Hey, Answerman!

You, The Viewer

Hey there, gang! Welcome once again to the recondite repository known as Hey, Answerman!

I really like this week's questions, so I won't waste any more precious space and brain matter on this little intro here. Consider this a lithe intro. To the questions!

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Dear Answerman,

Where do you think the line should be drawn between a failing of a show and a failing of a viewer? Is it a show's fault for being vague and confusing, or is it the viewer's fault for not being able to figure it out? Is it the show's fault for having too many characters, or is it the viewer's fault for not being able to keep track of them? I often see people criticize a show for not making sense and I wonder if maybe it's their fault for being unable to make sense of it. Should then all animes be dumbed down so that everyone can understand them, or should viewers be told to study more?

Hey, guys! Are you all ready for a PRETENTIOUS DISCUSSION ON THE NATURE OF ART?!? BECAUSE HERE IT COMES!!!

So, taking it for granted that I'm going to issue every single anime out there under the big hoary blanket statement that all of it is "art" - because it's not - but let's all just assume, for the sake of argument. The purpose of art, as it were, is to provoke a response from its audience. It can be something sly and sarcastic, like Andy Warhol's soup can. Or it can provoke a sense of pure aesthetic beauty, like a Cezanne painting. Or maybe it provokes anger and disgust, like Bunuel's "Un Chien Andalou" did in the late 20's. Or maybe it provokes a sense of "Rocking the F*** Out" like "Tom Sawyer" by Rush. Whatever. Sometimes, though, that desired provocation of feeling or emotion is lost on the viewer. Whose fault is that? Is it the artist, for failing to make a connection with EVERYONE who comes into with their work? Or the viewer, who maybe just isn't seeing what everyone else is seeing?

The answer! It's all subjective and pointless.

An artist's work succeeds or fails on its own merits, and the people who look at it either like it or they don't for any number of completely arbitrary reasons.

Tying this back to anime and stuff, I'd just simply say it cuts both ways. I couldn't exactly fault someone if they felt like, for example, the beginning of Fate/Zero does the same thing. BUT - all of those shows have something that hooks you, despite all the frustrating non-traditional storytelling involved. There's characters that seem interesting, a setting that's dynamic and unique, or visual flair and style that's simply interesting to look at. And that's the key - you can confuse people all day and night with your plot, as long as you give the audience SOMETHING that tells them early on that it'll all make sense, without being overt about it.

Simply, it's important to note that nobody's perfect - any story in anything ever could probably be told a little bit better somehow, and all of us as viewers could probably pay a bit more attention to what we're watching or reading before running off towards the internet to give our opinion on it. Either way though, what you CANNOT argue are people's gut reactions to things. They are immune to all logic and criticism, and unfortunately they make up the majority of the opinions on the people, places, and things we come into with on a daily basis.

For example: right now, my gut reaction is telling me that I'm done with this question and further clarification would be belaboring the point into obsolescence. Moving on!

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Dear Brian,

I know you get a lot of questions about making anime and stuff but I have these questions (trust me, read on, I think you'll find them interesting, I promise!):

1.) Why is there such a big push, at least on the part of your readers, to be making anime/manga? What's wrong with good old fashioned American books and comics?

2.) Wouldn't it make more sense for these people to try something more American anyway? Wouldn't they be able to find more success in a market they'd be more familiar with, having grown up in it, and having better access to it? What kind of advice would you give these people if you wanted to sway them towards that direction?

3.) And I guess any other thoughts you have about actually writing something for the American market, non-anime.

Number One: I think that reason has a lot to do with the fact that this column appears on a website called "Anime News Network," where there exists a cornucopia of news, reviews, and opinions on anime and manga. Call it a hunch.

Number Two: Well, yeah, of course. There's a bunch of comic publishers out here who openly take submissions and they will publish your superhero comic about vampires or whatever. On the other hand there's only a small handful of manga publishers left here in the West, and the only one that ever really attempted to foster original Western content basically went belly-up. My advice to these people would be - well, honestly, it'd be pretty basic advice that anyone gives to anyone else who is attempting something creative, and that would be to create a great story with your own unique voice that feels honest and uncompromised, as opposed to everything else in the mainstream market which is homogenized and sterile. As for specifics, there's no shortage of people and books out there who can give much better advice on the subject than I ever could. Like Wolverine comic and watch Star Trek and then read a Raymond Chandler book than anything else. Since you're starting out and most people won't really give you the time of day anyway, why not just, I dunno, take a chance on something unique that only you could've written? I dunno.

And now, back to my sad life where I write and perform plays that are only mildly less popular than food poisoning. Moving on!

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Why hasn't On-Demand DVD/BD sales caught on with the Anime companies in the USA (and possibly abroad)? I see Warner Brothers and fansub off the internet. Come on Anime companies, SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!

Certainly not a bad idea, I'll it. Here's the thing, though: Both Dragon Ball, though? Sure.

If anything, the "Print on Demand" model would probably work great in Japan, where obviously the publishers own their own content and have a much, much larger pool of titles to draw from. Except that, as we all know, the home video market in Japan is a little... broken, let's say, and I can't imagine that they'd be too keen in any way to offer their back an inexpensive fashion. Because I mean, why make a couple of bucks off of something you own when you can attempt to literally price-gouge your most loyal fans?

I mean, the Print-On-Demand model works great for MGM and Warner Bros., because they literally have more movies and TV shows in their dusty vaults than they could ever know what to do with. Anime companies, especially those here in the West, are more comfortable having a smaller amount of content that they know exactly what to do with them. Which is to stream them and then release them on DVD, as our little world of Anime fans in this neck of the woods only seems to care about the latest and (arguably) greatest.

Oh, and did I also mention that old stuff doesn't sell? I know I say that practically every week, but I'll say it once more just to make sure: old stuff doesn't sell.

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All hail the triumphant return-to-form for Hey, Answerfans! Last week, considering it was the beginning of the last month of the year and all, I thought I'd invite you guys to our FAVORITE part of the Holiday season; picking the things we liked the most in 2011!

Starting us out, Kenzi might cause an uproar for his Sailor Moon snub:

I haven't read many new releases, but it's a tie between Sailor Moon and Blue Exorcist for me, but I'll say Blue Exorcist because it's the newest (in of creation). I watched the anime before I grabbed the manga, but boy did Blue Exorcist draw me in! All the characters are likable to me (well, all, but one). I actually even found myself liking a pairing right off the bat which isn't what normally happens. Though I don't want to keep Sailor Moon completely in the back because this manga release wins with nostalgia this year. Sailor Moon was the one I looked forward to the most this year. So Blue Exorcist wins best new, NEW release while Sailor Moon wins best nostalgic release.

Speaking of snubs, Ellie will RUE THE DAY, I SAY that she runner-up'd Wandering Son:

The best Western manga release of 2011 is definitely Yen Press had picked this up, I was delighted. I love that they went to so much effort with the hardcover and nice paper, as it makes it seem far more special than most releases, and this is a title that's definitely worth special treatment. In some ways, it's amazing that a series like this was even licensed at all, and it's heartwarming to see that some publishers haven't given up on niche titles just yet. Runner up: Wandering Son, for similar reasons.

Jon, I think, speaks for a variety of us Oh! great fans out there:

We've had some amazing manga released, or continuing, this year but for me this is a very simple question. I would list the re-release of Viz for that. I never liked ing this series, but it was definitely the lesser of two evils. Now I can enjoy one of my favourite manga series with a clear conscience.

Our grand denoument comes from B.J., who so eloquently waxes rhapsodic for his favorite 2011 titles:

It took me a bit to go back and look over the year and we had some pretty interesting releases. However, if forced to pick a number one, I have to go with A Bride's Story by Silver Spoon, but that hasn't come to America yet. YET! HINT, HINT!!). I first picking up A Bride's Story from my library under-estimating how good it was going to be, but then I did that with Emma, too. You think I'd learn.

I have two honorable mentions, first of which is Shonen Jump (RIP) and I was worried there for a while when it was just four series plugging away. Then they pull out Psyren and give that to us, giving me (vain) hope for the magazine. For a stereotypical shonen manga, this one has me by the seat of my pants. While not being able to get it through SJ anymore does make me sad, I think I can coerce my library to pick it up!

My second honorable mention technically started in 2010, but I shunned it when people were praising it left and right. However, this past summer, I broke down and checked out from my library (my library's awesome!) and now I'm a faithful convert to Cross Game. In today's manga market, it's wonderful to see a series who understands that pacing is just as much of a craft as the artwork and I can hardly wait for the next volume. Amazing work.

I also think it's worth looking at the series that ended this year, first of which is, of course, scanlation. Thankfully, Yen Press came to the rescue and has given us the whole series with all of its twists, turns, and philosophical leaps. From this, I learned that Shirodaira can certainly tell a yarn, even if the threads get tangled and frazzled by the end.

I think that's a pretty good summary of the year. Pretty impressive, now that I look back on it. The only way for 2012 to top it is for someone to give us Silver Spoon and Stars to put on our shelves.

So, that wraps up our little manga retrospective - next week, we begin Part 2 of our 2011 Answerfans Retrospectus, where I ask you to look back upon the myriad localized DVDs!

Now you've got this week's question, and it's time to get answerin'.

For those of you new to Hey, Answerfans!, I'll explain the concept.

Believe it or not, I'm genuinely curious what you think.

That's right; as much as I love the sound of my own voice, I do love to listen to what other people have to say on a subject. I'm finding that over the last few years, the attitudes, reasoning and logic that today's anime fans use eludes, confuses or astounds me; I have so many questions for you, and I'm dying to hear what you have to say in response.

Welcome to Hey, Answerfans!

Basically, we're turning the tables. Each week I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to email me your answer. Be as honest as you can. I'm looking for good answers; not answers I agree with or approve of, but good, thoughtful answers. People feel ionately about these subjects and I'd like to see that in the responses I get. I'll post the best answers I get, and maybe some of the crappy ones. Sometimes there may only be one or two good ones; sometimes five or more. It all depends on what I get in my inbox! Got it? Pretty simple, right? Start writing those answers and email them to answerman [at] animenewsnetwork dot com.

We do have a few simple ground rules to start with.

Things To Do:

* Be coherent.
* Be thoughtful.
* Be ionate.
* Write as much or as little as you feel you need to to get your point across in the best possible way.

Things Not To Do:

* Respond when the question doesn't apply to you. For instance, if your email response starts with "Well, I don't do whatever you're asking about in the question... " then I'm going to stop reading right there and hit delete.

* Be unnecessarily rude or use a lot of foul language.
* Go off-topic.

Thanks again everyone for the solid questions and answers this week! And of course I will be back next week for more of this rigmarole, so don't forget to send a question or answer or both, even, to my little slice of email heaven at answerman(at)animenewsnetwork.filmscomplets.org! So long and farewell, people!