#MAPPA creates some beautiful art like just gorgeous

[100-gar]

Controversial take but i watched all of jjk, in subbed, so it had my full attention 100% of the time, and i am of the opinion that it just fucking sucks.

So me and my wife were talking about it, and we were trying to figure out why people like it and we've come up short. I do not understand what's so appealing about this show for so many people. Can someone PLEASE tell me.

[kitsunesbooks]

Is Yuri on Ice Really Anime of the Year????

So Crunchyroll’s Anime Awards have come to a close and it is no surprise to anyone that Yuri on Ice is the winner for Anime of the Year. But why? Compared to every other nominee, besides Joker Game, Yuri on Ice does NOT have much keeping it in the competition. One does not need to watch the show to get the full gist of it. Why, you ask? Because all the fans talk about is the stellar animation, the gorgeous and catchy OP, and a homosexual romance story that is done in a tasteful and mature way. All of these things are strengths, but do they hold a candle to likes of Re:Zero, Boku no Hero Academia, and Mob Psycho 100?

Let’s get the big ol’ elephant in the room out of the way. One of the biggest complaints from critics, including myself, about the anime awards is the fact that they were voted on by viewers, not an official panel of judges. Given the amount of critics that Crunchyroll has sponsored, I find it kind of daft that they didn’t create a panel of judges consisting of people like Geoff Thew of Mother’s Basement, or Tristan Arkada of Glass Reflection. Instead of using these well versed critics that Crunchyroll has at their disposal, they gave the votes to a community of people, who quite frankly, are extremely biased. Most people who watch anime hype up whatever series in the current season is the most popular. This is why Yuri on Ice won the awards, simply because it is the most over-hyped and most popular series in recent memory. People seemed to forget that other nominees even existed. Hell, I am SURPRISED that Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu even made it on the list.

So, what exactly do the other shows nominated for Anime of the Year have going for them. First there is Erased, which isn’t the best show on the list, but for the most part it provides a simple and entertaining thriller with some drama thrown into the mix. But even then, compared to other dramas from 2016, Kiznaiver for instance, Erased falls short. It doesn’t have anything terribly mind blowing aside from a few emotional scenes.

Next on the list is Joker Game. Not even worth mentioning. Beyond that is Mob Psycho 100, a fantastic series that originated as a manga written and drawn by a man by the name of One. If you think that name is familiar, he is the man responsible for One Punch Man being a thing. However, Mob Psycho’s source material does not have a separate artist unlike its more popular counterpart. This meant that Studio Bones had to take a crap ton of creative liberties to bring One’s original art style to life. Personally, I see Mob Psycho as a miracle of animation. Through some stunning and fast cinematography, almost reminiscent of an A-1 production, they bring One’s art style to life in some of the most beautiful fight scenes I have ever seen. But Studio Bones didn’t stop with just Mob Psycho 100.

Bones was on a roll this year it seems, because they managed to crank out two major hits among the anime community. The other big series that everyone was talking about was of course Boku no Hero Academia. Bones hit it out of the ballpark with this one. Boku no Hero Academia is a lovable shounen anime with every trope in the book. But as opposed to the show being unbearable to watch, it is a refreshing sigh of relief in a time when shounen anime has some gimmick or edgy plot twist to make it unique. Boku no Hero Academia doesn’t try too hard to set itself apart and focuses solely on being a good story. Bones did another fantastic job with this series and the hype for season two is almost unbearable. Boku no Hero Academia takes great pride in classic shounen tropes and does them with more justice than the big three. It is a series I could definitely see getting very popular and maybe even becoming one of the next big three shounen series.

Other series that were included were Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, a show in which Wit Studio tried to stifle the wait for Attack on Titan season two by giving us, (Not) Attack on Titan season two. The show honestly is a great feat of animation and art, but story falls flat on its face towards the second half with some shounen tropes appearing out of nowhere. As a popcorn anime, the show is great. But it doesn’t hold a candle to Bones’ most popular shows this year.

Then there is Re:Zero, which is my personal favorite. I love the show to death and it has a very strong personal resonance with me. But it isn’t a show I want to talk about, purely because of my bias. I’ll be honest, if I could have my way, Re: Zero would be anime of the year by a landslide. But while the show has a phenomenal plot with gripping moments, especially in its third arc, and also one of my favorite episodes in all of anime, it isn’t as much of a technical marvel. Studio White Fox is not as well versed as the other studios featured in the nominees. Their list of projects is incredibly mediocre compared to studios like Wit, A-1, Mappa, and Bones. The show has a number of flaws because of this and honestly, there is probably a lot that the show got wrong in terms of adapting the source material. I love the show to death, but it is barely making it against some of these other great nominees.

With the last nominee to mention being Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, there isn’t much I can say. I only watched the first episode, but that episode was enough for me to fall in love with the show. It is definitely a work of art worth any drama fan’s time. I can tell it has the makings of Anime of the Year, but since I never finished it I can’t pass judgement.

I suppose the point I am trying to make here is that all the nominees have something new or interesting to bring to the table aside from maybe Joker Game and possibly Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Yuri on Ice doesn’t seem to fit the bill in a lot of critics eyes. It is a show with a lot of good about it, but it feels out of place among these other shows. If Yuri on Ice is on the list of nominees, than shouldn’t Haikyuu? Haikyuu has been going for a whole three seasons now and has dedicated a lot of time to fleshing out its characters and creating a great cast. It is a show beloved by many and is definitely a show that would easily compete with Yuri on Ice. It seems to me that Yuri on Ice is loved merely because of the hype surrounding it. I have already gone over the three things that seem to attract people to the show. The animation, the homosexual romance, and the OP. Firstly, the animation has great realism, yes. But, compare that to the amazingly beautiful Mob Psycho or even Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, which utilizes old school shading techniques for an stunning cinematic effect. Visually, Yuri on Ice doesn’t compare to either of those shows. Secondly, the homosexual love story. It is indeed handled in a mature and respectful way, but it isn’t the greatest romance story of all friggin time. Just because the couple happens to have two guys this time does not mean it is the best couple in anime. It may be one of the best romances of the year, that I will concede. But of all time, no, not by a long shot. Lastly, the OP is boring and has a catchy song. Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu has an OP that is ten times better than what Yuri on Ice had to offer and is by far the sexiest OP I have ever heard.

There are a lot of reasons I could argue about why Yuri on ice doesn’t earn the number one spot of Anime of the Year. Hopefully Crunchyroll relies on their own judges next time around. What do you all think? Do you agree with me? What anime do you think is Anime of the Year? Do you think Yuri on Ice is the number one anime this year? Let your thoughts be heard!

Stay Frosty, Adam Schmidt