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silverthunder) wrote2004-04-25 08:26 am
silverthunder) wrote2004-04-25 08:26 am
(no subject)
Well, exams are over and I'm happy - yesterday's went pretty good, I think.
I'm still very annoyed by the lack of episode 60 on my DVDs. I know it's going to be one of the best episodes - it's definitely one of the most important - and I *wanted* it on there!
Bah... oh well. That's life, I guess.
In other news, there's a sort of little tournament going on to determine the most popular anime. Obviously it's not the greatest and isn't going to have totally accurate results, but... it's kind of fun.
My anime club president is one of the judges, and his division was just voted on for the first round. The divisions all have various anime split into pairs, and judges vote for one out of each pair. The one with the most votes moves on to the next round.
Anyway, in the next division being voted on, Hikaru no Go is up against X.
No disrespect to X, which I happen to like, but it's not in the same class as Hikaru no Go. However, my anime club president commented that he'd vote for X because he'd seen a few chapters of Hikaru no Go (the ones that have run in Shounen Jump so far) and "couldn't really get into it".
Naturally, I had to respond.
'Hikaru no Go vs X'. I've seen both anime and both are fantastic, but I have to say I'd be fairly disappointed if the anime that I think is going to win does.
I'm pretty sure that X will win over Hikaru no Go. Why? Because it fits what most people who like anime are looking for. Gorgeous art, great animation, action, and magic. It even has some pretty swords, and the fight scenes are very well done.
The thing is, I don't think it deserves to win. Not because it's not good - it's awesome, actually - but because when it comes to story, good writing, and characterization, Hikaru no Go outclasses it. By far.
It's rare for me that I read a manga or watch an anime and think 'My god. This is why I'm a writer. I want to write something that's in *this* class.' Hikaru no Go is like a novel - it starts slowly, and draws you into the story gradually. Truthfully, when I saw the first two or three episodes, I didn't think much of it. But as you get into it, if you let yourself get far, you'll be hooked.
The thing I find most endearing about this anime is its *realism* as far as characters go. There wasn't a single character I didn't believe that I could meet in real life - not by appearance, since some anime characters are quite odd-looking (^_~) but because they were all well defined, realistically portrayed, and not at all one-sided.
The plot, too - while the 'game' storyline is familiar to most people, and there are naturally a few things no one is surprised by... The story moves at a steady pace: not rushed, not too slow, just at the right speed. It's a story that has no seams, leaves no confusion or dissatisfaction - it's well put-together and planned in a way that some anime lack.
Admit it... all of you have to have seen the 'and then, and then' plot element in at least one anime.
I don't think I've seen an anime that pegged emotions and thought process so well, either. Disappointment, selfishness, guilt, anger... I could understand. It was the easiest thing in the world to imagine myself in the character's place.
Another element I like is the fact that, rather than taking place over a short period of time like a month, or a few months, or even a year, this anime stretches out over a three-year period, and you watch the main character mature along the way. It's not a sudden thing - where extreme events force him to grow up rapidly - but rather more subtle and... well... *real*.
So... I wouldn't judge it by a few manga chapters or a couple of anime episodes. It *looks* typical. I'll be the first to admit that. It isn't until you've watched for a while and you look back that you realize how incredible it really was.
X isn't quite at the same level. The plot of X is interesting and in a lot of ways untypical, but it's not as rock-steady. The character of X are sympathetic enough, but they are defined for the most part by the angst they suffer through and don't come through nearly as clear for me.
If you're looking for sword-and-sorcery, or a dark, more complex story, X is the anime to go for and I think that it will win because of that. But as far as the writing, character development, and overall *excellence* goes, Hikaru no Go is far superior.
And that's my take on it. Please feel free to disagree.
Also, feel free to show this to any X fans. I wouldn't mind hearing a rational argument from someone who's seen both shows and thinks I'm wrong.
I'm still very annoyed by the lack of episode 60 on my DVDs. I know it's going to be one of the best episodes - it's definitely one of the most important - and I *wanted* it on there!
Bah... oh well. That's life, I guess.
In other news, there's a sort of little tournament going on to determine the most popular anime. Obviously it's not the greatest and isn't going to have totally accurate results, but... it's kind of fun.
My anime club president is one of the judges, and his division was just voted on for the first round. The divisions all have various anime split into pairs, and judges vote for one out of each pair. The one with the most votes moves on to the next round.
Anyway, in the next division being voted on, Hikaru no Go is up against X.
No disrespect to X, which I happen to like, but it's not in the same class as Hikaru no Go. However, my anime club president commented that he'd vote for X because he'd seen a few chapters of Hikaru no Go (the ones that have run in Shounen Jump so far) and "couldn't really get into it".
Naturally, I had to respond.
'Hikaru no Go vs X'. I've seen both anime and both are fantastic, but I have to say I'd be fairly disappointed if the anime that I think is going to win does.
I'm pretty sure that X will win over Hikaru no Go. Why? Because it fits what most people who like anime are looking for. Gorgeous art, great animation, action, and magic. It even has some pretty swords, and the fight scenes are very well done.
The thing is, I don't think it deserves to win. Not because it's not good - it's awesome, actually - but because when it comes to story, good writing, and characterization, Hikaru no Go outclasses it. By far.
It's rare for me that I read a manga or watch an anime and think 'My god. This is why I'm a writer. I want to write something that's in *this* class.' Hikaru no Go is like a novel - it starts slowly, and draws you into the story gradually. Truthfully, when I saw the first two or three episodes, I didn't think much of it. But as you get into it, if you let yourself get far, you'll be hooked.
The thing I find most endearing about this anime is its *realism* as far as characters go. There wasn't a single character I didn't believe that I could meet in real life - not by appearance, since some anime characters are quite odd-looking (^_~) but because they were all well defined, realistically portrayed, and not at all one-sided.
The plot, too - while the 'game' storyline is familiar to most people, and there are naturally a few things no one is surprised by... The story moves at a steady pace: not rushed, not too slow, just at the right speed. It's a story that has no seams, leaves no confusion or dissatisfaction - it's well put-together and planned in a way that some anime lack.
Admit it... all of you have to have seen the 'and then, and then' plot element in at least one anime.
I don't think I've seen an anime that pegged emotions and thought process so well, either. Disappointment, selfishness, guilt, anger... I could understand. It was the easiest thing in the world to imagine myself in the character's place.
Another element I like is the fact that, rather than taking place over a short period of time like a month, or a few months, or even a year, this anime stretches out over a three-year period, and you watch the main character mature along the way. It's not a sudden thing - where extreme events force him to grow up rapidly - but rather more subtle and... well... *real*.
So... I wouldn't judge it by a few manga chapters or a couple of anime episodes. It *looks* typical. I'll be the first to admit that. It isn't until you've watched for a while and you look back that you realize how incredible it really was.
X isn't quite at the same level. The plot of X is interesting and in a lot of ways untypical, but it's not as rock-steady. The character of X are sympathetic enough, but they are defined for the most part by the angst they suffer through and don't come through nearly as clear for me.
If you're looking for sword-and-sorcery, or a dark, more complex story, X is the anime to go for and I think that it will win because of that. But as far as the writing, character development, and overall *excellence* goes, Hikaru no Go is far superior.
And that's my take on it. Please feel free to disagree.
Also, feel free to show this to any X fans. I wouldn't mind hearing a rational argument from someone who's seen both shows and thinks I'm wrong.