QUOTE
It's a matter of opinion really. But a big part of why you think the quality of ANY genre of entertainment is decreasing is because you're getting older; you've seen so many things when you were younger, as you grow up not only do you notice that you begin to be seeing many of the same things from before, but you don't have as much time as you used to and your standards may have changed. Then there are the genres you are just not that into which have periods of popularity. There's also nostalgia; you want to experience the exact same things you did back then. Just because anime today does not have the same pull on you as it did when you got into it does not mean the current anime of today will not have a similar effect on today's generation. Heck, I'm sure the generation of Otaku before you thought the quality of anime was on a downward spiral from the mid-80's.
Another factor is the mere quantity of whatever is out there: the more things an entertainment company makes, the number of products you will not like will inevitably increase.
For me, I've reached a point in my life where I feel like I've pretty much seen everything I need to. Here and there, something may spur my curiosity, but overall I think there's nothing out there I need to see immediately. Even so, there will always be that one jewel out there that grabs your attention. I think Western Animation overall has been going into a decline, but every now and then there's that one series that shows quality work (Avatar and Spectacular Spiderman)
Probably you are the person has most accurately summarized my thoughts on the matter. It is a mixture of nostalgia and experience. You cherish the first shows you watched, when you were young and inexperienced, and all seemed new, and you weren't so demanding or fixated on flaws. Moreover, there is nothing new under the Sun. Hence, the more shows you watch, the less original and surprising you will find them.
For example, I have been watching anime since the early eighties. Therefore:
It is hard a show gets me interested.
It is harder a show gets me impressed or surprised.
And it is even harder a show gets me passionate about it (and one of the reasons is no longer I allow my passion overwhelm me. Getting older tends to teach you which are your priorities and what things are worth to get thrilled about. Comic-books aren't one of them. That is because I don't listen to fanboyish rants about the goodness or badness of Naruto or Bleach. Usually I think they are taking everything TOO seriously).
Allow me elaborate one example: the topic starter has talked about like Evangelion is timeless and current series are inferior. Not only I think that show is a joke compared with the genre classics (Mazinger-Z, Grendizer, Gundam, Macross, Patlabor) but also compared with less known giant or real robot shows (Voltes-V, Gaiking, Tosho Daimos). In fact, precisely because I have watched a lot of robot shows, Evangelion looks to me like a completely unoriginal blend of thousand Humongous Mecha tropes I have watched thousand times before (Don't you believe me? Watch Ideon. Mainly watch the ending. And tell ME it doesn't remind you of End of Evangelion. Actually, if I am not mistaken, Hideaki Anno has outright stated it was one of his influences) with some pieces of philosophy and religious symbology haphazardly tossed in, in order to pretend its plot is complex and deep.
(And before someone asks me... Yes, I watched Evangelion. I watched it WHOLE when I was around seventeen. And I was way more patient with it than my friends, who started declaring it was garbage before chapter 20).
Sometimes nostalgia and bias cloud and befuddle memory and judgement. It is very tiresome -and even irksome- listening to other Saint Seiya fans dissing Naruto. I like Saint Seiya. I LOVE Saint Seiya more than I could ever love Naruto. But come on! Do you seriously you think its plot was perfect and its animation flawless? Or Dragon Ball fans thinking Dragon Ball story is better than Naruto’s (not matter that they always call it Dragon Ball Z).
(IMO, Saint Seiya and Dragon Ball's hatred towards Naruto stems at least partially from resentment: they hate shows they loved no longer are popular and resent the newest hot stuff: Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Death Note...)
And besides, when you remember old series, your mind remembers the good ones and forgets the bad ones! So you are comparing the best series of an entire age with all series of another period of time (which includes the whole of the crap).
But sometimes nostalgia has nothing to do with it. Sometimes you read/watch something and try analyzing it so objectively like possible (of course we are talking about something based on taste, bias and opinion, so full objectivity is impossible)… and you still think the older stuff was better. Quality isn’t determined by age. A show created in 1973 may be better than one created in 2003; right like one created in 2003 may be better than one created in 1973. It works both ways (of course!).
One example: some people love telling people loves the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time game is deluded by nostalgia (“many years have passed and they don’t remember its flaws!”; “it was the first game they played and they are biased!”). I played Ocarina Of Time two years ago, for first time, after Twilight Princess (the newest instalment) and I don’t care for reviews (so they don’t influence me), and I STILL think Ocarina of Time is better.
I have read nearly all of Rumiko Takahashi’s main series. I think Ranma is way better than Inu-Yasha. And I think Urusei Yatsura (her first long work) is way better than Ranma. Nostalgia? No, because I read Urusei Yatsura way after Inu-Yasha and after Ranma. Moreover, I think Maison Ikkoku (which she drew between Urusei Yatsura and Ranma) is her better work. Why? Because the plot is better: it doesn’t drag out, the characters actually evolve and change, and the ending closes the series perfectly well. Still I will admit the art is inferior.
Oh, and there is another added factor: tastes and trends change and shift. And anime shows change according them. Storytelling, tropes… all of them change. You love the kind of storytelling and character-making you are more familiarized with.
I am familiarized with seventies and eighties shows and comics. I love that kind of heroes and stories: Saint Seiya, Fist of North Star, Kimagure Orange Road, Ronin Warriors, Karasu Tengu Kabuto, Ranma ½…
I have tried getting on Rosario+Vampire, Busou Renkin, Soul Eater… and I was unable. I don’t like that style. I don’t like that kind of characters. And the stories are average at beast.
Still I have found new series I like: Naruto, Bleach, Claymore… But it is getting tougher and tougher find new series I like.
So in a nutshell: it is not anime’s quality is decreasing. There are good and bad shows, right like always. It is also you are getting older. Nothing surprises you or thrills you anymore. You are less forgiving or tolerant towards flaws and plotholes. And the shows are trying luring newer customers like other kind of stories.
It is a natural and inevitable process and everyone must acknowledge it and accept it. Enjoy your favourite series because they are and accept most of the newer shows don’t appeal to you.
Not long ago I watched an old Saint Seiya episode. I utterly LOVED it when I was eleven. But when I watched it again, I couldn’t avoid notice the crude animation and special effects. It was slightly diminishing my enjoyment so I forced myself to ignore it and enjoying the events were unfolding (the fight was still epic).
Oh, and I don’t think Naruto will be forgotten two years after it ending. I was doubtful about it before, but now I think it will endure. The series has gone on for too long, and it has been too successful to be forgotten so easily.
This topic is locked
