Disclaimer: This is going to come across as an incredibly mean-spirited post and may contain a minor hint of anger and intolerance. It is not my intention to offend anyone with the content of this post and I’m merely trying to get my point across. You have been warned.
I think it’s safe to say that just about everyone here, who reads and engages this blog, has a strong passion for Anime.
We share our thoughts on the shows we watch and we engage in discussion with one another. We love this medium. It plays a significant role in our lives.
And because of that, sometimes we take it a bit too seriously. Maybe a show did something offensive that made us angry or disgusted. Perhaps a show went in a completely different direction than our expectations had led us to believe and we were left disappointed. Or it could be that a series was just so terrible in every conceivable way that we just felt empty and violated.
We’re all guilty of this. We’ve all lost our minds over something a series did that we didn’t agree with. Each and every one of us, at some point or another, has made an angry rant about how terrible the people who created the show that did the terrible thing are for birthing such a monstrosity.
Even I, the guy who seemingly has an extremely high and potentially unlimited tolerance for bullshit, have lashed out at various shows in the past for being terrible or for doing something that goes against my morals.
Yet, recently, I’ve found myself no longer being affected by these kinds of things.
Could it be that my perspective has changed as I’ve gotten older? Or is it simply due to the fact that I’ve consumed so many ridiculous series during my time as an Anime fan that nothing phases me?
In all honestly, it’s likely both.
Looking back on the moments this medium induced these kinds of negative feelings, I genuinely wonder what the big deal was? Why did I get so mad? Why the heck was I so upset?
After all, it’s just an Anime. It’s just a piece of animated fiction. It’s not real. It’s just a form of entertainment aimed to appeal to a specific set of people that may, or may not, be you.
Sure, it’s part of a medium that has had a heavy impact on my life and has played a significant role in my development as a human being, but despite that, it’s still just an Anime.
So why get so hung up about it? What’s the purpose in exploding into a blaze of fury because you saw something that didn’t line up with your moral compass? So what if Sword Art Online has a scene where the main heroine gets groped by tentacles? Who cares if Eromanga Sensei is chock-full of incestuous relations between its two protagonists? Who gives a damn if Griffith brutally raped Casca in front of Guts while demons tore apart their entire fellowship of companions?
It’s a work of fiction. It’s not real. It’s art, and whether you agree with it or not, the purpose of a work of art is to communicate something, even if that something is seemingly baseless and immoral.
I understand that there’s a line, and I’m not condoning those that choose to cross it, but I feel that almost every time I see people flip out over something an Anime series does to offend or upset them, they go way too far with the outrage.
No. The author doesn’t deserve to die because he wrote a scene you didn’t like. No. The animators shouldn’t be locked up for drawing a scene that made you feel uncomfortable. Please stop.
Eromanga Sensei is a recent example of this. People are losing their mind over some of the things that show has done as if they some how had no idea what kind of series this was going to be from the beginning. We all knew what this was going to be. We knew exactly what we signed up for.
And even if you didn’t, is it really worth getting this mad about?
This also applies to when a show breaks your expectations or winds up being something you aren’t enjoying. It happens. Sometimes we fire up a show, we expect it to be great and it turns out to be dreadful in every single way. We feel frustrated. We feel like we wasted our time. We feel like we need to tear the show a new one.
But here’s the thing:
Nobody is forcing you to keep watching. If you’re truly disgusted by the content of a show to the point you feel the need to vent your frustration publicly, then stop watching it. If you find a series is getting so bad that it’s becoming difficult to watch, you don’t need to carry on.
I’m not saying I’m against people getting upset about a series. It’s perfectly fine for a series to get you mad and it’s even fine to share how mad you are. But the way this is being done, the level this is sometimes being taken to, the way people are approaching it, is tiring, and I’m already tired enough as it is.
Perhaps it’s just me being my usual, weird, contrarian self, but I just don’t care. Then again, it’s been statistically proven that I have the highest tolerance ever when it comes to Anime. Maybe I’m just immune to all this.
It’s just Anime. It’s something we all indulge in for the purpose of having a good time. Just have fun. Have a blast. Enjoy yourself!
Don’t take it too seriously.
Lethargic Ramblings 
okay, this post is definitely not what i thought it was going to be from the title alone (that counts as clickbait, right?). not that there’s anything wrong with that…if anything, im relieved. yeah, that’s a pretty fair point. it’s not like the events in an anime are actually happening or anything, so why bother getting riled up about it? im just here to criticize stuff that i dont think is right, not impose my morals on a fictional world. but then again, ive always been good at distancing myself from fiction, so maybe im just a weirdo.
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Yeah, I struggled to think of a title that encapsulated this idea well and didn’t sound terrible, so I went with that. Sorry if it misled you!
That being said, I’m glad you enjoyed the post and could relate to it.
For the record you ain’t a weirdo 😀
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Agreed. One shouldn’t get mad at Eromanga Sensei for being taboo, one should get mad at it for being shite.
But anyway no piece of media will ever be as offensive as Panic! at the Disco covering Bohemian Rhapsody. And then actually selling it. As part of the Suicide Squad soundtrack. Give me a million incestuous tentacle rape scenes if we can just erase that from human history.
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I’m so happy to see someone use the word “shite” when describing Eromanga Sensei haha.
But seriously, it’s taboo themes are hardly the big issue with the series.
And… That’s a thing…? That’s… Terrible… Oh dear…
Thanks for reading!
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I have to agree with a lot of this. I mean, it’s FICTION. And to go on such an angry rant? Like, okay; I’m okay with a rant a while after you watch/read whatever ticked you off. Your head is clearer, you’re calmer, and you can make a much more logical, understandable opinion. Same goes with when you enjoy a series; take a week, and then review. It’s more objective that way. Like, I remember when I finished Sherlock season 4. I was so annoyed, but my arguments weren’t that good. Now that it’s May, I think my arguments are much clearer and logical.
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TL;DR dont take anime seriously, be like Tanaka.
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You are literally the TL;DR commenter 😀
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Well, I guess that can be said for pretty much anything I watch. I have gotten angry over movies and tv series as well as anime. But that usually happens when I enjoy something a lot, and it ends on a bad note or without a clear resolution to anything. A prime example for this was the television series Dexter. It ran for 8 seasons and was utterly fantastic. But then the final episode came, and the ending was so incredibly stupid, that I wonder how on Earth they managed to create an ending like that, to such a terrific series. So far I can’t really call to mind an Animeseries that has done that, or where I became angry like that. Brynhildr in the Darkness was pretty cool, but the end did not really satisfy either. But it did not cause me to really become angry for it though.
I see your point however. It is not worth losing your head over something that is just a work of Art. But sometimes, occasionally I guess we just can’t help ourselves lol. We are human after all 😂😂
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I actually feel you on Dexter because I was the exact same way. I stayed up to ridiculous times every night, marathoning the entire series in a few weeks and that ending was just so… Disappointing. I was really upset, especially when I heard the original idea for the ending that sounded much better.
But yeah, I’m glad you see the point I’m making here! We’re all human but sometimes we just need to take a breath and relax haha.
Thanks for reading!
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My only issue with people who make content I disagree with or find offensive is when it is not clearly labelled. As much as I disliked episode two of Eronmanga Sensei and made the decision to cease any further viewing, I couldn’t claim I hadn’t been aware of what could potentially be in the show so I had no one but myself to blame for watching it.
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Actually, that’s something I didn’t really consider and yeah, it’s annoying!
But thankfully most of the time a show is clearly labeled what it’s trying to be, and we should all be prepared for whatever offensive stuff it’s bound to portray I think.
Thanks for reading!
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I think my issue with mislabelling mostly comes from the Australian classification system. My current chief example of shows that are mislabelled comes from first season SAO only recommended for parental guidance (it’s okay, it isn’t a death game where people’s brains are fried) and Snow White with the Red Hair is recommended for mature audiences. Admittedly, it isn’t restricted to above 15’s but why does it need to have a higher classification than SAO? How are parents meant to make sensible choices for their children with those sorts of classifications on DVD’s?
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I think that the anger and distate that we sometimes feel is perfectly natural, but how we deal with it is down to our own choice. I absolutely agree that no one is being forced to keep watching if something offends/upsets/bores them etc. It’s for that reason that I stopped watching Gurren Lagann half way through an episode and never returned, it had done things bored me, left me uncomfortable, and simply wasn’t clicking. I’m always happy to dsicuss my view on such things, but I’d hate to think that i’m coming across as simply entering a hate filled rant. In my mind, the key is to give yourself a moment to calm down, and if you still feel the need to let loose about something, do so in as reasonable a manner as you can.
One thing I would say though is that it’s true that it’s fiction, but that doesn’t mean it can’t cause harm. Represented certain themes or stereotypes in particular ways can have a damaging affect for people. For most part, I definitely agree that we shouldn’t take things too seriously, but I do believe that there’s a line (though where that line is will vary from person to person).
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I agree. As I said, getting mad sometimes is fine, but it’s all about how people go about it. Telling the director to “go die” is just unwarranted and too far.
Very interesting to hear about your perspective on Gurren Lagann, since most people, myself included, were completely enthralled by it.
I for one couldn’t stand Free! I genuinely think it’s the worst Anime I’ve ever seen, but I’d never go on a hate filled rant about it because why would I?
I see where you’re coming from with the fiction thing and I agree with you there. However, at the same time, I feel that art is the best place to explore these hurtful and offensive themes in as least a damaging way as possible. Of course there’s a line, but I feel it can be a way to express things that just wouldn’t be acceptable in society and what not.
But that’s a super controversial topic and a very different discussion that I don’t want to get too into right now, if ever 😛
Thanks a lot for reading and for your own thoughts! I appreciate it!
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Aye, ordering the death of a creator really is more than a few steps too far.
Yeah, I went into Gurren Lagann with high expectations after all the hype. There was just so much about it that feel flat for me. I have no issue with others loving it of course, it just wasn’t for me.
Art can indeed be a good place to explore things that, in some ways, need to be explored, or at least be shown for what they are. The expression thing is indeed a controversial one, and the sort of thing that’s likely to stir up a lot of mixed emotions.
Not a worry at all. Twas a most excellent post.
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What you’re describing is something I had a really hard time understanding myself. Why go the extra mile to not only watch a show you hate but also dump all over it to let everyone else know you hate it? The answer I concluded, perhaps unsurprisingly, has little to do with the show.
People like it when their opinion is validated. People like it when an opposing opinion is denounced. In general, the stronger the opinion the more it will affect someone, whether they agree with it or not. That seems to be the essence of clickbait posts like “why this anime is bad and why you’re a bad person for liking it.”
Rants are fun to read. It’s fun to see someone flip out over something because you can look at that and say “Yeah, that was so bad that it made this guy flip his lid!” Hype has a similar effect on the other end of the spectrum. Everyone who’s hyped about a show can look at it and say “Yeah, that was so good it made this guy flip his lid!”
I was halfway working on a post similar to this, but I think I’ll retool it in light of the excellent points you made here.
For the record I’ve always held the same mindset you do. If I really don’t like a show, I just won’t watch it. Not to say that you should never watch anything you dislike. It’s important to see “bad” shows because it gives you a chance to look at it critically and think about why it wasn’t good, just as important as it is for you to think about why something you liked was good.
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For me it goes two ways. I sometimes can enjoy the passion of one releasing there emotions in a productive way towards a series or film. Yet I think baseless rage without a proper outlet or idea behind it just isn’t productive or constructive in the slightest. The worst type of rage comes from the senseless need to insult or harm another when it comes to the entertainment medium. To feel that because you “suffered” at the hands of the work and others thought it was good or one of their favourites makes you above their opinion is the worst thing one can do in a community or thinking someone else’s opinion doesn’t matter. So long as the rage doesn’t devolve to that then I am more okay with it I think. Losing oneself within a community over your own opinion or your own rage is something that more and more people do on a daily basis. I agree that at some point we do need to realize that the reasons we are getting upset over for a show like Eromanga-sensei does not give us full reign over others opinions.
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Oi oi….
I was sold when you said an incredibly ‘mean spirited post’…
I want my money back!
Anyway, well done! There’s really someone taking the bullet for us, the minority that agree wholeheartedly. 🙂
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Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Given some of the shows I actively defend my love for, I’m used to taking bullets for those in a minority haha.
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I am definitely guilty of getting spitting mad at fictional content. I doubt that will change much any time soon since I kinda like getting overly invested in non-existent things. Idk, it’s cathartic?
And it’s fine to hate something and express that but I do agree that attacking the creators or the viewers who like it is going too far. Taste is different for each person. One’s bucket of shit could be another’s holy grail. Let’s all just like what we like and hate what we hate and… get along? Or is that too idealistic?
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I completely agree that we should all just get along and stop bashing one another.
But that’s a dream sadly. There will always be someone out there to spoil our fun D:
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If I may offer some constructive criticism…
I think the following paragraph most clearly states the point you were trying to make, so you should put it earlier in your piece.
“I’m not saying I’m against people getting upset about a series. It’s perfectly fine for a series to get you mad and it’s even fine to share how mad you are. But the way this is being done, the level this is sometimes being taken to, the way people are approaching it, is tiring”
Because as I read the preceding paragraphs I thought you were saying people should never be upset about a series, which I disagreed with. It was only upon reading that paragraph that I understood your position.
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I really appreciate the constructive feedback here! I wasn’t aware that the way I laid this out was confusing, but I totally see it now.
Thanks a lot!
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Interesting opinion.
Are there times where anime made me angry? Yes, I won’t lie to you. Personally, I go harder against films especially mainstream ones which is why I rarely ever deal with them, but that’s a story for another day.
It’s certainly fiction and I tell myself that it’s not real and I can stop at any time. If I don’t like something I watched, I’ll write a review or mention it here and there. It’s also way too harsh and illogical to wish death on creators for making something someone doesn’t like just needs to stop. Shoot, there are times where I really wonder how irrational people can be with what they like or don’t like. There are times where I thought I would get death threats for some of my opinions on movies or anime and get surprised when it doesn’t happen which is a sad statement with how unstable so many fandoms can be.
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