1st Topic Discussion: Anime Pacing
Greetings readers of the AW blog this is Blitzzz147 here with our first anime discussion topic of the day, Anime Pacing: Now pacing in an Anime can really complement the overall progression and consistency of its story, like Anime’s with very slow pacing, for example: Monster, an Anime that consist of 74 episodes which has been referred to as one of the best psychological thriller Anime’s ever written. Monster takes advantage of slow pacing and uses it’s time to introduce all the major characters and gives them time to develop, this allows that character to play out as some sort of convenience or inconvenience to the plot from a stand point where a character could be brutally assaulted or killed, thus adding emotion and impact to the story, or even having a character do a 180 flip, thus adding shock value and deceiving the audience. These types of situations and plot devices can be used to greatly impact the story and cause great development within the characters, as slow pacing gives the audience time to become acquainted with the characters to fully understand the story and to fully become divulge within its world as the series progresses. But with all these capabilities that slow pacing can produce there is also a down side to it, as with slow pacing it is really difficult for the audience to become interested with the series especially if the series was to have a slow start. Anime’s with very slow starts can result in many viewers and fans to be driven away because some people do not become completely hooked to a series as many people judge the series based on its first episode, and without a complete hook on episode one the Anime can be passed up and never shown the light of day again. And with that being said it’s time to move onto another type of pacing known as “Fast Pacing”.
Now fast pacing unlike slow pacing barely gives time for the viewers to attach themselves with the story and characters because of the accelerated speed of the show’s nature, for example: Zetman, an Anime that consist of only 12 episodes has received mixed to mostly negative reviews by many critics. This result is largely based on the fact that the pacing is insanely fast that people find it very hard to keep up with, but what I personally find wrong with this show is the fact that some deaths don’t leave a huge impact on the audience. Like the protagonist’s grandfather for example, was violently killed within the first 10 minutes of the first episode, and after seeing his character appear only twice briefly before his tragic death, and the fact that his death didn’t leave any emotional impact on me personally nor many others just explains how dull and underdeveloped his character was based solely on the pacing of the show. If Zetman was a slower paced show and actually developed his character for a few episodes then kill him off, then his death might have left a more emotional impact, however that was not the case for Zetman. Not to mention that the timeline in the series progressed so fast that it begins when the main protagonist is a child and ends when he is a full-fledged adult in only 12 episodes, whereas Monster’s timeline spanned in the cycle of only a few years in the long span of 74 episodes, this just shows which show is better based on the pacing. However I cannot leave this topic without first mentioning the upsides to fast pacing, even though fast pacing can cause underdeveloped characters and sloppy story writing it does manage to capture the audience’s attention and allows them to become hooked to the show and with it being only 12 episodes long this also encourages viewers to continue watching it knowing that it can be finished in just one sitting rather than the harsh chore of having to complete the entire series that is Monster.
So after examining the differences between both fast pace and slow paced there is just one more thing I would like to add which is average pacing, pacing that isn’t too slow nor too fast but maintains persistent progression through its story. One show that I could explain this with would have to be the famous and world renowned Death Note, an Anime that consists of 37 episodes which is slightly above the average length to a normal Anime series. The reason I chose to use Death Note as an exemplar to average pacing is because of the first two episodes that explains within themselves the synopsis of the entire show, as it briefly introduces the main protagonist within the first episode and the antagonist within the second episode. This grasps the audience’s attention very quickly as we now know the main characters, we know the premise and now we can simply enjoy the ride, however Death Note’s originality and psychological themes alone make it a great show it would not be possible if it wasn’t for the pacing, in fact I think you would agree with me on this one: if Death Note was to be condensed within the span of 12 episodes it would literally become the most disappointing and underdeveloped Anime of its time. So to conclude this discussion topic please leave your thoughts in the comments and with that being said it’s time to move on to our second topic of the day.
2nd Topic Discussion: Manga Adaptations
Now our second Anime discussion for the day will be on Manga Adaptations: Now Manga is said to be one of the major influences in the creation of Anime, such as: Dragon Ball, Naruto, Death Note and Berserk. However even though Mangas are more often than not adapted into Animes, companies never tend to keep directly within the details that the Manga foretold, instead many Anime adaptations of Manga are likely to feature a change in dialogue or even a change in scenery and event in order to suit the theme of the Anime. Manga Readers all over the world always become eager to watch their favourite manga to be adapted into Anime form but are never satisfied with the outcome due to the lack of dedication to its Manga Counterpart. Animes tend to condense long Manga into short 12 episode Anime, for example Zetman, an Anime that consist of 12 episodes, as I have mentioned this Anime in todays previous discussion its Manga was in my personal opinion very well written and far superior to its Anime Counterpart, mainly because the pacing was good and consistent, there were a lot of details added in that I felt were definitely essential to the story but were just excluded from the Anime. They did keep to the story in a sense, but with the fast pacing and the exclusion of many scenes in the Manga it just destroyed itself. However I would like to mention an Anime that is even worse for its lack of dedication to its Manga, and that would be an Anime known as Hellsing, an Anime that consists of 13 episodes.
Now this Anime was such a disappointment for fans of the Manga, because the Anime itself does not even keep to the story at all as we are introduced to a completely new story along with a completely different antagonist it was as if they had taken the characters from the Manga and wrote a “What If” fan-fiction on the series itself. Personally I have not read the Manga so I cannot comply with these reactions however I have been told of these things not to mention that after the Hellsing was complete, they actually decided to create an OVA called Hellsing Ultimate, an Anime that consist of 10 episodes and unlike the Anime the OVA actually follows the story of Manga rather than working off what the Anime did. Now I liked that they did this but having to do it after already releasing a disappointment of an Anime felt like they knew they done wrong and just had to redeem themselves with Hellsing Ultimate, but realistically it would have been better to do this the first time with Hellsing rather than screwing with the fans beloved Manga and basically disrespecting it. But even though Manga fans complain an awful lot on their beloved Manga not receiving the proper Anime it deserves, there is a liable reason for it, when you think about it it’s the company’s choice whether or not they stick to the story of the original script. In a sense the Anime is depicting a new perspective on the story with the use of animation, so complaining that it doesn’t keep to what was written in the Manga can’t really be helped. And rather than complain just stick with the Manga, if you liked the Manga so much than don’t complain and just keep to what your used to rather than bashing something that you dislike, and even when the Anime does keep to the Manga, for example Monster, an Anime that consists of 74 episodes was an Anime that was a shot-for-shot, scene-for-scene adaptation of the Manga Counterpart, fans out there still insist that the Manga is superior because it’s the original.
But with all this I slightly agree with the Manga fan boys, because I can see where there coming from, the Manga is something that they feel is there’s and shouldn’t be tampered with even for Anime adapting use, and because when reading a Manga it’s really the imagination of the reader that interprets the overall feeling and enjoyment that is felt afterwards. So what exactly did we learn from this discussion, I guess that Mangas are a treasure in the Anime community and without them we wouldn’t be blessed with the high valued Anime that we get today. And with that I leave you for now, ladies and gentlemen Blitzzz147 logging out.
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