The (Untitled) One Year Anniversary Piece

     Extra Pulp OJ turns one year old this month, which is very convenient. I could not for the life of me think of a title for this piece, which includes a variety of ideas that hopefully form a coherent thought.

Also, we're going with Futurama pictures, apparently.
Season 2, Episode 5: I Second That Emotion

For Starters

     I think it's really unfortunate how difficult it is to find people who share your tastes. Typically, the more appealing conversations to have are ones over mutual interests, but again, there's only so many things that two people can share opinions on, it seems. 

     I had a question brought to me around a month ago about what it is exactly that I look for in friendships, and like any new, insightful question I'm presented with, I proceeded to overthink it. Initially, I think we all agree that we look for mutual interests, because again, friendships start with a conversation. 

I promise I made this point
before I picked out the picture,
but Futurama is infinitely relatable.
Season 2, Episode 7: A Head in the Polls

     Now, I say "mutual interests," but I mean that in a way that encompasses shared distaste as well. For example, between two otherwise identical people, you may find yourself gravitating more toward the one who shares your desire to avoid political banter. 
     In reality, I think it all comes down to our desire to be validated -- that surrounding ourselves with people who share our hobbies and worldviews is comforting and an escape from hostility, so of course that's what we'd pursue. The more I look at that, however, the less it correlates with the people with which I end up associating.

     The answer I eventually came up with was along the lines of my friendships being the product of circumstance. In school, I was friends with people I took classes with, and very few of those classes were interest-driven electives. After graduating, I enjoyed the company of coworkers, and then friends of friends after people branched out. As I've intertwined myself in online communities, so have my closest friendships similarly migrated. 
     From here, my train of thought detoured to a similar question I was asked in college by an old high school friend: 

"Do you think if we met for the first time now that we would end up as good of friends as we currently are?"

     I think when I was asked that question, my friend who asked already knew the answer, and perhaps she was looking for a pleasant lie -- one that I've never been able to stomach telling. So instead, I decided to work through it with her.

I'm glad my mind went on this tangent.

     My answer was a pretty obvious "no" -- we were two surprisingly different people. But I forced what I think is an interesting dialogue from this; we talked about whether or not that even mattered, and why we became friends in the first place. Would the fact that we probably wouldn't be friends now invalidate our friendship moving forward? Do we still get along like we did when we first met? 
     I think I was really fortunate to have had this conversation before, and to now be revisiting it. The thing is, mutual interests and hobbies are just one (or two) factor(s) of a relationship. Again, I found our friendship to be almost entirely a product of chaotic circumstance, but there was real substance despite it. We had assurance that we could rely on each other, and even when it became obvious that we were far from identical, we enjoyed each other's company regardless.

     I think friendships and relationships in general are kind of nonsensical. I realize now that there were a lot of things I was passionate about -- the Final Fantasy series and music theory for example -- that she had no desire to learn about. The same could be said vice-versa. Among the conversations and moments we shared where we were both particularly interested, there were just as many moments of one person just coming along for the ride. In fact, I remember her sitting through a thematic video-review of Final Fantasy X with me, and then us trying out a workout video (I hate working out) in the same day --

A convenient crossover, Futurama x Final Fantasy X

     What I'm getting at is something really similar to what I've said here in the past: I don't think it necessarily matters whether or not you can validate something with technical merit. The fact that it means something to you at all is reason enough. Of course, personal relationships are much more intricate than things I've talked about with this point in the past, but I think it's a point that's no less valid.

     Anyway, in the words of Digibro, "I hope that's interesting."

Why That's a Problem

     You know how sometimes I make an incredibly obvious point and call it insight? That might be what happens here.
     The problem is obvious; we get frustrated when we want to talk about something specific with someone specific but they aren't interested. Even worse*, when they simply assume that they won't like the topic.
*I'm going to contradict myself in a little bit.

Except for me, apparently.

     Again, just because we're friends with someone doesn't mean that we enjoy the same things. Unfortunately, this reigns true when you get down to specifics, as well. In my case: big surprise! I'm talking about anime.
     A sort of running joke I have with myself is that I have terrible taste in anime. Obviously, I don't believe that, but there are an impressive number of instances where I don't like a show that seemingly every other respectable person agrees is great -- even objectively. It leaves me scratching my head sometimes and wishing I could change a set of opinions so that I could like what everyone else does. 

     I was able to have a conversation with a friend the other day, and I mentioned to him that I was probably going to start seeing a bunch of RWBY (pronounced "ruby") stuff everywhere again soon, and that it'd already started on a Discord server I'm a part of. We joked about it for a minute, and he said "...but really, I think you should give RWBY a chance."

     Let me say this now: I'll probably never watch RWBY or even "give it a chance." You're allowed to think I'm being closed minded, but I'm also allowed to understand -- even without seeing it -- that I'm not interested.

I'll Justifiably Probably Never Watch RWBY

     I think a lot of people take this personally, and though I understand why you feel that way, you shouldn't. I understand that there's a degree of vulnerability you allow when you offer a suggestion of anything in entertainment -- mostly fear of being invalidated or ignored -- and it seems like I'm disregarding that vulnerability by shutting down the recommendation, but it honestly has nothing to do with the person who offers it. In this specific instance, I think it's important to understand why I know I won't enjoy RWBY (and to what extent) because I believe it's something different from what people imagine. 

Reason 1
     If we go way back to when I first watched anime purposefully, roughly around middle school, you would note that I didn't enjoy anime hardly at all. Much like my sentiment above, I really felt as if I was unable to enjoy these shows because I simply didn't understand what made them good, and it was my ignorance that was to blame for my lack of enjoyment. This is another point I've talked about before; it wasn't anything more than my failure to recognize what I liked. During this period of my life, I watched a lot of series and played a lot of games that according to my logic at the time, I should have loved. Instead what I got was a bunch of experiences that reaffirmed that I didn't like this medium, and I was going to keep experiencing that until I recognized the real culprit (which didn't happen for years). This relates to RWBY in a unique way, and is tied to a seemingly separate criticism the show tends to receive.

Futurama, mimicking (parodying) the same style.
Season 6, Episode 26: Reincarnation

     One of the more polarizing aspects of RWBY is its animation. Though it mimics a traditional Japanese anime style, it's considered by most to not be anime. This perception and classification is tied to animation methods it uses and its place of origin among other factors that I won't be getting into. Despite that, it is in fact mimicking that style.
     It's important to note that the decision to do was not one made based on personal preference; the creators chose that art direction for a purpose. Again, the types of anime that used that style AND found popularity outside of Japan -- specifically in predominantly English-speaking countries, and where RWBY is created -- are the same shows I spent my early years with anime watching. It's a style that:

1. Had already proven its effectiveness executing specific elements to a specific demographic.
2. Could communicate very strongly who its intended audience is, and what type of show it is thematically. 

     To clarify, it's probably justifiable to say that it's wrong to judge RWBY's art and animation style if you haven't properly experienced it, which is the defense I'm usually met with. However, I can't disregard what I've already inferred from that art style, and that's not the same information that most people assume it is.

Reason 2

     This one's simpler to explain. Rooster Teeth [1] is the production company behind RWBY, and I'm very aware of who they are. 
     What's important to understand is the reason we continue to come back to companies we've grown fond of. For example, I continue to support and obsess over SquareEnix because they've proven throughout my life that they produce services and products that I thoroughly enjoy. Their stories, mechanics, presentation -- All of the things that make up the media I consume from them create an observable personality. Rooster Teeth has its own personality, and I'm very aware of what it is, too.

     When I was younger, I watched -- and loved -- Red vs. Blue. That unfortunately is the exception rather than the rule. I've seen any number of different Rooster Teeth productions, from The Patch to Achievement Hunter to The Slow Mo Guys, and yet the only thing that I can honestly say has a place in my media-consuming life is The Know. Even that isn't necessarily something I enjoy, however; it's comes a lot from my own personal habit to overcome bias by not get my news from a singular source. And though each of these different projects involve different people, they find their personalities compliment the identity of Rooster Teeth; they are compatible with this personality. 
     I am not compatible with this personality. I don't find most of Rooster Teeth's comedy funny, and I don't think its products are particularly interesting. Based on the reception from people I know who do enjoy Rooster Teeth's productions along with those who don't coupled with my understanding that I don't like Rooster Teeth, I can tell you without any further knowledge of what the show is that I won't like it. 

Disclaimer: Morbo the Annihilator of Entertainment and Earth Invasion Tonite
should not be your sole source of news. RIP Jim, Channel √2 News
Season 6, Episode 4: Proposition Infinity

     If I'm being completely honest, I am almost positive that there would be moments in RWBY I would really like and genuinely find praise-worthy, but again, I know me, and I know that those moments will be the exception, and won't justify the experience. I've had this with plenty of shows, like One Punch Man and Konosuba. There are moments in both series that I really liked, but the experience overall was generally lackluster, and it felt like a waste of time. In the end, I wish I would have listened to myself instead of the deafening screams of praise the shows were getting.

A Conclusion of Sorts

     I honestly don't know if I can properly sum this piece up, because it's a little difficult to see how these two points are particularly related if you don't see it initially. 

     This is something that we all have to experience in our lives. The relationships we build seem to be so randomly produced, so when one of these people in our lives is coincidentally someone we have a lot in common with, we hold them in a special light. These concepts we subconsciously create of best friends and groups of friends is so against this lack of causality that our relationships are born from that when they inevitably show their imperfection, we're left scratching our heads, wondering why this person (or possibly ourselves) is randomly different. When we let emotions run with even these types of should-be-insignificant feelings of unease, we blow things out of proportion. 

     Yeah, it's a bummer when people can't relate to your sentiment -- when people don't share your passion, but it's important to not let that affect what you already know. This person who doesn't agree with you in an instance is not less of your friend. In fact, I would argue they are more-so because they enjoy you in spite of that difference. 
     So please don't take it personally when I say don't want to watch RWBY, just enjoy this OJ with me. 

What do you mean you don't like pulp? We're through!

Artwork by or inspired by Matt Groening's original art. 
Futurama TM and © 2010 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. 
All Rights Reserved.

Steins;Gate Is a Gift That Keeps on Giving

     Steins;Gate is my all-time favorite show; that is a fact I will never shy away from. 
     This piece has a sizable chunk that is spoiler-free and is simply about my infatuation with the series, but the latter half is about a specific, deeply-hidden element of the story.

Introduction

     Before anyone who is thoroughly familiar with Steins;Gate (and for that matter, the Science Adventure Series) asks: yes, I did play the visual novel (VN for short), and it was lovely. For myself however -- who doesn't particularly like visual novels -- the anime series will always be the darling of my eye. Everything about it is exemplary, from the characters to the story and the directing.
      Often times, when I find myself searching for a reference on how a show could better handle any specific element correctly, I look to Steins;Gate. I ask myself how it effectively created characters I cared about, or how it used unique framing to capture different feeling of anxiousness or unease.

劇場版STEINS；GATE by Pixiv user 宮

     As is no secret to Extra Pulp OJ readers by this point, I personally think there's plenty to find value in when you can validate a show, game or book by its technical merits and legitimacy. But I do in fact think it's more important simply that I enjoyed Steins;Gate, and that I continue to enjoy it. In other words, had it been less stellar technically, but my enjoyment levels had been the same, I would have enjoyed the show all the same.

Sometimes I speak in nothings and call it insightful.

     Steins;Gate has a lot of side-content and sequels that expand upon the story, and though I thoroughly enjoy a good amount of these works, they're not really what I'm referring to when I say that "I continue to enjoy [Steins;Gate]." I'm speaking more along the lines of how I can return to the original work(s), whether that be the VN or the anime, time and time again with little to no dip in my enjoyment levels. I chock this up to a few things, such as its hidden story elements that can only be appreciated after multiple experiences, and the fact that the comedy and tragedy are simply just as good the second time around -- but there's another reason.

There's Always Something to Notice

     What I love most about Steins;Gate is how much time I've spent enjoying it. I had a moment with myself a while back where I had to ask myself "Do I think that I like The Monogatari Series more than Steins;Gate?" Not that I really think it matters; I won't enjoy Monogatari any more or less simply because of how I rank it, but I thought it was an interesting question. 

     When I think back to Monogatari, I think it's biggest shortcoming in comparison to Steins;Gate comes in the form of how I handled finishing the series (or at least the part of the series that had been released up until that point, but I digress). When I thought back on what I'd experienced with Monogatari, I was fine to leave the story where it lay. I didn't have the drive to research what I might have missed about the story or the lore, and I didn't think any deeper about character relations, for example.
     I was completely captivated, however, when I finished Steins;Gate. As soon as I finished the series, I remember turning back to my roommate at the time and telling him, "You have to watch this show. I need us to watch this show." This was as much for my sake as it was his.

     And this goes beyond the initial high of finishing a series; I'm not saying I think Steins;Gate is better because of how I felt in the immediate aftermath. More accurately, it's how I continue to feel driven to uncover more about it.

an illustration from
Steins;Gate This Side of Paradise

     When I finished Steins;Gate, I needed a reason to watch the show again. I needed to have a deeper understanding of the subtleties. Even things I understood I knew were laced with hidden significance and seemingly unexplainable nuances. 
     When I finished the show a second time, I bought the source material and completely dissected it. When I finished that, I joined online communities, and when I became well-versed there, I followed insiders on social networks. [1] [2] [3] The craving for more knowledge on this impossibly expansive show only grew larger until there wasn't anything left to learn...

     But that's not how this all ended. In fact, I continue to learn about Steins;Gate to this day. When I least expect it, something will click in my head, and another element of the show I didn't even realize I didn't understand will suddenly make sense. My time spent enjoying Steins;Gate has eclipsed the actual length of the series a hundred times over and that's something unique to a very select group of things.

The remainder of this piece contains spoilers.

A Hidden Antagonist

     About a year ago, this exact thing happened. I was sitting at my desk, mindlessly scrolling through my Twitter feed, when a tweet about Robotics;Notes (the entry that succeeds Steins;Gate in the Science Adventure Series) and it's VN's opening song's lyrics came up. When I read the lyrics that I had never seen translated before, suddenly a layer of metaphors I felt should have been incredibly obvious were finally ready for me to notice them.

     So here we go, headfirst into a dissection. 

     Let's start with the lyrics to Steins;Gate's visual novel's opening song, (lots of possession in that sentence) specifically:

"The world created by God is perfect and absolutely balanced."

     There's a lot we have to infer about and from this line. For starters, this is obviously in reference to the plot of Steins;Gate where Okabe is overcoming the concept of fate and battling with absolutes.  With that frame of reference in mind, we can infer from these lyrics that the world does not have free will, because God has planned everything as he sees right. At most there's an illusion or a façade of free will, but as we understand by the world line theory, there are plenty of things that cannot be changed, held in place by convergence points within the attractor fields. It also says:

"Even the basic concept of time,
denoted by the clock's two hands,

is showing distortion at the observer's will."

     This is more straightforward: Okabe is the observer, and time is subjugated to his will.[4] This is unlike literally everyone else, being that they are governed by time and things relative to it. 

     This next line, however, is easier to misunderstand.

"Among the countless parallel lines,

I settle on "blasphemy" as my choice."

     This isn't about Okabe, and I think I have to explain why it isn't, oddly enough. Hang with me because there are a lot of things it helps to understand.
     For starters, Steins;Gate takes place in a multiverse, and this is something completely separate from the world line theory that we understand governs the story. This multiverse contains multiple observable universes, and the one Steins;Gate focuses on is Okabe's observable universe -- though we do see more than one of them throughout the show (those hazy, dreamlike sequences are part of Mayuri's). All of the universes shown to us operate according to the world line theory. [5] 

The PlayStation Vita Cover art
for the Steins;Gate visual novel

     That's all fine and dandy to know, but it's most important to understand how that affects the story, or how it's used as a tool. Namely, it defines the "Reading Steiner" ability, as Okabe has dubbed it. In Steins;Gate, we see that Okabe has a complete capacity for observing the changes in the world lines. We are told, however that everyone has a small capacity to recognize it, but what exactly determines the extent of the capacity is left a little ambiguous. The easiest theory to prove is that the more involved someone becomes in Okabe's life and the more they are directly affected by his actions, the more extreme their levels of Reading Steiner are. It's safe to assume then, that in a universe we could call "Mayuri's Observable Universe," Mayuri would be the one with a complete capacity for observing/Reading Steiner, and the people directly affected by her manipulative actions would show signs of being able to observe her altering her universe." Again, we see this in the hazy dreams Okabe has early on in the series. 

     So, to bring up my point again, why is this line about blasphemy not about Okabe, which would make the most immediate sense, and who would it be about? 

     I believe it to be about Kurisu. In Okabe's observable universe, Kurisu is not exempt from God's ruling hand. She is the one destined to complete a time machine, but instead, she helps Okabe overcome these "perfect" events put in place by God (i.e. the convergence points) and she does so by moving outside of the Alpha Attractor Field. By doing this, she's effectively willing her way toward a future where that specific reality does not exist, because what Okabe is working toward is a World line in the Beta Attractor Field, where she does not create a time machine.

     Confused? It's simple! "Among the countless parallel lines, I settle on blasphemy as my choice," reflects Kurisu's decision to defy omnipotent powers -- specifically God's idea of perfection. 

     Now that in and of itself is a ride to figure out, but it goes deeper. Enter The New Testament.

助手
by Pixiv user あきかん

     As recorded in Numbers, the Book of the Bible, Moses was chosen by God to lead the Israelites to The Promised Land. Because Moses disrespects God in front of the Israelites, God forbids him from entering The Promised Land which he worked himself to death to reach. [6]

     Much like Moses, Kurisu is the one who action was needed from in order for the "promised land" to become attainable; in her case, Okabe couldn't do it himself, as is proven throughout episode 13. Again, like Moses, when Kurisu acts in disobedience, she is "forbidden" to enter the world line that lies in the Beta Attractor Field -- in those world lines, she dies at the radio building.

     Another point worth making is from Steins;Gate 0, the sequel to Steins;Gate. The technology that Kurisu helped develop when she was in America -- The one that eventually holds her conscience -- is called Amadeus. Along with sharing a name with the prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "Amadeus" is literally translated from Latin to "to love God." A more loose translation results in "the one God loves," or "the chosen one of God."

     So, stopping there, God appears to be an overwhelming, inescapable antagonistic presence. However, that's not How Steins;Gate truly ends. In the end, Okabe reaches the Steins;Gate World Line [7], one we understand lies outside of any attractor field and containing no convergence points. It is a world with true free will.

A Note in Conclusion

     Steins;Gate is filled with these sorts of intricacies. I believe it's impossible to learn every satisfying thing there is to learn about the story without investing your time and energy into. A beautiful thing about that though, you don't have to invest that much to get a fulfilling joy out of the series, but even more beautiful, I believe you are completely rewarded for whatever extent of yourself you do invest.

     At this point I wonder how many of you realize I left out the thing that actually acted as a catalyst for this realization: The Robotics;Notes lyrics.

This Side of Paradise

 "With my fingertips,
I outline somebody else's dream...

From beyond the edge of the blue sky,

I feel a gaze so gentle

that it inspires fear in me.

An inspiring promise was made here,

delivering us to this unique World Line.

"Somebody else's dream" is Okabe's dream of a perfect world line by his own definition. The "gentle gaze" that "inspires fear" "from beyond the edge of the blue sky" is God's, who has no omniscience over the Steins;Gate world line. The "inspiring promise" is Okabe's to Kurisu (or arguably Mayuri, but the next line seems to rely on it being specifically the one to Kurisu), promising to not let her die, prompting him to discover "this unique World Line," the Steins Gate World Line. 

     (January 16th, 2017) Chiyomaru Shikura, creator of the Science Adventure series (of which Steins;Gate is a part) is no stranger to this sort of meaning-filled inclusions for the opening themes of the series. Here's a similar look into the opening theme of the Occultic;Nine anime that aired in the Fall 2016 anime season. As Toshi Nakamura, a columnist at Anime-Now! paraphrases Chiyomaru:

"...[Chiyomaru's] proximity with the stories he creates allows him to write more intimate songs that outsourced composers just wouldn’t be able to do. One of his favorite things to do in his songs is to insert meaningful lines and phrases that could be viewed as spoilers–but actually don’t make sense unless you’ve actually seen through a series."

     Maybe it's not a conclusion, but that's a wrap, and a finished glass of OJ.

Reading Steiner (@DistantValhalla)'s twitter account; well-respected JPN>ENG translator credited for the translation of  Steins;Gate. [1]

@2Dphantasm on twitter, a personal favorite follow. Always in the know for all thing Sci;Adv among other things. [2]

Richard A. Eisenbeis (BiggestinJapan)'s Twitter. Probably most well-known as the former writer and journalist on Kotaku, focusing on anime. He's now the Managing Editor of ANIME-NOW! and an enthusiast of the Sci;Adv Series. [3]

The Steins;Gate Wikia entry on Reading Steiner [4]

"In Which I Attempt to Explain Steins;Gate" This is a video that's brilliant if you want to learn more about the science of Steins;Gate, especially the details that are lost because of the fact that the characters aren't all-knowing. This video is completely property of AcidCH, but at the moment, he's dealing with an [unjust] copyright claim against the fair use of footage he used. Thankfully, AcidCH was able to send me a copy of the video, but for this reason, I ask you respect his current situation and ownership of the original content and refrain from sharing this link. Enjoy responsibly! [5]

Some commentary from Theology of Work for anyone who needs to brush up on their knowledge of the Book of Numbers. [6]

A list of know world lines from the Steins;Gate universe, including The Steins Gate World Line, with some basic information on each one, again, from the Steins;Gate Wikia [7]

Porter Robinson & Madeon's "Shelter" is an Actual Work of Art.

     Just over a week ago, I tweeted out that I thought my love and appreciation for pop music was an often overlooked -- or perhaps simply an understated -- part of who I am. [1]
     That type of over-emotional statement is what Twitter runs off of, but I meant it. I didn't care elaborate on what that meant (partially because no one inquired, which is fine; I tweet too much anyway). I felt it was a statement worth figuring out.

The picture sources will be very obvious, if not already, later in the post. 

     I think we find ourselves overexcited for art. Our culture (generation) is often criticized for needing constant meaningful stimulation, and I share that sentiment. It seems like every conversation I have with my peers manifests itself as this over-dramatic flood of expression, and it stems from this need for everything to be validated, and to prove its "meaning," whatever that may mean.
     That's a hard concept to explain, but what it comes down to is this: Sometimes, we enjoy something simply because it's enjoyable, and it needs no further validation. 
     This is why I love pop music -- to an extent. Pop is shallow and fun. It doesn't get unnecessarily caught up in being complex and innovative! 

     Perhaps I'm off topic.

     Porter Robinson released a music video today for a song that I've really liked for a while now. When I first saw it, I thought little of it. "It's just an A-EDM (Anime Electronic Dance Music) song, the video is probably just some stills of cute anime girls," were my thoughts at most. 

     I write this now firmly believing it's one of the most artistic works I've experienced this year. 

What is Art?
and
The Music Video for Shelter

Before we go any further, I hope you watch this video: 

     Art is frequently summed, using this vocabulary or other, as "expression incarnate," and that's a great starting point. One of art's greatest drawing point (no pun intended) is that it's relatable. It's notorious for stirring emotions and "making you feel."
     I think it's a mistake to stop there, though, because I believe that art doesn't have to be emotional; this is where I butt heads with many of my peers, but I feel I have a sound argument, and it's incredibly relevant to this topic. 

     Michael Jackson's Thriller is iconic; there's no worming around that. It's widely believed to be the first song to tell a story with its music video -- but it wasn't an emotional story.
     If you're going to argue with me that "portraying fear is literally an emotional angle," then I think you're missing the point.
     Thriller doesn't make people sad, or lonely, or feel romantic, and it doesn't make you reminisce for anything other than the time when it was released. The King of Pop made a royal pop song, and it was perfect--
only it wasn't.

     --because art isn't perfect, and I think that's more important than emotional weight. That may be cheating, however, since I think that relating through emotions is in-and-of-itself relating to human imperfection. 
     Of course, I wasn't alive when Thriller was released, and by the time I was brought into this world it was already iconic. However, I can pretty safely assume that when its music video was released, there were a great many people who didn't understand it, and didn't feel so fond of it -- who rejected it and said that "It wasn't what music was about." That's only natural.

Credit: Michael Jackson's Thriller
We'll be bringing it up again later.

     I could go on and on with this point, but It'll get messy. Instead, let's move forward.

     Shelter has had similar woes on its release date. It's loosely categorized as an EDM (again, Electronic Dance Music) song, but when you get to specifics, it gets a little muddy. 
     I'm ready to, and already do, call it A-EDM. Other people might be more literal with their categorization, calling it "chill" or "electronica", but even that comes down to a degree of subjectivity. However, despite this specific woe and how head-scratching it can become, I think it was overshadowed by an even bigger problem.

     r/Anime, a subreddit (or specialized forum) on reddit, didn't believe that Shelter was considered consistent enough with what its population defined as "anime" to be allowed on the subreddit. The decision was ultimately made to remove the post linking to the video, despite the fact that it held 98% upvotes (essentially a 98% approval rating) with enough votes to be automatically placed on the front page. Their reasoning was, though debatable, technically and objectively sound.
     There was a bit of an outcry. Much like thriller, this seems to be a piece of art that expands over, not excludes itself from, multiple art forms. Simply because we can't cleanly categorize it as one thing or another does not invalidate its quality, and an overwhelmingly large amount of Shelter's intended audience would be found on r/anime -- almost exclusively.
     I'd like to say this though: I do not believe the moderators of r/anime were in the wrong to remove the post initially. They found themselves faced with a decision that could become divisive in the future, and it's their job to keep the community forum operating smoothly. With anything that pushes boundaries, it's won't always fit in everywhere. Let it also be said, however, that I am incredibly glad that they allowed it to eventually stay. 

     I think that everyone knows these things define art, but I also think that they're hard things to see in the moment. This is a unique situation where we're realizing the implications of this work while it's actually taking shape.

     Alright, time to put an end to the ambiguous praising. Let's get to the real stuff.

A Dissection of Shelter

  

     There's nowhere more obvious to start at than with the song itself.

Music
     It's a good song! As I've said earlier, I've been listening to the song for quite a while. I frequently request in during song request days on The Fence, and it's got its spot on my AEDM playlist. 

      That in no way means that you will like it, of course. It's got all of the qualities of EDM that people who don't like the genre... well, won't like. It's a bit repetitive, and there aren't a lot of lyrics for example. 
     I think the song is very pretty, though. I like the movement from section to section, though it may be low energy a lot of the time. It also has a basic structure, so you prog-snobs (I mean that as a meme, not as an insult, I promise!) are going to have plenty to complain about! Again, drawing a comparison to Thriller, if you don't like the type of music, I doubt this will be a miraculous exception, but it executes its art well.

The Video & The Story
     Initially, I wanted to separate these sections, but I'm starting to think you can't talk about one without the other. Again, I really hope you watch the video (I even embedded it above for you!) before you read this; I don't want to spoil it!

     "Shelter tells the story of Rin, a 17-year-old girl who lives her life inside of a futuristic simulation completely by herself in infinite, beautiful loneliness. Each day, Rin awakens in virtual reality and uses a tablet which controls the simulation to create a new, different, beautiful world for herself. Until one day, everything changes, and Rin comes to learn the true origins behind her life inside a simulation." - Porter Robinson, original story.

     The story is so beautifully told that I'm having trouble completely conveying it. I think I'm going to do it backward, start with the reveal.

     Essentially, Rin is living in a simulation via a machine constructed by her father in a space capsule. He created this device in order to guarantee a quality of life for his daughter far surpassing the one she would face in the wake of the impending fate their home would soon suffer... though this part's a bit hazy.

     Throughout the video, we see Rin's father constantly updating himself on what's happening to Tokyo, and it's incredibly bleak. However, wherever he and Rin are is nowhere near as catastrophic. They're seen going to outdoor festival and parks, though these scenes are admittedly small, and they seem to be the only one everywhere they go. Perhaps they're simulations running the prototype of the technology that will eventually be used in Rin's space pod?

     Edit: After giving my brain a little rest, I think I've decided what I want to believe here. Since we already know that the exact instance we're viewing is a simulated re-telling of her or her father's memories, it's pretty easy to conceive that they're "touched-up" memories -- think "nostalgia glasses." Perhaps at that point in time, there were crowds, and the scenes possible weren't as clean as they're presented to us. But these are cherished, positive memories. In other words, it's not so important that the memories are correct, but it's how they're remembered.

     Whatever the case, they're not in an Earth in the same state ours is now. In the simulated scene where Rin views her pod's departure from her father's (3rd person) perspective, there's a gigantic planet/moon/satelite in view, pretty obviously falling into the Earth. This is probably what's causing the destruction around Tokyo, and it's possible that the disaster area simply hasn't spread to them yet.
     Regardless, that's a technicality that's not so important. 
     Before the reveal, Rin is our protagonist, and she seems to have no recollection of these events taking place, and the reason I gather is incredibly tragic.

     Rin, at the beginning of the video says, "After some time, I stopped thinking about that. Maybe I forgot how to think at all." What could be inferred from this is that Rin has, possibly consciously, blocked out these painful memories of leaving her father, who showed his incredible love in saving her. She chose to live in fabricated ignorance, and by choosing to ignore these thoughts and heartache as they show up, she eventually forgot about them altogether -- her naivete eventually causing forgotten memories.
     "But I'm not lonely. It doesn't bother me at all," is probably the lie she tells herself that she eventually came to believe.
     After that is established (though I don't believe it can be without knowing the

Who says you can't have
flower pedals underwater?

ending, but I digress) the song starts and the story starts playing out; Rin starts creating her simulated worlds.
     The first time we get a real look at what the narrative is leading us toward is when a part of the world that Rin did not create appears in a world otherwise created completely by herself, That item, of course, is the swing set. 

     The animation up until this point is great in a lot of ways. Because the story is so short, Toshihumi Akai (the storyboard animation director) is allowed to create scenes and settings that don't have to be explained. The video starts with Rin submerged in water (though that can be easily explained by it being a dream). The immediate cuts between the water, Rin's bedroom, the pure white, blank simulation walls, the rocky pillars with blue skies, icy cliffs --
     In the first two minutes of the video, so many settings are explored, and in spite of the fact that they may not be completely original[ly inspired] locations, they create such a beautiful contrast between each other. 

     The way simulated matter is created and adjusted is extremely playful as well. It's all incredibly fun to watch, and it's a joy to experience. You can begin to understand how Rin was able to allow herself to be happy despite the incredibly relevant tragedy. I was smiling throughout this entire segment, even the second, third and fourth times watching the video. 
      And the colors, oh goodness the colors! I can't speak highly enough of their use. Everything is cool when the tinge of loneliness is present, or when things aren't satisfactory; it's all warm when Rin feels cozy, and it makes us feel cozy. It strikes an incredible balance at every turn, and conveys every emotion we're led to feel, from an adventurous playfulness to a stinging depression. 
     Side note: I think this will become yet another example people refer to when claiming how to correctly use CGI in anime. I love it. 

     I also really like Rin's character design.
    

Rin, and warm colors vs. cool colors

     This adventure eventually (it's a fulfilling 2 minutes!) lead us to the catalyst, again, the swing set. Without using words, it's so excellently conveyed that it's unusual that something Rin didn't create showed up -- heck, it's impressive that we can even tell she didn't create it!
     The chorus is in the latter half at this point, and Rin is forced to view some memories of her father, though initially it's not a stretch to say we won't know exactly who he is. As the music falters out, Rin is left lying on her bed, abandoning the simulation, obviously sombered. 

     A lot of the rest of this section -- between the swing set scene and the uncontrolled simulation (effectively the second verse) is more of driving the same point home. Through even more beautiful animation and noteworthy directing, Rin is obviously dealing with the [re]emergence of these feelings she's trying to escape. 

Seriously, this whole section looks like a "best of Pixiv" album, only animated. I particularly like the bit that's mostly black & white with blips of red, and Rin's portrayal there is just icing on the cake.

     Anyway, things start happening out of Rin's control, and I think it becomes pretty obvious that she's being subjected to someone else's simulation. I'm torn on what I want to believe here:
     A. in line with my theories up to this point, Rin's father scheduled this program to run, expecting Rin to be having trouble coping with her situation. The simulations are his memories of them together, reenacting everything that happened up to until he sent her away. 

     B. Rin's mind is forcing her to remember the events. This could be for any number of reasons, but the romantic in me says that she understands that it would be a remarkably terrible thing to ignore the sacrifices her father made for her. 

     I really like the idea that B. is the case; that her falling is symbolic to how even in this world completely encapsulated by her mind, she can't control everything. 

     I definitely get a heavy heart at this point; kids get to me. 
     Seeing Rin wordlessly, hopelessly calling out to her father hurts to watch, as well. The desperation is almost tangible.

     But I love how the video ends. In stark contrast to the insanely imaginative scenery that monopolized the beginning and most of the middle, the place Rin finds herself is incredibly plain. It's bleak, but somehow, that quickly becomes a non-factor to the setting. Rin, through the tears and sadness, comes to terms that the memories are a part of who she should be. This previously overwhelming sadness somehow becomes easily acceptable -- right in line with the movement of the song.

     "Even when I realize my loneliness and am about to lose all hope, those memories make me stronger."

     Just as complex as that thought it, the scene reflects it. It opens up to a vibrant, grassy field. It's not glamorous, but it's nice. Rin breaks down to tears in the middle of it, but it's somehow comforting. It's emotional, but it's raw, and not completely one thing or the other.

I better stop here.

Is There Even Anything to Conclude?

     I dunno. It's a good video. 

     Shelter by Porter Robinson & Madeon did in 6 minutes what many full-length films and series fail to do. I am absolutely confident in calling it a work of art, and one of the best pieces of art to come out of 2016. It thrives in its mediums' strengths, and reminds you how you can love the shortcomings of it's methods. It's strangely human, but all the same fabricated and unrealistic. 

     The song itself was good enough to me to make it onto a playlist I frequently played, but it always seemed just good enough. I do think this is incredibly important though. Many people believe this is how anime will have to adapt in order to thrive -- I'm in no position to evaluate that point, but many people will use this work to push that agenda one way or the other.

     Congratulations, Porter Robinson, Madeon, A-1 Pictures and Crunchyroll. You made a masterpiece. 

All uncredited pictures are property of Porter Robinson, Madeon, A-1 Pictures and Crunchyroll.
Additional credits here.