Michael is Low on Hit Points
Giving an anime a second chance on adjusted expectations can make all the difference in the world
- Posted May 25th, 2009 at 8:44 PM ET
- Subjects Fate/stay night
- Tags short editorial
- Image sources
1- Fate stay night [unknown] - Video searches
none
You've heard all the acclaim. The characters are anime icons. There's no doubt this series will rock. But once you start watching, reality falls so short of expectations. You drop the show after a few episodes. Anime X simply sucks. But the curiosity won't go away. As I've learned with Fate/stay night, giving something a second chance can lead to pleasant surprises.
Three episodes into my first watch of FSN, I dropped the series. The pacing felt off. The first episode did the anime no favors. It offered next to nothing to compel me to watch further. The second episode, with the first substantial development, lacked oomph. The presentation seemed uninspired.
Then came episode 3. A character explains the situation our hero has been caught up in. I can instantly count far too many plot holes. The whole setup feels plain silly. An anime with a better presentation and tighter execution might be able to get away with such inanity.
Might I remind you that this is all happening under the lens of inflated expectations. Where is the gar this series is known for? I saw Archer fight in ep2... and was underwhelmed. FSN has a boatload of legendary characters. Three episodes in I might be asking for too much, but Gurren Lagann's Kamina and Yoko only needed one episode to become superstars.
I'm just not in the mood for this, I say. So I put it into an ever growing on-hold list. At this point, I'm still curious as to why FSN is so damn popular. But I'm not pushing my way through a dull series right then to find out. A few months come to pass. I'm bored one night. The curiosity is tweaked. I've got nothing better to do, so I start up episode 4.
Night and day.
This time I'm expecting crap. The action should be sleep inducing dull, yet Saber vs Berserker is quite good. The characterization should be equally dull, yet Illya wins me over immediately. Plus, our hero, Saber, Rin, and Archer aren't all that bad. And most importantly, I really want to see the next episode. And the one after that. And the one after...
I think I plowed through the series in two days. I loved it. What the hell was I thinking before? Was I right? Then what had changed? If I was wrong, then just how much did tempered expectations alter my view?
After some time away from the mad dash to completion, I think I know where the FSN really stands with me. It's truly a good show. It just takes some time to get going. The characters are colorful and memorable. They just aren't all that deep (reminder: anime only here). And the plot brings about some interesting developments, even if it is pure nonsense.
Going into FSN, I had high expectations that simply weren't met. Resuming the series later expecting the worse, I got something that captured and held my interest. Not all anime holds the potential to make this sort of turn around. But it might not hurt you to find out!
1 ghostlightning
I get you. I'm having the same experience with Eureka SeveN. If you can, do check out the F/sN VN.
2 Nazarielle
I've had similar experiences, in particular with To Aru Majutsu no Index. When I went back the second time, I was more prepared (and probably more willing to deal with) the lengthy exposition and such.
As ghostlightning said, if you can, take a look at the FSN VN. It breathes a lot more life into the characters that you see in the anime.
3 Digital Boy
I 100% agree with you, and this applies to shows you finish too. I had high expectations for Escaflowne, and was disappointed, but if I rewatched it I wouldn't be disappointed again. That's why I think an anime really needs to be watched twice.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ ghostlightning
I see from your blog that you hit one of the best moments of Eureka Seven. That scene is incredible!
I'm going to get on the FSN visual novel eventually. I wanted to wait awhile so that the anime wasn't so clear in my memory. That way it will get back some of its "freshness."
@ Nazarielle
You see! I told everyone about Index! Everyone yelled at me! And I was right! I win! (lol, just kidding)
Looking forward to the FSN visual novel.
@ Digital Boy
Good point. I had a lot of issues watching Elfen Lied the first time, for obvious enough reasons. When I went back a few years later, none of the really bad scenes bothered me nearly as much. I could focus more on what the anime actually did well, and I liked it more. Not that I didn't like it the first time. I just had more issues with the series then.
4 Seantaku
Yeah I've been there. I'm actually starting Index again. lol. Liking it a lot more now. I've heard good things about FSN so I'll give it a shot sometime in the future, but right now I'm backed up with so many shows to watch.
That's awesome that you're on Twitter. I shall go add you now, or "follow" as it were...
Re Michael is LoHP
@ Seantaku
I know the feeling, as I'm currently backed up too. I have a ton of shows on hold that I will finish. But then I keep picking up new shows and putting half of them on hold too. So I need to cut this list down! And I'm going to do that while riding my recumbent bike (I watch anime I'm not crazy about on an exercise bike). Unfortunately with this one, you "can say lazy."
Yup, I'm giving Twitter a twirl. With my blog, I always feel I have to have something somewhat substantial to write about. But with Twitter, I can drop little impressions after I see an anime episode that moves me one way or another. Plus, I won't be missing out on half the anime blogosphere conversation anymore.
5 Glo the Legend
This is dead on. I had the same exact experience with Clannad: After Story. I thought it was slow and dumb, and then I watched it again, expecting it to be slow and dumb, but it picked up and I finished it very quickly.
Fate/Stay Night was definitely a great show in my book. I thought it was good even from the beginning. Especially when I found out the relationship of Archer and Shiro, which was apparently never revealed in the Anime, but is hinted toward.
I watched it a long time ago, but I still remember it vividly, and that's when you know and Anime is good. High School Girls? I watched that, but I can't remember a single thing about it (I've used this as an example a lot).
Re Michael is LoHP
@ Glo the Legend
I really wish they had gone more into the Archer / Shirou "dynamic" in the anime. That was just too cool an idea they had there. But it is there below the surface of the anime the entire time. Watching some scenes over again knowing about that really wowed me.
6 Zyl
I've recently caught FSN again on Animemax Asia. I think I enjoyed it more the second time around too but probably for different reasons. Firstly I knew which parts irked me (Shirou being an arse, mainly in the first quarter of the series) so I skipped those. Secondly I spent more mindspace just appreciating the beauty of the girls. Having said that, I'm still :(((( that they nerfed the Saber x Rin scene from the game. LOL
7 super rats
Expectations, unfortunately can kill as much as they can push you along. I collected six or seven Saber figures before I'd even watched F/SN. The character design there really appealed to me, obviously. By the time I'd gone into F/SN I'd already built the characters up quite a bit in my head by imagining what they were capable of by seeing some of the artwork. Since I mainly only see things as they come out on DVD, I already knew that Shirou was annoying and it starts out s l o o o w w w. So I had the simultaneous this is not as good as I imagined / it's not as bad as people say.
Really though, with as prominent as Saber is/was in the promotional materials, I think I was annoyed at how long I had to wait for her to be introduced in the story.
Right now for me Gurren Lagaan is a casualty of high expectations. I like it quite a bit, but don't have that feeling of OMGTIFA!!!X!!X!!
Re Michael is LoHP
@ Zyl
Shirou didn't really bug me at all, which seems to put me in the minority judging by these comments. Maybe I was just happy he wasn't some push over wimp like too many anime "heroes." Or maybe I'm simply remembering him by what he became later in the series?
The Saber x Rin scene is pretty funny. I'm like, "Wow, that really doesn't belong... well go for it girl!!"
@ super rats
The character design (read: art) is fantastic. I'm sure that contributes as much to the staying power of their popularity as anything.
And I know exactly what you mean by having expectations for characters going into the series. I expected Archer to have Kamina-like gar. Saber was to be a breathtaking knight in shining armor for men. And Rin was to be a tsundere goddess. They all came out fine in the end, but I expected too much out of them right out of the gates.
That's kind of weird, thinking back on it. Most anime I go into not knowing what a single character even looks like. But this one I had preconceptions about the entire freaking cast!
I don't think I can be of much help with Gurren Lagann, as I'm tempted to further inflate expectations by saying it is hands down a contender for best anime ever... sorry!
8 Omisyth
It's probably best to go into anime (or TV, or movies or books) with a sense of neutrality. Having no expectations means you come away pleasantly surprised (as what seemsed to happen to you with FSN). But it all depends on what you're looking for in a show before you've even seen it, really.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ Omisyth
Bingo, which is why I try to avoid reading nearly anything on shows I haven't seen. Unfortunately, FSN just is too pervasive in the overall anime conversation. I had heard certain things and had gotten too hyped up about it.
Which is why having an "on hold" list beats dropping anime. Going back to a series after a period of time where your expectations either relax or reverse (you now expect the worse) can radically alter your view of said anime. And who wants to miss out on a series they'll end up finding quite good? No one, I would imagine.