"Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality, that is, against the claim on our thinking attention which all events and facts arouse by virtue of their existence." -- Hannah Arendt
About my taste:
I'm basically a theory-loving arthouse film buff who also enjoy watching low brow poppy entertainment because postmodernism. My taste does not always coincide with what is considered as the "elitist's taste" because many of the "anime classics" simply looks middlebrow for me: not avant-garde enough to be compared with the modernist works of Tarkovsky, but also not vulgar, playful or energetic enough to be compared with the postmodernist works of Tarantino. They're decent but decency is just a decent name for mediocrity.
I also tend not to evaluate a show heavily based on the premise or the story. As I have seen more and more shows, it has become very rare for an anime to really surprise me on a narrative level. Anime isn't really known for having good writing. Nonetheless I'm still able to enjoy anime because of my love of it as a visual medium, and for its wild imagination and unbridled libido. That's why I can put up with a lot of generic or nonsensical stories as long as the whole thing is well-directed, well-produced, and has moments that excite me or characters I love. I value the overall experience of the show more than how much it can stand up to the closest scrutiny according to some classical metric, if it is the kind of show that is meant to be about the experience. One reason why I distance myself from a typical "elitist" is that the typical anime "elitist" rarely care about "the sensuous surface of art" as Susan Sontag has put it, they often care more about how "methodical" the storytelling is. I'm also more favourable to shorts and one-offs because I don't need to watch 10 hours of something that has the same visual style with a declining animation quality because of budget limitation. But all that is more about the compromise that I've made, rather than that I don't care about the unity of form and content at all. I hate it when the story is too irritatingly bad or too tedious that it undermines any other good things it has. It's just that it isn't necessarily a requirement for me an anime show to have an outstanding story to be judged as good. I also generally don't look for moral teaching in a show. A good message doesn't make a good show. And a show is often more interesting when it is a clash of contradictory currents than when it is a one-sided expression a simple idea.
In short, if you see I give a relatively low score for a highly acclaimed show, chances are that I'm probably comparing it with a better work from literature or from film. If you see I give a relatively high score for what seems to be a "trashy" anime, chances are that I think it has offered me a unique experience that I couldn't find in other media.
I'm not particularly attached to the identity of an anime fan. Anime is just one amongst other art media I enjoy. I also love modern art and architecture, literature (Chinese, Japanese, European), photography, classical music and experimental music. I was a maths and theoretical physics major but I despise academic compartmentalisation. So I read anything that seems important and interesting to me.
My analytical perspective on art and culture is influenced by Hegel, Kant, Marxism, and formalism.
My hidden gems recommendations:
Inaka Isha As great as the film adaptation of The Trial by Orson Welles. It understands perfectly what Kafkaesque means: it means our deepest anxieties being expressed in the form of a nightmare. Tori no Uta A melancholic poetry about loneliness. Koushoku Ichidai Otoko The beauty of Japanese ritualism and Ukiyo-e. Midori-ko An incredibly creepy, gory, and hellish depiction of the craving of our tongues. David Lynch's level of otherworldliness. Spacy Messes up your perceptual sense of space-time continuum. Trippy and creepy as hell. Basically every one of Itou Takashi's experimental is recommendable. Maihime A beautifully written story about the moral degeneracy of a disoriented young intellectual - Dazai's fans will love it. 1001 Nights Trippy, kaleidoscopic stream-of-consciousness imaginary. Tsumiki no Ie A beautiful metaphor of memory and loneliness. Rain Town A very impressive work for a graduation work. KiyaKiya A beautifully animated music short with a strong Taisho style. Everything Kondoh Akino has done is worth checking out. Aru Tabibito no Nikki Calvino-like surrealism. Neko Machi: A poet's report of his acid trip, or deep philosophical reflection on Gestalt shift. Manie-Manie: Meikyuu Monogatari Awesome sakuga. Robot Carnival Same as above. Genius Party particularly recommend Doorbell, Happy Machine, and Baby Blue. Genius Party Beyond particularly recommend Toujin Kit and Dimension Bomb. Town Workers directed by Iwai Shunji. Brilliant dialogue. Da Nao Tiangong A monumental work of Chinese animation in the 60s. It will surprise you how great the visual is. Pretty mainstream for Asian audience but is fucking art-house for the West. Anima Modern dance with atonal music. Disturbing and Stravinskian. Nido to Mezamenu Komori Uta By the same guy who made the cult classic midori. A highly political commentary on Japanese modernity of the 60s to 70s. Fusha no Sha One of the best stop-motion by Kawamoto Kihachiro. Agitated Screams of Maggots A wonderfully creepy music short done by the same guy who made Midori-ko. Heya/Keitai The best one of the Thinking and Drawing - Nihon no Shinseiki Art Animation series. Futatsu no Sekai Probably the best Japanese animation of the 20s. It still retained a distinctive Japanese style and had yet been completely absorbed by Disney style. Puparia
Choboraunyopomi Gekijou Ai Mai Mii Madly hilarious. Penguin Highway super cute and relatable if you were ever a science nerd as a kid. Shamanic Princess Slow, ambient, melancholic, and breathtakingly beautiful. Otona Joshi no Anime Time highly relatable stories about women who are disillusioned about the "respectable" way of adult life. Makasete Iruka! A kid show that tells you harsh truth about society and encourage you to armour yourself with knowledge. Yama no Susume Great animation. Well-written character growth. Hana to Alice Iwai Shunji is a pretty talented film director. He is able to film the turbulent life of teenagers with elegance and a rare sense of wonder. Please watch his live-action film. Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight Has some of the coolest action scenes I've ever seen. Full of symbolic details. Creative stage design and a surreal sense of theatricality. Animation Seisaku Shinkou Kuromi-chan (1 & 2) Passionately animated. Full of energy and eccentricity. Great pacing. A luxurious amount of well-drawn details in the background. Every cut is fun to look at. More enjoyable than Shirobako in my opinion. Space Cobra appears to be a Hollywood-inspired generic 80s sci-fi action show, but has fantastic Expressionist-futurist art style, stunning use of colours, and great visual composition. Kamichu! An absolutely adorable slice of life. Fuujin Monogatari All about the magic moments in mundane life. Better than most iyashikei. Ai Monogatari: 9 Love Stories Consists of 9 short but emotionally powerful stories about adult romance. Spirit of Wonder franchise A fairytale of 19th Century scientific optimism, told in a Ghibli-ish way. Weird, nerdy, romantic and fun. Hyouge Mono A very unusual perspective on the history of feudal Japan: an examination of how aesthetic ideas, social prestige, and politics intertwined each other as a growing mercantile class was struggling against the samurai class for cultural hegemony. Mezzo Forte The best of Umetsu Yasuomi. Jackie Chan like action choreography. Mama wa Shougaku 4 Nense: A surprisingly fun kid show. Characters are always evolving and there's no repetitive elements. The romcom is sweet and funny. Hanada Shounen-shi A kid show that feels genuinely touching even for adults. Photon A hilarious romcom fantasy. Fell flat in the finale. Kachou Ouji A fun, highly relatable journey into mid-life crisis, but where it arrives is a bit disappointing. Black Magic M-66 One of the mindless action OVAs of the 80s that really captivated me because of how great of the action and the pacing is. Kemonozume an under-watched Yuasa's. Karakuri no Kimi An elegantly animated action-thriller. Doraemon (1979/2005) You're kidding me if you've never watched it just because it was never broadcasted in the US. Sketchbook: Full Color's A cute, wabi-sabi iyashikei. Minky Momo in Yume ni Kakeru Hashi A beautiful little tale with a strangely engrossing atmosphere. Sasameki Koto A yuri romcom that I genuinely enjoyed even though I'm already pretty tired of the genre in general. Kuuchuu Buranko A genuinely mature take on mental illness. Wasurenagumo An excellently animated little moral tale with a deceptively cheerful style. Parol no Miraijima Cute, vibrant, and energetic. The style and the animation are on the same tier as Little Witch Academia. Colorful Ninja Iromaki Fun, pretty and endearing. A style that reminds me of Crayon Shin-chan. Heartcatch Precure! The lack of people on MAL who give kid show a try is saddening. Heartcatch Precure is full of brilliantly animated fight scenes, well-paced and well-written dramas, and very lovable characters. Zunda Horizon Hilarious. Every second is a "wtf why am I watching it?" It resembles some of the best weird nonsensical Japanese commercials. Super catchy. Miyanishi Tatsuya Gekijou: Omae Umasou da na Based on a picture book for pre-school, but is so genuinely cute and moving that nothing should stop an adult enjoying it. Umi kara no Shisha A brilliantly animated short. Kizuna Ichigeki A cheerful kid one-off with great action choreography. Bannou Yasai Ninninman Full of weird, nonsensical things in a kid show. Hilarious. Shiranpuri (Movie) Unique art style and great animation. A mature take on bullying. Kick-Heart An underwatched Yuasa that's full of playfulness. Wonder Garden Strangely beautiful. Shashinkan Great storytelling. Nihon Animator Mihonichi Recommended: #3 ME!ME!ME!, #6 20min Walk From Nishi-Ogikubo Station, #18 The Diary of Ochibi, #19 I can Friday by day!, #27 Bubu & Bubulina, #31 GIRL, #34 Robot on the Road, #35 Cassette Girl. Chiisana Eiyuu: Kani to Tamago to Toumei Ningen Recommended: #2 Life Ain't Gonna Lose, #3 Invisible Shinya! Tensai Bakabon Constantly breaking the fourth wall and making fun of TV phenomena. A sense of humour that probably appeals more to an older audience with some degree of familiarity with Japanese TV culture. Keifuku-san A fascinated short by Tatsuki. Weirdly intriguing and dream-like. Tatsuki has a great way to create unique, understated mysteries in every shot and in detail of the world-building.
Momotarou (Music) Wednesday Campanella fucking rocks. And this ugly style is great. Yasashii March: The Tender March fake!fake! Marvellously vibrant visual. A Play Cup of Smoke A unique surrealist style. Bokura Mada Underground Impressive sakuga. lilac (bombs Jun Togawa) Trippy and cultish. Dramaturgy Monotonous Purgatory Hibi no Awa Nice shoegaze with nice art Heya (Music) Trippy paint-on-glass animation. Nothing like what I have seen. Houkago no Thesaurus
main interests: analytic & continental philosophy, arthouse film, backpacking, street photography, modernism (art & architecture), history, sociology.
Friend request: Please send me a message and briefly introduce yourself. Let me know how you came to be interested in my profile. I would be glad to have some conversation.
score system: Basically, same score = on a similar level of quality. Generally speaking, 4 = boring/unwatchable; 5 = watchable; 6 = nice/enjoyable. I also rate dropped shows. In that case the score represents how I think about the part I've seen and how willing I am to give it a second try. Rating examples:
10
Juuni Kokuki
K-On!!
3-gatsu no Lion
9
Steins;Gate
Attack on Titan
Little Witch Academia
8
Gunslinger Girl
FLCL
The Tatami Galaxy
Gin no Saji
7
Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou
Versailles no Bara
Nodame Cantabile
Kuragehime
One Punch Man
Fuujin Monogatari
6
Samurai Champloo
Eureka 7
Boku no Hero Academia
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Mononoke
Hyouka
Non Non Biyori
Shirobako
5
Re:Zero
Food Wars!
Grand Blue
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Amagi Brilliant Park
Paradise Kiss
Hanasaku Iroha
4
Darling in the FranXX
Violet Evergarden
Log Horizon
Classroom of the Elite
Megalo Box
3
Sword Art Online
Charlotte
Lodoss-tou Senki
Blue Submarine No. 6
2019 Beastars Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3 Part 2
Vinland Saga
Mob Psycho 100 II
2018 Koi wa Ameagari no You ni
Devilman: Crybaby
Shingeki no Kyojin Season 3
Mo Dao Zu Shi
Yuru Camp△
Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight
Yama no Susume: Third Season
2017 3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season
Little Witch Academia (TV)
Houseki no Kuni
Made in Abyss
Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou
Choboraunyopomi Gekijou Dai San Maku Ai Mai Mii: Surgical Friends
2016 3-gatsu no Lion
Bakuon!!
Mob Psycho 100
2015 Hibike! Euphonium
Owarimonogatari
Osomatsu-san
Durarara!!x2
Prison School
2014 Choboraunyopomi Gekijou Dai Ni Maku Ai Mai Mii: Mousou Catastrophe
Your Lie in April
Mushishi Zoku Shou
Ping Pong the Animation
Yama no Susume: Second Season
Hanamonogatari
Space☆Dandy
2013 Attack on Titan
The World God Only Knows: Goddesses
Choboraunyopomi Gekijou Ai Mai Mii
Kill la Kill
Monogatari Series: Second Season
Tamako Market
Yama no Susume
Gin no Saji
2012 Fate/Zero 2nd Season
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
Shinsekai yori
Psycho-Pass
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
2011 Fate/Zero
Steins;Gate
Hourou Musuko
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica
Usagi Drop
Otona Joshi no Anime Time
2010 K-On!!
The Tatami Galaxy
Mitsudomoe
2000s Juuni Kokuki
K-On!
Nana
Hunter x Hunter: Yorkshin City Kanketsu-hen
Planetes
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch
Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch R2
Shigurui
Gunslinger Girl
Top wo Nerae 2! Diebuster
Mushishi
Paranoia Agent
1990s
Shamanic Princess
Gunnm
Serial Experiments Lain
1980s
Angel's Egg
Space Cobra
Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster
1970s
The Rose of Versailles
Doraemon (1979)
more about me
favourite novels: The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Notes from Underground, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Unbearable Lightness of Being
favourite films: Persona (1966), Yi Yi (2000), Tokyo Story (1953), Nostalghia (1983), Synecdoche New York (2008), Woman in the Dunes (1964), In the Mood for Love (1997)
favourite artists: Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Henri Matisse, Wassily Kandinsky, Gerhard Richter, Francis Bacon, Pablo Picasso, Diego Velázquez, Alberto Giacometti, Cy Twombly, Egon Schiele, Roy Lichtenstein, Moriyama Daidou
favourite music: World's End Girlfriend, Nakamori Akina, Itsuwa Mayumi, Takemitsu Toru, Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass, J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Alfred Schnittke
favourite philosophers: Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Marx, Richard Rorty, Robert Brandom, Wilfrid Sellars, Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend
favourite games: Breath of the Wild, The Last of Us 1 & 2, Journey, Red Dead Redemption 2, Sky: Children of the Light, GRIS, ABZÛ, Sengoku Rance, the Pokemon Franchise, Digimon World, Persona 3, Slay the Spire
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