Spring 2022 Diary: Date A Live has justified its existence to me (Last updated 11th April)

Entry #03: Date A Live has justified its existence to me (11th April)

I do not like 'Date A Live'. I think it's a harem show that is outdated and past its prime. It uses the trite formula of "collect girls like you would collect Pokemon". Granted while its one of the earlier pioneers of that genre, the sheer influx of Isekai shows that adhere to those tropes like a bible, has made the bible itself obsolete; A relic of a past that has been translated to death, and would be soon replaced with fresher, more respectful harem tropes.

However regardless of all its flaws, 'Date A Live' has "justified its existence" to me. That phrase means a great deal in my mind. It surpasses the mere idea of just being good. For example, last season I watched a show called 'My Dress-up Darling'. I finished all of it, thought that Marin is super cute, thought the animation was super crisp and thought that that show was in all fairness, a pretty good show. However, compared to 'Date A Live', which has terrible animation, a crowded cast and horribly trite themes, 'My Dress-up Darling' has failed to justify its existence to me as compared to it.

So what do I mean by that expression then, if it doesn't denote the quality of a show? One word -- "Impression". And I can even go on to say that 'Date A Live' has made a lasting impression on me with one singular song -- Miku Izayoi's song, 'My Treasure'.

Let me sing you a song, and let's sing along ~ Matataku manten no hoshizora wo umareta hajimete mita toki no you ni ~

I love this song with all my heart. I remembered hearing this back when I was a wee 14 year old lad. I liked Miku back then, and the concept of idols was a fresh, yet intriguing concept to me. However when Miku sang this song at the end of the season, I was left with a profound feeling I can only describe as 'peace'. When I am depressed, listening to this song made me feel warm; When I am lost, listening to this song filled me with hope; At an age where my heart was constantly spiraling around in the rollercoaster called 'puberty', this song sought to wash all of that away -- It was and still remained as, the song that has touched my heart. 'Date A Live' then, for having introduced me to this song has justified -- Through all of its crappy tropes -- its existence to me. 

Why do I think this is worth talking about? After all, the concept of 'guilty pleasures' is well-known to people of the anime community. It speaks of shows that aren't necessarily "good" by conventional standards, but has left enough of an impression to be enjoyed by a few. These aren't that much different from my expression of 'existence' which places focus on personal taste and memorability.

However on a more personal note, the concept of 'existence' is how I want every single anime to be. I mentioned this briefly in Entry #01, but anime is all about making impressions. As good as an anime like 'My Dress-up Darling' is, if it didn't resonate with me, then three months down the line, I would've already forgotten about its existence. And yet, it has been eight years since I last watched 'Date A Live', and even so, I still find myself falling back in love with 'My Treasure' again and again. 

In the long run then, which is the "better show" to me? Can I say that 'My Dress-up Darling' is better than 'Date A Live', even though one has clearly outlived the other?

Perhaps this is the eternal debate of subjectivity versus objectivity. In our minds, we have two brains, one that enjoys a show like 'Serial Experiments Lain' with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigar on the other; But we also have the other side of the brain that wave our light sticks around whenever the newest waifu drops by our town. Both objectivity and subjectivity are integral to provide different types of enjoyment for us.

But regardless for me personally, there has been a clear victor between their eternal clashes. When I was young, I used to strive to be the guy with monocles, snobbily giving "objective" reviews on MAL about how sophisticated 'Cowboy Bebop' is. But slowly over the years, I have transformed to that potato on the couch that fangirls whenever Eiko from 'Ya Boy Kong Ming' shows up. To me, the concept of objectivity has nearly ceased to exist. The idea that anime should be valued solely by how much of an impression it makes on me, takes precedence.

So with all that said, to the person who reads this diary of mine, who are you? Which side of yourself do you embody today?

Entry #02: Worlds collide with ya boi Kong Ming?! (5th April)

It's been a while since I last sat down and had some dumb fun with my anime and what do ya know, one of the most ridiculous premises have swooped in and rolled me over with laughter! So as per the usual, we have to gush about the details, amirite?

First of, holy shit Eiko is such a waifu. I was wondering why I liked her that much, then I went on MAL and realized that it's Kaede Hondo of 'Zombieland Saga fame' -- And I fucking love Sakura! And PA works gave her so many cute expressions, it's super adorbs. Plus her outfits man, she rocks the sensual, the drip, the casual and she even has a pretty good birthday suit. And her singing voice! Not gonna lie, it was beautiful and it actually made me feel something for once in the cockles of my "kokoro". I think they hired an actual Japanese singer for the English songs as well cause you can hear the slight mispronunciations in the words. Very nice! Thank you very much, PA works, you knew I was feeling pretty empty after Lena went on her indefinite vacation. Thank you for giving me a new girl to simp for this season.

Alright, if you made it through that paragraph of peer down-badness then I applaud you. Here in my blog, I seek to show that there will always be two sides of man -- The analyst and the simp. As a reward, here is some actual insights that you may or may not have noticed. One interesting thing to note is how this comedy uses one of my favorite pacing techniques -- Convenience through humor.

This technique is especially powerful, making it so that a normal 30 page script can be condensed down to just a meager script of a singular sentence. Let me show you how it works; So your main character is a historical strategist that has just been transported into the modern world with no earthly possessions other than his robe and his archaic expertise. How do you make it so that this person can afford food, shelter and proper employment?

Script #01: He will have to report to the police. Probably run through a million investigations. On the off-chance that he isn't deported across the Japan seas, he will have to apply for citizenship. Get valid documents and systems like an identification card and a bank account. Go out on a job search. Pray to god that he gets hired, and even then suffer hellish wrath for his inadequacy with modern day procedures.

Script #02: He gets recommended to a bar who just so happens to be a big Three Kingdom fanatic and he somehow is a god at being a bartender cause he used to make tea (????), yea seems about right.

If I'm a director, you bet my ass I would choose script #02. I think it often gets overlooked just how important 'convenience through humor' is in terms of pacing. Often times having to introduce crazy premises like this would take a lot of explanation to do and even then, you will still need to jump through a million loop holes just to get to a satisfactory "starting point". 'Convenience through humor' is the writing technique that would save you from all that slog; Through using it, you can skip through all boring explanations and justify its conveniences with a *tehepero*. All good comedies have long since mastered this technique, so keep a look out for them on your own watch-a-longs.

So what are the actual good things that 'Ya Boy Kong Ming' wants to get to? Well its bigger emotional beats of course. Like it or not, some well-timed jokes aren't usually enough to impress a jaded soul like me. I want my comedies to have human pathos ingrained into their punchlines; I want my kooky characters to invoke empathy from even their silliest of quirks as well. What really made me feel those emotions then is perhaps in the scene whereby Koumei cried during Eiko's singing. In a foreign world 1800 years into future, devoid of any familiar blood or soil, it just so happens to be music that brings our lost war strategist his much needed comfort. It is fitting for music is something that has existed since the humble beginnings of civilization. Although a lot of its styles and genres have evolved beyond recognition over the years, one still would be able to appreciate a soothing voice when they hear one. 

And what say of Eiko herself. She tells a simple story of an aspiring artist who struggles with being a small fish in a big pond. Perhaps such a story may even be so simple that we may give a shrug upon first glance. However what really gives it a hard edge is that we are shown in painful details how passionate she is. Our first introduction to this girl is her energetically belting out her voice with all her might. When we enter her room, we see just how much her life has been enraptured by music with all her instruments and her walls of posters. And even if you don't appreciate an indie folk music played on an acoustic guitar (what are you, a soul-less monster?), you can still feel her passion through how animated she is when she sings, owing to the character animations provided by PA works. In many sense, even if you remove the sappy backstory and her other dialogues, her love for music is palpable through her every actions and surroundings. Perhaps if even that doesn't capture your attention, you have Kong Ming who is enraptured by her voice, not once, not twice, but thrice. If the simple story about a struggling artist doesn't resonate with you, then maybe the story of a man touched by her music would. 

For me, writing such a believable chemistry between two characters is difficult enough, much less on its first episode. However what makes Kong Ming and Eiko's bond so powerful is because everything is connected to a singular theme, and that is the 'power of music'. Kong Ming was lost but through music found a new motivation in his life. Eiko was similarly about to give up on music, but through the support of Kong Ming, has been reignited in her passion. I have said this before on my last essay on '86', but characters that mutually uplift each other, is one of the most powerful themes you can write in a relationship. It becomes even more intimate when there's a sense of 'chasing each other's shadow'; Kong Ming seeks to repay Eiko for providing him with comfort, while Eiko seeks to become a better artist to repay his support. I am now heavily invested in the development of their relationship.

Perhaps the last point of interest, is in the sheer number of music genres we actually explored in episode 1 alone. We had 90s anime EDM, acapella, indie folk, house and even orchestra pieces played with Chinese instruments. Yessss babyyyy, the track that plays towards the emotional climax at the end, you wouldn't think I would miss it would ya? Cymbals, bells, knocking drums; While not exclusive to Chinese culture, these instruments are often used in Chinese orchestras. This is partly why the final track felt strangely oriental, with the swelling rhythm adding to that effect as well. 

This is especially powerful when we consider how these tracks evolved and transitioned between each other. When Eiko was revealing her insecurities, what characterized her was a simple piano track to express her emotions. But when Kong Ming declares his assistance, the track transforms to the oriental orchestra befitting of his Chinese roots. However take note that the piece begun with only a simpler composition. It is only when we see Eiko get shaken by his declaration, does the track introduce the swelling violins. In a sense, this was the track evolving from the simpler oriental piece to one that encompasses Eiko's overwhelming emotions as well; A track where each individual instruments reflect a separate story, but when accompanied together, tells a tale of how both characters intertwine.

In my essay on 'Aharen-san', I've talked about how much I value sound designing. And I am proud to say that for 'Ya Boy Kong Ming', it has definitely earned my undying praise in that regard.

Entry #01: The Three Minute Rule (2nd April)

I don't know whether it is just the effect of growing out of anime, but I feel like I've become increasingly jaded with it across the years. I remember back when I was a wee twelve-y when I first laid my hands on Naruto, Bleach and SAO -- Ooooh boi I was freakin' addicted to anime. I would binge a minimum of three series a week, jumping from shit like Oreimo to Serial Experiments Lain and then back to Gurren Lagann. And that would be all I do after coming back from school, just sitting in front of my laptop for 8 hours straight without even leaving my seat. With that level of commitment, I also remember this strange rule that I used to take part in -- "The Three episode rule".

This rule was iron-clad in the anime community. It states that if you don't watch at least three episodes of an anime before making your judgement call, then you are a lesser watcher, someone not sophisticated enough to stand with the elites... Well... Not exactly that harsh, but to me, I held myself up to that make-believe standard. I told myself: "Look if you don't watch at least three episodes of this shitty anime, then you are missing out on what could potentially be anime of the season, you fake-ass weeb!"

"Fake-ass weeb?! I am anything but that, I am the biggest intellectual anime has ever been gifted. I can't be no fake-ass weeb!" And hence, that rule has became ingrained into my wee lil' brain from a very young age. However, slowly but surely, as I became older around 18-19 years of age, that rule has all but faded. Nowadays, I can watch the first minute of a show and go -- "Alright this looks like boring trash..." Proceed to skip 12 minutes ahead, see characters talking, and proceed to just axe out of the show and label the anime as 'not for me'. 

I'm sure many older anime fans have felt that same feeling before; No longer being able to divert as much attention to an anime series as we used to. Perhaps this is the kind of feeling that is universal for all things that we like; Hell I remember loving to read books when I was young, and now my attention span can't even last me 2 pages in. Maybe it also have something to do with our busier adult lives; Now that we have more real-life commitments, we just can't seem to spare that much of our precious time to something that may end up being 'boring' or 'a waste of time'.

As an anime-fan though, I have thought to myself whether I am slowly falling out of love for anime. Maybe I am getting too old for this shit ya know? But then, just a few days ago I just wrote a 15,500 worded essay about a single anime -- So like, yea, clearly I am still a pretty hardcore anime fan.

The thing then is this -- I no longer feel pressured to live up to some 'elitist anime connoisseur', I just need to find anime that makes me feel excited. What that means is a shift from needing to be objective about anime, to just saying "fuck it! I like it if I like it!" So what if I miss out on anime of the season? I can just wait for the next big title that's coming out. So what if one of my favorite anime is Danmachi season 1? I fucking love that trashy shit and no one other than me should give it a shit.

Following that line of thinking is not just jadedness, but finicky-persnickety behavior, like some Vegan at a restaurant; A singular glance at an anime is all I need to make judgement, just like how the sight of meat sauce itself is enough to disgust me. I hereby coin this new sorta viewing philosophy as the "Three minute rule".

Three minute is all I need for me to make a judgement about an anime. Is it objective? Hell no, it is about the most biased rule there is. But does it make me a happy anime fan? Probably much more than sitting twenty minutes through a show that will make me question my existence by the end of it. 

Interestingly, I have tried my best to quantify what passes the 'three minute rule' for me. Is it interesting visuals? Compelling narrative? Relatable characters? There's probably a lot of factors. Hell even my mood on that particular day would be a major factor; Don't expect me to sit down and enjoy Yuru Camp when I am feeling particularly jittery that day.

But perhaps something that is more concrete and applicable is the need to understand the emotions evoked. What this means is that in the first three-minutes of a show, I need to be able to understand and connect myself with an emotion of the show. It is important to note that 'understanding' and 'connecting' with an emotion is two entirely separate concept as well (I spoke a little about this in my analysis on Squid Game too). Basically, you can understand an emotion but not care that much for it, and you can similar feel deeply connected with an emotion and yet can't form words to describe it.

https://zxcaderu.blogspot.com/2021/10/squid-games-genius-manipulation-of.html

Just yesterday, I caught a glimpse of a show that aired last season, 'In the land of Leadale'. It was a comfy show and I would go on to watch the rest of it cause I was in the mood. But I can't help but feel that the first three minutes of the show was horribly boring. You see the main girl wake up, realize she is in a game world, then she talks with this little girl, and then head down and eat breakfast.

In those first three minutes, I can understand that the atmosphere is quite comfy. Similarly, I understood that the emotion we are supposed to feel when our main girl ate breakfast was that of happiness. However because the emotion was spurred on by a slew of monologues, dialogues and little interesting visuals to gaze upon, I couldn't find myself caring that much for it. I did like the ost though. In fact the ost allowed me to vibe through two episodes of it. In this sense, it was solely music that connected me to the emotions the show wanted to portray, rather than anything else.

In comparison we have a new anime that just aired today, 'The executioner and her way of life'. 

Owing to my non-existent attention span, I didn't even cared to read any of the subtitles that was shown in the first twenty seconds of the show. However, what instantly intrigued me was how much I still understood the emotions it was trying to convey even though I didn't catch a single word our character said.

In one shot, we have a striking image of classmates with their faces being blurred out with shadows. This gave an impression of distance and how our POV character cannot decipher nor understand the emotions of others. In the next shot, we have a silhouette being framed in a heaven-like sky, showing how this silhouette is someone comparably more beautiful than the other classmates. Additionally, it being painted over by a juxtaposing starry sky further makes the silhouette pop out from its surrounding, giving it an alien quality albeit its beauty, perhaps showing a certain distance has formed between their assumed intimacy. And lastly, a visceral shot of sadness immediately after, showing us in no uncertain terms how our POV character feels about the circumstances.

In these three shots, I immediately understood that this anime may potentially be a character study, touching upon topics of human connectivity and perhaps having darker twists of loneliness down the line. If I have a vote on how I would want every anime to introduce their story, I would want the first twenty seconds of this anime to be a role model 9 times out of 10.

This is not to say that these concise, micro-cosmic openings are a rarity in anime. In fact, a lot of shows does this. But as usual, what matters most is not the quantity but the quality. We see this is the first episode of 'Realist Hero' (a show which I loved by the way) which attempts to lay out its main theme to us in its opening. 

Our main character Souma has a nice chat with his grandfather and we are given the message that family is the most important thing in a person's life. This message is a micro-cosmic theme of the entire show and it serves the same purpose as the opening in 'The Executioner' but the difference lies in the visuals. In 'Realist Hero', our setting is a boring old yard and with two people just talking, while in the latter example, we have isolating imagery of blotched out faces, thought-provoking contrasts of day and night and a visceral close-up on an expression dripping with tragedy. 

In 'Realist Hero', we read the dialogue and hence understood the emotions Souma is facing. But in 'The Executioner', not only do we hear the pain in Menou's voice, we see her conflicts and we connect to them on a more immediate level. Both achieve a goal of evoking an emotion, but one does it with greater creativity, intrigue and palpability. It is for this reason why I find it important to separate understanding emotions from connecting with them.

It is not to say that I immediately understood and dissected all of "The Executioner's" opening from the get-go. Like I said, my attention span is but a gold-fish at this age and I was struggling to open a bag of chips in that scene. However, it was that powerfully drawn reaction of despair from Menou that made me go: "Hold on, that a pretty dang good reaction face ya got there," Which made me rewound back to the start to fully grasp and feel what I missed before. 

This should stand as a testament to the power of 'one frame'. While twenty seconds may pass in a blink of an eye, it is how visually-striking and palpable that singular reaction frame is to me which hooked me. It made me rewound back and spend more of my supposedly precious time, which is a much better beginning than me zoning out until the 2nd episode of a series. The distant imagery of shadowy faces and visually-alien contrast of an azure sky and a galaxy of stars are also such 'one frames' that would instantly be able to capture such attention from how thought-provoking they can be.

Does that mean that every single anime needs to have crazy visuals and a clear theme underlying it to have a good opening? Not necessarily. I think as long as its emotions are palpable in the screen, that should already serve to hook some people. For example, what caught my attention in the opening of '86' wasn't the opening war sequence. For me the war sequence told me nothing of how I should feel and was more sensory overload than anything. What hooked me instead was the following sequence of dissonance which our heroine Lena was framed within her city. 

It is not to say that the visuals were that striking nor was the scene all-compassing of the themes of 86. However in this scene we can clearly feel that Lena is disconnected from the city she lives within, an impression that can be grasped even if we ignore every single subtitle. Of course, it is important to note that having a reaction shot of Lena's unamused face is a powerful tool to drive home emotions as well; After all, a facial expression is something us humans can instantly understand and relate onto.

For me, "The Three Minute Rule" isn't just a rule of laziness where I just discount shows that don't impress me within the first three minutes. It is instead a deeper desire to want more from the visuals of an anime. After all, anime is first and foremost one of the most creative expressions of art there is. You can get pictures of robots fighting monsters, people salivating over food till the point of stripping themselves naked and even whatever the heck this is -- 

In a medium with visuals that are only limited by the confines of our imagination, I have grown to become extremely greedy. I want singular frames that are creative, jam-packed with emotions and can tell me more about a story than a ten minute dialogue of two characters sitting at Starbucks. Surmise to say, if I don't get some interesting frames within the first three minutes of a show, then you have neglected your potential as a good anime to me.