Mahou Shoujo Madoka, I am disappoint
And no, I am not disappoint because we have to wait for ep ten. Whether yet, I think if a lot of people saw this, they would hate me. But as much as I love PMMM, it's becoming one of those over-hyped, underwhelming series... I actually one of the only reasons it's so popular is because it's loli and moe with darkness.
When it started, it did feel original. But it got to a point where it was just too predictable. And then it just felt dry. I also think it's too hard to 'subvert' a genre that wasn't that cutesy, fluff to begin with. Seriously, many of the classics in the mahou shoujo aren't all that bubbly fun. Whether yet, they're kind of deceptive... I notice people misdirect hate to Sailor Moon because they think it's all frills (and someone even thought Tuxedo Kamen gets all the girls? But I won't touch that one). But seriously, this is the manga where the first arc has the main character finding out she committed suicide in the past during an ugly war, then does it in the present after her lover is killed by having his flesh melted off with acid and then all of her friends die. The only way you can subvert that is by making it... Light-hearted and fluffy.
Even Nanoha and PreCure stand as symbols of how hard it is to subvert the genre. They're basically 75% action and bad assery (well, PreCure is). I just think Madoka gets too much credit. Even outside of trying to subvert the genre, it gets to a point where I don't see the appeal. I think it deserves popularity, but it's just getting ridiculous now. It's almost as bad as Eva. I think part of the annoying, shitty part I hate is that series like PreCure (and heck, stuff outside the genre) go unnoticed while Madoka is so widely loved. It reminds me of Gosick. It's rising in popularity, but to me, the main character is almost an exact clone of Shinku. But not nearly as fun or cool. Nor is Gosick anywhere nearly handled as well as Peach-Pit's manga...
I just think it's a weird place not only manga/anime, but even gaming is it. I remember we talked a little about it before on Siliconera once and agreed we miss mature that didn't mean having to mutilate someone to be taken as serious or mature. (Or having to be an over the top mindfuck.)
Part of the problem to me is the weird ...Well, I don't know. But there are people who don't even watch magical girl stuff and know nothing of the genre but are watching and enjoying Madoka. And you would think that's a good thing, right? Well, except for the fact that plenty of those people don't care much to explore the genre outside of Madoka. It's a really depressing cycle. It's a really depressing state to be in. And honestly, the more I take note of the stuff that goes on in anime and games recently, I hate to say it, but I can see why they passed another bill that they absically had before. Albeit, what's-his-name is a jerk and a hypocrite, but really? KissxSis should say enough.
I just think the Madoka thing is like K-On and GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class. They both dealt with a certain theme, school setting, young girls in that theme and slice-of-life. Heck, both even have moe art styles. Meanwhile, GA is the only one that's actually educational between the two and IS ACTUALLY ABOUT ART. K-On is about moe loli and their moe facial expressions. I won't even bring up humor, because they both share that and I think one approaches it significantly better than the other.
Sometimes, it's okay when a fandom isn't so mainstream, but when it's depressingly obscure yet something close to it becomes overwhelmingly popular and the other title is barely noticed, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Note : Someone on Sili mentioned how much Steambot Chronicles gives you to do, but CoD Blops is the best seller, so it's a case of the generic beating out the niche and detailed.
It makes me not even want to try to go into the creative industries.
When it started, it did feel original. But it got to a point where it was just too predictable. And then it just felt dry. I also think it's too hard to 'subvert' a genre that wasn't that cutesy, fluff to begin with. Seriously, many of the classics in the mahou shoujo aren't all that bubbly fun. Whether yet, they're kind of deceptive... I notice people misdirect hate to Sailor Moon because they think it's all frills (and someone even thought Tuxedo Kamen gets all the girls? But I won't touch that one). But seriously, this is the manga where the first arc has the main character finding out she committed suicide in the past during an ugly war, then does it in the present after her lover is killed by having his flesh melted off with acid and then all of her friends die. The only way you can subvert that is by making it... Light-hearted and fluffy.
Even Nanoha and PreCure stand as symbols of how hard it is to subvert the genre. They're basically 75% action and bad assery (well, PreCure is). I just think Madoka gets too much credit. Even outside of trying to subvert the genre, it gets to a point where I don't see the appeal. I think it deserves popularity, but it's just getting ridiculous now. It's almost as bad as Eva. I think part of the annoying, shitty part I hate is that series like PreCure (and heck, stuff outside the genre) go unnoticed while Madoka is so widely loved. It reminds me of Gosick. It's rising in popularity, but to me, the main character is almost an exact clone of Shinku. But not nearly as fun or cool. Nor is Gosick anywhere nearly handled as well as Peach-Pit's manga...
I just think it's a weird place not only manga/anime, but even gaming is it. I remember we talked a little about it before on Siliconera once and agreed we miss mature that didn't mean having to mutilate someone to be taken as serious or mature. (Or having to be an over the top mindfuck.)
Part of the problem to me is the weird ...Well, I don't know. But there are people who don't even watch magical girl stuff and know nothing of the genre but are watching and enjoying Madoka. And you would think that's a good thing, right? Well, except for the fact that plenty of those people don't care much to explore the genre outside of Madoka. It's a really depressing cycle. It's a really depressing state to be in. And honestly, the more I take note of the stuff that goes on in anime and games recently, I hate to say it, but I can see why they passed another bill that they absically had before. Albeit, what's-his-name is a jerk and a hypocrite, but really? KissxSis should say enough.
I just think the Madoka thing is like K-On and GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class. They both dealt with a certain theme, school setting, young girls in that theme and slice-of-life. Heck, both even have moe art styles. Meanwhile, GA is the only one that's actually educational between the two and IS ACTUALLY ABOUT ART. K-On is about moe loli and their moe facial expressions. I won't even bring up humor, because they both share that and I think one approaches it significantly better than the other.
Sometimes, it's okay when a fandom isn't so mainstream, but when it's depressingly obscure yet something close to it becomes overwhelmingly popular and the other title is barely noticed, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Note : Someone on Sili mentioned how much Steambot Chronicles gives you to do, but CoD Blops is the best seller, so it's a case of the generic beating out the niche and detailed.
It makes me not even want to try to go into the creative industries.