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I'm sure we've all, at one point in our lives,
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watched or read an anime or manga
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that we've really felt we had a connection with.
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Something that spoke to us on a deeper level
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for whatever reason that may be.
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Perhaps it reminded us of an experience we had in our lives
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or conveyed a message where you really understood
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or had some characters you could totally empathize with.
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Because of it, we ended up growing a deep attachment
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to the point where no matter what flaws the thing might actually have,
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we could easily overlook it because...
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well, it didn't matter.
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It didn't affect our experience or why we got so attached to it.
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And even if others did find flaws with it,
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we didn't care.
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As, they didn't have the same experience that you did.
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To us, it was perfect.
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Even if, objectively speaking,
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The perfect anime, the perfect game, the perfect movie
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cannot exist.
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Recently, I was lucky enough to be able to see
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the record-breaking
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and it absolutely blew me away.
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So much so, I had to watch it, not twice,
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but 3 times before getting close to satisfied.
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And it was after I walked out of the theater for the third time
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that I knew I'd found my new perfect anime.
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Except, I know that, critically speaking,
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if I called this "perfect," or "a masterpiece,"
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or any other overly superlative adjective,
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there would be those of us who would argue the semantics of describing it such a way
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'cause, at the end of the day, it's an opinion that's subjective.
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And I don't know why this word is so looked down upon
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when we're talking critically about something.
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Of course I know if a film isn't perfect.
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The characters aren't the deepest, moments of it can play off melodrama,
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and I'm sure if I thought deeply about it,
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I can find plot holes because the film
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speaks to the heart rather than to the mind.
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Though, none of that actually matters to me
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because I felt it achieved everything it need to,
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and there's so much I love about this film
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that I wouldn't change a single thing about it.
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I can't remember the last time I saw something with so much charm and beauty to it
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and there's just not one, single thing I can point at
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to say why I love this movie.
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The beautiful dichotomy of two star-crossed lovers
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learning vicariously about one another.
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capturing the care-free nature of adolescence
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like that melancholic feeling of watching a long summer's day passing by.
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That dreamlike quality of longing for something
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that seems preordained yet lost
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while mixing in themes like fantasy, long-distance relationships,
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and natural disaster somehow weaving all this into a compelling narrative.
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There are so many elements blending together
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to create a piece of work that spoke to me on so many levels
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that went beyond just breaking down
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characters, animation, writing, and music.
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I walked out of the theater with that same bittersweet joy
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of meeting a lost friend you won't see again for a long time
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with a reignited passion for this medium I love so much,
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and that's not one thing you can just put on a 1-to-10 review scale.
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To me, it was a masterpiece.
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And no amount of plot holes, character writing, or melodrama
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could take that away from me.
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But I know that not everyone will share the same experience I did
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or come to the same conclusion.
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There will be people it didn't appeal to.
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Some will have gotten too caught up in the hype,
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or simply couldn't connect to it as much for whatever reason,
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and that's fine.
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No one will ever create a piece of work
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that would appeal to absolutely everybody,
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so why is it that we pretend a good review
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is something that can objectively break down
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what makes a piece of media good or not?
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Many self-proclaimed critics I've seen
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always harp back to the writing and characters
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as the absolute backbone of what makes something good.
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As if there's only one specific formula to making a great show.
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Which is something I totally disagree with.
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Sure there is a guidebook and theories
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to what makes good film making and story telling,
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which applies to the majority, but we shouldn't forget what they are.
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A guide. Not an absolute.
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And there are exceptions to every rule.
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Every anime sets out to achieve something different
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and part of the charm of certain movies or shows
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is the way they are able to impress you even if it clearly has flaws.
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Or sometimes even embracing them.
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We say show, don't tell. Then along comes the Monogatari series
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showing us that we can craft an interesting story
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almost entirely through dialogue.
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If characters and writing were all that mattered,
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then we wouldn't get things like the mind-blowing visual
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extravaganza that was Redline.
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Gurren Lagann came to celebrate the cheesy heroic tropes
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we all thought we were tired of.
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And the ending of Evangelion was such a raw, unfiltered outcry of emotion
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that love it or hate it - has remained a topic of discussion
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and a resonating moment for many people to this day.
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So what is it that really makes the show mean something to us?
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The conclusion I've come to is that there is no single
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technique that portrays this
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but there is a common driving force I have felt from all these shows:
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Passion and communication.
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At the end of the day, anime is a form of art.
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A way for the creators to communicate to the audience in some way.
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Whether it be an idea, a feeling, an experience or something else.
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And my favorite shows are the ones where this communication really resonated with me.
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Maybe was a hype scene, a beautiful moment a genius piece of writing.
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And I'm sure you all have your own personal examples.
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Which is why I feel like the best critics are people who can break down why a movie or anime appeals to them,
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and what aspect of it would appeal to an individual audience member.
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Rather than a blanket statement of why it's objectively good.
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Nothing about this is objective. So instead of condemning subjectivity, why aren't we embracing it?
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Most of my favorite ever shows had nothing to do with ticking off some predetermined categories,
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But some aspects of feeling that I really liked about it.
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Recently I've seen an increase in people embracing the critical analysis of anime, which is great you know.
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There's nothing wrong with promoting a smarter way of looking at a medium.
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But I think in doing so, I feel we've created a community that upholds
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having a higher knowledge and appreciation of the inner workings behind your favorite shows more than
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just having fun.
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It is possible to embrace critical thinking while acknowledging the subjectivity of it.
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So we may a joke about it but there's certainly no such thing as a bad taste in anime.
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In fact I think the worst thing you can do is either keep a closed mind or alter your taste so it's more respectable.
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I've seen far too many people try to hide their actual taste
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because they think it's too mainstream or two trashy or something that isn't critically acclaimed.
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There's nothing wrong with your favorite anime,
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even if it doesn't take all the boxes and characters or writing or cinematography
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or if you just like it for some really stupid reason.
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And it's definitely nothing wrong with thinking some critically acclaimed shows are just boring as hell.
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if you can unashamedly say, hey i just really like this trashy show because it was trashy.
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all the more power to you.
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I unashamedly hold "love hina" close to me because
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it reminds me of a time when, my adolescence romanticize the concept of just finding a partner who would accept me.
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And every so often another show comes along it just appeals to that side of me
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even if I know it's absolutely trashy.
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Your taste reflect who you are as a person, your interests are shaped by your experiences,
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and upbringing that made you the individual you are today.
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So why the hell shouldn't you be proud of that?
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It shouldn't be about having superior taste, it shouldn't be about showing off how much knowledge you have.
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And it definitely shouldn't be about showing how much smarter you are than other people.
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It should be about keeping an open mind, embracing individuality,
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and most of all having fun!
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I'm the type of guy who can be groping at the complex narrative presentation seen in Satoshi Kon's work,
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and then arguing over which Monogatari girl has the most appealing bust in the same conversation.
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In fact those were some of the most interesting conversations I've ever had.
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With some of the most interesting people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.
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Whatever shows hold a special place in your heart, are special because that's the person you are.
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so don't forget that.
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and I guess all I really wanted to say through all this mindless rambling without any real point I was trying to make was that
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I saw an anime the other day
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and I liked it a lot. It was pretty great.
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No...
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In fact, it was perfect.
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[Beautiful music plays]
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[The End]