I love anime. It's such a diverse, imaginative and interesting medium which tells stories that can really capture both your attention and emotion. There is literally something for everyone, from cooking, sports (even cycling and ping pong) to romantic comedies, action and adventure. Yet common across all the hundreds of anime and indeed any story are common elements and themes. People often complain of generic tropes or styles, with similar categories, e.g. harem, overpowered or weak protagonist etc. There are a few elements in the execution of most stories that I particularly detest though.
1. Unnaturally prolonged or delayed romantic elements.
Man, this drives me nuts. By now, everyone has watched both western and eastern romantic type stories where the 2 leads dance around the topic for the whole series, only to work out they were meant for each other in the very last episode where they perhaps hold hands or kiss.
Come on, I know all about romantic tension etc, but surely we are imaginative enough to explore other elements of relationships quite apart from the 'thrill of the chase'? That's why anime which explore life after the start of relationships I often rate very highly, c.f. Clannad After Story being one I consider a masterpiece, in part because it goes where very few others tread. Others such as Ore Monogatari and even Code Geass also manage to move beyond the standard longing looks across the classroom to explore further elements.
This horrific blight on all story telling is worst in Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU where after 36 episodes, the leads agree to do.... nothing at all. I wanted to slit my wrists there and then.
2. Lack of suspense/tension.
People love sport because of unpredictability. Although your team is rated no.1 it has a chance of losing, likewise the bottom team can still upset the top team. Why would anyone write a story where the hero/heroine never loses - ever? Are they crazy? One of the worst offenders is Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. Seriously, there is nothing at stake for the hero. He is not only invulnerable, he cannot lose. Whats the point of a story, where there is no consequence, no suffering and no growth?
There must always be conflict, either internal or external and there must be growth for the story to mean something. Many people love Full Metal Alchemist and Stein's Gate - I also think they are excellent stories. Why? Because there is cost and consequence, there is a price to pay, even for the heroes. Code Geass has some of the most powerful twists because it goes in directions where you feel no one is safe and everything is at stake. Likewise, Hunter x hunter in the chimera arc, feels like a non stop roller coaster, because people do get injured and die.
3. Deceiving the viewer.
The most annoying thing is series which do not end well or incompletely. Now I understand that this is not the fault of the production company as a lot of it is ratings based, nevertheless, even in completed anime, it is a cardinal sin to promise certain things and never to deliver it.
Although you may think it is contradictory, we viewers actually enjoy predictability to an extent. We want to see the hero succeed, with perhaps a twist, e.g. Code Geass which had one of the best endings in all anime. We want to see closure and resolution, e.g. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso. I hate cop out endings, and in that sense I did not really enjoy the Clannad After Story ending, as much as the episodes prior to it. Nevertheless, the message stands, that viewers want an ending which resolves the questions raised in a consistent yet interesting manner. We want to see the hero choose the right girl in harem animes, we want to see a heroic sacrifice if need be, we are willing to accept loss if it means redemption otherwise. The best endings, all involve resolution of cost, consequence and hope, c.f. Star Wars - return of the jedi, Titanic, Interstellar and Shawshank Redemption.
Conclusion:
These 3 elements are so fundamental yet so abused. You would think, these elements should be imprinted into every storytellers brain, like a standard template. Obviously, there are other things involved, such as relatability etc, but these 3 things I'm sure are what everyone hates.
If you can think of others, please dont hesitate to write a comment. Thanks for reading!
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