I Liked Seinfeld, I Didn't Like Slice of Life -- One of the Biggest Hypocrisies I've Lived.

     I'm coming to understand many things about myself lately. These aren't particularly meaningful things I'm learning -- in fact I think it's the opposite -- but the fact that I am learning these things at all speaks to something.
     To be more specific, I'm relearning these things about myself, only correctly this time. 

I hope you get so far into this piece without figuring out what the heck the title's about.

Assumptions
  

Zachary Kanin, The New Yorker

     Assumptions are universally understood to be terrible, and there's that fantastic, popular saying that conveys that idea: "Never assume, because when you ASSUME, you make an ASS of U and ME."
     And yet every day, I assume, and I'm not sorry for it. As much as I love it, the quote fails to relay the fact that assuming works almost all of the time (if you're looking for the numbers to support that, google "hyperbole").

I'm going on loads of tangents, so hang with me.

     One of the most powerful elements of language is connotation. Ever wonder why there are so many words that mean the same thing? Oftentimes it's because each word carries a different connotation with it. 
     For those who may recognize the word, but not the meaning, "connotation" is the non-literal, emotional attachment that a word carries with it. It's the difference between being "youthful" and "juvenile." If someone were described as "youthful," they're depicted as being innocent, energetic and fun; there's a charm to "youthful." If the same person were described as "juvenile," the polar opposite image would be created -- an image of immaturity and failing socially as a person in a way that a troublesome child would. However, literally speaking, the words mean exactly the same thing: showing traits of a younger person.

     So back to my point on assumptions: the word "assume" itself carries a negative connotation, or more correctly, it's earned its negative connotation. Assuming often leads to trouble and misunderstandings, and that's what we remember.
     What we fail to remember is the times when assumptions worked in our favor. When you deeply understand something, you inherently should start assuming some things in relation to it.
     To give an example, I live with two dogs right now. Every couple of hours, they need to go to the bathroom. If I fail to take them outside and realize the fact five hours later, I assume they've had an accident somewhere in the house, so I begin looking for crime scenes and treading the apartment cautiously -- taking extra care not to place my foot in a puddle. 

     Assumptions are good. They save us time, heartache, irritation, etc. There's an interesting dynamic that it plays in relationships, too. 

Assuming in Personal Relationships

     I have a couple of friends that I can talk to more personally than others; I think most of us do. What this means is that I can remove some of my public filters that are in place to avoid misunderstandings. Part of this is because when I talk to these people, I can assume that they understand the intricacies of my mind, my humor and my experiences. They don't know all of me, but what they do know is enough context that if I use words typically tied with a negative connotation, they can understand if I mean to use the word omitting the baggage.
     **In other words, when I talk with these select people, I speak without regard for whether or not they misconstrue what I say as something more aggressive than I intend. I can openly express my thoughts in their raw, unrefined state.

     **I almost deleted this section, but since we're on this topic, I figured I'd explain why; this is something that I hope Extra Pulp OJ reflects: 

     When I write for you, I make it a priority to stay genuine. If I write something and it sounds phony, it goes out the window. I delete a lot of sentences that are crafted too perfectly -- no one can relate to that. I believe there has to be a better way that I can explain this thought, but in this case, I'll allow it.

     I haven't always had these specific people in my life, but I have always had someone I've connected to similarly. 
     I believe it's incredibly important to have these types of relationships, too. We as humans cannot possibly achieve a higher level of understanding in any area without a vulnerable dialogue, and these are the people we'll have these dialogues with. 

I know, I'm getting preachy, I'll truck through this section.

Unearthed Comics

    We have these dialogues to learn and grow -- to be tempered. What you learn through them is so specific to too many factors that I can't possibly generalize this for you, but here's a thought:

     Do we need to have this type of relationship with ourselves?

     I have no idea. I claim to know and believe a lot, but I don't here. I do have this relationship with myself, though.

     I haven't always, and this kind of [obviously] ties in with my last piece. Lately I've pushed my boundaries in a lot of media-indulging areas of my life. I have conversations now with people who don't immediately interest me, and I watch television and listen to music that I initially wrote off. 

     Before I did these things, I lived many contradictions. When any one of my beliefs were challenged, I defended them instead of allowing a challenging dialogue to happen. 

     I know this sounds incredibly general. I need it to because what I'm about to talk about is so much more shallow than the life-altering choices I made with this philosophy. That's another post for another time; possibly not for here. 

     Anyway, here's the title.

I Like Slice of Life

     ...but for a long time, I believed that I didn't.
     The concept of a slice of life show contradicted so many things that I found I valued in a story.  A slice of life show, by definition, is a show about nothing spectacular. It's a show that mimics the minutiae in life, and I understood that I couldn't possibly find that interesting.

     I saw a lot wrong with the genre, and unfortunately, I assumed that I didn't like it based on this viewpoint. Again, I don't believe that I was wrong to make this assumption (even if it was wrong), the blame instead falls on my persistence to stay ignorant. But can you blame me? If I listed off some of my favorite television shows, I think you could make the same case:
     I like Steins;Gate, a drama and tragedy that asks questions of morality and what makes an experience carry weight; Scrubs, a touching comedy focusing on the specific hardships tied to balancing life and relationships with an overwhelming work life -- I could give you an innumerable list of shows that seemingly prove that I valued things that slice-of-life couldn't possibly offer me.
     And yet, I never considered a favorite show of mine -- one that shaped my taste of comedy:

     I very recently realized that Seinfeld may be the epitome of a slice-of-life show. I mean, the point is made in the most meta of fashion in an episode of the show.

Owlturd

     As I type this, I can't believe I never realized it. It's a brilliant show, and it's one that I felt has never been replicated. Though it seems contradictory, I still believe that. How many other show about nothing have surpassed 180 episodes? Regardless, the broad idea isn't unique [any longer]. 

     Seinfeld does however mimic a very important set of experiences that we have throughout our lives. To bring up a previous point, we should have relationships where we remove filters and disregard social standards in order to grow, and though it may handle these relationships in a purposefully crass way, Seinfeld does offer the viewer a look into other people constantly having these vulnerable dialogues. 
     Every single one of us starts out ignorant, and that makes these conversations and experiences messy. We as humans are initially wrong (and inherently evil) so often. Whether it's because we're tied to our own experiences, or that we were raised in a specific culture -- statistically we're going to be wrong a lot more often than we're right. (Rather, we'll never fully understand anything completely without being introduced to the ideas in a consumable way.)

deep breath

     By the finale of Seinfeld, the audience realizes the cast of characters were really terrible people. Though that may be viewed as a concept that eventually led to the "unlikable protagonist" phenomenon that our culture is obsessed with (examples: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Arrested Development, our obsession with the Joker, Breaking Bad, Deadpool, the list is huge), I confidently believe that wasn't the intention. The characters were designed to reflect the nastiness inside of us.
     Again, connotations. It's okay to be ignorant at first, and it's also okay to have nasty bits in yourself if you're bringing them to light and dealing with them (we're inherently evil, not doomed to be so).
     The cast of Seinfeld is shocking at times. They express ideas and act out mundane plots that would be despicable in real life, but I think we can all relate to that. Luckily, most of us were set straight privately before it got to that point [publicly].

     This is a concept that I believe can only be represented in a mundane setting. Perhaps it's different for other people, but I personally am very cautious when it comes to accepting seemingly unnecessary change. I find myself pumping the brakes when an alternate to a system that already works for me is suggested.
     This isn't an epic tale either, it's in the basic, daily decisions I make. I can immediately think of a handful of times where a new idea has been brought to a group and I've been the only one to ask the "why change?" questions. I first ask "What has caused our current situation to work as well as it has?" and questions similar to it. I think there's value in consistency, and I live by a couple of philosophies that challenge change for the sake of change (ie. "Don't fix it if it isn't broken").

     Seinfeld shows instances where this frame of thought fails -- where the obvious is placed before the characters, and they stay fast in their original thought. I missed the value of the genre because I was stubborn in the same way the characters in the show were, and refused to accept it.

What Are We Living?

     As I've said before, I don't know if broadening horizons and expanding your tastes is objectively good or bad -- there's plenty to value in assumptions and leaning on what you already know -- but I think that being narrow-minded is bad.

     I lived this hypocrisy for a long time (that I didn't like Slice of Life, despite adoring Seinfeld). It was too specific and under-examined to ever be questioned, and yet I regret that it wasn't. I've put my foot in my mouth on this subject so often that I'm legitimately afraid to admit my hypocrisy to my peers.
     Coming to this conclusion wasn't as quick as I've made it seem, either. In fact, I put the "Seinfeld is a slice-of-life" pieces together after I had already understood the value I find in the genre. It was a process, where I justified "this", and made an exception for "that" before finally, I understood that I was denying something that I loved. 

     I said earlier that I'd go on a lot of tangents, and this is far from my cleanest piece, but they are my raw thoughts. 

• I think it's okay to assume things, it just sucks when your assumptions are wrong. 
• Connotations are going to affect you communication whether you realize it or not. I would hope that you're mindful, and forgiving of them.
• I still believe everyone should talk about their opinions with someone they trust -- even weak opinions. You need it.
• I constantly reevaluate my stance on things. That may cause me to appear unable to take a solid stance; I haven't figured out how to deal with that yet.
• Seinfeld is a great show, and it's somehow more meaningful than the masses realize.

     Thanks for reading, guys. I hope you enjoyed this glass.

Final Note: I've had a lot of trouble getting these #XPOJ pieces to come together lately. My mind has felt chaotic and impossible to organize. Everything I'm writing seems to envelope an incredible number of things, and I seem unable to explain that depth coherently.
Mostly, I'm just unsatisfied with how my deep understanding of specific things comes out as unorganized ramblings. My mind feels like one of those "detective's crazy walls" where everything is so interconnected that I can't properly express one idea without fully explaining the intricacies of another which relies on separate knowledge of it's own. 

It's as hard to explain as that is to read.
So anyway, I am deeply sorry if you get lost in this piece! I feel like I wrote it lost.

And yet, I think even that has value. I think someone could possible read this and connect with it on a level only a messy work can reach. 

Surprise Extra Pulp! Orange and New Game!

This piece was originally not intended to be the month's feature piece. After being well-received amidst a fit with writers block, I decided to run with.

Last night (Wednesday, August 31st) I was going to work on the next edition of Extra Pulp OJ. That didn't happen.

     When I finally made my way to bed around 2 AM Thursday morning, I laid on my air mattress and wondered if I should get back up and start writing. I had gotten side-tracked by our fantasy football draft and playing RuneScape (no wait, I can explain!) with a friend, and all of a sudden, it was way past time when a normal person should be going to sleep. 

Some truth from
Yuyushiki (ゆゆ式), Episode 4

     With my weak, procrastinator's spirit, I ended up watching an episode of an anime, but when that was done, I was faced with the same dilemma.

     I'm running behind on the piece. It's not ground I can't make up, but the task itself is daunting. I'm still keeping the piece a secret, but it's incredibly obvious what I'm writing about this month (hint: it was supposed to be Reader's Choice this month), and I'm just intimidated by the standard with which I'm setting for myself.

     I couldn't focus on that in my sleepy state. Instead, I kept thinking about what I'd just watched, and how it was comparing to similar experiences lately. 

     I'll just get to the subject already. We're talking about the two anime I've kept up with most this season. 

     Note that I am watching Re:Zero, Sweetness and Lightning and This Art Club Has a Problem (I'm gonna watch Amanchu! when it's finished).

I doubt I'll ever find a show that makes
me as happy as Flying Witch did last season.

     I'm not watching Mob Psycho 100, ReLIFE or Shokugeki no Souma before you ask. I didn't like One Punch Man enough for a show that's riding on its heels to catch my attention. I've considered ReLIFE, but I figured I'd just watch it whenever I felt like it, and it hasn't happened yet. 

      We're not talking about any of these titles. Instead... Well, you've probably already read the title: New Game! and Orange. There's a specific reason as to why. 
  

The Predisposition

     When the summer anime season started, though I know better than to do this, I passed my damning judgement on many shows before I could even pass my cursor over their cover art. Among those shows was New Game!, and one that survived this ridiculous test was Orange. 

Paper Peach gets me.

     After the first few weeks of the season however, I had ended up watching both of these shows. I felt I had a lot better grasp on these shows up to a couple of weeks ago, but that's when things started getting weird.

     Let's bring everyone up to speed: These two shows are about very different subjects entirely, especially in terms of genre and art style -- There's very little comparison between these two shows. 

     New Game! is a comedy/seinen/slice-of-life following a recent high school graduate, Aoba, at her first job at a game studio. All of her coworkers are girls. It looks like this
⤾
If you still don't get it, Cute Girls Doing Cute Things. More on that later.

     Orange is our other show. It's a drama/school/romance about a girl who receives a letter from her future-self asking her to prevent specific things that she regrets from happening. 

     The girl, Naho, struggles with actually being able to actively address these problem for many reasons, but mostly because of her reserved personality (read: "crippling shyness") causes her to believe that her future self is asking too much of her.
      Also, the main character is voiced by KanaHana, my voice actress infatuation. 

     With this all I think it becomes apparent why I favored Orange over New Game!. Sure, it was a typical setting, and the premise was one that had been explored in various forms many times before, but there was potential for great character interactions and study, and morality was sure to fall into many shades of gray. 

     As I said before though, I did end up watching (and now I keep up with) New Game!, so there had to have been something I saw potential in, and there were a few things. 

     For starters, I'm a gamer, and New Game! advertised itself as a look into the workplace of a game development studio. That's something I myself had never seen in anime, not that it has or hasn't been done. Was it a way for me to see an interesting anime all-the-while staying current? Then how could I pass it up?

     Possibly a bigger reason behind this decision was a lot shallower of a reason: I wanted the context behind a lot of the memes posted in r/anime_irl.      

     It's the simple desires that drive us.

Initial Impressions Might be Less Valid than Preconceptions

I'm fine with being wordy. That title would have never made it in a "real" Extra Pulp OJ piece -- It's a bit pompous.

     I reformed my ideas a bit after I had watched about 3 episodes of both shows. I really felt that by that point, I had gotten a taste of the "real" show.

I did that thing where I put "real" in quotation marks twice in as many paragraphs -- now thrice.

     Orange was the good taste (heh heh). The OST was fantastic minus the OP and ED, The voice work was great, and I could see glimpses of what trials each character would have to go through, and which other characters they would have to rely on to get through it all. On top of all that, the comedy was well-timed and genuinely funny. Couple that with good pacing and I had an early contender for best show of the year! I think I gave it a 9 (Great) /10 on MAL after 3 episodes. 

What a joyous time!
Orange, Episode 9

     New Game was a different case entirely. I knew what the show was going to be within the first two episodes, and I wasn't interested. I saw them throw the "we work for a game company," angle on the narrative out the window as the focus shifted on, well, cute girls doing cute things. Conversations were centered around how the protagonist looked like a middle schooler, and we already had a handful of scenes/shots of the group leader sleeping in her panties in the office, and how that makes for awkward situations. I told myself that I would drop the show...

...

...more than once. 

     The OP was fan-tas-tic. I can't believe how much I liked it; it appealed to every shallow and guilty pleasure I have for music. I still can't listen to it without smiling. I'm not saying it's perfect, and I'll probably forget about it in less than a year, but the fact that it kept me coming back to the show is a testament of some sort. 

     These initial impressions did little past strengthening, or even exaggerating my preconceptions of their respective shows. Where I though Orange could be interesting enough, I was now convinced that it was "great!" Similarly with New Game!, where I thought it was uninteresting for specifically me, I now felt as if it were somehow a parasite on the anime industry. How dare it take an interesting concept and make an uninspired show, void of any creativity. I mean, even if it didn't take itself seriously, it could at least pull a Konosuba and be a parody of itself!

     But I digress.

Oh, How Things Have Changed

     Here's the thing. I'm terrible at guessing what an anime experience is going to be like. I thought Steins;Gate was going to be an action/thriller that couldn't hold my attention; I thought The Monogatari Series [1] [2] was going to be a love story buried under borderline softcore pornography that I wouldn't be able to sit through; I thought I would like Madoka Magica [3], AND THEN I thought there's no way the trudge to the end was going to be worth it. 

     Again I'm bad at this stuff, but I love that I am, because I'm learning to do something about that. 

I don't think I get bonus points for thinking that
a show about a guy who likes marshmallows
was going to be dumb, unfortunately.
Ojisan to Marshmallow, Episode 7

     Look, I was already something to the tune of four (4) episodes in to New Game!, and I'm not a quitter. If I could stick with Katanagatari [4] through its slow spots, I could get through this. So I kept watching, and then something happened around the mid-point of the season.

     If you're not familiar with the structure of how anime is released, it's easiest to describe it as being significantly less independent than American TV is. There's a spring season, summer season, etc. etc., and almost every anime that's ever come out has fit snugly into one or multiple complete season time-frames with few exception. This is why you get terms like OVA, ONA, Specials, and finale movies so often. When a show wants to operate outside of the bounds of this structure, the extra bits usually don't air at all, and go straight to the web, or box sets -- whatever is available. 

     I bring this up because New Game! and Orange will hit similar episode numbers at the same time, so they were at the mid-point of their seasons at the same time. This weird thing happened during their shared mid-point.

     Both of these shows changed.

     Well, it may not be that they changed, but a lot of things cleared up, and I was no longer seeing things that weren't there, and claiming that a show didn't have one thing when it simply hadn't gotten there yet. 

Orange

     Again looking at Orange first, it's failed to live up to any of its potential up until now, and it's a damn shame. I read on r/anime that a big problem with the show was that they've changed some of the order of events, and it's causing a lot of statements and actions to not make sense. Even without knowing the specifics, you should be able to infer what this means.

     The show has stagnated. Romance plots are spinning their wheels, where confessions of love have been proclaimed, but characters are still acting as if they're trying to hide their true feelings. Characters who were immediately interesting and complex are now back-tracking and trying to develop themselves into something that we already know they are.  There are many contradicting actions and motives.

     Possibly worse than that, however, the visual quality has tanked. I can't exaggerate this. Another reddit user jokingly said that they spent their entire budget to get Kana Hanazawa [5], but I would not put it past that being the case. 

     This isn't me being nit-picky, either. Omitting establishing shots and face close-ups, there are an unbelievable number of scenes where the main subject is mangled or impossible to differentiate between other characters. And yeah, I am a little particular about animation an opinionated about art-styles, but this is beyond that. It is a technical liability for the viewer because these quality errors inhibit their ability to understand what's going on.

"Hey honey, if you want to change your clothes and hair
color, get someone to greet you!"

It kind of worked, with some unintentional casualties.
Note that these are families of main characters.

"I got my eye on you~"

     Couple that with a narrative with no drive and the show is basically unwatchable. I've since downgraded it to a 4 (bad) /10 on MAL. Also, it might be the only anime where every guy character is more enjoyable than the female characters, and it's not because the guys are particularly enjoyable -- Naho is almost unbearable at this point. 

     Still, if you were somehow able to look past the objective technical problems the show has, you'd be hard-pressed to find something subjective to like here. It doesn't capitalize on any of its moral potential, and the characters are barely unique, and some never act as such. There's no reason to care for a character when their decision-making is indistinguishable from the rest of the cast, omitting the antagonist.  

I didn't mean it literally, but here, the animators
moved the wrong character's mouth. One voice,
entirely different character. 

Many of the Orange pictures came from the users in this thread. This is all just one giant reddit shoutout!

New Game!

     I won't jerk you around, I wouldn't be writing this piece if it wasn't for a polar opposite reaction here, but I entertain the thought that there's a little more insight here.

     No, New Game! may not be a great anime, but it's pretty good. In fact, I think that somewhere deep down, I understood that there was something worth watching when I was still with the show despite the fact that the only thing I could pinpoint as a "pro" was the OP. 

     A big part of my retraction of my knee-jerk reaction comes directly from what I originally saw as a con --

No, not that now I like watching cute girls doing cute
things, but have I ever mentioned that I will eat up any
character design that's a brunette in a ponytail?
You can blame that one on Tifa, I bet. 

-- I understand the angle that the show was trying to take on the "working for a video game company" element now, and it's an interesting implementation. 

     New Game! is a story about working for video game companies (and similar work environments) in the small things. People message each other instead of talking face-to-face because of its familiarity and convenience; your desk space turns into a visual representation of your hobbies; your coworkers become a huge part of your life despite your differences; staying overnight to work on a project is going to become the norm.

Hajime Shinoda is on the animation team. She keeps
replica weapons at her desk because she likes them, but
also because she can get a feel for how they might affect
character movement, as seen above.

Oh look, somebody reputable actually wrote about just that.

     The thing is, New Game! was actually clever in its implementation of its setting. The tropes are all there, but if you're going to compare the experience to say, K-On!, you're going to be hard-pressed to find any connections to make. Also, you'll notice the two pictures immediately above are both in front of the same wall; the cubicle space is pretty realistic.

     Other than that, it's just pleasing to watch. Hifumi is an absolute darling, and fortunately, all of the other characters are equally as interesting. Save Sakura Nene, every character is a joy to see on screen, and I don't ever recall thinking that one character needed more time or that any others needed any less on screen (Again, Hifumi and Nene are the exceptions. Put Hifumi on the screen 24/7 please.)

     Now, where New Game! really brings out my sharp disappointment in Orange is in its animation and art. I mean, just look at these character designs:

     Every single character looks unique. As the show demands, they're all cute for sure, but you can just about pinpoint what every character is supposed to be without any extra information.

     Again though, it goes beyond that; they're beautiful designs, and I never get tired of looking at any of them. There are moments in the show where the characters are fetishized, but it's never obscene, for example.

     What I can't show you in a simple picture is the love put into the animation (If you really wanted to see, you could go back up to where I liked the show's opening; The entire show looks as good as, and dare I say at times better than the OP). It's crystal clear and smooth, and before my experiences this season, I would have definitely taken that for granted. Even if it's just meeting a basic standard (which in my opinion, it surpasses), it turns into a plus for me in light of recent events. 

"Recent Events"

     I'm still not saying it's a great show, or even that I recommend it, but I've enjoyed it, and I'm not ashamed that I enjoy it. 

Why Does Any of This Matter?

     It doesn't really. If you don't watch these shows, I don't think you're particularly missing anything. All this really was was an excuse for me to share an experience I though epitomized what I've been forcing myself into in the anime consumption department. It may not be that broad horizons and expanding your tastes is good or bad, but I think that being narrow-minded is bad, and I've set to remedy myself on that. A year ago, I would have still claimed that Orange was better than New Game! just because it didn't fit my definition of what makes a show good. 

     So I don't know, call it a testimonial for trying new things. Maybe I had a thought in the middle of the night that I couldn't put to bed. Maybe it's just extra pulp. 

References

Finalemonogatari pt. I [1]

Finalemonogatari pt. II [2]

There's a small review of Madoka Magica in An Update, My Absence, and a Couple of Small Reviews [3]

Katanagatari as an Argument [4]

A link to that almost verbatim quote [5]

Katanagatari as an Argument

Hey look, this piece is finally out.

Listen to the audio version here!

      Telling a story can be a tricky thing. It requires a lot of finesse to simultaneously push the story along while describing each aspect to the extent you need -- all without losing the audience's attention. On top of that, it's very easy to accidentally go off on a tangent, or get sidetracked with a part of the story that doesn't add a lot of value to the narrative.

      Which brings up a good question: If there are things that don't add value to a narrative, what is it that does?

      I've never really been able to come up with an answer to that question on my own; there is no secret formula to a great story. Each one is complicated and has its own unique traits. The common consensus seems to be that every work should have a point, and every part of the story should work to sell that message. Even as I write this, I wonder if it all is worth keeping; if it all works in my favor.

Katanagatari has unique answers to this question. 

An Introduction
&
"Should you Watch" for Katanagatari

      This is not a review or grading of Katanagatari. It's also not an intro or recommendation. It's an opportunity to re-evaluate the message Nisio Isin was sending with this story. I do recommend you decide whether or not you want to ever watch Katanagatari before reading this, as it will be full of spoilers and direct references to the series, but it's not necessary to have seen it to understand the post (you'll be able to keep reading spoiler-free until the section titled "Katanagatari is a Story Worth Telling").

      If you think you might be interested in the series, here's some basic info: It's 12 ~forty-eight minute long episodes, features a romance, is somewhat action oriented, and has a LOT of talking. There are a couple of major twists, and it has a unique art style. It's well received, with an 8.5/10 on MAL, and is somewhat of a mix between The Monogatari Series and Spice & Wolf -- though I don't think it stacks up to either of those two. Here's Demo saying why it's really good, and Digibro saying why it's really bad. 

     I liked Katanagatari well enough, but it did have its problems in my mind. The show is pretty episodic, meaning that it spends entire episodes on an idea and group of characters, and then never really brings those things back up in later episodes (except for major plot points). This is only a problem because there were some episodes that were about characters or ideas that I just wasn't interested in. On the flip side, some others were fantastic, and got me really excited to continue the series. 
     The comedy was also really unique, and as I mentioned, is easiest to compare to Spice & Wolf. Though some of the comedic moments seemed to fall flat, when it connected, I found it very funny. 

I found this on yande.re, I think it might be official art?

     White Fox was the animation company behind Katanagatari, and that's one of the best things about it. The quality is outstanding, and the art style is unique and beautifully animated. In the episodes with lackluster plot, I could at least get engrossed in the visuals.
     I liked Katanagatari, but I don't think I would recommend it to myself or ever re-watch it.
     

The Things That Aren't Important

     Before we really dive into Katanagatari, it's worth noting that there's a lot going on, and it's tricky to sort through what is and is not important to talk about. For example, the protagonists are (to an extent) driven by their duty to the shogunate, but that's only important to progress the plot, and not for the overall message of the show (or this blog). 
Similarly, the witty dialogue and extremely human (read as: complicated) motives and character interaction dominate the series, and if those things don't appeal to you, neither will this show. But again, this doesn't add to the message at all. Even the title gives us an idea of what the premise is -- lit. "Sword Story" -- without conveying the message of the show.
     However, this is all simultaneously what Katanagatari is about, and it makes it really difficult to talk to someone who's never seen it about what it is without spoiling it. With that, you get your last spoiler alert. 

Katanagatari is a Story Worth Telling

     And that's it. The end result of Katanagatari is utter failure for everyone involved, and that nothing was changed. 

鑢七花 by Nod

     Here's a rundown on the conclusion: It's revealed that the entire journey was a premeditated process to transform Yasuri Shichika (The protagonist) into the perfect weapon [against his will], and it works. Kiki Shikizaki, the man who put this plot into motion and who made the 12 "perfect" blades many years before, saw a future of Japan becoming globally obsolete and wished to avoid that future by killing the shogun with the perfected Yasuri. 

     Togame dies, bested by Princess Hitei, and Yasuri's love dies with her. The swords that she and Yasuri spent the entirety of the show collecting are all destroyed, giving the journey seemingly no purpose for those involved, and Togame's presence in history becomes insignificant (other than for being the catalyst for the perfected Yasuri in death, which again, really doesn't have much meaning in and of itself).

     Shichika does in fact kill the Shogun, but the next heir succeeds him, takes his throne, and Japan lives on as it was. It continues on the original path, and the future that Kiki Shikizaki saw comes to be.

     Immediately, Katanagatari seems like a story about failure, right in line with its conclusion. Initially, I assumed the message to be something like this: 

Some things you just can't overcome. Sometimes the biggest kid on the playground is the strongest kid on the playground. Sometimes the puppet-master cannot be overcome, and accepting that is a part of life.

     That message could even be expanded further -- to the incredible force that is fate. It's a grim message, but one that I thought matched the tone of the ending and fell in line with the conclusion of the journey.

     The narrator, however, sheds some light on the real message. Despite everything turning out to be for naught, Nisio Isin argues that Katanagatari was still a story worth telling. So I return to my initial question: 

What Was It That Was Worth Telling?

     The answer to this question is what makes me as fond of this show as I am. There really wasn't anything about Katanagatari that made it worth telling at first glance. Again, there didn't seem to be any real moral to the story, and there definitely wasn't a victorious ending. A grand lesson wasn't learned, and nothing seemed to be overcome. 

I need to learn Japanese so I can source images better.

     The problem isn't Katanagatari, however. It's in this way of thinking -- that a good story has to have a goal accomplished, whether it be happily ever after or otherwise. Again, nobody walked away from Katanagatari successful. Not even the antagonist(s). So what's the point?

The point is that the characters of Katanagatari lived.

     There's a few variations of a cliché I often hear people say when they state what would validate their lives: 
"All that matters in life is that I leave my mark on this world,"
"I want to be remembered," or
"I want to change the world with my life"

     The point of Katanagatari I believe is an argument against this cliche. None of the characters of Katanagatari made a mark in the world, and in fact, you could say that the world was largely unaffected by their presence. To the people who would validate their own lives with these common saying, the lives of these characters logically were worthless. Again, I think Nisio Isin's message with Katanagatari is an argument against just that.

     If you even for a moment enjoyed Katanagatari, it was a story worth telling, and the lives and other things within it had meaning.

     I genuinely believe this, too. There are things about Katanagatari that welcome extra thought, and indulging in them is as rewarding as any other critical thinking.

What is There to Think About?

Togame

    Togame is an interesting character (though perhaps more clever viewers would argue that with me). She's introduced to us as a "good guy," and a romantic interest and partnership is very quickly formed around her. Initially, I accepted these rushed developments as something comparable to Senjougahara in Monogatari. 

時すでに始まりを刻む by  木崎七

"...the moments between Araragi and Senjougahara become less important. They're already established, and you, the viewer, have to be sold... that there is no real threat to that relationship."

- Excerpt from Extra Pulp OJ, Finalemonogatari pt. II

     In hindsight however, throughout the journey, we see that Togame was never really that good of a person. Her romance with Yasuri was very forced and unnatural, and she was never really that nice to him. In fact, she used him down to her final moments, and intended to continue that trend had she survived.
     On top of that, every single other character either questioned Togame's character, or outright said that she was a bad person. If anyone in Katanagatari was bad, it was her.

     Of course though, it's not that black and white. Togame was relieved to see that this journey ended prematurely with her death. She came around to sincerely loving Yasuri, and didn't want to kill him when the journey concluded (though she said she still would have). She seemed to only be able to continue her life with an ultimate goal in mind, and that life seemed hollow to her if she allowed herself to be caught up in anything else. She wasn't a bad person to the core, she was just living with herself the only way she thought she could. It's an interestingly fresh take on death being a sweet release, and the whole scene was one that kept me teetering back and forth between sadness and relief, and then guilt for feeling relief -- etc. etc. It was a really unique moment, and one that I don't think I will ever see the likes of again.

     It all gets even more interesting when you bring up the rivalry between her and the Princess, Hitei. Similarly, the viewer is spoon-fed the idea that Hitei was a bad person. Of course, she was an antagonist (albeit not the main one), but the only person who ever said anything bad about her was Togame. Again, that gets stranger the more you think about it. 

Hitei, the Rival

     Since she was Togame's rival, naturally Princess Hitei was also not the bad person that we were led to believe she is. Togame also never explicitly said that Hitei was a bad person, only that she got on her nerves, and was in fact her rival. 
     Also, the end result Hitei chased was in ways a good one. Hitei wanted to see Kiki Shikizaki's plan out for no reason other than to "see what happens." If it succeed, then she believed that Japan would have a better chance to change its ways in hopes of staying a global power, ensuring its people's prosperity. If it failed, then we weren't throwing that possibility away, and nothing really was going to change anyway. 
     Of course, you can't look past the fact that she was more than okay with throwing away lives for her cause. Though this includes Togame, it goes much further than that. She took it upon herself to ensure that Yasuri became the insane, perfected weapon that would kill all who stood before him.

ずっとね by みくに

     Though this dynamic of bad-with-good-motives and vice-versa is interesting, I still find the most entertaining part of her character to be her rivalry with Togame -- specifically, how playful it was. Hitei and Togame loved to get under each other's skin, and they both knew fully well that they couldn't both accomplish their goals. However, neither of them ever said that they hated the other, and Hitei even mentioned that she was somehow sad to see Togame gone. I believe the reason that Emonzaemon's serious demeanor bothered Hitei so much was because it was so against everything that she saw the situation as. If it were recorded historically, it would seem like a hostile rivalry that was perhaps over-cautiously handled by Hitei, but if you asked her, I think she would remember the whole affair fondly.

Shichika and Death

     The motive for Yasuri's epic finale at the castle seems apparent, but it's a little more than what it appears at face value. He claims that he came to the Owari Shogunate Castle to die, but I don't believe he ever entertained the idea that he could be killed by anyone [there]. 
     What Yasuri wanted from this showdown was for the Yasuri Shichika that acted according to Togame to die. In simpler terms, he wanted to prove that he no longer operated according to the criteria Togame placed upon him. It's important, however to understand this as Yasuri dying, because as he puts it, he "can't do anything without [Togame]."

     First of all, Togame told Yasuri to avoid ever hurting himself. By showing up to the castle, he deliberately put himself in harm's way, and in as much of it as possible. Secondly, as Yasuri worked his way up, he destroyed every Deviant Blade that he and Togame had collected. This accomplished two things:

1. It destroyed the physical items that bonded Yasuri to Togame
2. More importantly, Togame had told him to never let the swords be damaged. Yet again, this was him proving that he was no longer acting according to Togame's commands.

     The third important thing for Yasuri was for Emonzaemon to face him in this death battle. More specifically, he believed that Emonzaemon was the only one who could "kill" him. There's an interesting level of understanding from Emon- to Yasuri that's, as they see it, unique to the two of them.

     If you recall, or somehow missed it, Emonzaemon changed his name. He did so after his village was annihilated by the Maniwa Corps. well over 100 years ago. In a sense, he became a new person and took a new name to signify that. His death was mental, not physical.

     Yasuri wanted Emonzaemon to be the proof that Yasuri, Togame's sword, was dead. There are a few more additional elements to this act -- it was Yasuri's defiance to simultaneously avenge and disobey Togame by killing her killer, and a sword cannot act on its own, so by him acting, he was obviously no one's sword anymore, just to name a couple -- but the mutual understanding is the most important element. 

     Of course when this is all said and done, Yasuri still has life after Togame to address. When you look at the state of Yasuri's life after the journey, it's not a pretty picture. For one, he killed his sister, who he very much loved, with his own hands for the sake of multiple people who were using him.

刀語 by 白谷

     By the story's conclusion, he has no family, no home, and no place to really go. He should be wanted as the man who killed the shogun, and the love of his life is now dead. He's probably the most powerful person in at least Japan for nobody's benefit (other than there being no one who can really harm him). 

     And yet, he moves on and lives on. He's able to walk alongside the woman mainly responsible for Togame's death, and decided to do something with himself, using his knowledge from the journey to map out Japan (which is something that hadn't ever been done well before). I like that he chooses to do this, because it's what Togame believed she would do at the journey's end, so it is in a way a tribute to her. However, she had asked him to spread the phrase "Cheerio!" across Japan as a triumphant slogan, and it seems as if he refuses to do that. He's finally able to live his life without being manipulated or secluded.

Conclusion

     There are so many aspects like this -- too many to write about -- that make Katanagatari a completely different show than what it's actually about. Despite the fact that nothing in it seems to matter, and that every conflict and death are pointless, they're worth telling. When I write, I have a hard time worrying about whether or not something is worth stating.

But that's Katanagatari's secret, Captain. None of it matters. 

I can't believe I'm going to end this post on a meme.