I was reading Bateszi’s latest post about how older shows seen in the springtime of youth are glorified in your memory, a topic waxed upon many-a-time by Jeff Lawson. Indeed, upon a second viewing in modern times, many of my favorite older shows seem to have aged quite poorly, revealing heretofore unnoticed lumps, wart, blemishes, and vestigial limbs . Paul makes an interesting point that the higher up you raise the series on a pedestal in your youth, the harder it comes crashing down when you realize how crappy it is. Thus, he theorizes that series that were only “good enough” tend to hold up better against modern inspection.
For this reason, many fans fear digging back into their archives and rewatching some of their old favorites. However, it might not be as bad as you think! There are innumerable reasons why older shows (like Paul’s example of Ryvius) may stand toe-to-toe with modern ones, but my favorite argument is the animation. But wait, you might ask, shouldn’t that work in favor of newer series? I beg to differ. In a way, “good enough” also explains the level playing ground in the animation field.
Everyone has a certain tolerance level for animation quality; below this point, the poor quality sticks out like an inflamed whitehead, while above this level, you stop paying excessive attention to the animation and start focusing on the story instead. Only when the animation quality becomes astronomical does the focus shift back. Thus, as long as a show stands above the minimum threshold, it stands a fighting chance against better-animated rivals.
For myself (and perhaps yourself?) this threshold level currently sits around the early 90′s period. Virtually everything before this (excluding certain movies and OVA’s) is entirely cringeworthy, and does not bear rewatching. Sure, we can say that the original Gundam was groundbreaking and sophisticated, but I’d rather be trapped in a walk-in-closet with a bobcat in heat before watching that again. Surprisingly enough, I find many of the early 90′s shows to be on equal footing with most modern series in terms of animation. Sure, we have developed a lot of advanced techniques for making fantastic looking anime, but today’s tight budgets severely constrain the number of top-quality shows. Instead, advancements in improving animation efficiency are more commonly applied – including the Pandora’s Box of CG. Like it or not, anime is an industry, and it’s more lucrative to maintain the same level of animation quality and increase the number of series produced, rather than to maintain the number of series and increase the animation quality. Due to this self-regulating effect, the meticulously detailed cel animation of yesteryear can compete with the slapdash digital ink-and-paint of today.
A great example of this tolerance threshold can be seen in Danny Choo’s post on “The Best Gundam”. The current league-leader is the 08th MS Team series, which is a striking example of old animation trumping new. It’s not slick and shiny like 00, but the high level of detail and careful art direction compensate for its relative age, allowing its other positive attributes to shine through. Notice none of the 80′s era Gundams are even close – not because of their lack of compelling plot elements or characterization, but because their visual production values fell short of the bar. Some may argue that there’s also the innovative ground combat, squad teamwork, etc. that set 08th apart, to which I say: if the series looked as goofy as the original 0079 series, I bet it would be condemned to the back of the line, innovative or not. Mustachio Gundam learned that lesson quite well, sadly enough.
So feel free to dig those old VHS tapes out of the closet-but if they’re from the 80′s, you might want to spare yourself the heartbreak.
P.S. On a tangential note, does anyone else feel that 90′s space fleet explosions are *much* more satisfying than anything today? The way those capital ships ruptured from inside and bubbled out before gradually splintering into pieces was heavenly. I especially like how shrapnel begins to peel off in large quantities and the hull armor sections independently buckle before the big boom. That, my friends, was quality animation, the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else.
This post was written by...
Ender – who has written 219 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the original founders, and the first to attempt a coups d'état.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
An editorial in Sea Slugs!? This feels so wrong…..but so right at the same time…..
Stuff from the 90s is great in a lot of areas, and of course, in anime as well. Actually, I laugh when I go watch an older series that has better animation and storytelling than half of the shows airing today. Some stuff is just timeless, and that’s what makes quality.
I totally know what you mean about the spaceship explosions!
Anyway, woo Sea Slugs editorial!!!
As for old favorites, I’ve always felt one of the strongest signs of a good series is one that has great replay value. My favorite shows are all ones I’ve watched multiple times over.
Mushishi, for example, due to its episodic nature. Not only is it a fabulous piece of storytelling all around, but I can watch it over and over again any never get bored with it. I can listen to the soundtrack every day and never tire of it.
That’s my idea of a true classic. Many of those longer, more epic shows that have a long build-up and a big emotional crescendo are great in that moment when you first watch them, but it’s hard to recapture that first experience ever again.
I definitely agree about episodic shows often having more replay value than series that hinge on suspense and cliffhangers. Watching The Sixth Sense a second time just doesn’t have the same impact. Semi-episodic shows like Cowboy Bebop rank highly in my book for that reason; it’s incredibly rewatchable due to its slice-of-space-cowboy-life approach.
And Totali, the early 90′s definitely had a lot of good things going for it, but MC Hammer was definitely *not* one of them!
I like watching older anime, but I recognize that this is entirely due to nostalgia, and very little to do with actual quality.
I mean, for all its influence on anime fandom in the US, I don’t think Ranma 1/2 is the epitome of great anime.
Well-followed argument, and your point about improvements in efficiency over quality is excellent.
Shifting away from anime, I’d say the best spaceship explosions in any medium are found in Homeworld 2: capital ships begin to list, little streams of air begin to spout at the seams, there’re great groaning noises as they tear their metal bulkheads apart, the streams of air begin to burn and then the whole screen whites out. Kaboom.
Well written editorial
Oddly, I find that with the more anime I embrace, the more I tend to look back at my old favourites. Of course, I’d hate to end up being one of ‘those’ tired guys that’s constantly going on about how all modern anime sucks; obviously it doesn’t, but often, first impressions will leave the biggest impact. For example, I could have enjoyed Gun X Sword had I not known it was a complete rip-off of Cowboy Bebop and Trigun. After a while, we get tired of the cliches. The thing about a show like Infinite Ryvius is that it’s taken me nearly four years to realize just how unique it was.
Also, I think you’re spot on with regards to good animation. You’ve notably spotlighted Turn A Gundam and to be honest, I ended up losing interest in the show because it looked flipping terrible, as if it was animated in 89, not 99; when watching it, I could barely keep my eyes open. On the other hand, well animated productions achieve a kind of timeless quality ensuring they’ll always remain accessible… AKIRA was created around about 1989 and we’re still talking about it today. To a lesser extent, modern anime like Baccano, Dennou Coil and Gurren Lagann have decent production values that, I’m sure, will see them recommended for years to come. Of course, someone could argue we’re a bunch of superficial bastards…
Orion’s comment about episodic shows made my go “I totally agree!” immediately followed by “I don’t agree!”
Maybe I’m splitting hairs but I find myself thinking that there is a distinct difference between “anime that stands the test of time” and “anime that is rewatchable.” I believe that “anime that is rewatchable” will always “stand the test of time” but the reverse would not be true.
For example, I watched the original Gundam not to long ago for the first time and I really had to suspend my expectations about animation quality in order to see it for what it was worth. It definitely has some cheezy lines here and there but overall, the story arc and character development really blew me away. This anime stood the test of time per my litmus test but I wouldn’t necessarily rewatch it or enjoy it just as much a second time.
On the other hand are far more recent anime like Mushishi or ARIA. Both are very rewatchable. But rewatchability for me is often a code word for “happy happy sedative.” I LOVE rewatching one of these episodes after a long day of stressful work. If I were to “read into” Orion’s comment, I would conjecture that he is simply constraining the definition of rewatchable anime into a smaller box of just those anime that make him feel a certain way. And episodic anime is by nature, easily digestible.
Heh, sometimes I feel ashamed to admit I am that shallow.
I remember Homeworld 2 as being visually stunning, but when I recently reinstalled it, the graphics looked a tad primitive and blocky. Ship destruction was definitely handled well though, and the gameplay is still rock solid (imho is better than the graphically superior Nexus: The Jupiter Incident that came later on). Still waiting on the next big 3D space RTS…
Which brings up an interesting comparison – in the software arena, technological advancement is the name of the game, and there is no feedback effect limiting the improvement in graphics. Games in general just keep looking leaps and bounds than their predecessors, and older games tend to fall by the wayside, assuming the quality of gameplay is comparable (with a few exceptions). Also, I feel our tolerance level for game graphics keeps rising quickly every year (though it might be reaching a plateau pretty soon) compared to anime, which tends to have a more stable tolerance level.
The title of the post, from that J. Geils Band hit, is really so appropriate. I tend to remember my old favourites in an idealized way that reflected my then-frame of mind, but after seeing angel as the centrefold, I’ve come to appreciate her charms in a whooooole new different way; the mix of old school animation, good storytelling and nostalgia can be a potent one even if it’s a shock at first.
BTW when I first heard Centerfold, I thought the singer was going on about his homeroom teacher rather than his classmate. -_-;;
P.S. ‘They don’t make music/anime like they used to!’ surely is a sign of old age.
@ Zyl – [Gasp] I never knew you were into the whole teacher thing! Or is this a relic of the chibi-Zyl days?
It’s more an onee thing than a teacher thing per se. Ahaha~
Those two are not mutually exclusive of course.
Well spoken. I remember having almost this exact same conversation with a friend after trying to get her to watch Macross with me.
“You’ll love the fight scenes! The animation is great.” Amazingly, I did get her to watch it (the movie), Robot-fighting junkie that she is.
I agree with your assessment. Anime like any of the modern visual artforms has a variety of reasons which would make any of it good or not. Production values are extremely important, but then again so is story and direction. For instance, even with it’s fake ‘night’ scenes, and crappy special effects, The Bridge Over the River Kwai is still a classic movie quite worthy of watching.
In the same vein, well directed OVAs like the original Gunbuster (which also had good animation mind you), Macross DYRL, and most Ghibli/Miyazaki will probably always be good in my book.
Still even crappy animation can have it’s day. I’m currently watching Ranma 1/2 for the first time (well I originally saw the first 12 episodes about 8 years ago), and even with the ridiculously low production values it’s still a totally awesome show worthy of watching.
Meanwhile Love Hina now looks so cliched with so many bad filler episodes that I wonder how it could have been my favorite anime in the past.
oh em gee! I never knew “Haros” were from old Gundam series! I always thought they first came out in Gundum Seed!
I’m (somewhat) afraid to rewatch the Tenchi Muyo series, which happens to be one of my favorites. Alot of people say the Tenchi Universe/Tenchi in Tokyo suck, but I actually enjoyed them when they came out in Cartoon Network (probably because I was too small to realize what was good/what wasn’t). Also, I heard the new OVAs are so-so, so I’ve just been running away from the series…BUT I MUST FACE THIS OBSTICAL!!!…but i don’t like dl-ing series that are already licensed…*sad* The scary Copyright FBI already caught me twice dl-ing illegal stuff
I’m currently watching a great 1980s anime called Touch! My bro and mom both enjoy it alot! :3 I’m glad my mom finally accepts anime! Sometimes you just have to dig up the old stuff to reel in the old timers (can’t believe I just called my mom old…HOPE SHE DON’T READ DIS YO!!!)
Why the mention of MC Hammer?! Is there a reference about Totali I don’t know about? *depressed* (and i love MC Hammer…)
Edit: Oh man, I didn’t realize Ender wrote this! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED! You guys really need to change the writer name color of the “this post was written by” text
…. maybe its just me
late to the party but I’ve been working on 8th MS team this past half a year, and it does look pretty tight even lol TEN YEARS AFTER. But it was a remastered version, so it does look better than the original.
I’m trying to get my hands on the remastered version of Escaflowne. That show ages really, really well.
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