Nostalgia Blinds
Or why I think it’s silly to harp on the past.
So, I was just minding my own business and hopping cheerily around a scenic garden with a group of bunny rabbits and frolicking deer, when “BAM!”, wildarmsheero launched a huge flaming fireball in my direction like one of those Undead Mages I had to fend off as a female Night Elf Rogue in World of Warcraft.
She is from the future!
He is hot and bothered mad about my choice of anime and blogging materials, particularly Gundam 00. It’s apparently because G00 is not “classic” enough for him. Although I do agree that G00 has more flaws than Michael Jackson’s face, not being a “classic” is definitely not one of them.
Read his blog entry where he asserts that my blog “fucking sucks”, presumably because I blog about terrible shows that he hates with a zealous passion.
It’s the future!
Back in the Days…
First of all, wildarmheero makes the (bad) assumption that I am one of “those kids” who have never watched the original Gundam. This is how it always begins.
Personally, I like to think that I am pretty well acquainted with the franchise. Sure, I can’t rattle off the serial number of every bolt and nut on RX-78, but I did watch a good portion of the Gundam titles out there. I watched the original Mobile Suit Gundam and Zeta (which was supposed to be the best, or something?). I watched all the mini-series (0083, 0080, 08th, etcetera) and what not (e.g. Evolve), and I even enjoyed ∀, Wing and X.
After Zeta, I decided to give ZZ and V a pass. I’m sure they were all excellent and ground-breaking titles of their respective eras, but I can’t force myself to sit through them just to earn the right to boost about having watched every Gundam ever. Quite frankly, I thought the original Gundam was decently average but I didn’t like Zeta one bit. The mini-series are pretty awesome, though.
She’s not from the future. (But close enough.)
Again, I’m not saying that G00 is the greatest Gundam ever made. I wouldn’t even call it a “good” anime. I blog about it simply because I enjoy watching it. I love it just because it fills me with boyish glee every time it makes an allusion to real-life politics.
I don’t really give a damn about the actual Gundams at all. It’s like how I watched SEED (which wildarmsheero begrudgingly admits to have enjoyed) for the girls, and how people watch Wing (which wildarmsheero also enjoyed) for the fireworks.
Welcome to the world of tomorrow!
Selective Memory
Were things really better in the “good old days”? Do so-called “classics” really deserve the god-like status that fanboys like wildarmsheero bestow upon them? I don’t think so.
The original Mobile Suit Gundam was undeniably ahead of its time. But it is nowhere close to an Grade A anime by today’s standards. I can give it the respect that it deserves as a pioneering piece of work, but I honestly do not think that it can stand up to modern competitors. I definitely won’t recommend it to a friend. Certainly, Thomas Edison’s light bulb brought a new age upon humanity, but I prefer my compact fluorescent light, okay?
Space!
I think it’s very important to understand that the circumstances under which you first encounter a piece of work can pretty much determine how much you like it for the rest of your life. Paradigms shift; circumstances change. Medieval villagers would consider incandescent light bulbs to be witchery, 19th century folks considered them cutting edge science, and today we consider them technologically obsolete.
This is especially true for issues which are by definition subjective in nature. It’s futile to force people to see things your way when the opportunity to do so (i.e. the first impression) has long past.
I can’t wait till the future is here!
People tend to be biased about anime series from their early days as aspiring otakus. I do it too. I still hold Evangelion and Nadesico in high regards, but that doesn’t mean that I have to blog about them. (Exceptions made for remakes.) I have long come to the realization that most anime titles are pretty much shit in terms of literary value and the original Gundam certainly is no exception.
A Harmless Analogy
To put things in perspective… wildarmsheero spends an obscene amount of time talking about Kaede Fuyou, the absolute worst character (IMNSHO) from the PC-game-turn-anime SHUFFLE!. As someone who has purchased and played quite a few bishoujo games, I, DarkMirage, assert that SHUFFLE! is a terribly clichéd game and wildarmsheero “fucking sucks” for blogging about this horrible franchise which can’t hold even half a candle to the classics.
They are not from the future. (But they pwn Kaede.)
And in a similar fashion, it makes me very mad that wildarmsheero likes a messed-up character from a crappy series so much that he actually bought pillow covers of her. That’s right, it offends my sensibilities! We should all be blogging about awesome classics like Tokimeki Memorial and Sentimental Graffiti and hugging Shiori Fujisaki pillows instead! Oldies forever!!!…
…Doesn’t that sound awfully silly to you? Mr. Original Gundam Fan? ;) But that’s basically what UC purists are saying, except with less moé and more mecha.
Conclusion
I do in fact love SHUFFLE! a lot (just take a look at my posts tagged with “shuffle”). I enjoyed it in spite of its huge and glaring flaws, the same way I enjoy Gundam 00.
People should not be forced to limit what they like to the “best” or the “classics”, neither should classics be given special treatment just for being classics. The original Gundam is terrible when viewed today without a helpful dose of nostalgia to make up for its flaws.
Please get over this irrational obsession with the past. The old days only seem better after a makeover via selective memory. Stop judging every Gundam title based on how close it is to the original (or at least stop trying to convince me that there’s any logic to it). Thank you.
BAM! Your Gundam is dead!
November 5th, 2007 at 8:36 am
>> OK. Watch them 50 years from now and let’s see if can sit through 5 episodes.
I’m not sure what your point is.
You implied that anime can’t be taken for anything beyond base pleasures (i.e., fanservice). I countered by providing examples of anime that exemplify solid storytelling, well-written dialogue, appropriate construction of themes, keen art direction, etc.
Now, how does re-watching them 50 years from now change all that? Even if something comes along that’s better, it still doesn’t entail that the titles now aren’t indeed quality in those respects.
November 5th, 2007 at 8:57 am
@Sagacious
My point is that anime does not stand the test of time because they do not have depth of those points that literature and movies have evolved. I assure you that you can watch those 50, no not even, 10 years from now and you’ll be thinking “what the hell was I thinking?”. As DM said, nostalgia blinds.
November 5th, 2007 at 9:19 am
So you are not blinded by nostalgia. That makes your taste even more questionable, but it’s your personal choice so I shall not make a blog post whining about it.
Perhaps nostalgia is a bad choice of word for your case. But clearly when you watched Mobile Suit Gundam, you had not received enough exposure to anime yet. In a way, it opened your eyes just like when it opened the eyes of first-generation fans in the 70s. You thus have emotional attachments to the series. This acts in the same manner as nostalgia.
Interestingly, I did the same thing. Except that I came to the conclusion that the original Gundam had a terrible storyboard and people like you are just barking mad. But it’s your choice so whatever.
SHUFFLE! is made for real men, right?
Get off your pedestal, it’s not like Gundam 00 has done anything to you either.
Trackback from
Serious internet Gundam talk « Towards our MemoriesNovember 5th, 2007 at 9:24 am
[...] Published November 5th, 2007 Gundam 00 What the title is telling you: here, here and here. Now i ask you, what’s my take on all [...]
November 5th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Very contradicting….
November 5th, 2007 at 9:42 am
>My point is that anime does not stand the test of time because they do not have depth of those points that literature and movies have evolved. I assure you that you can watch those 50, no not even, 10 years from now and you’ll be thinking “what the hell was I thinking?”.
If I may interject here, what exactly are you talking about? Basically you’re taking a shit on anime, which makes me curious as to why you’re reading anime blogs in the first place. Anime doesn’t have depth like books and movies? Are you even reading what you write before you post it? Jackass. And it’s fun how you make assumptions. Look, I can do it too: I “assure” you that I could re-watch my favorite anime series 50 years later and still enjoy them because, and this may sound crazy, I like anime.
Hm, I just read your first post. The one where you say 99% of anime is crap, and then continue on to make generalizations about it and the people who watch it. Just because you watch it for the fanservice doesn’t mean the rest of us do.
November 5th, 2007 at 9:45 am
@Beowulf Lee
Care to explain why? My perspective may change and my whether I’ll still like those certain titles may change, but the quality of the story-telling, the direction, the art, will not. It’s a property of the anime, permanent and stationary through time. They’re observational facts, similar to “my desk is made of wood”, “my TV is black”, etc.
To elaborate, the story for DBZ sucks. It sucked back when it first came out, and it still sucks to this day. It will always suck. Why? Because it’s poorly constructed, repetitive, vulnerable to numerous plot holes (if you want to call those series of events a “plot” in the first place), relies on deus ex machina gimmicks, and could’ve been written by a grade school kid.
However, I enjoyed the story back when I was in grade school and hate it now. Does that mean the quality of the story changed? No. It was always the same story…the only thing different is my perspective. Back then, I didn’t judge the quality on analytical merits, but merely because it satisfied my ADHD needs.
So let’s bring it all back to the here and now: Your point is two-fold: (1) anime is nothing but base entertainment and pleasure (along the lines of a Michael Bay creation), incapable of higher qualities of, say, Schindler’s List. My retort: Watch Grave of the Fireflies. (2) You claim that whatever example I offer up will be knocked back down by the flawed “come back to me in 10-years” ploy. My retort: Watch GotF, and refer to my previous rant as to why the “test of time” theory is flawed.
November 5th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
I think it’s hillarious the whole “oh, I was young and 15 when I liked the heathen Gundam Seed”. As opposed to a wizened 18? Seed wasn’t that long ago…
November 5th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Speaking as someone who’s read this blog for quite a few years now (and someone who’s watched anime for 25+ years), I’ve always enjoyed your commentary even if I didn’t agree with it all. Don’t mind what this guy is saying and keep doing a good job in your blogging and translating.
This wildarmhero guy is taking things way too seriously. As much as I love anime and even Gundam (I even blogged all of the crappy crappy GSD) most people honestly just watch it because it’s entertaining. That said, Gundam 00 has the best visuals of any weekly anime series ever in the history of anime, very high production values, and solid direction (especially in it’s use of innovative camera angles and editing to show battles which are very clear and easy to follow) that it deserves attention.
The fact is, most of anime is nothing more than just pure entertainment, but gems exist and continue to be produced. While people will frequently talk about all these supposedly ‘classic’ shows as if nothing of value has been made in the last 15 years, we can easily point to such shows as Legend of the Galactic Heroes (finished in the late 90s), Juuni Kokki, NGE, GITS, Haruhi and Death Note which will most likely still be considered great shows 20 years from now by any fan of anime. Not to mention shows that deal with more complex themes such as Koi Kaze and Zipang to name just two which never would have been made 20 years ago.
So please ignore this guy and continue to blog and sub this show, we’re counting on your good translations!
November 5th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
> That said, Gundam 00 has the best visuals of any weekly anime series ever in the history of anime, very high production values, and solid direction (especially in it’s use of innovative camera angles and editing to show battles which are very clear and easy to follow) that it deserves attention.
このレスまじで
http://s3.amazonaws.com/danbooru/44c2932a82261069e1fbc688f67d8d9f.jpg
November 5th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I’d just like to point out for those reading the comments that Beowulf Lee is the epitome of retarded for saying that
because anime is a medium, and you’re trying to claim that every bit of “literature and movies” have more depth by virtue of it being in a non-anime medium, which makes 0 sense. So tell me, since Gedo Senki was an adaptation from Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea works will it stand the time or won’t it? Or what about the recent Les Misérables: Shoujo Cosette anime adaptation?
Maybe heeding your own advice would be good, Lee, because
while your first comment in the thread agrees with DM about his post, you ironically commit the exact same reasoning fallacy that DM is accusing wildarmsheero of — only with you it’s the medium, not chronology. Again, anime is just a medium, and it is value-free. The story told through the medium is what should be weighed, not the medium itself.
Another obvious point that Sagacious C was probably too polite to bring up is that unless you happen to be from the future and have seen the anime of 50 years from now, or have the ability to time-leap, saying that “Watch them 50 years from now and let’s see if can sit through 5 episodes.” shows how little thought you’ve put into your comments.
Oh, and great post, DM. Fans and bloggers alike who constantly harp on the “superior value” of old anime don’t exactly make sense when you realise that they also rave about shit shows themselves (new or old), bringing into light their questionable and selective taste, or have convenient blind spots when it comes to knowing “the best”. Thanks for stating the obvious and pointing out the hypocrisy, someone had to say it.
November 5th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
So, I’m gonna look like a complete idiot for asking this, but just how the hell did you do that “quote” feature?…or bolds and italics, for that matter.
November 5th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Sagacious C: It’s okay. Many people have tried and failed. I occasionally edit comments to add them in. Use <blockquote> and </blockquote> to markup quotations. :)
On another note, Owen S got my point exactly right. :)
That is the whole reason why I brought up wildarmsheero’s obsession with Kaede. It’s not a personal attack.
I really do hate Kaede, but there are tons of people who like her and there’s no reason for me to get mad just because I disagree with their taste.
November 5th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
I’m a UC purist…but am taking a liking to GOO because of the realism. Not just in terms of the political drama, but the mechanics and science of this series look pretty plausible. I love Tieren the most.
And from what I’ve seen so far, GOO is true to Yoshiyuki Tomino’s (though not as much as the right wing Robert Heinlein) vision without being formulaic.
November 5th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Wha? What’s wrong with Kaede? Emo-bitches rule!!!
I also have my share of buying and playing bishoujo games and indeed Shuffle is a terribly clichéd game (along with the hundreds of other titles on the market now). But Kaede still kicks ass.
Sorry DM, I can never agree with you on this one point.
But Nerine still beats Kaede anyday! Huge Racks FTW!!! 巨乳最高!!!
November 5th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Seriously, the original Gundam is considered as an vintage. It’s a matter of “likes” anyway. One anime can’t cater to all but to most, yes. That’s what happens when East meets West if you get my drift. Nice conclusion btw, DM.
(Please get over this irrational obsession with the past.)
November 5th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
heh, your blog sucks, but it’s way more popular than his, isn’t that odd. ;P
November 5th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
I guess he would tell you that it’s because majority of the anime fans suck and can’t appreciate the classics that he blogs about.
Or maybe they were just turned away by his incoherent fanboying. Only Haruhi knows for sure. ;)
Anyway I realized that I should have ignored his ranting and wrote an independent article instead. All those awesome pictures are wasted on him.
November 5th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Tough luck dude… seems like everyone with a blog wants a piece of you. Anyway, personally think that everyone’s got different anime taste. Wildarmsheero should just stick to blogging about the anime he doesn’t like and leave the other fans out of this. Everyone’s got his/her own preferences, that doesn’t make you any much better just cos you have been watching the “classics”.
By the way I’ve been watching anime for a good 19 years, watched most of the “classics” and lotsa other crap as well. That doesn’t make me any much holier/ wiser than thou….
Hang in there DM. Anyway, seems like you can more than fend for yourself :-)
November 5th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Personally I think the internet is serious business.
Regardless, I disagree with Darkmirage on that the original Gundam sucks. MSG, at least in the movie compilation, is one of the greatest anime series of all time. It was epic, it had meaning, and it created the real robot genre. While I do disagree with Wildarms putting on such a high pedistool (that place is reserved for Zeta Gundam), as a fan of contemporary anime you should repsect it.
Regardless, I must reiterate my firm belief that the internet is serious business.