Has what you value most in manga/anime changed over the years?

[Warmmedown]

When I first started watching/reading plot was my main priority, then character development and I didn't care for "stylish" works like Bebop, Champloo or Akira. Now it's definitely character development first and then idk, but I'm more down with the stylish stuff than before (eg I do appreciate the nice shots in Trigun Stampede and it makes up for the bad action and pretty average writing more than it would have like 8+ years ago).

yes I'm probably procrastinating rn. fuck you.

 

[Kyo]

I care a lot more about the direction. Visuals, camera angles, sound. Paneling in manga. I think good characters are paramount, but visual works (and in the case of anime, audiovisual works) can communicate a lot through their visuals (and audio). Or fail to communicate anything through them.

A good example is the human transmutation scenes in FMA 03 and Brotherhood. When I first watched them, they were basically "the same scene" to me and I didn't appreciate the attention to detail in 03's version of the scene: lighting, colors, angles, music choice.

I think I first started caring about direction a little more when I'd compare HxH 1999 and 2011 to each other. But it's definitely something I started putting a lot more value in in more recent years. I did always like stuff like Bebop, but back then the episodic plots probably lowered my opinion of the series more than it would now. I'd have been a lot harder on something like Bleach's adaptation of its last arc back then than I am today, even though my opinion on the writing hasn't changed.

 

[Warmmedown]

Sounds quite similar to me then. Panelling in manga isn't something I think about that much, but I do a little. LIke sometimes I think about whether it would be better for cetain panels to be a full-page (should that be hyphenated? suck my dong. Worst present I ever got was when my friend came back from the beach in Cornwall with a piece of rock (the sweet/candy) that was designed to look like a penis. No, I didn't eat it) spread.

A thing I thought was really cool was in the 2nd MHA movie (Two Heroes) they had some abstract art n shit to represent the powers used in the final battle. Cool asf and the only noteworthy part of the film (after having already watched a load of battle shounen), but I might've not cared much back iun the day. Trigun Stampede had a cool backstory segment made to look like an old timey silent film, which made me hold the series in way higher regard - even if the rest was shit (it wasn't), I'd give it points for showing me that presentation style.

Never seen 03 FMA. SHould I watch it? Not thatI will, because I heard it's darker and I don't want to watch a sad ending cuz imma fucking puss.

Mujsic choice I guess I always noticed. Like Falcouner not knowing when to SHGUT THE FUCK UPO BRO always annoyed me and the SSJ Goku music being one usually used for negative scenes was cool. I do notice sound effects more now though, like if there's a DUN when a character moves or something (Trigun Stampede has some of this, when he's moving his arm to use his gun).

 

[Kyo]

Paneling and flow and whatnot I don't always pay as much mind to but it's something I take note of more now. Dragon Ball's manga is so timeless because it flows so well visually.

FMA 03 is alright. It handles some of the earlier story beats well.

 

[sei'taer]

Story, world building, and characters.

Fights don't mean shit if I don't care (Bleach)

 

[Warmmedown]

Do you like good fight choreography or strategy? Like the fights in HxH, we don't always know the characters very well but they have a lot of strategy - do you like those?

 

[sei'taer]

I love both, but there has to be an emotional core to it, I have to be given a reason to care.

 

[Fantastische Hure]

^then you can feel every blow given & really root for characters. like goku beating-up freeza or nappa sooooo bad.

 

[Warmmedown]

I love both, but there has to be an emotional core to it, I have to be given a reason to care.

so wb HxH? Like in the Chimera Ant arc, is there enough reason to care?

 

[Papasmurf]

Entertainment value, plot direction/consistency, character development usually.

 

[SSJ2]

I guess you could say so. I used to be more unwilling to venture into different genres, but now I'm solely concerned with being entertained. I would have never tried a manga like The Fable 5 years ago. Would have missed out on a great story.

 

[Warmmedown]

I guess you mean you only watched/read stuff with more action/fighting? Or only more serious stuff in general? I guess Homunculus isn't action and you read that a long time ago.

 

[Diamond Ryan]

Specifically when I'm reading shonen, I want the side characters to actually be useful in battle. I recently read through Naruto, and part 2 Naruto handled most of the side characters horribly. Rock Lee especially not getting any fights post-skip was fucking disgraceful.

 

[SSJ2]

I guess you mean you only watched/read stuff with more action/fighting? Or only more serious stuff in general? I guess Homunculus isn't action and you read that a long time ago

Yeah but reading a manga like Homunculus was few and far between back then. Now I’m more open to the idea of trying more obscure series if there could be enjoyment gained from it.

 

[Yoshi]

Yes. I would rather just be entertained than I would admire the quality of a series.