K-ON! “Empty Fetishism – Is Reality That Bad?”
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: Oct 18, 2009 18:28 JST
- Tags: Hideo Azuma, K-ON!, Kyoto Animation, Lolicon, Mangaka, Marketing, Moe, Otaku
Hideo Azuma, a highly prolific mangaka who has been called “the father of lolicon,” has attracted a great deal of interest and no small amount of support with his scathing criticism of moeblob anime K-ON!
He writes on his site:
I’m watching K-ON! It’s empty.
It has no gags, no nonsense, no humour, no ero, no guro and no story, nothing. It’s nothing but petty fetishism.
Is reality so unpleasant for the people making and watching this show?
It’s the same sort of grotesqueness you see at a maid café.
I read the original manga by Kakifly, it wasn’t a bad little 4 panel manga, pleasant and heartwarming. Capitalise on the original!
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wonder what triggered that rant i recall that show having the same amount gags and nonsense as most anime of it genre.
perhaps he was jealous of it.
u got that right
I finished watching it just yesterday, and while it's quite typical for the genre, I actually found it to have an unexpected amount of freshness. All in all, there's nothing I could accuse this anime of... Well maybe except the fact that Mio was made as an uber "mai waifu <3"accumulating probably all possible moe traits making her feel way too unreal.
I liked K-On! It's relaxing and passes the time.
I liked Mio and Azu-nyan and Yui and... *fap fap fap*... wait, what ?
Whatever depth the show needed was completely made up by KyoAni... the manga has even less drama.
A very educated argument. Of course every criticism is about jealousy.
QFT
and you missed another thing. Maintaining that "attention whore" status for such people like this.
not every, dude.
but perhaps this one is.
"how could this kind of thing win people's heart just by offering such simple contents?"
or something like that.
Notice that he criticizes the anime but spoke about how the 4koma is better. He just doesn't like the anime and is asking us to go buy the manga!
Buy manga! Can you spect something else coming from a mangaka?
this is his weakest argument, coz the contents are pretty much the same.
K-ON! actually is nothing but empty moe moe fetishism.
I agreed some f, the manga is better. The anime is just a well animated big and shinning eyes characters series. Almost lke all of KyoAni...
It wasn't so bad to calified it as empty but the Manga is more funny!
combo breaker: i like pie!!!!!
Eh. His argument makes sense as it really is an anime about nothing. But as time has told, things about nothing are often better than things about something: E.G. Seinfeld in the 90s.
Or how about Azumanga Daioh? It was as much about nothing as K-ON is about nothing, and it's REEEEEEAAAALLY popular.
Totally Jealous! I love K-On! because of it's 'simplicity'- the viewer can interject whatever 'subtext' they want. If they're is no story or substance than how is it all the major fans can describe the differences in characters even down to hobbies, hopes, dreams, strengths, weaknesses, and type of sex they'd probably like.
It's Character Driven!! They are the plot! You watch to see 'Them' interact and it's heart warming to see something 'sweet', innocent, and ripe for fantasy & fetishism without getting itself 'dirty'.
The music is great, the characters solid, and look is pleasing...EVERY MOE anime should be this 'smooth' and tasty.
well said!
Yeah, K-ON! is extremely interesting and plot-driven, just like Lucky Star! ZOMG, I love them both! I love watching things that have so little subtext the viewer is forced to inject their own! That's what it means to be a good storyteller, after all.
*Collapses under weight of heavy sarcasm*
X_X
true..
reality IS that horrible
i rather enjoyed K-ON! the way the anime went...
wow.father of lolicon xD
he didnt like it coz there wasnt enough lolicon n lolis to his liking
The father of lolicon is Schrobby.
Father of lolicon.
Meaning he was the father of the lolita complex, kinda being the one that make lolitas popular.
Father - loli
A loli would be someone's daughter.
Father - Daughter
Incest?
WINCEST :D
The only incenst that's wincest is twincest!
I respect his opinion. The harsh reality.
The story is pure moe, indeed nothing has value.
I'm not a fan of K-ON! though, didn't like it that much.
but I am interested in Mio =P
I tried watching K-ON but stopped half way into the first episode, no story, no dialogue, no characters no nothing. Watching it is like staring into a well.
Contrast to Bakemonogatari. Interesting story, razor sharp dialogue, great characters.
no story - u got that damn right
no dialogue - this kind of show emphasizes on dialogues to create the situational random jokes, so i have to highly disagree on this. if a dialogue must be "razor sharp" as u said, then bakemonogatari is one of very very few animes with a dialogue.
no characters - i can see the characteristics of each chara very clearly after the very first episode. well, maybe not so much if i stopped in the middle. no cool and mind blowing character such as hitagi here, but i think it got a perfect selection of characters for a random gag 4koma adaptation.
yeah but that's the problem there are so many clichees it hurts the eyes...
understandable. that's just what this genre gives you, cant expect more. a certain characters, in certain situations, creating certain kind of dialogues.
i can enjoy this kind of things as long as i havent seen the jokes themselves anywhere else.
maybe this genre is just "not your thing"... perhaps...
remember the source material as well. 4komas by the very nature of their brevity require that they cut out all exposition and rely on readily identifiable traits (i.e. what people often automatically toss into the "cliche" category).
interesting story relative to Bakemonogatari = not really possible, only have 4 frames of content. but a story about random singular events is doable.
razor-sharp dialogue = K-on was pretty sharp...for the amount it had. but once again, if you were expecting Bakamonogatari where they can span a 5-6 minute period purely of face close-ups and dialogue between Hitagi and Araragi, the length of 4komas made that length of dialogue and that range of topic switching impossible.
great characters = once again, k-on had great characters for the amount of depth it was going to achieve in the source material. 4komas aren't going to have great soul searching journeys full of character exposition. they're going to have small easily identified puzzle piece bites of characterization that you have to fit together over time. you'll never get a full image of a character watching half an episode. you need to watch the breadth of the character's "life" from event to event.
contrast that to bakemonogatari, which was a series of novels, with the time and length to to talk and talk until you get every detail you could possibly want in a single sitting.
does that make 4komas a weak medium? no, i think that would be a pretty shallow thought. its no weaker than short stories are to novels. i've read 30-50 page short stories that had more soul to them than 500 page novels full of page-filling fluff.
its a different medium. with a different nature to what it can accomplish. that doesn't mean to have to like 4komas mind you. but it does mean comparing novels to 4komas, using the unique values of novels as your definition of all that is good, is a flawed analysis.
ah, that was supposed to be a reply to the anon that said k-on was crap versus bakemonogatari. clearly i don't know how to operate a forum.
no story?
Heres the story, its about a group of 4 high school girls (well the other 1 joins in later) who form a band and follow so called everyday life in this band. Weak as it maybe, but its still a story.
Well it is adapted from a 4koma, so wot u expect. Most 4koma dont have story.
Using 4koma as an excuse doesn't change the fact that it sucks and doesn't have a story .
People complain about no story because K-on can't offer anything else to cover up this flaw. With the lack of story and everything else except from moe girls , it is just one big empty fetishism like what the title said .
@anon 06:27:
omg sir... please... stop complaining about lacking something that isnt supposed to be there. if u want a story, u are free to choose any other anime out there. this 4koma genre SHOULD NOT have such story u are talking about.
4koma contains pieces of moment, of course not a solid storyline. it is the way it should be. so, if this thing is what u define as "sucks", then yeah okay, i love this sucky thing...
so 12 minutes of a 6 hour series and your ready to critique. lol really?
oh, how i am not new to this thing.
just FYI, almost all people who criticize k-on were doing the same exact thing.
I have to congratulate Anon 18:51, I didn't bother starting to watch it, I just say it's not my genre and nod with my head while reading criticism I already knew about before watching anything. It's a shice of life anime, they are supposed to be empty and boring. For people with lives far worse than that. For people who can enjoy idealized daily live or are just sick of seeing how stupid guys save the day or stuff.
I go rather for interesting anime like bokurano or noein.
YOUR BORING!
Azuma is absolutely dead on.
No story, eh?
Isn't that the closest thing to reality? I mean, nobody lives a total drama... and K-On! is exactly that; the ordinary life... the closest thing to reality.
Jelaousy is bitch
i agree with him, i never understood why K-ON was so popular and sucessful...
The animation is amazingly detailed and shiny. The girls are cute, and the storyboarding is top notch.
It's a shame there's not much of a show beneath all that.
>the storyboarding is top notch.
Well that's a new one.
>The girls are cute,
Well, that depends on the viewer *urgh*
I found the art to be lacking, it had uniqueness. But it wasn't what I would call well-drawn or detailed. I think most of the K-On fan art looks a-lot better than what the show gave - and when that happens is a real disappointment.
Me too... I tried watching it, but I couldn't.
I used to be so into fanservice heavy fluff shows... even things like Mahoraba, or Tsuyokiss that are pretty much about looking at cute girls. I watched some K-on, and it was like... entirely filler. There was nothing but moe pandering. I can't watch it - my brain rebels and tries to escape.
If he is the father of Lolicons then he has done a Hell of a job impregnating women over the last couple of decades...what is he the "brood mother"? ^^
Talk about japanese Mangaka not finding any women :)
Thank God. The way everyone was singing its praises, I thought I was just missing something.
Don't get me wrong, I love cute girls. However, without any solid context, I might as well have been watching a bunch of kittens frolic.
Same, watched the first two episodes, didn't like it, tried watching again after a couple months, still didn't like it.
While schoolgirls with their bags between their legs might not be 'moe', they certainly do make a nice sight. ^_^
What's wrong with watching a bunch of kittens frolic?
Isn't that why it's good? Might I remind you entertainment in general is a means of escapism and real life Japan in general is stressful and something one wants to escape from...
Put them together and what do you get?
Shit, like K-On
Bingo. Law of cause and effect at work here.
They made what the majority of their mainstream target audience wanted so it was popular and sold.
What use is there criticising something for what it wasn't in the first place. If you want change you have to produce a larger group of people in Japan that want non-moe-blobbery.
Though, I suspect this will not likely take effect for another generation or two without catalysts such as civil/world war, constitutional/ideological changes, downright socio-economic collapse etc.
ыыыыыыыыыы
K-On! a moeblob anime?
Did anyone expect anything more from it?
Im with the guy above me,
its all moe, story line? gags? ero? screw them
the character Mio is enough to solo stomp on everything
WTB more Mio
(come on, as if the moe moe kyun mio was godly..)
"no guro"
"nothing but petty fetishism"
lolwut?
lol, my first thoughts exactly. Guro? Come on.
"I’m watching K-ON! It’s empty.
It has no gags, no nonsense, no humour, no ero, no guro and no story, nothing. It’s nothing but petty fetishism."
That's exactly what I think about K-On. It still amazes me how many people like this shit.
It sure sucks not being part of the "in-crowd" doesn't it?
Too much 'slice of life' for him? It's a show about a high school music club. That is basically it's point: to be a show about a music club and what they do each day. "Real life" is full of vapid inanities and banal experiences.
K!On's seiyuus are all coming to SG to hold a "live" demo of dubbing an episode. WOOT! Definitely going to see them. Hope there's some screaming at the demo which I can record. :D
i can understand this guy, though... a bit.
no ero - rite!
no gure - of course!
no story - yes, it is a slice of life random joke 4koma adaptation. a real storyline doesnt fit this genre. simple chops of daily moments will do.
no gags, humour, and nonsense - seriously??? i cant imagine a highly profilic mangaka saying this thing. i mean, they are obviously there, and sooo clear. whats weird is he commented the opposite about the manga while the content is pretty much the same.
i think he just got a problem of this anime being highly moe-fied (he didnt say "no moe" up there XD).
great fetishism of moe here, true that. but is this really the first time for him to see this kind of anime?
I think the key thing here is everyone has his/her own idea of humor.
I watched all of "Kei-On!", once. There were funny parts, but for me, they seemed few and far between.
The "watching kittens frolic" was an apt analogy: you can do that, but only for a limited amount of time before it gets boring.
then we are back to this again:
"I think the key thing here is everyone has his/her own idea of humor"...
for me the show gave me many and frequent funny parts...
i was just saying that "no gags, humour, and nonsense" is a big failure of an assesment. "none" is not "few". and none is not relative, none is absolutely nothing.
lol!
exactly the same old formula!
started --> stopped in the middle --> "it's nothing"
The flower only is beautiful but doesn't have the meaning either.
There are people that like it and that dont like it.
damn right. expect no meaning from such shows.
just watch, smile, laugh, and that's all you have to do. that's how i did it, and i loved it that way.
I can't say it was as good as people made it out to be at first...
But I enjoyed it for what it was.
I don't think it was fetish-ruled as it was just... cute, slice-of-life...
And frankly, I enjoy slice-of-life.
It even took me back into the whole "I remember when..." since I lived in Japan at one point and went to school there.
It's much different than in the states and this is just so reminiscent of my daily activities with my fellow High school art club members. ^^
What was even better at this was Sketchbook ~Full color's~, though.
That was already a casual, slice-of-life anime with the most reminiscent atmosphere...
Mio Akiyama is cute and completely moefied full stop.
It is so popular and sucessful because sad ass otakus love anime music, what is this anime about? music, otaku nature causes them to buy all music related materaials then BAM. Otaku's are always the biggest loser in the industry
"It has no gags, no humour"
Has he been watching the same show I have? Pretty sure I found plenty of funny stuff in the first episode alone.
"no nonsense"
Exactly what in the show actually makes sense then? And why is that such a bad thing?
"no ero
What did he expect? That the girls would join Mugi in some sort of orgy and duke it out who would be the 'true' one for her?
"no guro"
Right, I guess Mio should've just stabbed Ritsu to death when she bullied her. Or at least hit her with a very sharp object, causing her to bleed profusely and die from it.
"and no story"
Four (and later five) girls want to form a band and have fun together. What more did he expect?
"nothing. It’s nothing but petty fetishism."
If he means that it appeals to a specific audience, then I agree, but I don't think this show pretends to be anything it's not in that regard.
"I read the original manga by Kakifly, it wasn’t a bad little 4 panel manga, pleasant and heartwarming. Capitalise on the original!"
This I don't get. The anime has taken probably 95% of its content directly from the manga, hardly anything was seriously changed. So how is it possible that he hates the anime, yet likes the manga when it's both pretty much the same thing?
Mangaka protest anime
He think formula for Manga = anime?
WRONG!
Epic fail
I think he's just upset it got picked over his guro-packed loli manga to get animated. I really can't find an excuse outside of that. Ahh, how prejudice makes fools of men.
I am disappoint. The title he does not deserve.
I agree. K-ON is nothing but a moeblob.
The music is rubbish too.
but that music is what otakus love...
I see. At least, I learn a lot about marketing strategy from K-ON. Know who your audiences are and deliver just what they want, bring their enthusiasm to the next level.
exactly... coz a person's so-called "rubbish" is another person's "treasure"... and that applies too for any kind of music. especially musics with relatively small demography such as this, heavy metal, etc.
Music is rubbish? I suppose you've checked out all the cds from this show then, and you really know your stuff, right?
Or, maybe you just don't like that kind of music, and wouldn't like it unless the K-on girls were rapping. Come on, someone has to have a MAD or AMV of them singing to a rap song! =D
I can read a little Japanese, but I can't make out the second letter in the OP pic. Someone care to explain it to me?
First one is a "pu", second one no idea.
The sound effect is "Puni Puni" The reason you probably didn't recognize the "ni" is because it's written in an uncommon way.
puni puni
Well I found it enjoyable, yes typical anime but still enjoyable, just wish it was longer.
I gave up on K-on at around 5th episode. It was way too boring and dumb to watch. Those girls should be going to kindergarden not to high school. I really can't get where the whole hype comes from.
It comes from Japan.
Truth be told, when was the last time you someone praise K-ON for anything OTHER than a) moe girls or b) 'Don't Say Lazy'? The entire series was basically a vehicle for the creators to say to the fans "here are some cute girls, go ahead and obsess over them" which is what the fandom has done. I'd say it's a sad indictment of how far the industry has fallen that a show with so little actual content can be such a megahit; fortunately Bakemonogatari has done a lot to restore my faith.
bakemonogatari is good...
k-on! is good...
different preference...
"simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
-leonardo da vinci-
(and i'm sure mr. leo is a very very smart guy, so dont look down on simple things)
Why can't people just say they don't like the story instead of "there's no story"? I like most of the stories in K-On! maybe because I used to be in a band when I was in highschool, so I have much to relate to.
If I have to generalize things, I'd say most K-On! whiners don't understand a thing about forming a band with highschool FRIENDS...
So wait, he's attacking it for being too slice of life, not having enough sexuality, and not having enough violence.
Oh confound it all...
What a fool. He probably hates Aria too.
Simplicity is a beautiful thing. Something doesn't have to have loads of tense drama, riveting comedy that shocks a laugh out of you, have loads of violence or sex, in order to be beautiful and artful.
If anything, trying to make everything "haha funny", has led to cancer like epic movie. Drama is quickly wearisome and not everyone wants those emotional rollercoasters. People often have enough drama and it's overplayed as well.
And please, movies for adults being filled with violence or sex is a plague and cancer upon media and an insult to mature. HURR HURR MY EXPLOITATION FILM SO FANTASTIC HURRHURR TITS AND BLOOD EVERYWHERE. NOT FOR KIDS.
And then you've got the "thinkers film" often even lacking in substance and just looks pretentious. All this pretension associated with anything halfway artsy or full of philosophic content is a cancer of it's own. HURR HURR I ONLY WATCH INTELLIGENT ANIME LIKE EVANGELION AND SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN BUT I'VE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF'S CYBERIA EWWWW MOECRAP.XDDDD.
No. Slice of life Moeblob is just fine. It doesn't need all that other stuff to be good.
You simply didn't understand what he was saying. He's not saying: "[it needs] gags and nonsense and humour and ero and guro and story, everything."
Here, I'll rephrase it for the retards:
[it needs] gags or nonsense or humour or ero or guro or story, any or several of the above but at least one.
However I'm pretty sure you understood what he was saying, but you actively chose to misunderstand him nevertheless so you could bitch and whine about his supposed "logical inconsistencies", you fat otaku bitch. Maybe if you'd stop jerking to Mio so much, you'd have the time to pull your head out of your ass.
And i bet neither did you get what Ukon was trying to say.. Judging that you pulled out a typical otaku bashing lines in the end, i have nothing to say except stamping this as a troll comment.
hey, no need to flame okay?
before protesting, u sure that an anime must have at least one of those traits?
This comment is made out of 100% TRUTH~!
I do enjoy watching cranky comedy, psychologically thoughtful and gory films, anime and stuffs.. but seriously, just like how ppl are complaining about K-ON! having too much cute things, i do most of the time feel tired of seeing too much brains popping out, pointless deaths, mind raeping "special" effects used to make some so-called "philosophic" look, vibrating jiggling boobs, hero/ines emotionally crying over and over again (i'm looking at you Korean and Taiwan dramas), people getting shot and decapitated for no fukken reason, etc on every seconds, panels and shots.
And that's why I started to prefer watching seinen anime lately... It's light, it's soothing.. and you won't have the risk of getting your favourite characters died.
>No. Slice of life Moeblob is just fine. It doesn't need all that other stuff to be good.
Unless, you know, the anime is shit.
Like K-ON.
define shit, troll!
lemme start first:
i define shit as a person who throws plain complains without details.
well, whatever. but comparing k-on and aria here significantly weakens your argument. there's too much good in aria for anything to compared to it.
Ukonkivi is right.
"Is reality so unpleasant for the people making and watching this show?"
Talking about reality,huh? Guess he missed episode 13.. A close group who went a little gloomy just because everyone has their own stuffs to do now does somewhat remind me of reality.
untan untan untan untan untan
I agree with most of what he said. I mean, the show itself is alright, extremely average. Shallow as a puddle of water, but nothing wrong with not having anything deep. It's overratedness and fandom however, is comparable to Naruto. I'll say it again, K-ON! is extremely average and overrated. Not horrible, but certainly overrated.
Very true. It was cute, but the characters weren't particularly endearing, so it falls short from being truly "moé moé～" imo. It was enjoyable enough to watch, but the fandom seems a tad reminiscent of the FMA fandom.
I think the first song that was written by Mio explains the series quite well. But, it's nonetheless a cute, fun show that's easy to relax to while watching (cute girls doing cute things). I find nothing wrong with that...thank goodness for Mio, but I would have loved to see more Azunyan.
Even though I enjoyed Disappearance Diary, and appreciate this guy's contribution to the birth of rorikon, this nigga needs to shut the fuck up. K-ON is rabu rabu.
I don't know maybe this guy has no idea what a slice of life anime is.
Something that you just take it easy when watching,usualy something beside when you truly have nothing to watch or want something more peacfull to check.
Well still haven't watched k-on though.Only 6 more eps of blu ray release before i check it.
I liked K-On. It was par for the genre occupied by Strawberry Marshmallow and Azumanga Daioh. For me, the big draw was the cuteness factor of the girls vocal reactions and quirky noises, on top of the small details in their little mannerisms. I'm not sure what anime he was watching, but it's clearly not the same K-On I watched.
Finally someone that gets it. Keion was basically Ichigo Mashimaro with high school girls instead of lolis. I guess the father of lolicon wasn't too pleased with that...
Not a bad statement. I don't completely agree with it.
But it's a good reaction to complication.
Great thinkers often love and admire the simpler. And even the acceptably simpler and sometimes seen as mundane. And often those who show elitism to the other are simply trying too hard.
I think it's well to say that simplicity deserves it's own appreciation and that false complexity as an elitism often leads down an improper road.
Wise words. K-ON anime isn't funny at all.
I totally agree. I watched partway through K-ON but gave up when they pretty much did nothing but trot out fetish after fetish in every episode. Maids, catgirls, school swimsuits, whatever. I'm sure these things can be good if they actually make sense in the context of the show, but K-ON is just so incredibly unsubtle in its efforts that watching it feels like it's insulting your intelligence. Kinda like they're saying "we don't really have to bother writing likable characters or script or jokes because we can just draw Mio in a maid outfit and the show will sell six ways to Sunday".
Unfortunately, that's actually true.
and how many moe or fanservice animes are doing those things already? did they sell as well as k-on? something in k-on is different, my friend.
["we don't really have to bother writing likable characters or script or jokes because we can just draw Mio in a maid outfit and the show will sell six ways to Sunday"]? see above, the mangaka is actually fine with k-on manga. and the characters and jokes 95% came from the manga. such things as mio in maid outfit wont simply justify the high sales of k-on.
and when watching any show makes u think that it has something to do with ur intelligence, please dude, retrace ur wrong steps. otherwise u'll become an elitist.
I think it's a reaction against the current blatant fanservice that has to be in every anime. Not to say that fanservice isn't appealing but it gets boring if you are constantly bombarded with it to no return.
While I still like K-On for the reason it finally makes some sense of high school life for me (eating stuff after school and procrastinating till exams and I also find Tsumugi's personality similar), I would also have to say that it does at the same time try to blatantly appeal to fetish. Which is why I would have to say that I'd prefer the likes of Miyazaki films as a reaction against the current animes as it can still be entertaining and not attempt to sexualise it's character for appeal.
Although to be fair the anime K-On is no where near the fanservice of other titles like Ikki Tousen or Queen's Blade.
K-On has cute characters, but that's it. It's indeed empty. I forced myself to watch til episode 8, to see if it was gonna change... nothing. A nice enough concept completely waisted. It's like watching kittens frolic indeed. It gets boring fast.
And the "It's a slice of life anime, what are people expecting?!" argument is invalid. I watched K-On. A also watched Azumanga Daioh. Azumanga is 1000 times better.
try watching sketchbook,booring but so slice of life.
now hidamari sketch is fun and is a slice of life anime
Exactly.
I kept hoping they'd take the audience along for the ride as the team got better and better at performing music. A nice theme about the joys and difficulties of getting better at an instrument and forming a band. It's an engaging premise in theory...
But they never even practiced!
We just got to watch them drink tea, eat fancy rich-girl food, talk about procrastination and make cute anime faces at mediocre gags. What's normally only filler for a show, they were billing as they the main focus!
┐('～` )┌
Then suddenly the couple times they did play any music at all, it was as if they were already studio musicians.
I'm pretty sure the writers forgot a very important step somewhere in between there >.>
-
Could have been something good, but amongst all the marketing and moe, they forgot to include... anything else!
I know people is going to hate what i have to say but i don't give a shit.
Thats precisely why i loathe moeblob slices of life.
You see people, MOE is fanservice, and like all kinds of fanservice -ex: gore, ecchi- its empty by itself.
That's why shows MUST have something else (ex: at least a decent plot, a minimal dose of character development, an interesting conflict which forces the characters to work to solve something ,etc) aside fanservice for even attempting to be "Good".
Otherwise its just fanservice shit for lonely otakus who craves for affection and likes to feel a sense of self-fulfillment via obsessing on schoolgirls acting like complete and utter retards.
>A nice theme about the joys and difficulties of getting better at an instrument and forming a band. It's an engaging premise in theory...
This had potential.
>watch them drink tea, eat fancy rich-girl food, talk about procrastination and make cute anime faces at mediocre gags. What's normally only filler for a show, they were billing as they the main focus!
And this is what we got.
It felt like if i was watching a very shitty sitcom full of unfunny gags but without the recorded laughs. It bored me so much, even the worst fillers of a shonen anime seemed better in comparison.
If only the fucking Studio Execs worried about making half-decent or good shows "with moe fanservice as a secondary priority", instead of completely shitty shows "with moe/fanservice being the first and only priority" then i wouldn't loathe moeblob so much.
But hey, the last one is what it seems sells more in Japan. Blame lonely manchildren and their emotional urges towards fictional schoolgirls acting like retards.
"K-on!" is the "Kakugo no Susume" of moeblob: complete and utter SHIT!
Butthurt Fail much?
i can understand you... if u dont get the gags, or simply think they're not even funny, then yeah, there's no way u will be okay watching k-on! u will loathe it as much as possible. i can imagine that clearly.
"vampires dont drink holy water" is all i'm gonna say. k-on will kill people like you.
just go watch another anime that will satisfy your intelligence, kay?
azumanga's jokes were hits and misses. not so funny for me. i enjoyed k-on! jokes 1000 times better instead. so i guess as long as it goes back to matter of preference, that argument is highly valid.
That man is absolutely right!
Word.
Fail
I was looking for ages to find the right word to describe K-ON, and this guy hit it right on the head. It's empty. It's a terrible, empty slice-of-lice, doesn't do the genre justice whatsoever.
The characters are shallower than shallow, the setting and theme desecrated, with the most obvious and lamest appeal towards otaku fetishism. I couldn't even finish the first episode, with people thinking someone who looks like they have Down Syndrome is somehow "moe".
I went to the manga, and it was leagues better than the anime, especially in terms of the characters. So me and this guy are in the same ballpark.
Lol, so some mangaka doesn't like K-ON!...who really cares? Some people like it, some people don't, I don't see how this is news.
"It’s nothing but petty fetishism." "no ero, no guro"
So he's saying the introduction of ero and guro themes would graduate it from NOT being a petty fetish anime? lol ok.
So fetish anime should have stories now?
Should you try reading Ai-Kora?
I too felt this lack of substance in K-ON, I couldn't finish watching, the pandering just got ridiculous and painful.
I had to check it since I'm an irremediable lolicon, but it was just too forced, I'd rather read a loli h-manga and wait for ecchi caps from the show to emerge, anyway, props to the father of lolicon, anyone going by that nickname deserves some kudos definitely...
Oh fucking WOW, I had the same thoughts while wathing K-ON! Like it is kind of drug. It's like a fantasy, where all girls are pure and moe and shit, where kindness rules the world, where... Well, you got me. When you are so sick of reality, you just watch it and become oblivious, it's like drinking alcohol. And it has it's side-effects - you feel sad after watching, because it is far from real things. Oh shit.
then u should stop watching animes, dude. you will suffer baaad baaad side effects from 'em.
You sound like you're probably crazy. Maybe you need to see a psychiatrist.
Are you trying to troll me? Nice try, but I'm kinda troll-resistant.
of course all trolls are troll-resistant
Oh you!
Some father of lolicon he is >.>
Probably just butthurt cause his work isn't being recognized while K-ON! is. lol
Thats what i thought about the series, but i had this serious need to imagine myself hump Ritsu's forehead...
Actually, Azuma Sensei's criticism on K-On is not that bad ... When I look at his own work in his Weblog diary ... It has the charm of its own ... His version of Moe without any doubt.
Well we better take a look at his work "Disapperance Diary" - a story of himself when he went alcholic ... ... causing at least 10 year Hiatus ... nearly become homeless ...
It's very poinant story abotu those who live in the edge of Japanese society.
Even though he is father of Lolicon theme manga ... but I should say that his work should be Lolicon with moe-blob plus serious substances.
It's supposed to be a laid back sort of show, nothing less nothing more, I watched it because I found it humorous.
Anyone expecting there to be huge fight scenes and plot twist stumbled across the wrong sort of genre.
Now, I have taken a look at his own profile at the otehr Wiki and found that he used to be an alcoholic mangaka - causing his work to be at least 10-year hiatus from 1985 (the last Golden year of Azuma-Sensei) to 1995.
You can take a look at his manga "Disappearance Diary" which show his own experience when he becomes alcoholic mangaka - and have been pushed to the edges of Japanese society ... Almost become homeless ..
http://z.about.com/d/manga/1/0/4/P/-/-/DDiary_500.jpg
http://manga.about.com/od/fanfareponentmon/gr/DisapDiary.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Azuma
Bitter, sober, lonely and jealous jiji... how sad.
OMG MY thought EXactly! finally we are starting to muster some anti-k on forces. we are really only attracted to it coz the characters in k-on are all made for almost all the common type on fetishes. yui-moe-kawaii, mio-moe-tsundere,ritsu-moe-frisky,
azusa-moe-loli,thinkbrow-moe-mature.
Come on, let's face it, the real problem here is that Hideo Azuma is just pissed off because the characters have tits. If this was some nice, wholesome loli he'd have never said a word.
Stop QQing, you faggots. He's right.
"Stop QQing, you faggots."
NO U
has some logical points but the point of the matter is that k-on is still popular. what do you expect from a moe blob anime? the guy is being a bit harsh probably because he has read the original.
Yeah, except that the anime follows the manga pretty much without any changes. Which just illustrates the absurdity of this guy's comment.
I highly disagree with him but "Is Reality That Bad?" can only be answered with a big YES.
probably a taiga supporter in that 2ch moe battle
Yes, its that bad.
K ON is not empty, its perfect, anything more would be too much, K ON has everything it needs for perfect moe.
ALL HAIL THE ANONYMOUS!!!
You are right, K-ON! have everything, including cookies and tea :3
yes, it's just perfect for a braindead
Why do you hate cuteness and moe?
Overbearing moeness is just fake.
Welcome to the media, where everything is fake. If you want reality, stop being a hikki and go out. Reality always has penises to stuff up your ass, if you so desire.
Finally, the last person on Japan with a common sense has spoken.
I've only watched half of K-on! and I don't find it bad. Sure, not a prize winner, but it's relaxing(in my opinion).
I also just watched first two episodes of Bakemonogatari, and I'm not convinced about its epicness yet, what the sales(and lot of comments under its article) are supposed to be showing.
So I fail to understend all the flaming K-on! gets, which had similar sales.
Tl;dr If you don't like it, don't watch it.
Hideo Azuma just became my hero.
"Is reality so unpleasant for the people making and watching this show?"
Why, yes--yes it is.
I hope that answers your question, Mister Azuma.
truth
So terribly sorry it's not all about jiggling boobs and panty shots.
So terribly sorry it's not all about guns, dismemberments and explosions.
So terribly sorry I can enjoy a lighthearted show about friends who like to hang out together and play a bit of music.
And no, it's not the same thing as a maid cafe (similar in some ways, different in others).
I don't have to be stressed over the latest cliffhanger (or if the next episode is going to finally let this end). I don't have to be annoyed by poor (or incomplete) animation. I don't have to be frustrated over nonsensical plot directions, or the utterly, frustratingly stupid decisions the characters make in the name of advancing the 'plot'.
It's light fare. It's simple. It's enjoyable. Perhaps it's not for you. That's perfectly ok.
"Capitalise on the original!" -- You know what? I think that's exactly what KyoAni did. First volume sales sure seem to make it look that way.
I've been watching anime for about 15 years and have seen (and bought) just about every type of series that's come out. I know there are people that love Yuu Watase's works; I wanted to gouge my eyes out by the end of Ceres the Celestial Legend (and only finished it because I'd paid good money for the DVDs), telling myself at the end of every disk that it couldn't possibly get any worse (I was wrong). On the other hand, I adore Serial Experiments Lain, but have several friends who can't get past the first episode. Surprise, surprise -- different people have different tastes.
What's different about K-On compared to various other slice-of-life or moe-style series is that there was such a strong convergence of people who all liked it. It's in the top 10 of first volume sales now, isn't it? What did it manage to do right, despite all the naysayers and critics like Azuma?
It's not just 'moe', because that's been a sales spec for anime for the last 10 years. It's not just slice-of-life, as those actually tend towards the lower end of popularity (and may relate to the harsh negativity directed towards it by all the people who don't like that style of show). The music aspect is unusual, though not unique.
I have a few thoughts myself, but they're too vague right now to really put into words. Perhaps later.
I wish it was just a lighthearted show about friends who like to hang out together and play music. Instead it ends up being a show about friends who have this insane teacher who keeps forcing them to wear random outfits for no reason that just coincidentally happen to match up otaku fetishes, who constantly fantasise about each other in maid/nekomimi outfits and whatever, and who conveniently trip on stage to reveal their panties.
If K-On was actually a "a lighthearted show about friends who like to hang out together and play music" instead of thinly-veiled fetishist tripe masquerading as "a lighthearted show about friends who like to hang out together and play music" it would actually be watchable.
Sorry Hideo, that yours all sucked and wouldn't sell.
"It’s the same sort of grotesqueness you see at a maid café."
Wait wait wait.. did no one touch on this? Maid cafe = grotesque? Cute girls serving you in maid outfits and calling you 'master' = grotesque, but guro = totally hot?
I think this guy's head is just screwed on wrong.
Nah, we did, that's why the "mangaka fails" comments are abundant.
Anon sees everything.
I didn't even know there was a manga! I'mma go give it a read.
The truth from the very guy that pioneered it. Although the other shameful truth is most otaku will ignore him and keep being hypnotised.
Have our standards fallen so low? Where'd the good stuff go?
So... I heard that basing a show on moe is a bad thing.
Why is that?
Mecha is allowed to be a Genre. Stupid ass fuckers will watch Mecha just because it's Mecha.
"ZOMG GIANT ROBOTS, THIS GIVES ME WOOD, I MUST WATCH IT. I WISH I HAD A FUCKIN' GUNDAMUUU!"
Why am I not allowed to watch a show because it's full of moe? Your logic is flawed assholes. (Anti-KON! Crowd that is.)
Well yeah, but a Gundam can stomp over the cast of K-on and that'll be a really good show (and bloody too).
Mecha>moeblob
K-on is a shit, but what the hell, I still will
stick my penis in Mio...
Yeah Pal, like you don't want to stick your penis in every girl of the show...
Shut up Mr. "I can enjoy a lighthearted show about friends who like to hang out together and play a bit of music" that's bullshit my pedo comrade.
what's so wrong with "I can enjoy a lighthearted show about friends who like to hang out together and play a bit of music"? is reality that BAD that such things are wrong these days?
Damn, I gonna have to see thia anime. I luv me some fetishism. No scat, right? I ain't into that.
bhahaha... i can see the anti k-on force is having another troll comrade with exactly the same butthurt: "why the hell k-on! is so popular".
just like a loser football player that blames the referee, anti k-on force blames the society, and now this guy blames the reality.
K-ON was a good break inbetween all the mindfucks and hyper-violent depressing stuff I was watching (chaos;Head,Welcome to the NHK,Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei,Elfen Lied) I didn't really find any of the girls especially cute. I did find it funny though and a real plot would've been a bit rediculous because they're a school music club in extremely light (not serious) show (saving the world, fighting evil, and solving the mystery don't really work) even a battle of the bands would've tensed it up too much. I just enjoyed the light comedy and character situations. I came in expecting nothing and left with a good experience. Of course come in expecting epic greatness and you will leave with disappointment (I find that's always true with me) it's relaxing not having to focus on details. P.S. He must love Queen's Blade (RIDICULOUS EVERYTHING) or hate it (HUGE BEWBS) I couldn't even finish the first episode (left when hand-hair woman squeezed acid out of her tits with her hair shaped like hands
there's nothing wrong with k-on, except that it is very popular.
"popularity hurts many butts"
truth be told.
Lol I'm the father of lolicon and a mangaka and that gives me the right of criticize a show even though I've only watched half of it all.
Yeah, because you only should be allowed to criticize something only after you've forced yourself to watch all six hours even though you're not enjoying it. That only makes sense...
I've seen 4 episodes. After a third of the show, I think I saw enough to know whether I like it of not. Most people form opinions within the first episode usually. No one wants until the end to say for certain if they like it. It's not human nature. Hypothetically speaking, if a show takes it's whole run to grow on you, I'd say that's a pretty bad show.
Yes yes. So critics write up their articles after watching only half the movie amirite?
So I should watch all that shit just for this comment?
@anon 20:50
i see, so it was already a shit since the beginning. go on and comment anything u like, sire. like watching the whole thing will change your opinion.
I don't think you really need a reason to like something. If you like it then something psychological and emotionally is affecting.
I think those who criticize other people their interest and what they likes are just hypocrites who want to show they are somehow "better" than other by having this long ass-empty reason why this and such is better than that and these...
Couldn't agree more. K-On is shallow. I cry at todays anime because the old feel that made me fall in love whit it is gone. The stories suck compared to what it did, the ability to move you emotionally is gone. All it appeals to is peoples lust. I want to see a new anime with a good story, that you can see logic in, not like most where there suddenly were a stronger race, man etc. Also, I would love for a real lovestory where the guy is NOT a dense idiot, but a normal person. Logic must be a part of a good anime.
You sir, are a retarded idiot.
+1
At least K-On! was better than Seitokan. Alas, anime business is just that, a business. Watered down, shallow shit will continue to sell because of its marketability and its ability to appeal to the masses.
K-ON is terrible and you should feel terrible for liking it.
It is the complete opposite of a well-written story-- it abusively uses hackneyed anime tropes (two beach episodes? Fucking seriously?), has characters with less depth than Lucky Star, and has zero character development or meaningful dialogue throughout the breadth of the series. I've seen sitcoms that have more of a direction than this piece of shit and honestly, everyone knows that sitcoms are the epitome of lazy storytelling. At the end of any given sitcom, everything is neatly tied up and the status quo is once again restored. K-ON doesn't even get that far; the status quo is never challenged and each and every episode is a trip through creative purgatory.
Don't get me wrong, I fucking love loli. The only reason why I could even stomach a few K-ON episodes is due to the fact that all the girls in this show were shiny and cute. I don't think that shows which feature loli main characters must necessarily be absent of story. Look at anything by Miyazaki or even stories like Dance in the Vampire Bund. Just because your main characters are cute doesn't mean your dialogue and writing have to suck.
K-ON is pretty much everything I hate about anime today: blatant fanservice covering a virtually non-existent plot. Though honestly, the fact that something like K-ON could be as popular as it is says more about the fanbase than it does about the writers.
"Capitalise on the original" this is true
Well, I enjoy both my life and K-On immensely. So I think he's wrong.
I thought the whole show was suppose to capitalize on the heartwarming pleasantness of the manga.
hmmm...
he does have some points there
"Prolific"? Who the hell is Hideo Azuma and why should we care?
Kinda agree with this guy
the father of lolicon complains about how bad a reality of people loving blatant and plain moeness? i dont get it. is a reality where men root for underaged girls any better?
If you look it from a rorikon point of view.
the second season is called " k-ON Shinchan"
You're not my father :>
Nothing special on the anime
Nothing good about it
its better than lucky star
but that doesnt mean anyhthing
being better than one of the worst animes ever it still can suck big time
i have always been against this anime and others
and galdly agree with him
Interesting.
I wonder if more Japanese blogs have a dislike for K-On! the Anime. I will have to agree with him.
And how is telling people to "support the Manga", a form of Jealousy? Did you guys miss that or something?
Check out how the girls act in the Manga, compared to how they act in the Anime. It is like a 180.
Yui is less of a moron, Mio isn't as irritating, Mugi is actually seen more, and playful. Ritsu acts more or less the same. But I felt that the Anime really chopped up some of their original personalities.
I am not sure why people compliment the animation for Keion... I found it rather weak. All the girls look the same, expect for their hair. Their bodies are rather deformed, they have tiny feet and hands. Basically KyoAni dropped detail for frame rate. And notice how every time a girl plays an instrument, there is an extreme close up, and scene panning.
I will admit that K-On! is a cute anime, heck, my fav chara is Ritsu. But I wish there was more to it. Which is odd for me to say, since I LOVE Strawberry Marshmallow. I guess because Strawberry has charm.
Hideo Azuma is a pretty cool guy. eh trolls every k-on fan with a few lines and doesn't afraid of anything.
And for some idiots out there, yes a manga can be better than the anime. In the manga, you don't hear the music (which is nowhere near a masterpiece anyway, especially if you dislike the genre), you don't have to listen to the moeblobbing voices (30-year-old women pretending to be schoolgirls, or little boys), and unfunny slapstick jokes (which often happen pretty quick in the manga, and you can read it at your own pace, or just skip altogether). Yes, a 4koma can lose its charm when animated. And the brilliant Aria is not a 4koma. That does not say k-on sucks, it could be even better than the manga, but it's certain that people suck for saying the anime is the same as the manga. There isn't an Adaptation Award for nothing.
I thought it was an enjoyable anime but nothing special. What I prefer is how people are getting butthurt and calling him jealous. Oh please, that's even more pathetic.
Hahaha people here react exactly like Twilighttards when their favourite book is criticized.
YOU'RE ALL
EXACTLY
LIKE
TWILIGHT
TARDS
Bitter Twitard is bitter.
I know i liked K-on, and I disliked Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu. Both are really popular and both are targeted at different people.
So, my opinion or your opinion is just that, an opinion. If you don't like it, then, that's your problem.
We all have experienced butt-hurt(ardor de cola), me was with suzumiya, many of you with k-on. I don't see anything wrong with that.
The good thing is that you can choose what to watch. My motto is: You don't like, then don't watch it, it's a waste of time.
That being said. All hail k-on!!(of course those who like it). Haters... just hate it and hate us, we don't care.
-Rul Prez Silvent(yeah! that's me!!)
He has it right, the anime was a far lesser work than manga is. But I am myself biased as a manga otaku, so I will always believe the original work to be the best work.
Yeah K-ON! is a epic fail for me... But "THIS SHOW IS ONLY FOR MOE FANS" and i respect that.
Peace my brothers
If your show doesn't have character development, the least it can have is some solid comedy, but K-on fails at that too.
Butthurt "father of lolicon" is butthurt. Again, Pot, meet Kettle.
I get the feeling that watching K-ON is a bit better than watching guro or people eating themselves literally in an unsexual manner, atleast I hope..