Alright, first real post of the new year.
I realize that I’m much too late to make any sort of an announcement post for K-on! season 2 (which has been greenlighted to air, by the way =D). However, it is not too late for me to post an opinion on the matter. Looking at twitter, blogs, comments on forums and image boards; it’s clear to see that peoples’ opinions on the matter of K-on! are mixed. Season 2, even more so. I say that because with season 2, not only do people have the “moeblob” thing to complain about, they also have the “does this need a season 2?” thing.
I did not participate in K-on! flame wars. I had no interest. But when I’m seeing people still talking about this series and how it “doesn’t deserve a sequel”, I can’t help but wonder where you get the authority to say that. And really, why are you bothering?
Flaming a series on twitter or in a random blog post isn’t doing to change anything. The series is still going to be aired. The only thing you cause is anger and disorder. I think artists have the right idea. Just draw what you want and don’t listen to the comments people make. Support the series you like and don’t touch the ones you don’t like. Though, I suppose flaming wouldn’t be flaming if it actually had an effect.
Who is to say that “moe” doesn’t deserve attention? In my eyes, it’s just another type of fanservice, and I don’t see people complaining in droves about the other fanservice shows coming out. Chu-Bra!!? No one has mentioned that one, really. I don’t see people whining about Shin Koihime Musou, a sequel that I’ve heard some say shouldn’t have been made. (I’m not judging it though, since I haven’t seen it.)
The best reason I can come up with for K-on! hatred, is that it’s a popular series. Everyone wants to target the popular series, or, rather, you only notice it because people watch the popular series. Most people would drop the anime and move on if they didn’t like it, but for its popularity, yes? It’s popular, so you have to have an opinion on it, yes?
This sort of thing makes me think, “why can’t we just leave each others’ preferences alone?” There are people who will not admit their stance on this show, or who try to keep it quiet, because they don’t want to be flamed. I think that is sad. I especially think that the need for that is sad regarding a show that is, really, a “moeblob”. Why are people getting so hyped up about it?
My own personal stance on the matter is that K-on! was a show I liked. I don’t mind watching moe for twenty minutes. I actually managed to keep up to date with this show. That is me. Now, what I don’t get are the people who continue to watch it, and then finish an episode and rage about it. Clearly the show doesn’t have a lot of substance. It’s a 4koma manga; their definition is “no real substance” (exaggerated). Why would you think the anime would be any different?
Am I looking forward to the sequel? Sure. Do I think one was necessary? Not really. I liked the first season, and I’m reading the manga. I don’t necessarily need to see more of it. Was it deserved? Well, I’d have preferred a Little Busters! anime, but that doesn’t mean K-on! shouldn’t get a sequel. It has a fanbase, so why not get one? It’ll surely be better than the anime on an intelligent person’s “worst anime” list.
And really, if K-on! is there for you, watch more anime.
30 comments
January 2, 2010 at 11:42 am
Gargron
I liked K-ON. I remember doing a post about that, ‘how everybody’s hating K-ON and blahblahblah, and how it’s actually OK and lalala.’
January 2, 2010 at 11:53 am
mefloraine
Yeah, I probably read it. I’m just tired of seeing the hating starting up a second time. Who knows what’ll happen once the series actually starts airing? Saaa.
January 2, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Aeldt
what u say really sums it up for the rest of us without blogs and a passion for posting our thoughts. good piece.
January 2, 2010 at 5:21 pm
mefloraine
Thank you. I’m glad I was able to make a statement for some people who can’t.
January 2, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Ryan A
I need to finish this.. tcheee~ I’m not sure the popularity aspect is what causes the flaming, rather I think it is fans being sucked in and then “overly vocal” about their interest in the series (blind hype).
With this stimulation, a number of [likely nonconstructive] blogs posts, fan art, etc manifest. So, many who don’t like the overhead (K-On! getting 1000 posts in a season) are going to easily get negative on it in hopes that people will just watch (or not) and shut up.
Viewers can experience a series and it is a “closed” event (viewers are not relying on other viewers to have the experience… they do it on their own). Anything beyond the experience isn’t necessarily needed, nor should it be voided (we need a balance of post content in the community… see my writings on redundancy for more info), but with viewers drunken on hyper-moe-kawaiisum there tends to be pointless overhead en mass. There may be correlation with popularity, but generally it is the fans dumbing-down and expressing themselves illogically which is the catalyst.
The constructive perspective: can we identify with both sides and find a solution which satisfies all sides?
January 2, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Nicocompass
>rather I think it is fans being sucked in and then “overly vocal” about their interest in the series (blind hype).
That’s just a reflection of the mindless partisanship that happens on any discussion about K-On!. Anyone who dislikes it is a “hater” and anyone who likes it is just “following the blind hype”. The groupthink on both sides of the argument is boggling.
January 2, 2010 at 5:36 pm
mefloraine
It’s ridiculous. You should be able to like a series for itself or dislike it for itself without being grouped. Though, I will gladly group someone who goes bashing it as a “hater”, since, in that case, they are. :P
January 2, 2010 at 5:37 pm
mefloraine
Well, if the series wasn’t popular, the small voices that talk about it wouldn’t be heard (or listened to) so much in the first place. And the fire, so to speak, wouldn’t spread.
January 2, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Response to K-ON! S2 at Paper Flower - aloe, dream
[...] melforaine’s perspective that everyone should not be concerned/care about others’ preference for [...]
January 2, 2010 at 2:11 pm
Smithy
Am quite pleasantly surprised to see you exactly pinpoint the sore spot. While it goes hand in hand with the Internet and what it has become in part as a forum for negative people to voice their hate and disrespect while shrouded in a shield of anonymity.
As both you and Ryan A also said, many people seem to loose their way or sight of what love and passion really is and degenerate into needless and senseless flaming.
One of my motives in blogging is adding the small part I can add by spreading a positive message of passion and love for the things I like, anime, art, etc,… if more positive and level-headed people voice their opinions this way, like I also saw here, then we can shine more light into the abyss of darkness and hate that such flaming can be.
Also, the moeblob and equal hating/flaming of it is just the latest fad for such negative people to whine about. Series with moe elements like “K-ON!” aren’t new at all, but recently the term moeblob got popular and so did using it to bash such series. Quite sad actually.
Like Vash said: “Love and peace.”
Ah, about “Shin Koihime†Musou”… the original eroge “Shin Koihime†Musou” is more an alternate retelling or remake of the original “Koihime†Musou”. The “Koihime†Musou” anime was based on the eroge but treaded far from it in genre and story, even though the “Shin Koihime†Musou” anime should be an adaptation of the “Shin Koihime†Musou” eroge which it is in some way as it takes over all the new characters introduced there, it also follows directly on the events of the “Koihime†Musou” anime. So it is a sequel and yet it’s also not a sequel. ^^;;
Sorry for the “Shin Koihime†Musou” nitpicking there. >_<
January 2, 2010 at 5:40 pm
mefloraine
Ho ho ho, I have good observation skills sometimes. ;)
Well, “moeblob” is a more or less accurate term…since most of the show does tend to revolve around moe aspects, but I don’t see why it has to be a negative term. I like this “moeblob”!
Ah ha, I see. Nitpicking is okay. :P
January 2, 2010 at 3:47 pm
FaS
Definitely a valid point, but I guess that’s what comments are for lol. I mean I love it when people get into discussions on my page. It doesn’t happen very much, but it’s cool when it does. I haven’t seen K-ON! yet…and didn’t want to at first…but with all this hoopla around it, I’m thinking about watching the first season just to review the second season (if I like it of course). But I dont think people are flaming it because it’s “moe” per se, but maybe because (mind you I haven’t seen this show) it’s dumb or boring or something. I wouldn’t know. But anyways, I guess everyone will see if it’s gonna do good sooner or later :P
January 2, 2010 at 5:41 pm
mefloraine
Well, I don’t think it’s dumb and boring. And if you do think it’s dumb and boring, my thought is that you should stop watching it and leave it alone. There isn’t a need for this constant flaming, in my opinion.
January 2, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Ippiki Ookami
Marked for trolling.
I guess it goes to show just how out of touch I am with the anime blogosphere considering I’ve never heard of “moeblob” or such a gulf between the viewers of the show…
I’m going to go in the opposite direction of most of your readers and say that I think your point is a bit contradictory (for example: why bother writing an article asking why someone else is bothering to write an article on why someone else is bothering…). I’m not familiar with this particular “event”, but… you’re saying one should not air their grievances regarding a show because, I presume (the most common argument), that it’s a waste of their time to spend it on watching a show they don’t enjoy, just to write their (naturally unfavorable) opinion on it. And/or that it doesn’t add anything/is unpleasant for those who do like it.
But really, watching a show they do enjoy is still a waste of time; and who is to say they don’t enjoy the overall experience? People do not do things they dislike for no reason… because they perceive the end result is to hold greater pleasure than the pain endured (see: job/money).
In that regard, I would say they’re qualified to write on it; having actually watched it. Disregarding whether they gave it a fair chance or not, of course. If you come along later, interested in reading articles about the show, your opinion (wherever it lies) is not going to change whether the article you read hates the show or loves it.
And, in my personal opinion, I find articles that praise the show without question are just as pointless as articles that hate the show without question. Yet, no one complains about the former…
As individuals, we approve of people who share our same sentiments. I’m sure most of the people here have enjoyed reading an article or section of an article that wrote disparaging remarks about a show they similarly disliked. But that’s simply not acceptable in this case. To me, that’s an unfair contradiction.
Of course, the only middle ground would be to simply describe the show without any life or hint of personality. And where would the fun be in that? My only advice would be to not take others’ opinions to heart. Just because they (don’t) like it, doesn’t mean it’s an absolute truth, that you have to be the same, or that you have to convince them they’re wrong for it.
Now, if it’s someone who’s constantly going out to blogs and posting disparaging remarks about the author’s like or dislike of a show (note: I believe posting disparaging remarks about the show is fair game), that’s just trolling and should be ignored. =P
/raaaaage (maybe? kind of?)
Don’t know if I organized my thoughts well here, but I hope I stayed relatively on topic. =P
As for my opinions on K-ON! season 2, I’m a little disappointed. I didn’t think K-ON! was a bad show, in fact, it was pretty good (maybe a 7/10? 7.5/10?)… but since Kyoani typically only does one show a season, I really wanted to see something I would be more interested in. Little Busters! or a FMP! sequel. I’ll probably watch the second season, but keep hoping for something better (to me) over the horizon.
tl;dr: Mmm, cookies and milk…
January 2, 2010 at 7:27 pm
mefloraine
I think there’s a difference between writing a fair post on your opinion of a series, having watched all or part of it and writing a blog post that consists of a bunch of screencaps and then “moeshit!” at the bottom. Or referring to a series as “moeshit” on a constant basis. Thank you, we heard it the first time. =.= I also approve of writing a post or making a comment about a series if you’ve only watched the first episode or so, as long as you speak only about what you watched. After all, you can only judge what you’ve experienced for yourself. Or at least admit what you’re talking about.
Also, as far as my “writing an article asking why someone else is bothering to write an article on why someone else is bothering…”, well, because I’m getting my thoughts into the air.
And I am not writing a post to say that people should not air out their grievances. I am writing a post to say that people should not waste their time complaining about a series, in a completely skewed manner. There is a difference between saying, “I don’t like this type of series much, I think it’s all focused on moe, and I’m not going to finish it,” and “This is moeshit, it sucks, and no one should watch it.” It’s the impressing your ides on others that bugs me the most, I think.
Hey, I wanted Little Busters! as well, but eh, we’re not the producers. :P
tl;dr *eats your cookies and drinks your milk*
January 2, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Ippiki Ookami
Part of my point is that they’re not impressing their ideas on anyone. You are not forced to read their article (unless, contrary to popular belief, someone has strapped you to a chair, etc.; in which case, give me the address, I’ll help! (whom?)). You could more easily stop reading their article at the first “moeshit” (and if this is how they write their articles, it’s not one I would want to read anyway), than to convince them of the righteousness of not referring to the show you like as very cute feces.
Some people get pleasure out of writing extremely rude articles like that. Relieves stress, gain some internet fame, very strange and twisted personality, etc… but, the point is, they have a reason for writing that. Why not let them? Why force them to write like everyone else? They either have an audience who enjoys it, or they don’t care what anyone else thinks. Either way, they don’t feel like it’s a waste of their time, and they’re not going to suddenly burst out into Kumbaya and get along with everyone else.
I’m going to note that I’m not saying I think you shouldn’t have written this article or I dislike your attitude on it or anything… similarly, your opinions are valid in your view and the reader can decide to stop reading whenever they want. So would you please stop eating my cookies and milk? ;_;
January 2, 2010 at 8:10 pm
mefloraine
Well, if someone says, “I like K-on!”. And someone else replies with “That’s moeshit, why the hell are you watching that crap? *rant rant*”, it’s not so voluntary, is it? (You’d better be on my side in that situation!) And I’m not trying to convince anyone that K-on! is righteous. I don’t see a need to do that. I’m just saying, excessive complaint is not necessary, and it’s an irritation.
*nom nom nom*
January 2, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Ippiki Ookami
Those qualify as trolls and should indeed be ignored. Banning or burning them works even better, though. ^^b
January 2, 2010 at 8:14 pm
mefloraine
Burning, for sure.
January 2, 2010 at 9:22 pm
ETERNAL
I think K-on is more of a scapegoat than anything else. It’s purely moe-focused and extremely popular, so the anti-moe camp uses it as a punching bag. I imagine it’s a sort of automatic, counter-culture sort of reaction, but it’s ultimately pointless. All I know is that the exact same thing would happen if you replace moe with any other all-consuming trend.
January 2, 2010 at 9:58 pm
mefloraine
Maybe so, but that doesn’t make the remarks less annoying/pointless.
January 3, 2010 at 4:24 am
Smithy
Also do think that since the moe term and genre have gained in popularity, all the haters suddenly jumped on the flame bandwagon.
Because we could ask, is “K-ON!” really all but moe? If you take away the design element of the characters that is classified as moe how is the series different in its slice-of life genre than say “Aria”? Some say it also lacks story, how does “K-ON!” lack story compared to a classic like “Azumanga Daioh”? In fact it has more main plot than “Azumanga Daioh”. If you would draw the “Azumanga Daioh” characters in the style used for “K-ON!” would that suddenly make “Azumanga Daioh” a moeblob show and no longer one of the best school comedies ever?
Can understand the argument to ignore such trolls and haters, but just ignoring them isn’t going to solve the problem that the Internet and out world is getting increasingly overrun by such negative people and we should do something to fix that problem. Spreading a positive message may help, so why not try?
January 3, 2010 at 7:10 am
mefloraine
I think the show has a lot of focus in moe. I do also think it has a story. And yes, more of a story than Azumanga. It is also, in my opinion, a bit of a slice of life story. And I think it fulfills its roles in those aspects well. I will not argue that it was drawn with the best style possible (though the artwork does accentuate the moe aspects), and I won’t argue for animation quality, etc. It’s a moe show, and it works. (The songs were fun too.)
I believe firmly in the power of positivity, especially in cases like this, where it is possible for it to help a bit. And I would never mind my blog post being passed around. :D;;
January 3, 2010 at 9:49 am
jusuchin85
I remember writing about K-ON! on Gargron’s blog many moons ago, and how I thought that it was a bit of an overhyped. Personally, the reason why I mentioned that it was overhyped was because of the moeblob-ness of the series. Well, that was my opinion.
But to the others who said that it doesn’t deserve a second season was a bit far-fetched. No matter what we say, it was still gonna happen (like what you mentioned). The only thing is, to each his own. But one should not too far as to flame it on message boards, forums etc. If you don’t like, then you say you don’t like it. Starting a flame to influence others is not gonna help; it’s making you look like a total idiot! >.<
January 3, 2010 at 10:01 am
mefloraine
Yes! But it sure is fun to laugh at those idiots.
They never really have much of an argument as to why everyone should hate the series anyway. It’s basically, “I think this series sucks, so you should too.”
January 3, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Yi
Personally I liked K-On! a lot. I tend to think that the majority of the people who outspokenly hates it are only trying to act counter culture and nonconformist. In their minds, not being mainstream makes them, in some ways, cooler than the average anime watcher.
K-On! while not the best ever, is entertaining and I would certainly love to watch a second season.
January 3, 2010 at 5:23 pm
mefloraine
Not being “mainstream” also means you watch a lot of crappy anime. There are reasons mainstream titles are mainstream, and while I won’t say all mainstream titles are good (especially when you draw them out as long as Bleach or Naruto), I won’t say they’re terrible either.
January 4, 2010 at 6:42 am
Ruby
Ahh finally a blogger who likes K-on, there’s so many hate of K-on around and flaming that I get too scared to comment and instead of defending K-on I rather not say anything xD, I think most people hate it because its cute and completely pointless with almost absolutely no storyline, and also because of the fact that its popular and people go moe crazy. I thought the series overall was very boring, but the last ep was okay, I actually like it. I wonder what season 2 is going to be about :3
January 4, 2010 at 9:38 am
mefloraine
I think/hope/expect it’ll be more of the same. After all, the manga continues in much the same way. The last episode of the first season was indeed good. I listened to their song multiple times, which is rare for me.
January 5, 2010 at 4:50 am
Ryan A’s Response to K-ON! S2 at Paper Flower « The Ghosts of Discussions
[...] Ryan A’s Response to K-ON! S2 at Paper Flower Original Post: K-on! Season 2 [...]