DonKangolJones on Unmasking the Three Faces of Char Aznable

Original Post: Char, I am Disappoint: Revelations of a 3rd Viewing of Char’s Counterattack

DonKangolJones

June 15, 2010 at 9:43 am

[…]I never really “drank the Kool-Aid” when it came to Char’s legacy. I can break down Char three ways. In the One Year War, he was dark and brilliant and driven by an almost singular purpose. In the Gryps conflict he was unsure, humble and full of untapped promise. And finally in Char’s Counterattack he was very much just as you say.

The fact that the Char in Zeta Gundam is my favorite version of him is just another one of my many unpopular choices. I saw the good and the hope in Char in that series. He came across as more human in that series than in the others.

For me, seeing Char as he was in CCA was an intensely sad thing. Anyone who saw the events of Gryps or even some of the atrocities of ZZ Gundam should be able to see how badly and directly it tainted his character. Before there was anger, in CCA it was pure hate and contempt. Maybe that’s why I sympathized with him. In a way, I believed he was right. Look at the later UC series and you see the same horrors repeat. Bright and Amuro didn’t solve anything, they just delayed the events. Char can’t be called a hero for attempting to slaughter so many innocents, but the maintenance of the status quo only led to the eventual rise of more conflict. The Federation is one of the worst fictional governments I have ever seen. Part of me wonders how Amuro could live with that.

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DonKangolJones on Guilty Pleasures

Original Post: Anime is Serious Business Because Guilt is Serious Business

DonKangolJones

Submitted on 2009/10/30 at 9:50pm

[…]

But you know I swoop to material that I can directly relate to. As far as I’m concerned feeling guilty doesn’t apply (at least for me) to most media. Unless I’ve wronged anothe human being in some way playing a video game or watching something on TV I can’t really see the point in guilt.

Taste in anime boils should equate pretty well to taste in music or other mediums. Just because someone likes country music, death metal or german folk songs & I don’t find it desirable doesn’t mean they should feel awkward about it. Same with the whole argument about “pop” songs being crap & lesser known, more underground material being more quality. The initial reaction may be to feel some awkwardness and guilt because a group you associate with doesn’t enjoy it. And that’s natural, but so was the enjoyment you had when you listened to that song without anyone to tell you about it.

When I use anime in my examples some shows IMMEDIATELY come to mind. Most any long time anime fan can think of the contraversial & contentious choices. Naruto, Bleach, Code Geass R2, Evangelion, even Death Note & Lucky Star have been big fat targets. I keep asking myself, “if these people hate the series so much, why have they stuck around for 20 episodes/300 chapters?” I honestly think it’s to cement the fact that they have BETTER taste than those who say they enjoyed or even LOVED the popular material. I don’t care for that. The contentious comments don’t do much to further community or helpful dialogue. Nor does a person’s guilt about such a simple thing. Leave guilt to the matters of real live people.

The only times I can really remember feeling guilt (it was more like embarrassment) was when I had been clinging to a positive opinion of Maria+Holic. I saw something I thought was superior, the first season of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. I felt a little silly for considering that show to be of good quality after I saw something that clearly gave me a better idea of what a good dark comedy should be. I got over the guilt and moved on to other anime related matters.

P.S. And no one’s EVER going to make me feel guilty for enjoying R2

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DonKangolJones on how getting one’s way wouldn’t be as fun

DonKangoJones comments on Powerful Dialogue Sells the Show: Bakemonogatari 03 (Mayoi Snail 1) and Macross Frontier 03 (On Your Marks)

DonKangolJones

August 14, 2009 at 6:24 am

I had a funny feeling while watching Bakemonogatari 03. Either this is where I get off, or I’m watching something brilliant that I don’t think I’m prepared for. The first thing that struck me (maybe I should say distracted)was the imagery. The colors and art were just beautiful. But something kept snapping me out of it. The dialogue. The somewhat insane dialogue. It seemed melancholy & introspective. It was almost like you were staring at a piece of art and there was someone have a deep, interesting conversation right in front of it.

Senjougahara clearing dominates the conversation. And in a way it felt like she was dominating the viewer. Or at least me because I apparently think like Araragi. And while it was fun to listen to and nice to think about, I really did want to stop her, look her in the eye , and ask her some straight questions and get straight answers. But I guess it wouldn’t be as fun that way, nor would she be as mysterious and sexy.

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