Granted, I haven’t seen Bakemonogatari yet, so I can’t be sure if WAH is right in that some fans aren’t enjoying because they feel too split off from the show because of the cultural differences, or because there actually is something wrong with the show itself.

For the most part, I’d rather have animes I don’t quite get because I’m too american than show creators trying to pander to me when their show should be made for Japanese audiences first and foremost. It’s like when some of those JRPG creators started saying they wanted to make games that would appeal more to Western gamers. And I’m over here on the other side of the ocean banging my head against my desk going, “NO, NO, NO, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, NO.”

Then, how about doing *both*? I propose the invention of “Congratupalming”, the world’s greatest ironic gesture.

>> Can taste and culture truly be extracted from one another?

Yes. But I’m not telling. Trade secret.

——————

There’s one more thing I want to mention about the two shows mentioned by wah:

First, Koji Kumeta, author of Zetsubou Sensei, is an absurdist satirist. That means he makes satire, which makes fun of many aspects of japanese culture and life itself; however, the humour is vibrant and, frankly, hard to understand even for many japanese, thanks to its absurdist twist. His mind works different from normal people, which is one of the required elements of absurd works. He’s made it because he’s managed to combines both absurd and satire in a single body of work (Something that is really damn hard, let me assure you). The Anime is just an extension of that work, brought to new life by Shinbo X SHAFT.

And Bakemonogatari was made by NISIOISIN. Have you ever read NISIOISIN’s works? I have, what little has been translated into English. The guy’s writing style is brilliant, and in his original works (Works not derived from Death Note or xXxHolic), you can tell that he’s a very playful author too: He plays with events, with character names, with words, and even with preconceptions and stereotypes. Bakemonogatari is just a series of games, of words, of preconceptions, of stereotypes, and, of course, stories. Half of these games contain strong Japanese Pop culture elements, which would be hard to understand for the average foreign anime viewer. Unless you’ve had some relatively extensive experience with Japanese pop culture, and Japanese culture in general, I can see why this Anime would be hard. Oh, and there’s also the fact that it’s very “novelistic”, in the sense that it’s structured with a strong literary feeling. It’s easy to see it came from a novel.

All in all, these two works are hard to get, regardless of whether you’re Japanese or American. They’re complex creatures: One, in its juxtaposition of absurd and satire; the other, in its literary storytelling. If you don’t get it, that’s okay. Many people won’t get it. But those of us who do? We’ll be having a party over here. We’re not missing you.

But seriously, everything said here is pretty much on point. It’s no secret that what isn’t immediately understood will be arbitrarily criticized by most; that’s why most people are largely hostile to anime! Hell, to foreign film as well. What’s ironic about the situation you describe in this post is that most of the English-speaking ‘anibloggers’ who’s actions you deplore likely had to open their minds at some point to get into anime in the first place. Now they’re all part of the fandom, but they still don’t have the open-mindedness to try out new things (not to mention, the intellectual capacity to view things in a different cultural context). Unfortunately, these dolts are in the majority on the internet. But, eh. Over the past several months I too have come to terms with the utter stupidity rampant in the ‘aniblogosphere’. That’s why I don’t really read the stuff anymore!

<cheapshot> As for the angry Singaporean(s?)- I wouldn’t waste my time if I were you. The troll is just prickly over the whole WWII joke because it’s what he was taught to do. Seriously, I don’t see the merit in engaging in intelligent debate with a hypersensitive tool who’s government dispatches riot squads to action-figure protests. </cheapshot>

Good post, wah.

Move along.

Just a bunch of classless trolls flinging poop.