Anime is like anything else: 90% garbage, 9% decent, 1% brilliant. But modern western entertainment succeeds at about half those rates, so anime is probably about twice as good.
I wouldn't say garbage, just niche. It used to be the same in the West with how daytime dramas were designed for housewives, afternoon family, late night adults.
The problem was the West went with 'inclusivity' and ended up making products for some made up general audience so became bland mush usually filled with ideology.
Asia still has the niche audiences it appeals to and can turn a slight livable wage on since you can get dedicated audience of weebs that want to read about the vampire loli with a edgy hero.
20 years ago it would have been considered garbage. Generic Identical Isekai Number 6524304072 isn't worth watching no matter who you are. But the sad reality is, "not worth watching" is actually no longer even close to the bottom of the barrel. Now if a show doesn't try to groom children or incite race riots it's halfway decent. Just being bland and forgettable is considered a positive, because at least it's not actively harmful.
You do have a point with some things as I have dropped shows in the past that were just so mind numbingly boring, but they've never directly insulted me as a viewer unlike a lot of Western franchises.
Honestly looking at the 90s, I can't believe people were so spoiled. Icons like Sailor Moon holding up the mainstream and masterpieces like the Samurai X OVA at the high end.
High craftsmanship anime seems like it's making a comeback with MAPPA and Makoto Shinkai, but it's still not at the same heights.
Evangelion is kinda trash tho. It's literally Ano venting about his personal issues, the symbolism goes nowhere and the freudian psychoanalysis themes didn't age the best, if it wasn't for the incidental bait and switch it made, it wouldn't have been as popular. Also, Ideon existed before.
Its biggest mistake was spawining a bunch of pseudo-intellectual redditors who think they are better than the rest of anime watchers because muh media literacy™
The rebuilds are the best example, they exist in a quantum state of being trash Ano made to own the coomers by selling more merch yet again and achkyually being 2deep4u masterpieces because Shinji finally touched grass and got himself a gf
Don't confuse the annoying part of the fanbase with the product. Evangelion is a masterpiece. The "deconstruction" is meta commentary that really is beside the point of the work itself.
EoE is an achievement of excess and the rebuilds are pointless failures.
Eva is the anime everyone thought was deep and meaningful because they watched it when they were a stupid teenager. People hyped it up to me for years and when I finally got around to watching it I was thoroughly underwhelmed. It was just a bad, unlikeable show with no redeeming qualities other than the penguin.
Sadly, even the 90%garbage now is even better than what western series have become. I can find enjoyment in random isekai number 47373 as opposed to a show which is a continuiation from an old classic that tries to shit on the old fans and dress down fan favorite characters. Even the non existent my little sister thing could be enjoyable over what they have done in recent years with TV series (need I remind people about how they cucked he man for example?).
I am just so fed up with these tourists, you hated my hobby when I was a kid, now you claim to know more than me and call it "problematic".
Anime is like anything else: 90% garbage, 9% decent, 1% brilliant. But modern western entertainment succeeds at about half those rates, so anime is probably about twice as good.
I wouldn't say garbage, just niche. It used to be the same in the West with how daytime dramas were designed for housewives, afternoon family, late night adults.
The problem was the West went with 'inclusivity' and ended up making products for some made up general audience so became bland mush usually filled with ideology.
Asia still has the niche audiences it appeals to and can turn a slight livable wage on since you can get dedicated audience of weebs that want to read about the vampire loli with a edgy hero.
20 years ago it would have been considered garbage. Generic Identical Isekai Number 6524304072 isn't worth watching no matter who you are. But the sad reality is, "not worth watching" is actually no longer even close to the bottom of the barrel. Now if a show doesn't try to groom children or incite race riots it's halfway decent. Just being bland and forgettable is considered a positive, because at least it's not actively harmful.
You do have a point with some things as I have dropped shows in the past that were just so mind numbingly boring, but they've never directly insulted me as a viewer unlike a lot of Western franchises.
I'll take bad over insulting. I'd rather watch a bad show that's kina boring than one that lectures me on how terrible I am.
Not really, you missed the decades when every show tried to be Gundam, so you had generic identical space mecha number 3638579, instead
Sure, but we knew they sucked back then. Nowadays they'd be considered bland but watchable.
Honestly looking at the 90s, I can't believe people were so spoiled. Icons like Sailor Moon holding up the mainstream and masterpieces like the Samurai X OVA at the high end.
High craftsmanship anime seems like it's making a comeback with MAPPA and Makoto Shinkai, but it's still not at the same heights.
The same year that gave us Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-96 TV season) produced countless trash.
So you're right.
Evangelion is kinda trash tho. It's literally Ano venting about his personal issues, the symbolism goes nowhere and the freudian psychoanalysis themes didn't age the best, if it wasn't for the incidental bait and switch it made, it wouldn't have been as popular. Also, Ideon existed before.
Its biggest mistake was spawining a bunch of pseudo-intellectual redditors who think they are better than the rest of anime watchers because muh media literacy™
The rebuilds are the best example, they exist in a quantum state of being trash Ano made to own the coomers by selling more merch yet again and achkyually being 2deep4u masterpieces because Shinji finally touched grass and got himself a gf
Eva made me realize I needed to get my life straightened out.
So I'll always love it.
Good for you, I'm more of a Gurren Lagann guy, Eva got me into psychology at least, so that's fun.
I just wish it didn't spawn a wave of pseudo-intellectual anitubers who think all anime is secretly satire
Don't confuse the annoying part of the fanbase with the product. Evangelion is a masterpiece. The "deconstruction" is meta commentary that really is beside the point of the work itself.
EoE is an achievement of excess and the rebuilds are pointless failures.
Eva is the anime everyone thought was deep and meaningful because they watched it when they were a stupid teenager. People hyped it up to me for years and when I finally got around to watching it I was thoroughly underwhelmed. It was just a bad, unlikeable show with no redeeming qualities other than the penguin.
Eva is more obfuscated than than deep. It's surprising the amount of people who don't know what Eva is really about
>Fall 1995
Eva and... Ghost in the Shell, Golden Boy, Gunsmith Cats, and El-Hazard.
You've got a good point, but that's a rough season to use as an example.
Then again, Winter 1996 gave us MD Geist 2: Death Force, so maybe it's not the worst example after all.
Wasn't 1995 also the year FOX ran Escaflowne?
Apparently not until 2000. English VHS in 1998. Original JP run Spring 1996.
Sadly, even the 90%garbage now is even better than what western series have become. I can find enjoyment in random isekai number 47373 as opposed to a show which is a continuiation from an old classic that tries to shit on the old fans and dress down fan favorite characters. Even the non existent my little sister thing could be enjoyable over what they have done in recent years with TV series (need I remind people about how they cucked he man for example?).
I am just so fed up with these tourists, you hated my hobby when I was a kid, now you claim to know more than me and call it "problematic".