Collector Questions

[JWR]

I was checking out another anime blog today when I came across some survey questions that struck me as ones that might be interesting to be discussed here on Beta.



1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

I’ll put this out there for all to think about and add my thoughts later.

[graymouser]

Love the questions.

1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

This one is by far the easiest for me to answer. I find the storyline to be the main determining factor in my opinion of a show. The characters, as a part of the story, would be a second important factor. Artwork comes in as a distant third. For example, I am not a big fan of the show Ninja Scroll. This is probably because as a middle-aged woman, I am not the target audience. However, I love the artwork and own 3 Ninja Scroll cels. In contrast, I love the story in Escaflowne (TV), but feel that the artwork is not too exciting. Since Escaflowne's story is a bigger draw, I have spent a lot more money on cels from it than Ninja Scroll despite the fact I like the artwork from NS better. The only time I feel that artwork affects my opinion of a show is when I find it a distraction. One show I have seen recently that fits this category would be The Count of Monte Cristo. I love the story (it is an interesting adaptation of the book) and would recommend it to anyone, but I found the artwork distracting. I would end up staring at a character's clothing or hair and miss the conversations taking place. This is especially the case since I view anime in subtitle format. If my eye gets drawn away for too long, I would miss something and have to go back. I have not seen the dubbed version but maybe that would have been a good solution to my problem. Hmmm 20/20 hindsight.

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

I would say that there are a number of characters I admire, relate to, or find interesting. I am not sure that I can honestly say they grab me on a gut level. I think it is because in the back of my mind I still see them as characters. I don't think this is a matter of sophistication though. I think it has to do with a class I took a long time ago in college. It was a theater arts class that taught how to critique and analyze live plays. I took it as an elective (theater appreciation type course). It was to be an easy "A" since I was done with all my required courses for graduation, but I still needed to fill the space to qualify as a full-time student. Even though it has been over 25 years since I took the class, I still cannot watch a TV program, movie, play or anime without doing some analyzing as I watch.

[Keropi]

1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

Art style doesn't affect my opinion of the show much because art style is pretty low on my reasons for liking/disliking an anime. I wasn't much into the "Onii-chan no Koto nanka Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara ne!!" with that art style:

http://myanimelist.net/anime.php?id=9587

...but I disliked the show for a number of other reasons.

Mainly I'm after these things in non-adult anime (listed in order of importance):

1. Enjoyment ----------------------------- This is the most important. An anime can be made with flash, have poor artwork and no story, but if I find it funny I'll still like it.

2. Genre ----------------------------------- I like certain genres and I tend to stick with those. There are just too many anime for me to be watching everything.

3. Empathy for the main characters ----- If I can't have empathy for any of the main characters I won't care what happens to them and I won't care how the story turns out.

4. Likability of the main characters ----- This certainly helps to make the anime more enjoyable.

5. Storyline -------------------------------- I'm the type of person that is able to do the same thing many times and not get bored of it. At work I was able to order the same combo for lunch for three years before I got tired of it. I'm also able to watch the same story told over and over again so storyline isn't as important to me as other things.

6. Artwork that I like ---------------------- It would nice for an anime to have artwork that I like, but this isn't as important these days.

For adult anime these are my biggest concerns (in order of importance):

1. Genre -------- Some genres are a lot more fun than others
2. H-scenes ----- How much did I like these? This is a personal preference
3. Artwork
4. Story ---------- Usually these days there isn't any story so this part doesn't play much of a factor

[star-phoenix]

1). I would say style of art would be more of a moderate thing for me, definitely not on the top requirements. However, if the art style is 'that' bad to my taste, I would not be able to tolerate watching the show. One example is that one new x-men show they made. The art style they used is so not to my liking one bit (ok, I found it actually TERRIBLE), I could not even watch more than 15 minutes of the first episode before going to a different show.

2). As what gaeymouser said, in the end, they really are just characters. So, it is hard for me to get such a strong attachment emotionally to any of the characters.

[tex-chan]

1. How much does art style affect your opinion of a show?

Storyline is way, way up there for me. As are the characters themselves ... although that kind of leads into question number 2 a bit more. But art style is also super, super important to me. For me to enjoy (or even be able to watch) a show, it has to have all of those things: a storyline that draws me in; characters with which I can identify in some manner (or that I can at least "like" enough to spend what typically amounts to a significant amount of time watching a series); and the type of art style I love.

Collecting-wise, art style is much more important to me than storyline or the characters. I don't buy unknowns that often, but I have done this in the past when a particular art style really grabs me. And there are a couple of shows in my gallery that are there purely because I love, love, love the art style. The shows I'm the most obsessed with collecting have the trifecta (art, story, character). But, basically, if I feel the art in a show is ugly, I won't watch it.

2. Do some characters you like capture you on a "gut" level?

The simple answer to this one, for me, is "yes". In each of the shows that I collect the most, there is at least one (but often more than one) character I find myself really drawn to. Often, I identify with something in their background or with the struggles they face in the show or with their moral compass ... or whatever. It's hard to say what might grab me about a character. For example, in Samurai 7 (not a show I collect heavily, sadly, but the first to pop into my head), my favorite character is Kambei. I love him for how stupidly and tragically noble he is. And he carries this huge sadness around with him. Actually, that seems to be one thing the characters I love have in common: they all have some form of angst or sadness or emotional "stuff" working against them or holding them back from life, in general. Of course, these types of characters are often multi-dimensional -- even if they appear not to be at first glance.

[cutiebunny]

1) How much does art style affect your opinion of a show?

Unless it's designed to be cutesy, like Nyanpire was, I won't watch a show unless I like the artwork. It all boils down to how much time it looks like the staff put into the artwork. If it looks polished, I'll consider watching it. If it looks sloppy, then I won't. But this usually isn't an issue because the speed in which it takes to make an episode has dramatically increased with the industry's switch to CG. Cel based animation took a lot more time, and long running series were forced to take shortcuts with their work in order to produce weekly episodes. Most character designs nowadays seem very cookie cutter. You could take a character from something like Brave 10 and pair them with someone from Hakuoki and they'd be a good fit.

Other than that, for non-reverse harem shows, plot is very important. I like more original stories like Space Brothers, or stories that grip me from the get-go. I get upset when shows promise a certain thing in the first episode or two, only to switch speeds later on and not deliver on that promise.

With reverse harem shows, it's boils down to how hot the men are and how much I like the heroine. The former is more important. I've slugged through several Hakuoki seasons, Hiiro no Kakera and all of Uta no Prince despite the heroine's personality being garbage. I know harem shows aren't high on the reality factor (Chizuru lives in the same house for years with 6 strapping bucks and none of them touch her?!) but let me at least pretend that, in some alternate universe, far far away that such things are possible. Telling me a character is some super powerful reincarnation of some super powerful ancestor but then having them run away at every opportunity doesn't work for me.

In regards to collecting artwork from shows, for me, the first two conditions have already been met. I've probably tuned in to watch the show, so I like the artwork already, and I usually only collect from shows I've completely viewed, which means that I liked the plot. But even in series where I like the artwork, I won't like all of it. For example, with Sailor Moon, there were several character designers involved in the series. I don't like Tadano's art style, so I don't buy a lot of artwork from the first two seasons.

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

For series that aren't harem series, yes. I really like underdog characters that, through their trials, eventually go somewhere and become something. But I think a lot of this has to do with their writing as well because this affects their actions. It's not so much a character saying "I want to save the world", but rather the experiences that lead them up to that decision, and the execution of that choice. With the wrong character, their desire to do something really good would not be credible.

I think, to a certain extent, people like characters that they can identify with. That's why I think underdog characters are so popular with people - The viewer recalls a time in their life where they've been at a serious disadvantage and wants to cheer on someone who might have been in a similar position even if said person is an drawn character. For children, though, characters that physically look like them are more important.

[JWR]

1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

In my case art style may be a thing that catches my attention to a show and allows me to look into find out my info of the series. I can admit that there are certain art styles that will keep me from even giving a show a chance.

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

I am one that does like a well written story with characters that are drawn and fleshed out to a point that one can easily become emotionally invested in the trials and tribulations as they progress through the story. In some shows like Ai Yori Aoshi the ones that grab me are the main pair of Aoi and Kaoru while in Girls Bravo I found the secondary character of Risa to be much more interesting and as the story progressed and one found out more of her backstory as well as how she “grew” in the story makes her stand out and overshadow the main pair.
So story is important but bad artwork will keep me from watching a show reguardless of how well written it is.

[GuyvarIII]

1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

Usually it is the art, or look of a show, that originally draws me to watch an anime. When looking at an upcoming season, for the most part, I decide what I’ll first look at based almost entirely on a thumbnail image, and maybe an advertisement or opening. If a show has particularly detailed designs, smooth and fast moving action, or an aesthetic style that appeals to me, I might even overlook some continuity errors, ponderous plotting, lousy dialog, and non-existing storylines. After all, animation is a visual medium.

With collecting production art, the look and style of the image is the entire thing.

However, it’s not the criteria by which I would definitively decide if a show was any good; and I’ll watch anything, in any style, before I form an opinion on it. If a plot is particularly appealing that could also trump style. I hate this season’s ghastly CG models in “Kingdom,” yet I’m still watching the show.

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

Sho Fukamachi from the 1989 to early 90s OVA, “The Guyver,” hit me on a guttural level. When I first watched the show on VHS in the mid-1990s, the 13-14 year-old me strongly identified with his character. To me, the show ceased to be telling a story, and was Sho Fukamachi.

However, I typically see characters as plot devices to carry and/or to move the show’s story. All fictitious characters are bound by the limitations of what has been written for them, the actor and director notwithstanding. If an event in the plot is supposed to illicit a certain emotional response, it should. If I do feel the correct corresponding response to what I’m seeing, then I find character(s) effective. Whether or not a character is “multidimensional,” or even needs to be, depends on what it needs to accomplish within its story. But, I can like a character based on a single line of dialog, mannerism, or action. I don’t see any reason to limit myself in what I should like.

[zerospace]

1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

For me, art style is as important as the rest of the elements of a show. If a show has a great plot, excellent characters, etc .. but it's ugly as sin to me, I won't watch it, no matter how good it might be otherwise. On the flip side, shows that have stories that might not otherwise interest me can catch my attention if I'm particularly drawn to their art style (Samurai Champloo turned out to be one of these -- the story/plot grew on me after I fell for the art style). On rare occasion, a show with an art style that I start out hating will sometimes win me over if I see enough of it for one reason or another, too.

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

Yes. I have a tendency to like complex characters (or seemingly complex characters, I should say) of a certain type, but it always seems to be certain character personality types that draw me. I tend not to over think my attraction to certain characters as well, if I like them, I like them, if not, not. In every show that I really like, there is usually a character or two that particularly grab my attention. These are the characters I usually end up collecting if I collect that show. I don't usually go for side characters, as I think I like my characters fleshed out a little more than the treatment usually given to handful-of-episode types, but other than that, I have a definite pattern of what I tend to like, and it's nearly always guttural in origin.

[moonrabitt]

1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

Well, I don't want to be that person that "judges" things by the art and so forth, (judging a book by the cover sorta way) But that does affect my opinion of a show, not as much as the story, but it does a bit. A show is a package of story + art. I've yet to see an anime that I dont watch because of the art style though.

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

I like characters due to many reasons. I like Haruhi (ouran) because of her story, her strong female character. I like other characters (trunks) because he is cute...It all depends anime to anime

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The thing about anime is that you can connect to it on an emotional level, connect with the characters and so forth. I have learned, that the same case could not be said about american movies.
p.s-
Avatar is an example of being popular for "pretty" and not because the story holds up. I've seen tons of anime with better stories than that movie (which was predictable)

[theultimatebrucelee]

1) How much does art style (not so much production values but the style of the drawings, character designs, background stylistics) affect your opinion of a show?

nice bright looking style and character design would make my watching exp that much more enjoyable but I care even more about what those characters lines are and how they impact the show. amazing character designs leave me wanting to find out what the story is about if I haven't seen it or, if its something I'm currently watching, I'd prably give this anime priority to finish it before finishing or starting other ones; assuming what the character do or say does not annoy me to a certain point.

2) Do some characters you like capture you on a guttural level? What kind? Or are you so sophisticated you only like characters for their character writing and multidimensional layers?

when I was much younger, I remember dreaming about anime characters and going on adventures with them lol but back then life is more simple and I had less things on my mind. nowadays when I see artwork poping up from older or even more recent shows, in my mind I'd still be like"oh yeah..this character did this and that and how it affected the plot or his/her own fate...better put a bid in"... ...15 minutes later, "sigh...its just paper and plastic so I can certainly live without it, better delete the bookmark before it gets into my mind"