All images from this post were taken from this awesome contest.
Pokemon. Many of the current generation of anime fans started out by watching Pokemon. Well, not strictly true because at the time they didn’t even know Pokemon was anime. The term anime was an alien term that meant nothing. Oh sure they might have known that it was from Japan and that Japan had some crazy animation but the connection never quite formed. You loved Pokemon because of the joy of watching a kid battle his way through to victory, meeting many strange creatures and generally having a lot of fun. But eventually you were to move on.
Next came the Dragonball/Sailor Moon period. There was magic and violence and a deep plot and stuff, but mainly it was because it involved muscly dudes beating each other up/pretty girls doing magical stuff and beating up badguys. There was still a childish glee when watching these shows, even if by that time you were nearing your twenties. Most of all there were those shounen series. Naruto was phenomenal.
But as you moved on, you discovered there was a whole world of anime out there. No longer were you interested in Naruto. That was a childish anime that had way too many fillers. You had moved on to some more ‘adult’ anime that weren’t that nonsensical never-ending crap. Death Note, Full Metal Alchemist, Elfen Lied, Hellsing. Here was anime that were clearly adult and characters who actually died. This was a massive step up from what you had been watching thus far. Suddenly you started to feel rather silly for loving Naruto so much.
As you entered deeper into anime fandom, your elitist tendencies started to grow. No longer were you content with watching what was popular amongst those who barely knew anything about anime. You were watching the classics. Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell, Monster, you know the drill. These were fantastic anime, praised across the anime fandom by those who really knew what they were talking about, rather than those stupid fanboys who raved over Code Geass. You were a connoisseur…well, not quite yet.
Because now you’re looking for something deeper. It’s all about themes, hidden depths and imagery. This is the realm of Ergo Proxy, Serial Experiments Lain and Kaiba. This is animation pushed to its furthest levels. Something you can dissect and interpret and ponder. You have become the ultimate of elitists! Or so you think…
Some people’s fandoms die here. The search for such anime like these becomes a jarring experience. However there’s a land beyond that where you elitism changes. These anime that you once used to love for their deep meanings are no longer quite what you’re looking for. The storytelling becomes key to your enjoyment. The expert plotting and direction of anime such as Monster, Ghost in the Shell and Samurai Champloo start to become what you really search for in your anime.
Until, that is, you start to crave entertainment. The thrill and excitement that anime can offer. The joyous glee of watching the latest plot twist, keeping you on the enge of your seat. You start to be able to acknowledge flaws in the writing, while mainly searching for the ability to wow the viewer. You’ve seen so much by this stage that originality is no longer key, it’s the ability to rise above the others.
For pure entertainment though, there’s nothing quite like the inner child to bring that out. The more entrenched you become in your anime viewing habits, the more you enjoy the slow burning of a series that continues on forever. The consistent entertainment the likes of Bleach and One Piece are capable of producing is what you truly watch anime for. It’s why you started watching anime in the first place. As you search further and further into the sheer amount of anime out there, what you are really looking to find is that one title that epitomises anime. One boy, going on an adventure.
A true elitist loves Pokemon.
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20 Comments
In truth, I’m mostly interested in watching shows that amuse me. And Pokemon is good stuff. I use to faithfully follow the various Honen adventures over here, as it was actually good, with exciting battles, and decent characters. Then Diamond and Pearl came out, and the anime wasn’t so good…
Still picking up my copy of Soulsilver this weekend though.
And I see your realistic pokemon and offer you this http://wedinator.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/129091101251294961.jpg
Pokemon still captivates me.. Why today, I just bought a new Pokemon game~ :3
I remember waking up every Saturday morning to watch Pokeymanz…ahh, good times. Then the new dub came along…or was it internet?
Would I be considered even more of an elitist since I refer to everything with their Japanese names now? ^q^
(…I feel like my DS is useless without a Pokeymanz game. :I)
Moltres! Man, this brings back some fun memories. Might be a good chance to replay my Yellow version for the thousandth time. <3
memories of running home after school everyday to see the new pokemon/dragonball z episodes (sailormoon was on before school started in the morning)
YAY someday I will pick pokemon back up. I stopped watching after the first big batch.
Great post here (and awesome pictures). I don’t match it very well though because 1) I started with Sailor Moon years before I knew of Pokemon or anime, 2) after 12 years I’m still a hardcore Pokemon fan and play all the new games and watch the new episodes, and 3) there was never a time where I was into “light/kids” anime before “mature” anime. I’ve always been into all kinds simultaneously, i.e,. I still love Naruto, One Piece, and FMA as well as stuff like Wolf’s Rain, Cowboy Bebop, Miyazaki movies, Mushishi, and the massively popular ones like Lucky Star and Code Geass. Guess I’m not an elitist =P
Ahhh… Pokemon… I spend alot of time playing the actual game since it’s good and it’s very addicting (Just second to Audiosurf on the most addicting games) and yes, I’m planning to get the G/S remakes this weekend.
However, the Anime doesn’t cut it for me since it gotten so bland over the years and becoming redundant. However, Pokemon was one of those Animes that made me start getting hooked on Anime in the first place. :p
I definitely remember starting way back with Pokemon. Still, as you said, I really didn’t realize that it was anime and make any sort of connection back then. It took Toonami’s awesome block of Dragonball Z/Yu Yu Hakusho/G Gundam/Rurouni Kenshin to really drag me in. Those shows solidified my preferred type of shows too [High action, mecha, swordfights, people beating the crap outta each other]…I suppose that if I had gone and watched Sailor Moon, I might have ended up liking Shoujo/Romance series a bit more instead of wanting to tear apart 90% of the series I end up reading/watching. To this date, though, I still remember Pokemon and the series I watched on Toonami fondly despite watching so many series in the time afterwards. I also remember my elitist phase…ugh, not the best time for me to look back on, but I suppose I learned my lessons on how not to enjoy anime that way.
I’m still a huge sucker for the “one boy on an adventure” setup. Perhaps that’s the reason why I’m such a sucker for JRPGs too (especially the Tales series). No matter what I watch, it’s almost a given for me to make room for that kind of show no matter how crammed my schedule is. This season’s pick after Bleach went from good filler to horrible filler is Letter Bee, and I love it so much. <3
I’m picking up my copy of SoulSilver this weekend too…Now I have a reason to at least somewhat “watch” K-ON!! this Spring season. I mean, the only reason I made it past Azusa’s introduction and into the end of the first season was because I was filling up my Pokedex at the same time.
I also still keep up with the Pokemon movies — it’s always nice to see Ash and Pikachu take on whatever plot-relevant Pokemon there is without having to still keep up with the neverending anime series, which I gave up midway through Hoenn.
(Oh wow this comment is longer than I expected.)
I’m another one of those that ran into Sailor Moon before Pokemon, back when DiC first got the licensing to it. Then after several years came Pokemon, and from there I’ve been hooked ever since. Sure, the series is cliched and cheesy, but it’s fun and like you say sometimes that’s what you need. If you need a slightly more serious storyline, there’s always the manga version. Pokemon thoroughly pervades the anime community and with the Generation 5 announcement it’ll be here to stay for quite a while yet.
Ah, that was a really nice post. Well put together and well thought out.
(Though sadly I’m only in Pokemon for the games. Sooo much fun.)
Wonderful job!
That Blastoise is FUCKIN’ RAD.
I watch anime (and read books, watch movies and TV, etc.) for pretty much all the reasons you mentioned — I can dig a show if it goes for pure, unadulterated dramatic entertainment like Code Geass, or if it goes for something deeper like Monster, or if it’s just offering something silly like Minami-ke. I’m glad to be young enough to still watch certain series; I don’t know if I’d keep up with Hanamaru Kindergarten if I were in my 30s. :p
Side note: I kind of laughed when you mentioned Ergo Proxy. That seems like the kind of series you’d hate; I personally think it’s half good, and half masturbatory garbage.
Actually, I began with Yuu Yuu Hakushou, Rurouni Kenshin, and Dragon Ball Z. I only got into Pokemon because of the games. And seeing a Pokemon game still makes my head turn, and a childish grin flit across my face.
It was only a few years back that I picked anime up again, starting with Gundam SEED, and moving on to such favorites as Higurashi and CLANNAD (talk about contrast).
Nevertheless, I’ve grown much the same way you had. From entertainment to depth and story to entertainment with depth and story. :p
I can’t really agree with a lot of the shows you picked out, but that’s just my diff with mainstream taste issue. The progression you point out is definitely very accurate though, even for someone with completely different tastes in anime.
Code Geass isn’t crap if you look at it from a pure dramatic entertainment factor. Actually why are you even calling it crap with your blog name? xD
My anime history truly began with digimon though, it’s almost like we’re the poke-history folks’ arch-nemesis!
For me, being a elitist is not the end of being a fan or the end of being a kid. I think a true elitist knows exactly what to expect from each anime and is able the enjoy what ever the anime offers whether it’s a kiddy entertainment or deep complex ideas. So, yeah, I agree with you. A true elitist loves pokemon, bleach and one piece… or hate them but not because he/she looks down on them.
Lots of comments so this will mainly be a generic response
Ah yes, Heart Gold and Something Silver. I’ll pretend that this post was to celebrate their release and that this wasn’t a post dragged out from my drafts because Hetalia still hasn’t been subbed. I’ll be getting the game myself too. Well, my sister will get the game because she owns the DS and I’ll try play it when I head home again.
I watched Pokemon pretty faithfully up until the Orange Island episodes. Then just as they reached the 2nd generation I stopped watching it entirely. I think the TV times changed to when I was at school or something stupid like that. I’ve heard it lost its charm so I have no real interest in trying it again.
I still play each game when they come out. For the record, Drifloon is my new favourite Pokemon. That guy made me laugh because he made such a funny noise when he came out of the pokeball. Needless to say, I was devestated when he evolved.
This ‘growth of an elitist’ was not based off myself, rather a sort of generic anime fan. I realised there was a lack of moe stuff but I couldn’t really work them in. I guess when I think ‘generic anime fan’ I always make them relatively similar to myself. Where am I on this list at the moment? I’m probably on the secondary thriller stage, in between the pics of Moltres and Leafeon.
@Janette
I see your Pikachu and raise you this version
http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/pika-cosplay.jpg
@miken-chan
That’s quite a smart move. Maybe it some of these anime I’m picking back up start to suck majorly I’ll try bug my sister to let me have the DS in University…wait, that’s a bad idea because I’d never get any work done
@Shinmaru
I’ve never actually seen Ergo Proxy. The reviews have been mixed to say the least but I’m at least interested enough to give it a shot one day. Unfortunately I’ve passed that phase in my elitist life
@Aorii
Generic halfway elitists think Geass is overrated. I think it’s bloody amazing for a bizzilion different reasons.
These pics are way too good.
1998 was year zero for me, an ultimate gattai of the Toonami lineup and pokemon Red & Blue.
Stage 3 wasn’t “Death Note, Full Metal Alchemist, Elfen Lied, Hellsing” because they hadn’t been made yet, so it was Trigun, Outlaw Star, 8th MS Team, and CCS (wait…). Actually a conspicuous lack of Gundam in this hypothetical fan’s progression, but whatev’. Good stuff regardless.
@kadian1364
I would have preffered to not mention any anime to make it easier to put yourself in that position but the post ended up way too vague that way. So I just did the easy option of putting a youtube generation anime fan in
Heh, Drifloon’s my favorite of the new gen as well. Floooooooon.
This progression is more or less my journey as an anime fan exactly! I’ve definately come back to just looking for something to entertain me, and I’ve always been a bit fan of the shounen genre. The series I cherish most are those that give the most entertainment value.
I started off with Pokemon but gave it up when it hit Johto (all those new pokemon just killed the show for me, and it started being shown earlier so I wasnt home from school). Hit a natural progression onto Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing, DBZ, Tenchi Muyo and Escaflowne.…..bought some of these on dvd and rewatched them constantly.
Then hit the wilderness years when I was Uni and more concerned with drinking/clubbing only ocassionally digging out some Gundam Wing or DBZ episodes when I got a craving.
Graduation — discovery of the internet/YouTube. So many classic series in a short amount of time — Blitzed through Naruto & Bleach to catch up with broadcast, flew through Kenshin, InuYasha, Trigun, CCS etc.
Discovered fansubs and downloads — started getting interested in current seasons and watched insane amounts of current shows while working through Evangelion, Elfen Lied, Ghost in the Shell and a whole heap of movies.
Still keeping up with the current seasons, but getting much more selective/elitist — sought out more classic series and plunged into One Piece, discovered that all I really want is to have some fun.
At the moment I’m still keeping a nice balance of shows on the go — try to watch a few older shows along with a range of current shows that entertain me.