The unpopular opinions thread (Hawaiian pizza is great)

The majority of anime is trash.

Characters, dialogue and storyline are judged with a different template to "real" tv and film.

That extends to a lot of the DC and Marvel output as well.

I find it really weird when anime stylings are applied to more realistic looking characters.

I think it's why I find the newer Final Fantasy games really unlikeable, at least from an art direction. It's like watching flawless models cosplay.

And when those characters then act and talk in the same way as drawn anime characters the effect is even more pronounced.

I wish they'd stop aiming for realistic characters and use something more stylised.

I think DC are pretty crap really. Apart from Batman (who is actually pretty cool) and possibly Superman (though I'm not a big fan generally), their roster of heroes is pretty crap compared to Marvel. That goes for all versions and media, from comics through to films.

Growing up the only 2 superheroes you cared about were Superman or Batman, now DC has ruined both beyond recognition.

Aquaman and Wonder Woman was alright though.

I’ve still got a like new copy of Akira on VHS from my yoof, with the Manga stickers unused and everything

Unpopular opinion - I thought it was quite ‘meh’ and I’ve not watched it again

I miss vertigo, such a great imprint.

Sandman, Hellblazer, watchman, preacher, fables, y the last man… basically all the best comics of the era.

Yeah, Akira is alright... Not the outstanding masterpiece some people seem to think it is.

I used to be absolutely obsessed with the stuff, even going as far as watching weekly shows like Bleach and Naruto. Gradually moved away from it and can only think of a handful of recent shows that I've watched (Kill la Kill, OPM, AOT)
Anime can be great, but the overly exaggerated sighs and grunts really get on your nerves after a while.

The problem with saying something like "anime is shit", is that there's so much of it outside of your "giant robots piloted by skimpy girls in mini skirts" cliches, in every possible tone and genre.

It's like saying movies are shit if you don't get on with the MCU or whatever. There's a lot out there!

Akira is one of those things that is also worth knowing the lore around production and whatnot. It was and still is absolutely groundbreaking. Like it was so detailed they had to invent and commission 50 paint colours just for the movie because no animation had ever used such an extensive night time colour pallette.

Tbf JoJo is pretty fucking great, you should watch it even if the memes are annoying.

I have a weird reaction to fandoms, in that if something has a large vocal fandom, or even if something is getting lots of positive buzz, I'm actively put off watching it.

Not just anime, but everything. If loads of people are saying how good *this* is, that I really have to watch or play *this*, the chances of me doing so are very slim.

It's like the opposite to FOMO.

If I get in on the ground floor, as it were, before it blows up I'm perfectly happy to be part of the crowd promoting it though.

Agreed about Akira. I loved it when I rented it as a kid on VHS, and had a great opinion of it for many years. Finally purchased it on blu-ray much later and hated it. It's just nonsensical and annoying to watch. It looks cool but that's it.

Somewhat agree on Ghost in the Shell, but only if we're talking about the film from ...95? Much like Akira, its look is its strongest element, but it's boring to watch. The action looks cool, but so much of the film is philosophizing about the nature of man. Stand Alone Complex strikes a better balance of action and philosophy. The 22-minute TV run time naturally makes the pacing better. The revival on Netflix was the worst in the franchise though. Arise was pretty good, but not SAC good.

I do mostly have a soft spot for anime from the 80s and 90s in general though. Partly nostalgia, but it was also the Vertigo-equivalent in animation, with darker, more adult stories than what the west was producing at the time. Now everything's "shy boy doesn't know how to act around the sexy women who fancy him" or "kid gets super powers and punches everything." Or Gundam. They make a lot of Gundam.

Anyone like Beserk? I've been reading since playing Elden Ring and finally cottoning on that essentially all of Miyazaki's soulsborne games are massively inspired by the series.

Claymore is another good dark fantasy manga