinction to make there. It’s just a drama starring these losers which just happens to have the ability to make you puke from laughter. The humor in this show is very Japanese, and I know that’s a buzzword people use to excuse why they found a show unfunny, because for some reason, people in the anime community don’t find Japanese comedy that funny. Which I get, kind of, because the whole idea behind the phrase is just to say, we don’t understand why this group of people finds these kinds of jokes funny. So let me explain it to you if you think that way. Comedy is based on the society in which the joke is being made, right? So if you live in a country like America where—and this isn’t about comedy, just a difference in social order—like America, which is all about liberty and freedom of expression and speech, saying what you want to say, and being an asshole because, yeah, I’m an American, and I can do what I want. If you live in a country like that, watch anime, and you see like—how all these anime portray sibling relationships as being abnormally aware of one another, like the whole siblings meme of a brother or sister being way too obsessed with their sister or brother’s perception of them. In Japan, that is more of a real thing, because they are actually beholden to their family members in that country. In America, if you have a falling out with a sibling or even your parents, you’ll just have a big fight, say fuck off, and leave the house and you’ll make it on your own. That’s how it works in America. In Japan, the idea of “disowning your child,” something we in the West reserve for hyper-religious families, you know—like you’ll hear gay people go, yeah, when I came out to my parents, they “disowned” me, and you’re like, wow, you’re parents are…really into that God shit, huh? Well, in Japan, that’s a common thing for non-religious reasons. Like, normal families will quote unquote disown their children for—you know the whole Asian stereotype of bringing dishonor to the family? I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times: generalizations and stereotypes exist because enough people whom it regards have fit that descriptor at some point. I’m not saying they’re all true. I’m just saying they came about because someone had something physical to point at at one time. Comedy works the exact same way.
If you live in a country like America, you can be a loud boisterous asshole because that’s just life, or if you see someone else being a loud boisterous asshole you’ll be like, well, that guy’s just a fucker, I guess I’ll just ignore him, this person’s annoying. In Japan, you’re a lot more considerate socially. If someone’s being a loud boisterous asshole, that’s not just a daily nuisance, that’s, like, an event. So when you notice how much slapstick style comedy there is in anime, that’s not, the Japanese are unfunny, that’s, the Japanese have a totally different idea of what “funny” is. Their humor relies on physical comedy—which isn’t that amusing to us, because in America, we are always physical! We are always up in your face, so seeing that is just like, oh, that’s annoying, and I see this everyday. In Japan, people are a lot more orderly, so when you see someone in anime or TV being disorderly, that’s a rarity. So if you refuse to see humor the way those of foreign upbringings do, then the comedy in this show will just fall on deaf ears. The main character is expertly fit to be a radio host because she is that type of person. This person is loud, and high-pitched, and unafraid to speak, you know, she…acts like an American! I mean, I don’t think it’s a coincidence she is the one female character in the show with blonde, dyed hair, and all else are natural Japanese brunettes, you know? She acts like an American i.e. she’s loud, she talks about her problems that no one else wants to talk about, she’s totally unabashed, she has very little shame, again, she acts like an American, and that’s why she’s the perfect fit for this line of work. But what that translates to for the average viewer is, this is just another loud annoying bitch I don’t want to listen to, and I can see a lot of guys—a lot of men—who will watch this show and probably just think she’s obnoxious. You know, this is a very honest show, it’s extremely realistic, a lot of people in the anime community will probably just think she’s a slut, and that’s a perfect segue into my final topic of just how real this show is.
A lot of quote unquote “josei” anime and manga—when I get into them, I can only think: this is just shoujo. Nana, Paradise Kiss, Jellyfish Princess, like, all the classics, they’re all fundamentally immature. Like, I hope you understand that, dear reader. When you watch those shows, and you see these kinds of people being portrayed the way they’re being portrayed, and you can walk away from those works thinking they were written for adult women as a sort of—I don’t know—like, a Fifty Shades of Grey esque, blast from the past, smut thing which reminds of the good ol’ days where you could just go out for the night and not worry, no kids, that kind of thing? Sure. But if you can watch those shows and think they’re meant for adult women as serious, meaningful drama? Then either a) you know a lot of stupid adult women or b)…you’re…wrong. Because they’re just about the same old teen drama at their core. Sure, they are about slightly older people doing slightly more mature things—LIKE FUCKING—but that doesn’t make the themes portrayed or the ideas explored any less childish. In Nami yo Kiitekure, it is actually portrayed like real life made for consumption by an adult audience. There was this one episode with a kanji pun about debt collection, and I was just like, damn, no wonder this show has a seven point one on MAL. My point is when you think of what a josei anime is, that’s not what I think of. This…is what I think of. And on that note, it’s probably the best josei anime I’ve ever seen just because it is actually realistic. And it is fucking good.
But it’s only on paper, mind you, because the show is…ugly? I don’t know. It’s a Sunrise show, and if the credits don’t lie it was made in-house, by Sunrise staff, so I guess it was a passion project or something? It’s interesting more prestigious studios are doing this now. Production IG recently—they released this show called Kabukichou Sherlock, and the entire staff was comprised of newcomers, or at least newcomers to their respective positions—for those of you who don’t know IG has a training program because they’re this powerhouse studio, they are the best studio, so like Kyoto Animation—I don’t know if Kyoto Animation has this anymore after what happened but—they have a very rigorous training program they put newcomers though…so maybe this was the result of something like that? My point is, it looked fine, but it didn’t really look like an IG show, and it was made by a lot of young people. And this, I don’t know, because the blu-rays aren’t out yet, so you don’t know the full credits list yet, but I feel like it was the fruits of something like that. I feel like this was a passion project greenlit by a veteran of the industry who is now becoming a director or something and doesn’t mind giving the young people the debut most producers would be too hesitant to.
If I can compare it to something, it reminds me of Haibane Renmei, because that show is ugly as sin, but is also obviously inspired. You know, you watch Haibane Renmei and you’re like—I don’t think it’s as good as most people do, but when you watch it you know it’s a meaningful show. It’s a show with a lot of heart, it’s a show with a lot of meaning to it, even though—talk about immaturity—it is a very childish story, there is tons of melodrama in that show, but the ideas behind it are very heartfelt and valuable. But it is ugly, so when you watch it you’re like, okay, this was obviously made by a lot of impassioned people who found a young visionary among their ranks, got behind him as a director who had a smart idea and a powerful message to send, and thought, I want to be a part of this project and I want to help send that message. And so they made it, and it wasn’t the best looking thing in the world because they weren’t the most talented people in the world, but God damn it, they gave it their all, and what we got is what we got. Nami yo Kiitekure applies to all the same technical criticism, and also has an equal amount of things to say…about society, and people, and relationships, and just the modern doomer human condition—it just…it has a lot to say and is very genuine and cathartic to watch…and, um, even though it might not be the most beautiful show in the world, it was obviously made by people who didn’t care if it was or not…and just wanted to say what they wanted to say, though the medium they love most, which is anime.
