taotrooper | On trends

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On trends

You know, I've been thinking recently about my latest trends when it comes to picking stuff to watch or read. Okay, so I still like balanced shounen (I've already mentioned what I consider 'balanced') and unusual shoujo and fantasy of almost every subgenre. But I'm starting to see this direction on my escapism.

Basically, I check stuff I find refreshingly different yet fitting my tastes, be it in art or plot (add gameplay if it's a videogame). Granted, it's more visible in my list of recently bought games than in multimedia fandoms. Still, if I glance at the season anime I follow or at least tasted, most of it is quirky. I mean, what am I watching now? Lovely Complex (this one is normal but it's comedy), old episodes of Gintama (unpredictable, peculiar sense of humor), Denno Coil (cool/cute plot, Ghiblie-esque art), Mononoke (fucking creepy, very artistic). And before that, what animes have I downloaded? Mushishi (so zen and nice to look at), Princess Tutu (great plot twists and character growth), Twelve Kingdoms (awesome plot and characters), to name a few. In Western TV shows, I'm settling for two or three plot-driven series (Avatar and Heroes, for instance; the former being quirky enough for an American cartoon), but the rest is all British sitcoms.

Summing the above. You see, I think I'm becoming picky. I have watched and read the more popular animes, but even if they're promising they can't drag me, especially if they start slow. Even worse, I'm doing the opposite of fanbrats out there: if the art looks average or even fanservice fodder much (too many bishounen, or too many schoolgirls), I may be reluctant to check it unless it's strongly recced by people I trust. Mind you, I literally avoided Azumanga Daioh and Suzumiya Haruhi for ages, thinking it'd be boring and moe, only to find them awesome. But I don't adore original stuff just for the sake of it, either. There's Romeo x Juliet to proof that...

However, the greatest trend in me I've witnessed is a predilection for a couple of specific genres. I seem to be dwelling in this love for comedy (because I want to laugh like an idiot) or supernatural (defining supernatural as a way to gather series with either biologically impossible critters, or focused on mythology or legends, or just your usual magic shit). And it's not only on visuals: I'm also loving books with either or both. I was wondering if I should blame it on CLAMP, because both things are inherent on their CardHOLiC universe, and that's my main fandom after all. Except I liked Slayers before that. And I liked good Disney movies way before that. So in short no, this time it's not their fault. I just always loved that shit but it's becoming painfully obvious by now.

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Dude what a coincidence. Lately I've found myself being very picky about new anime, to that point that I'm rewatching old favorites while there are fresh episodes just sitting on my computer xD And I've also been sticking to comedy, and not supernatural but something close, the whole psychological/psych. thriller genre, and I've also randomly gotten obsessed with Chinese martial arts movies. I need stuff that gets my blood pumping atm, apparently 8D

And I still rewatch a Disney movie like every other day xD

Funny enough, more than rewatching anime, I've picked up on 'classic' oldies I never got to access back in the day, just to see if I like them. Which reminds me I haven't even finished Escaflowne after all. Still, I want to marathon Slayers because I never got to watch every episode and movie.

I like thrillers and murder mysteries a lot, but strangely these days I'm liking more the kind of terror involving monsters or ghosts than serial killers and the like. They're still great to check out, though.

I only like Asian martial arts movies when they're all pretty with epoch outfits and faux flying, Crouching Tiger style. I think I'm shallow XP

I only like Asian martial arts movies when they're all pretty with epoch outfits and faux flying, Crouching Tiger style. I think I'm shallow XP

Saaaame XD But I mean, the best of those movies are the ones like that, which are really well made and have lots of deeper meanings, etc. I can't watch a movie with just fight fight fight, it needs to have a point so MAYBE I am not entirely shallow xD

But I think *I* am shallow because I never completely understood CT,HD's plot XPPPP Maybe I'm thick for drama or the shinies and jumps just distracted me from the whole point. Then again, I only watched it once.

It reminds me I haven't watched House of the Flying Daggers yet. Probably I'm just scared I'll miss the plot again with the acrobatics and the swords.

dlfjgdfjg YOU NEED to watch House of Flying Daggers! It's actually nothing like CTHD, apart from the gorgeous fighting scenes. CTHD was philosophical, but HOFD is like a love-tragedy sort of thing. It kind of reminds me of the story of Romeo and Juliet. Anyways I cried buckets ;__;

Then I'll wait for my comedy whore phase to fade in a bit before watching it, then XD

[thread hijack]

Seconding the House of Flying Daggers rec! It's not one of my favourite movies but it's pretty good, and it's visually gorgeous. The only downside is that the second time I watched it and wasn't anxious to see what happened next, I LOL'ed every time people yelled XIAO MEEEEI seriously. *is a dork*

Hero is really good too, probably my favourite Chinese movie.

[/thread hijack]

British television will make you even more picky!

So far I've only poked at comedy, but I reckon you're right D:

Your taste is a bit like mine. I'm very picky, and can be very critical about the things I start watching or not. I mostly run away from mainstream anime (what me and my friends call the N.O.B. stands for ; Naruto, One Piece and Bleach) because they seem to go on forever, and (for me anyways) are getting over-rated. I do understand why people love them, but still. Not my cup of tea. :|

And I think I've stopped caring about anime (is it just me, or this year's line up are a bit... meh?)... I'm more of a manga-person. The only animes I'm watching is the ever bloody Higurashi, the mildly interesting Baccano, the weird Gintama (but not religiously, since I'm still stuck at ep 5, and can't move forward because I have other things to download), and Romeo x Juliet just for the sake of finishing the series. :| Out of those I've mentioned, I only really love Higurashi. :D;; LOL.

Oh well, there's still Avatar and Heroes starting next week! Yay! And Disney classics are love. Nothing can ever compare to the classics. :)

Seeing One Piece in the same list as Naruto and Bleach makes me cry :(

But well, I think Heroes is so overrated is truly ridiculous, so xD

I'm sorry ♥ I hate making anyone cry :(

So, to each its own, am I right? :D Personal taste I guess. :)♥

LOL, One Piece is mainstream? XD Perhaps in Japan or in message boards, but not so much on LJ. I think I might be saying from a biased point of view, but while it's not a series for everyone and I understand you don't liking it, it doesn't have the same issues Naruto and Bleach have (I mean, sure OP has its own issues, but I mean not in the same aspects). The characters don't angst so much, to start, and the series doesn't take itself as seriously as the other two. This is why I enjoy it even if it's long and there's not so much of a main plot. Some arcs are just gorgeous storytelling, IMO, to the point you're amazed they're found in a Jump manga. /obnoxious One Piece reader

I've found two series to love in this line-up (Denno Coil and Mononoke), but they're just strange shit and practically nobody talks about them XD I watched one episode of Baccano, but while it looks so cool the large cast throws me back O_O

Yes it is! 8D Here in south-east asia anyways. People seem to call it the big 3, esp since its so successful with fans overseas. I didn't really say I dislike One Piece (I've tried the manga, and Usopp and Zoro will forever have a special place in my heart even if I didn't pass 5 vols lol I even have a figure of them next to my Yuna ._.;;). I just generally run from animes that goes over 100 chapters and 100 eps. :| I have a short attention span when it comes to the things I watch/read. I have tried all 3, and I liked them, but didn't have the energy to go on. *hit* Maybe one day... ._. The most likely of the 3 is Bleach. :|;;

I gave Denna Coil a pass because it doesn't seem like my cup of tea, but Mononoke though... I've been hearing weird, but good shit about it, and I'm curious. :|

As someone who is totally alienating her flist with her constant John Simm/Brit series crap, I know what you mean.

I just can't make myself bother with lots of stuff. Still, I need to catch up with things I really like but I've been neglecting. Lots of things. I need to catch up with anime, but it's hard with so many pending Brit series to watch, woe. Lately, I just go for what I feel is weird enough, or matches genres I enjoy a lot (slice-of-life, weird non-mainstream sci-fi, good comedy).

I wish I could get into TV that's cool right now :(

Recently I have such the short attention span because I start gazillion anime series, watch a bit of each, and then I forget I'm checking them out for days XDDDD Only the ones I mentioned above I liked enough to be up to date right now, and only half of them have a medium rate of popularity.

I wish I could get into TV that's cool right now :(
You know what's funny? I keep mentioning I like supernatural crap, and I could never get into Supernatural! (as in the TV show, yeah XD) I have no idea why I haven't grown out of Heroes, but I won't be bothering you with me following it ^^

I have the first season of Supernatural on DVD because my friend bought it for me (she is into the show) and I couldn't get into it either. It seemed like an X-Files ripoff just not nearly as good. But then I try not to get into American TV shows unless they are finished and still good because they always let me down in the end.

Funny you say that. The only reason I haven't watched any of XF is because I was late for the fandom and I already knew the series was going to suck afterwards. Which is just awful because I could've gotten into it, with the episodic horror thriller sci-fi with aliens thing, but I refuse Chris Carter to jade me like the rest of my generation (same with Whedon and Buffyverse). How frustrating.

In theory, Supernatural is something I should get into. But after three episodes I shrugged it off and forgot the time it was on TV. I didn't dislike it, but it didn't stand out either. In the end not even the pretty men could save it.

I've had a similar affect on me when it comes to reading novels. In the old days I'd read through any old book with an average plot, put it down and go 'meh' when I finished. After discovering the animanga fandom, however, I've become a lot more picky with what I read. Nowadays I give the book six chapters to impress me before I put it down - sometimes even less. In fact, the last book that I really got into was the first Twelve Kingdoms book, not because it was 'Japanese', but because it had realistic character development, an interesting plot and characters I could actually identify with and root for. As a veteren of the 'kid-ends-up-in-other-world-and-is-saviour-of-said-world' genre, it was hugely refreasing for me to read.

Being British, I suppose we do get great programs over here [Doctor Who, Life on Mars etc] but lately I've been sucked into Heroes along with the rest of the nation. Maybe it's because I'm not American? *shrugs* There's very little TV that I actually get into.

I'm more open to novels if they're literature classics or something in a series I enjoy or if I've liked the film version. At least I try to give them a chance unless it's just too annoying. Even if I don't like them, it's still culture (pop or real). But really, since my income is limited I give a good use of the public library card so it doesn't happen to me again *has bought books she regretted later* ~~And if it's something I can't find of the fantasy genre, I look for e-books... but I always buy them imported if I like them enough!~~

I really want to read the Twelve Kingdoms books ;_; It excites me since it's supposed to be better than the anime, and I thought the anime was amazing. (Same with Slayers, but it's another fantasy subgenre...)

I don't watch a lot of British TV, but ever since I watched Monty Python's works I'm digging the humour.

I had so much trouble finding that book! -_- It wasn't on Amazon and I've only seen it in two shops so far in the manga section (?) It's coming out in paperback soon, so maybe it'll be easier to find then.

It is a fantastically written book. Yours truly was terrified by page two with the freaky dream sequences! 0_0 I haven't seen the anime, so I can't tell you if its better or not, but it's pretty likely that it will be.

~~Is that Enki I see in that icon? ♥~~

I saw it on Amazon UK and Play.com two months ago, so I suppose it's more available now :O But perhaps it took it ages to be on stock over there.

The anime was different in that aspect, because they made up two classmates of Youko who were dragged with her, so the vision thing with the monkey-like blade was dilluted so a big part of chara development was through them (or more like the lack of them). That's what I've been told anyway.

~~Yup! That's how he looks like in the anime.~~

Picky is good. It means less money coming out of your pockets. ;P

Seriously, though, I get what you mean. I think I'm becoming picky too, particularly with TV - I watch really really few series by now. (On the other hand, I'm becoming more and more fond of "películas pochocleras". Hmmm.)

I've also noticed that fandom makes people feel pickier than we really are, because a lot of fans can't seem to tell the difference between quality and personal taste. For example, I wouldn't try to watch stuff like Naruto because I know it doesn't go with *my own tastes*, but that doesn't mean I think it's bad/overrated/too mainstream. I mean, I haven't watched it so what would I know? o.O But there are people out there who confuse "I don't like ____" with "I think ____ is bad quality and its fans are idiots". Oh well.

~~But I'm not buying most of them. I'm still spending too much on manga DX~~

I watch less series than when I was a teenager because I had no cable for years and I grew out of it. And mind you, Latin cable channels are just BETTER. Now I'm watching more TV again, but through Internet.

people out there who confuse "I don't like ____" with "I think ____ is bad quality and its fans are idiots"

I fucking hate that. I might think some series are overrated or mainstream, but that doesn't make them worse than stuff I'm into or that I'm superior to their fans. That's bullshit.

And the contrary. Just because I'm not reading/watching Code Geass or Death Note or Romeo x Juliet or Gurren-Lagann, or I don't play Square-Enix videogames or trendy RPGs, I'm not less cool by default.

Ooooh, shiny recs. (BTW, do you where you can download Princess Tutu? I pretty sure I'd love it but can't find it.) What are the other series about, if you don't mind telling me?

Well, I think most people grow picky with time. And I'm not talking about quality, but about personal tastes.
I've realized that I only follow Heroes and Cold Case (on TV) -well, and Peter Capussotto y sus videos-. I sometimes watch other police procedurals, but since I love classic detective fiction, too much forensics annoy me.
I don't watch your latest Shonen Jump behemoth for the simple reason I don't have that much patience anymore.
I have a very hmmmm... random taste, so I can't discover more trends than that.

Yo bajé Tutu de unos torrents hace meses. Hace tiempo los vi en youtube pero ya deben de haberlos borrado.

A ver, Lovely Complex trata de una chica muy alta que se enamora de un amigo que es muy bajo, y éste se la pasaba rechazándola porque le acompleja. Aunque creo que ése lo veías o te confundo con alguien más...?

Gintama es un shounen de la Jump. O más bien es un shounen que parodia otros shounen, por lo que es más comedia absurda que acción. Los personajes están todos de atar. En resumidas, samurais + aliens + romper la cuarta pared.

Denno Coil está situado en un futuro en que las redes y el software están integrados a la realidad y se pueden ver los programas (tanto normales, virus, antivirus, código hacker, bugs...) alrededor tuyo con anteojos especiales; los protagonistas son niños de sexto grado muy involucrados en esa movida. El arte se ve muy studio GHIBLI, y tiene tanto suspenso como cuteness.

Mononoke es terror episódico ambientado en Japón feudal y que se centra en criaturas malignas llamadas mononoke. El protagonista dice ser un vendedor ambulante de medicinas, pero en realidad se dedica a encontrarlos y exorcizarlos con una espada extraña. El truco es que para desenvainarla, necesita saber su forma, su verdad/razón de ser y su resentimiento antes. El arte es bastante peculiar y la serie en sí es muy creepy.

So... a buscar torrents se ha dicho.

Seps, yo la veía. Está a punto de terminar ya.

¿Es muy larga? Porque suena divertida, especialmente los aliens.

Hmmmm... suenan muy interesantes las tres. Ya te diré si me gustaron.

Gintama larga? LARGUÍSIMA. Los subs van atrasadísimos y están por los treinta y pico, y ya la cuenta será el doble de eso fácil. Tiene pinta de ser uno de esos shounen eternos, aunque lo bueno es que como no hay plot real no te pierdes de mucho excepto por personajes recurrentes o in-jokes.

Las otras dos, sin embargo, están bien de largo. Denno creo que es sólo una temporada, 26 episodios, y Mononoke van a ser sólo 11 (más otros tres de Ayakashi que ya salieron, porque es en realidad spin-off de otra serie).

De todos modos, las tres están en Crunchyroll subtituladas en inglés. Los episodios de Ayakashi no están ahí porque lo licenciaron, pero en Youtube están en español (si los quieres ver antes que Mononoke, son del 9 al 11).

Aish, qué lástima.

Merci bocu!

Yeah I can really follow this. I feel the same in many aspects. Gosh, I'm getting so picky! I'll start something, watch two episodes, and drop it completely. And it's not even like the shows are generally bad- they just don't blow me away and so I don't maintain the interest to keep up. A lot of them have pretty promising starts, but I'm able to drop them without a second though.

I need to watch Mononoke. It looks lovely.

Also, I find myself wanting to watch more tv shows. I feel like I've gypped myself out of some great stuff because I concentrated too much on just animanga. Woe.

Also, I find myself wanting to watch more tv shows. I feel like I've gypped myself out of some great stuff because I concentrated too much on just animanga. Woe.

See I feel the complete opposite here. I've been so let down by pretty much every single TV show I ever watched that I don't miss TV at all. With anime I am not always blown away and sometimes a show does end even disappointingly. But I would rather be disappointed in something that is 26/52 episodes than be disappointed in something that lasts for 7 or 8 seasons.

This is also why I am stopping watching super long anime series. Even if people say they are great. I will only start them if I know they have an end in sight.

Of course I do think I need to read more books, I've just been unlucky lately and I haven't found a book that really makes me want to keep reading.

Yeah but the truth is I never was a big tv watcher. Never, even when I was much younger. I watched some sitcoms and of course cartoons but never anything more than that. So... I haven't really been let down.

So while, due to seeing so much of it, I'm growing really weary of every cliche in anime to the point where I can only watch a select few titles (not that I don't love watching good anime because of course I do), I haven't been "jaded" to tv shows so I guess that's where I'm different. I'm well aware they often have the same cliches and the same crappy endings, but it's still new to me.

A lot of the tv shows I've been watching are shorter though. Heroes is the only live action multi-season I've been watching.

I also need to read more books. I feel like I've read fewer books since my reading time has been spent mostly on manga. Manga is love but I need to read more books. I used to read SO many.

I think I'm even pickier with TV shows than with anime. But yeah, I've felt that apathy toward series even if they start well or I know they'll get better.

I'm not sure I'd rec Mononoke so slightly because it's quite creepy and some arcs are just confusing or too ambiguous. But it's interesting to watch, and since it's short it won't get repetitive.

I think I'm probably equal pickiness with both, but the difference is that generally I at least try a lot of anime titles (one episode or a bit more even) whereas with TV if I'm not interested completely I usually don't even try it. I think this is because it is really a lot easier to follow an anime, as unless it's a longer series you know how big a commitment it's going to be from day one.

Oh well I'm not opposed to creepy and even more so I love Japanese myth. :)

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