Frank Inglese Writes:
The thought of high expectations having negative effects on an anime series is something that hit me in full only recently. Though I’ve experienced this many times throughout my anime-watching life, it is only now that I’ve finally decided to question whether or not fans of anime SHOULD have any expectations for a series at all. Anticipation is an incredibly powerful feeling for people and with anticipation comes excitement, with excitement comes expectation, and with expectation comes a level of comparison so powerful it is almost enough to break a series for some viewers...
I see the same problem with other mediums like videogames. It's almost impossible to find criticism of Kill La Kill or Space Dandy without seeing Cowboy Bebop or TTGL being mentioned. We should just enjoy each anime as it's own creation since there's so many staff involved.
You're quite right, this type of problem is present in all kinds of creative mediums. Like you said: If only we could simply enjoy them for what they are.
Very true article. I was disappointed with Kill la Kill and struggled to distance it from Gurren Lagann, but eventually I was able to look past and enjoy it for what it was.
It is definitely something we all, as anime fans, should think about.
I don't really have this problem.
TTGL had a very annoying deuteragonist for most of the 1st season and the 2nd season came out of nowhere. Characters and plot were par, and that was it. It also had lengths of episodes where it felt like little was actually progressing, despite all the loudness and flash. But the show was very fun to watch, and KLK is the same.
Cowboy Bebop had a lot of pointless episodic plots and underdeveloped "when we get to it"-style series-spanning storylines. Space Dandy is very much in that same bill. I didn't enjoy either of them.
These series are very much from the same people. Most of what people are disappointed by in the new series are clearly within the old ones. Same DNA.