More on the Core of Narrative an addendum to 'on narrative' (further contemplation on the identification of the core and the wording of the core) mini.t.o.c.: Type x Focus x Review x Core- | Core+ x Rules x Post2 x Element x Bonus TYPE Simple core? One might presume, in the case of a comedy- that is, a comedy without any overarching moral themes, perhaps a 'sketch comedy' -that the core would be simple: laughter, and nothing more. However, this is never truly the case, for we will come find that in any work- whether that work is given the highpraise status of 'art', or not -the core is always complex. Complex core: In the case of one particularly divisive series, the core may be (well, it will be, by someone) referred to as: cute girls do cute things (cutely). While that is certainly one facet of the core, the complete central concept is a little more complex, even if not terribly complicated (we desire to find the simplest principle to center a work, but must not take that too far, as we may then misidentify the core, such as claiming that this series is a comedy, nothing more, and proceed to judge the series solely on its' ability to make us laugh). The full core of this example series may more accurately be identified as: comedy, cuteness, and a certain lackadaisical & affectionate look at friendships in youth. (Forgive me if you feel that I have missed something. I avoided examples in the main thesis because I did not wish to become encumbered by arguments on exact classifications. Here, I merely wish to illustrate the multi-faceted nature of any and all cores.) Moving core: In the case of one particularly flamboyant series involving mecha combat between high school students, the core- from the early episodes -contains a mixture approximately 95% fabulous and 5% mystery/suspense/drama; while seemingly contradictory, these opposing natures can coexist (even if they won't in this particular case). As the series progresses, the ratio shifts as the work takes on more dramatic tones and leaves behind much of the innocent & youthful bliss that dominated the screentime before the stakes became more dire (that the work never fully transitions- leaving a split core that can neither achieve dramatic intensity or frivolous fun -explicates the rating of the wording of the core, and not the complex & shifting nature of the core itself). The virtue of the core: Notice how I never questioned whether any of the preceding cores where good or bad. All core's have their intended target (as a communication), with the desire to fully communicate their nature (if the nature is of laughter, then the work will want to make you laugh). We will not / must not shut out communications we don't like / have no interest in. We will / should allow all art, and what we then rate shall be the process / artistry of communication. FOCUS \\ begin log_1 playback \\ some111some1else alright, u called me to this online meeting. what's up? full_hp SURVIVAL STRATEGY! some111some1else nice! did u finally cave in? full_hp nah, i'll wait till it's done. fuck waiting a week between each episode full_hp saw the transformation clip on youtube though. get hype! some111some1else thin slicing it up, huh? full_hp i know good when i see it some111some1else oh, do u? explain it then full_hp 1) just the way her face pumps out SEIZON SENRYAKU! full_hp 2) catchy song is catchy (cannot get it out of my head... in a good way) full_hp 3) trippy colorful creative shaft-lite visuals of omg wtf awesome full_hp 4) and dat pose at the end full_hp NAAAAAAAAADIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!! some111some1else just how many times have u watched this clip? full_hp *whistles~suspiciously* some111some1else just a database animal following tropes u like full_hp lol... fuck u full_hp it's all in the execution full_hp shall we say 'the wording' full_hp it's how the scene happens that matters some111some1else u don't even know what is happening in that scene full_hp and that's necessary? some111some1else don't try to pull some zen bullshit on me some111some1else i'm not buying any pomo doublespeak u throw my way full_hp so, hitchcock some111some1else wait, when did we switch topics? full_hp so, hitchcock some111some1else the birds aren't penguins full_hp shut the fuck up for a sec, will u? full_hp hitchcock had this term: macguffen full_hp it's the thing that drives the plot full_hp say an artifact that the main characters have to get their hands on some111some1else and what is it? full_hp that's just it full_hp it doesn't matter what 'it' is full_hp u could substitute anything for what the story actually uses some111some1else not always full_hp in some works, sure, but the point is full_hp it's the journey that matters some111some1else what is this, some lifetime network special all of a sudden? full_hp it's like i'm talking to a fucking penguin some111some1else and what if i want world building and explanations? some111some1else i hate when a show doesn't explain itself full_hp well, then there are other shows for u some111some1else wtf, 'deal with it' is the answer u came up with? some111some1else why can't i just say this shit sucks? full_hp subjective is not objective some111some1else must i start every sentence with 'i think that', 'my opinion is', 'i feel'? full_hp no. full_hp 'the lack of any solid grounding for the narrative left me wanting' full_hp 'my connection to the action was severed without reasoning for the action' full_hp both are stated as opinion full_hp both still carry the full weight of criticism full_hp to not rage is not to go weak full_hp confidence in an opinion (as simply that) is strength some111some1else so am i allowed to critique the core or not? full_hp dude, it's fine as long as u understand the bias inherent in that process full_hp admit u have issues with the concept of the work full_hp but allow that others without those issues may enjoy the work full_hp once u understand others, u can better understand the work full_hp and then go into whether the work would... well, work for those peeps full_hp thus reviewing 'the wording' as i said before \\ pause log_1 playback \\ \\ initiate annotation_engine \\ \\ jump to line_707 of log_1 \\ \\ resume log_1 playback \\ some111some1else enough joking around! do u have a definition for moe or not? full_hp lol, moe = jouissance **[jouissance = pleasure bordering on orgasmic]** **[Lacan says this is to truly suffer]** **[haven't read Lacan yet...]** some111some1else and there u go again, falling back on some dead frenchman's theory full_hp u know, i don't remember glaucon talking back so damn much some111some1else? it seems this split subconscious is a bit more demanding... \\ end log_1 playback \\ \\ terminate annotation_engine \\ REVIEW [It begins with screenshots. Lots and lots of screenshots...] a too-common online elitist posts: Right off the bat we're treated to Rie Kugimiya's screeching voice. Seriously, she's in everyone of these types of shows nowadays, and it's seriously getting played out and old... ...The animation is sloppy, and I wonder if the animators are even trying anymore. This is seriously some lazy work... ...Cliches like this are killing animu today. It's all the same shit. I took a look at one of those charts fans throw together each season and 90% of the animes had a picture showing off some form of moe pandering... ...I will give it one more episode, but then I'm done with this crap. *** 19 reader responses *** confusion comments: I can name an anime or two off the top of my head that you previously praised in which Kugimiya was cast as the heroine... and plenty of others that you received positively that featured characters that would be considered moe. Obviously there is something you don't like about this particular show, but it isn't the elements you singled out in your review. What did you really mean? What did you really want to express? honesty comments: Why not just drop all the zingers and one liners and concentrate on actually figuring out and then explaining what it is that you like / don't like. inconsistency comments: All of that bitching and moaning and yet you're giving it another episode and not dropping it? Something is up here... a too-common online elitist replies to inconsistency: I'm doing this as a service for my readers. Someone has to watch this crap and warn them about it. the real deal replies to a too-common online elitist: This isn't your job. You're no journalist. You have no idea what real journalism entails. Your pretensions are disrespectful towards those who put in real work on that front. reality comments: Decrying entire styles of art and never coming to understand how they function is not 'elitist'; in fact, that practice is the farthest from elite. a too-common online 'elitist' replies to reality: But this is the internets, so who cares? duh replies to a too-common online elitist: Apparently you care, as you took time out of your day to write this post and cap those five-dozen pictures up at the top of your post. clarity replies to a too-common online elitist: If you're going to put in effort, might as well get things right. If you want to tell other people how bad a work is, then only the most precise and truthful communication will reach them. (And yes, the same applies to praise.) human dignity comments: Working in animation is the worst of occupations. Long hours; poor working conditions; shit pay. In spite of this, animators work hard, pouring their all into their work. That doesn't close their work off to critique. But it does close their work ethic off to critique. Stop calling animators 'lazy'. troll comments: u r so right dudebro i feel liek their not even trying anymore with all this generic otaku pandering crapfests season after season nothing but boring animes i dont even really watch animes anymore only rarely anime is dying and its these moefags that are ruining everything and they will eat this shit right up the soundtrack is kinda nice but everything else sucks the plot is... oh wait there is no plot and its not even funny just sleep inducing their just trolling the fans now drowning in moetard cliche highschool check cute girls check nothing original here its already a trainwreck. conscious replies to troll: This is nothing but lies, slander, nonsense, bigotry, hate... how can you even post something like this and let it speak for you as your voice? gut replies to conscious: This one is a lost cause. Better to just ignore him. lol replies to troll: Love the period at the end! It was an excellent addition and the perfect way to polish off your riveting insight! perspective replies to troll: Is there anything truly 'original'? Doesn't communication require building notions off of older, already determined concepts? Perhaps you mean 'unique', but then that is wholly dependent on your own personal viewpoint, where something rare to you is common to someone else, and vice versa. In the long run, quality of communication is more important than its' uniqueness. Speaking of quality... punctuation replies to troll: Why have you forsaken me!? offtopic comments: You call this a team blog? You guys never work together on one post. What this really amounts to is a small scale RSS aggregator of your own individual blogs. Think about it. nitpick comments: The plural of 'anime' is 'anime'. Same with the plural of 'manga', while I'm on that point. Also, 'animu' as either an insult or self-deprecation is disingenuous and weak. lowonhitpoints comments: You want to see what a review looks like when it assumes the goals of the narrative and then challenges the expression of those goals (and adds a touch of style to give it the zing and lulz that you seemingly require)? CORE- Lucky Loser Lacks Lovesack Harem, SD -- Markets tanked today as fear grips the adolescent male hero. Villains in sadomasochistic leather garb, whips & spikes, coerce battle between boys, using coitus as promised collateral, a seething sexuality on the surface of the series. But it's all for show as the red blush of anything remotely indecent taints all boy-girl exchanges, an artificial wall of glass blocking any trade penetration into the adult bank. "What's really at stake here," claims one astute observer, "is the director stunting any potential action on the floor." Claims of maturation of bonds run contrary to growing anxiety that the market lead will do nothing. "My chief competitor, investor Wako, has a better chance of realizing her pairing with the way the market is heading." With the core promising sexuality, the wording opposes that core and the whole project unravels. Accountants claim that world markets have taken too many hits on this front lately, and fears are growing that the weak lead is here to stay. "Someone needs to grow a pair of balls and make a move already." 綺羅星☆!! Rudimentary Repetition Runs Routine Structure, SD -- Artistry was stolen today from a series of episodes. "I believe all but maybe two episodes were affected," report investigators on the scene. A questionable device is believed to have robbed more than 20 episodes of their rhythm. "What this inexplicable arrangement did was force a battle into every episode." Witnesses claim that this mechanism then proceeded to gut each and every episode of any potential spontaneity. Lasting effects of the robbery are said to include: an excess of casting due to the need of more combatants, characterization taking massive hits, and extreme boredom setting in as unpredictability is then jettisoned completely from the work. One irate patron under anonymity lashed out at the director and made a harsh juxtaposition, "This situation is so similar to something director Ikuhara would have done, but of course he knew the big difference between mechanical and artistic repetition." Repetition in the core requires a wording that does not make a mockery of that repetition. Experts contacted on this matter corroborated these sentiments, pointing out that rose duels were skipped by several episodes in that cult classic series, freeing up time for other developments. 綺羅星☆!! Stupidity Stuns Serious Scenario Tone, SD -- An anime died today after falling off the second half of its' story. Foul play is not suspected, as the show appears to have committed suicide. "The choices it made led to its' eventual destruction," those who knew the series claim. The core introduced mystery & drama right from the start; it was only a matter of time before it would be forced to act upon that. Police at the location of impact said the anime was "hard to look at", with one officer stating, "It's such a shame to see an anime go out like this." While officials are not willing to discuss the case in greater detail, others have come forth with more information. "At times it wanted to be a deathly serious series, but then it would back away at the moment of impact... maybe I shouldn't use that word right now..." One example oft cited by those who knew the anime portrayed an episode that began as a 'total mindfuck', grew darker and darker, slammed the viewer with an ingenious plot twist, setting up juicy drama as a poor innocent would lose the very foundation of her ******... only to enter into a plot hole by magically making everything ***** *** in the end, flying in the face of all sense. Drama requires that the punches you throw land every so often; a lighthearted series is not excused its' poor drama; let it then not attempt drama. "It was either that episode that did it in, or maybe the ending where the fate of the ***** ***** was put into jeopardy, except you never really believed it because nothing the anime had done up until then lead you to believe it had the balls to *** the *****, so you just sit there waiting for the ridiculous final confrontation to run its' course." CORE+ Dearest Kyo-Ani, Can I call you that? I believe us to be on familiar terms now, myself having seen everything you've ever animated (except for some Munto, but that shouldn't count; sorry to open old wounds). I'm writing to inform you that your latest love letter to me, Cake & Tea Time, moved my heart tremendously. Would I only be able to eat of your cake and drink of your tea for all of eternity. Allow me to sing your praises, in the haphazard prosepoem of a meter out of tune, for I am capable of no more. *** Cute as a flustered maid made to utter 'moe moe kyun', lies lazy and easygoing as a semiliteral moeblob, when even the full classroom is furnished with faces that spark interest, then your beauty pervades even the most overlooked of all corners, colorful and creative scenewipes and transitions, this is truly an artistry of the most delicate of gestures, firm enough still to retain a grip on my emotions. When she puts on those cat ears... omg! can we keep her? Hilarity that tickles my bones and splits the sides of my body, leaving me rolling on the floor in a manner quite literal, laughter having taken hold over all of my senses, now I am forced to rewind to catch all that occurred after, the good bits that I missed in my state of hysteria, and I eagerly await the next sudden fit of funny, for laughter is as crying, the crying out of the soul's jubilance. Now everyone dance the 'eat the receipt' shuffle. Silly as the subject may be, the intelligence of your production is never under question, for it requires a great ingenuity in the craft undertaken, to capture the frivolity of life on the smallest of stages, for a good life is a life of small charms day by day, and a splendid art of these charms will furnish them on screen and off, with the radiance of lighthearted being measured in the smile on our faces. The grin on my face is the bliss of your quality. Bless the pains of life that bring with them more bliss than sorrow, for they carve into a fleeting moment the intensity of ephemeral elation, come to its' end as fate deems that it must, with boundless possibilities of adulthood still ahead, and youthful gaiety of the concert left behind, but these memories made today shall last forever, for they are the ripe fruit of the heavenly soul, the sustenance that feeds so long a life full. More tears shall I shed as the curtains descend. *** I must admit, the thought of more of your love yet to come keeps me up at night. You promise the movie by years end, but I am so far away. Many timezones separate us, and I pray that your grand finale finds me before long, for I know how long you are want to wait with an official homevideo release... This anxiety may be the end of me. Always, on bated breath, Michael P.S. Please animate Little Busters. P.P.S. And a 4th season of Full Metal Panic. And more Haruhi Suzumiya. And maybe more Lucky Star, like another OVA or something. RULES o * 1 > o * 0 Rule #1: An honest opinion is better than no opinion, or at the least it is truer, in that there is no state of no opinion, only feigning the lack of opinion. Corollary to #1: To draw in an audience, one mustn't be afraid to speak one's mind. A headline styled 'name-of-work review' will not produce the pageviews that 'name-of-work key-opinion-on-work' will. This is not manipulative, in that I will never know whether or not you have anything interesting to say until you say it, so snare me right from the beginning. x + -x = 0 Rule #2: To tease a review, asking whether the work in review is 'unto touching God herself' or 'to suffer with the Devil', is to essentially say nothing. Corollary to #2: Tease a review with a byline stating the review's synopsis distilled into one short blip instead. If I agree with your sentiment, I will want to see my opinion justified; if I disagree, I want to see where we differ and how you arrived at your contradictory opinion; if I have not seen the work, either side of the coin (positive, negative) holds the same interest. n ∑ i ∞ =/= q i=1 Rule #3: The studio, the date and length of airing, and other general information do not determine the quality of a work- influencing, of course, but not determining -no matter how inflated these topics may be in the minds of fans. Corollary to #3: Review the art, not the artist. General information on production may be relegated to a sidebar, allowing it to serve another purpose as a tool for filtering and finding similar works (even if this practice is far from absolute, one cannot deny its' popularity). h ∈ r Rule #4: Highlights of a review are only relevant in view of the full review; therefor, they need not be separated from the full review. Corollary to #4: Beyond the headline/teaseline used to pull in readers, there need not be a prereview summary of the review. This can only be used to delay a full understanding using partial particulars that will be rendered pointless momentarily. s ≈ 0 Rule #5: Plot summaries are nearly worthless in the realm of criticism. Corollary to #5: Again, it is the wording, not the core, that matters in the realm of quality. Everyone (maybe not everyone... but yeah, everyone) will have certainly experienced by now both works that sounded brilliant but failed and works that excelled in spite of (so it appears) the most ridiculous of premises. r / ((p + c + v + a) * t) < r Rule #6: A written review of a work cannot be split into universal subcategories, such as: plot, character, visual, audio, tilt (<-- seriously, wtf guys). Corollary to #6: There is no single review sectioning that will be accurate for all reviews of all works, because every work has a unique core. Keep the review process and structure free flowing, adapting it to the narrative as necessary. f(o) > o ⇔ T Rule #7: The process of expressing your opinions truthfully is more important than the truth of your opinions. Corollary to #7: No review is correct in the eyes of all beholders. However, one review may express its' conclusions to the complete understanding of more beholders than another review, thus making the former review- or shall I say the former communication -better than the latter. m + s - (m + s) < f Rule #8: The type of fun birthed from mystery and suspense is absent without the mystery and suspense. Corollary to #8: Mark spoilers of the reviewed work. Do not include spoilers from other works, marked or unmarked. There is no 'time limit' to spoilers, as everyone is on a different timeline (some people are new to: a medium, a genre, ...and life, even). 66.6 < 7/10 < B- < 2.5/3 < ✩✩✩✩ Rule #9: Only the silliest of math can rate a work down to the decimal. Only in the mindframe of scaling works against each other can 10 whole grades be determined. Letter grades with give or take positive-negative marks are barely better, as 5 grades are 15 actual. Even the shortest of ranges elongate by adding midway ratings. Accept that scoring will never contain the precision we wish it would, as: Corollary to #9: The score is as far removed from the finer details of a review as possible, therefor it is of the smallest importance to the actual review. The score's ultimate usability is in sorting reviews in a list of reviews (these works I call 'good', these works I call 'lesser', etc). Digression to #9: x✩✩✩ equals ✩✩✩✩ (shuwa shuwa, shuwa shuwa) R = 0 Rule #10: Angels obey no r~rules. Think for yourself. Define your own rules. Corollary to #10: Yes, even doubt my rules, and infer your own. Though you may adapt and even take rules wholesale from others, in the end, you make them your own. POST-POST If poststructuralism has taught us anything, when we are not ignoring it, sticking out our tongue at it while preoccupied with something more aesthetically pleasing... let me begin anew: Poststructuralism has oft been deemed a nihilistic deathdrive to a state of disorder, which is no order, of no sense, literally non-sense. Zero is its' ideal, but like all ideals is unreachable, as the desire to deconstruct is reliant on the desire to understand, to give meaning, maybe not one meaning, but a plurality of one meaning, every subjective. If there is no disorder, then the boon of poststructuralist thought can be found in the process of disordering. In this, the terribly complicated but none too foreign thought exercise of deconstruction, we disprove any pseudo-objective order, the order of our history, the only order we have ever constructed, a bastard order that is no true order. Yes, if the poststructuralists have taught us anything, it is to shun a totalitarianism of meaning. However, we must not shun the totality of meaning. Meaning itself is inescapably tied into thought, with any untangling only sorting out meaning, not reducing it to zero. And this meaning is never free, always reliant itself on prior meaning. From 'Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences' by Jacques Derrida: "If one calls bricolage the necessity of borrowing one’s concept from the text of a heritage which is more or less coherent or ruined, it must be said that every discourse is bricoleur. The engineer, whom Levi-Strauss opposes to the bricoleur, should be one to construct the totality of his language, syntax, and lexicon. In this sense the engineer is a myth. A subject who would supposedly be the absolute origin of his own discourse and would supposedly construct it "out of nothing," "out of whole cloth," would be the creator of the verbe, the verbe itself. The notion of the engineer who had supposedly broken with all forms of bricolage is therefore a theological idea; and since Levi-Strauss tells us elsewhere that bricolage is mythopoetic, the odds are that the engineer is a myth produced by the bricoleur. From the moment that we cease to believe in such an engineer and in a discourse breaking with the received historical discourse, as soon as it is admitted that every finite discourse is bound by a certain bricolage, and that the engineer and the scientist are also species of bricoleurs then the very idea of bricolage is menaced and the difference in which it took on its meaning decomposes." But this is a false opposition he sets up: 'bricoleur who creates meaning from something' opposite 'engineer who creates meaning from nothing'. The true opposition can be found within: 'bricoleur who creates meaning' opposite 'engineer who creates no meaning, babble'. Thus, the definition (by difference) of bricolage is intact, 1-from-1, never 1-from-0, the engineer-creating-meaning still residing within myth alone, meaning still residing within history, communication still being historical. From this, I wish to derive a new history, to make history, for I see no end to history, only the dreamscape of such, which is itself based upon history. Total order is false. Total disorder, too, is false. Without meaning, we have no sense, or should I say, no common sense, no shared sense, and thus no communication. For communication, we must build a shared meaning. If structuralism seeks to discover the rules of meaning, if poststructuralism seeks to disprove the rules of meaning, postpoststructuralism will create the rules of meaning, continually. So is this postpoststructuralism- henceforth renamed restructuralism -any different from the old structuralism? Yes, in that we do not view our order as absolute, but merely a crutch for communication, the communication of subjectivity in an objective-like movement. To create; not to find, but to build. To communicate is to acknowledge history, but history is not so rigid, pliable in a way that is infinitely useful to us. Is restructuralism any different from poststructuralism? Yes, in that we are reconstructing, not in spite of, but because of our deconstructing. Let us now realign (post)modern thought with enlightenment (the true enlightenment, that is scientific method and not science as a new religion) and Camus' rebellion (which he opposes to revolution, which only establishes a new religion). From the creation of any order comes an oppression of all forms outside our order; there is no escape from this trap. To accept and embrace this trap is to understand it, and to understand that we must reorder in such a way as to minimize the oppression, to reorder the old order's rigid rules and (re)define definitions that allow for more freedom, more movement, more art within all of the arts. With this justification, allow me now to (re)create a central concept in the criticism of narrative: ELEMENT Shall we look at the 'classical' breakdown of narrative, one more time: 1) plot 2) character 3) setting 4) theme 5) style All 5... are abstract viewpoints, nothing more. Yes, that is the definition that I will give them; a definition I pray will be adopted. So, all 5 always occur. Always! There is no non-event: a frozen wedge of time is still an event. There is no non-characterization: a non-living object still has its' own characterization. There is no non-setting: a void of nothingness is still a setting. There is no non-theme: to speak or not to speak is to 'say something', and there is no avoiding that. There is no non-style: 'plain' is still a style. Yes, at any moment- at any given splitsecond -no matter how you slice the narrative chronologically, that segment of time has narrative occurring. There is no not-narrative ever occurring within narrative, and with narrative seen as from 5 different angles, we can see that these 5 must always occur too. Viewing any given splitsecond slice, we can say: this is the plot (the event), this is the character(ization), this is the setting, this is the theme, this is the style. We can do this always. Now, I give these elements this definition (as viewpoints), for that is the only manner in which they will 'add up', let us say 'combine' into one solid whole, that being: narrative. 合体!! History has distorted this; the old order (history itself) has distorted this. From this distortion occurs substitutions for each of the 5 elements: less abstract, more concrete, yet personal definitions. By example, one of the most common substitutions I see is: mystery&suspense -> plot So that everything without mystery&suspense... has no plot! (dun dun dun) But then the events that are not mystery&suspense... what are they to be? not character, not setting, not theme, not style... we would need a 6th element to contain them, having to do with events... I know! Let's call it plot! Other popular false substitutions are: world building... isn't this setting? the coming to age of the protagonist... isn't this character? And come on! Who would make that mistake? Well... ok, this method of portraying character does kind of flow into plot due to the events inherent in its' timeline... wait! It does merge into plot, and setting and theme and style too, because all 5 of these are truly and originally one element- narrative- as viewed from different angles. Plot is narrative from the angle of events. And if we don't respect this, if we push our own rigid definitions of 'what constitutes plot' and conversely (more problematically) push a counter definition of 'what isn't plot', not only can we make substitutions without explaining them (thus ruining communication: what the hell do you mean by saying Lucky Star doesn't have any plot!?), we will also ruin art by strangling it with a narrow set of rules defining what creativity is allowed and what art is forbidden. Art is freedom; without that, we merely have a soulless production line, with Freytag as Ford, and creativity as good as dead. JOY [Bonus Section] Some nights ago. Long ago. Midnight. Bored. Computer: online. Clicking around the 'net. Google: running searches for 'nothing in particular'. Anime. Should watch some anime. MAL. Looking at my anime list. Currently Watching list: nah. On-Hold list: meh. I mean, that's how they got there, right? What am I not in the mood to watch... the least? Nothing. To look elsewhere. Clicking away. Need a new anime. Need suggestions. MAL's Top Anime page. Something will catch my interes-- oh, what is this!? Ah, I remember now: the camrip. Yes, there was a camrip. A few days back. Heard about it; thought little of it. But there it is again. Must've made its' way around. Someone subbed it, yes? Checking now. Aha! Mazui delivered again. They were first, last time too: fond memories arise from memory of Her return after so long a wait. But this? A camrip? Seen that before. Complete crap. Saw 1.0 as a camrip (while it was still 1.0 and not 1.1 or 1.11 or whatever they're calling it now). But I didn't care all that much back then. Just a condensed recap movie anyways. Just felt like quenching my curiosity. Well, I guess they prettied it up. Didn't need it. It was pretty enough before. Wasn't so pretty now as a camrip... I will not take Her in camrip form. Not happening. No way, no how. Whole different deal here. But I'm bored. Midnight bored. Bored of the midnight quiet. So I'll navigate over to the subber's site. Maybe there'll be some camshot stills. See how bad it looks. That's it. Just gonna 'look'. It's all very innocent. Until this goddamn snippet gets read: 'To the people who've read the translation of the book a hundred times and think they know this movie, let me tell you now: you do not. This movie is presented in a way that puts more power behind the words than any translation alone could do justice to.' WELL FUCK ME! Suddenly I need to see it this very minute. No. No, Michael, no. But again: bored. Nothing else to do. Fire up the torrent. Just curiosity. Not gonna watch it. Right? Look, it's already midnight. The film is 2 hours and 45 minutes. Got work tomorrow. Bane of my existence. But... if the downstream is fast enough... if it downloads in like five minutes or so... maybe stay up, make a little 'event' out of it? But that ain't happening. But... lol and behold, the dl is already done. A sign? No. Just no. Alright, I got this file for a reason. Let's just look. Clickity click... ugh. Not pretty. Definitely not 2010 HD modern moe visual eye sex pretty. No. The screen only takes up like 2/3 of the picture. And it's tilted. And it's grainy. And there's a slight strobe. And the sound sucks. I knew all this already. Close the file. Close it, Michael! Hey, I went through the trouble (a very 21st century 'trouble') to get the damn thing. Let's check out the first few minutes. I can see through to the opening credits. Just a tease. A preview. A... lie. Yeah, who am I to blame the obvious outcome on having watched those first few minutes. No. That's not it. That's not it at all. It was back when I read that quote by Mazui that I knew I was lost. So here I am. Defeated. Oh, what a joyous defeat. If only life's loses all were this divine. There's more to it. More to the feeling of the moment. I watch anime on a tv. Sitting on a notsocomfortable futon. So I pull the mattress off. Pluck it down right in front of the tv. Pluck me down right in front of the tv too. Now I'm right up close to the screen. Front of the theatre. In this theatre is a special viewing. I'm in on a special viewing. Like some incomplete work. Not yet prettied up for primetime. The scene is set. The atmosphere feels right. The mood feels right. It really starts feeling like a 'special event'. Everything suddenly feels perfect. The stars are aligned and all. Laugh all you want. No way I can accurately express this feeling. That's the way it is. That's the way I am. I'm weird like that. It's one of the perks of being weird. So I watch. And it is special. Magnificent: worthy of this feeling, this moment. Elegant: not a wasted movement. Masterpiece. This is not a review. This is an experience encapsulated. Why? Listen: this film, this anime, this franchise has no deep 'real life' connection to me. It didn't 'change my life'. It didn't 'change the way I think'. It didn't 'teach me' anything. It didn't do anything we would call 'supremely important'. And yet, it is supremely important to me. In ways I can't clarify or don't know how to. Maybe... maybe it's when I'm emotionally invested in the cast... maybe when I'm all excited and full of anticipation and... when I'm nervous on how it will all go down, will it be as good as I hope it will and... and... when I'm snuggled up on the floor right in front of the tv in the middle of the night watching some inner beauty over outer beauty super magical heart thumping long awaited advanced screening of a film late at night, I'm a damn kid again! Joyous as can be! And that's what Haruhi means to me.What does She mean to you? What does any anime mean to you? What will you say when you review it? Will you remember the joy? Will you remember the feelings? Express the joy. Express your feelings. Don't make it mechanical. Make it real. Make me feel it.
Endnotes: While this essay may be read separately from its' parent thesis, if you have finished this article with a desire for more on the subject of narrative criticism, I would like to point you in the direction of the preceding work: on narrative (in art) Here I might- more in a honest attempt at classification and less in a fit of pretension -claim this article is more Ulyssean in style than its' forbearer. Every section is presented in a different format, in order to uniquely express that section's... dare I say 'core'? Sections reflect one another at the midway point: core+ / core- (2 overstylized 'reviews'), rules / review (reviewing reviews), postpost / focus (general theory), element / type (understanding narrative). 'Bonus' is simply that, external, though appearing in the table of contents next to the two 'reviews', as the experience of viewing a work may be entered into a good review. References: type -- Lucky Star is more than comedy; Star Driver is dressed in fabulous focus -- Plato would sue if he wasn't rolling in his grave; I have a feeling that Mawaru Penguindrum will *survive* the anime blogosphere; *someone else* must have noticed the Working!! reference review -- no work in particular is being reviewed core- -- ripped from the headlines of Ulysses and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, a review for Star Driver, KIRABOSHI☆!! core+ -- a heartfelt personal letter reviews K-ON!! rules -- Hidamari Sketch x✩✩✩ gets the highest praise; Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt does not play by the r~rules of anime cliche post-post -- blame Derrida & ghostlightning element -- Simon the Digger shouts out my theory of narrative element 'gattai' joy -- to watch The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is to experience joy go: home, twitter, goodreads, myanimelist