jumps
Ok, finally managed to watch air 9 and 10 last night. I should have been doing other things (like writing a real rant or something) but i just felt the need to veg, and for some compelling reason i was in the mood to watch the a show that is emotionally moving to some extent. Possible spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen em, but they are minor.
I’ve said before that sometimes the inspiration that you get from something is not only in how much you like something, but also in how you note that you would approach what it is doing differently. I confess, i tend to not only like but always want to write stories that have a high level of emotive movement in them. I always get into trouble with Megatokyo because it was never really set up to be that kind of story but i tend to interject a lot of it anyway. Warmth is a story where i am free to cut loose with a complex emotive roller coaster … which i wonder is a good thing or not.
A good emotive story is tempered by a lot of touch points and things that ground it in ways that readers/viewers can latch onto it and can understand it. Air does two things that to me create some stretches for people that make it harder (tho not impossible) to make that emotive connectivity between the characters and the viewer. The game is a bit more intimate than an anime is, of course, but it still applies there too. I’m not a fan of flashbacks. People are linear thinkers, and having to apply a layer of logic and backward thinking to what you are seeing i think causes an stretch in the emotive connection between you and the characters. Also, with this 1000 year leap back in time… its too fantastical, i think. It’s hard to connect with it. What touchpoint do modern people have with that ancient past? (even if it is well rendered.)
I think if i were japanese it might be an easier connection, so i’ve kept that in mind, and you can also argue that there are plenty of stories that take place in ancient japan that are very moving - the problem here is the jump. We are comfortably set in today, trying to grasp what is wrong with Misuzu, and fwoom, you get dumped into a 1000 year old story arc. I’m not saying that this is bad story telling, its just that to me, it weakens much of what AIR has been so good at up to now - the explanations start to become stretches that are alien to our own experiences and understandings of the world, and we have to work harder to maintain the emotive connections.
The flashbacks and jumping back and forth of the story combined with the extreme amount of faith that must be given to the fanciful and the magical take a lot of the mystery out of things - the problems of these characters suddenly become bigger than anything you or I would have to deal with and with that we sadly loose some connectivity.
I’m not being harsh here, honestly. This is more a reaction based on my own works and how seeing the completed work of some very masterful storytellers compares to the kinds of things i want to do and am doing to some extent. I think that Ayu’s plight in Kanon is very accessible because so much of the details for it remain a mystery, and i think explaining the mechanics of that mystery would have just hurt the story. It’s a fine line to walk, really.
Anyways, i don’t have much time for writing or watching anything right now anyway. The next two weeks are gonna suck because of the move and i’m still wondering if i should plan for a missed comic or two, or try fitfully yo not miss anything in the next two weeks. If i can manage that, it’d be a miracle, but somehow i think i could do it.
- pirotunes: Thievery Corporation - Scene At The Open Air Market -
March 19th, 2005 at 11:37 am
Hopefully I’m the first to comment as it says 0 at the moment.
Yes, I suffered the same experience when watching the latest episodes. It does drop you into a storyline I wasn’t expecting, which I did find a little hard to keep up with. I think that, despite this, there is a good purpose and reason for doing so. It is also a short series so I guess the pace will always have to be moderately quick. I guess its motives will be clearer when I have watched the whole series and can look back on it as a complete story instead of trying to analyse the parts that are now.
You can’t say it doesn’t keep you on your toes, anyway
March 19th, 2005 at 1:49 pm
The thing that kept the story from crashing for me was the rapid excellent way they developed the ancient characters — got you to care about them quickly. There were several scenes that were just flat outstanding - like when the trio was surrounded after the mountain encounter or when the samarai and the “witch” make their plans of rescue (quite funny subtlety - “I’ll help you.” — great line).
I’m still a bit of a scowl in the “raven” sequence and how Yukita could… well… I’m having some trouble with it unless the timeline is rippling with changes thanks to the “wish”.
But I guess we’ll see help in the next ep … in my case I still haven’t played the game (its sitting in my “to-do” pile — probably this summer) so I’m blissfully ignorant of the possible endings.
March 19th, 2005 at 7:29 pm
I realleh agree with you there Fred, it wouldo f been good if they did teh 1000 years past thing at the end of the show, like in the last 2 episodes, that way we wouldn’t be thinking of two different kinds of story lines, at the same time. you’ve got me in teh mood to watch some Air now, thanking you. ^^
March 19th, 2005 at 8:35 pm
Wow Fred, that’s alot to type. O.o Is Air an anime? I’ve never heard of it…Okeydokey, I have a biiiig question for you. You are going to Anime Central 2005, right? Will it cost anything to actually talk to you and get autographs and stuff? My mom seems to think that it does and I reaaallly hope she’s wrong…In fact, you’re the main reason me and my friends are raising money to go. ^_^ It’ll be really cool to meet you.
Oh yeah, I’ve been noticing that Piro lately has almost-dot-like eyes…what happened there?
March 19th, 2005 at 9:08 pm
Uhm, it doesnt cost anything to get a signature and a sketch from me. I don’t believe in that sort of thing. We’ll have books and stuff you can buy if you want, but anyone can get in line (if there is one, there usually is for some reason) i’ll sign whatever you have, or just use an index card (i usually have index cards with me for sketches and junk)
It really bugs me that some people (real stars and stuff) charge to get a signature. Feh. get over yourself. its an honor that people are willing to approach you and like what you do well enough to want a signature… at least to me
March 19th, 2005 at 9:22 pm
:/ I hate living in England. The chances of meeting you, or even going to a big anime con are non existant. I have bought some merchandise and manga over the net from you but it would really be cool to get a signature or a sketch.
Sigh. I’ve always wanted to cosplay too. Living in England is hard as there is a smaller diversity of people. Everything I like gets called pokemon porn.
I am so cosplaying as miho if I ever get the chance though.
Well, some of my friends have learnt of the word ‘hentai’ except they use it stupidly.
Oh well, one day maybe. Keep drawing for at least another year and then maybe I’ll be able to get out there haha
March 19th, 2005 at 9:45 pm
@Neko:
I haven’t played the game, so I can’t know for sure where the story is going, but I get the impression that the Summer arc is going to be essential knowledge for the ending to make sense.
What causes problems is that I can’t think of a good way they could have presented the information that isn’t a flashback. They could have started the story with it, perhaps, but I think that may have tipped their hand too early - given away too much of the causes before the audience became invested in finding a solution to the effects. And it still would have had the thousand year jump in the timeline.
So it goes back to what Fred was saying initially: it’s too fanciful. I can identify with Misuzu’s situation, but not the underlying causes behind them. Any victory she makes over them is therefore not going to have as much of an emotional impact on me.
Although, I think Sora is worse than the flashback in that regard. In a way, stuffing the mystical elements into a flashback helps the audience distance it from the real, emotional problems of the main storyline. They don’t have to suspend disbelief of the mysticism, just of “something that happened one thousand years ago”. I’d think that would be easier for most people, but Sora forces the fantastic into the real, which makes it harder to identify with.
March 19th, 2005 at 11:01 pm
Air ep 11 is up at animesuki people
March 19th, 2005 at 11:43 pm
Crap… it comes up just when I have to go to sleep. Guess I’ll have to download it tomorrow…
And since vexx once said something about “working under pressure” in a comment once, I’d say, “try fitfully yo not miss anything in the next two weeks.”
March 20th, 2005 at 2:59 am
After watching ep 11, i just feel sad. I don’t know why.
March 20th, 2005 at 3:20 am
Thats when its time to burrow deeper into Heartful Days, I suppose. Gritting my teeth as ep 11 arrives …
March 20th, 2005 at 6:16 am
Just watched episode 11.. kinda upset me. It crosses over with real life situation. I wish i didn’t have to go threw it again.
March 20th, 2005 at 8:11 am
@Kelly
There are some Anime/Manga cons in England, but I doubt that any webcomic people would go to them… (except, possible the guy behind Bunny, I think he’s English).
You can find out about them by going to http://www.cosplay.co.uk
All the cons are listed there (and yes you can cosplay at them…)
P.S. to anyone who goes ther (who likes FF7) be sure to search for ‘Sephiroth’ (that’s the name of the costume and the cosplayer)
March 20th, 2005 at 4:56 pm
Yeah, but most of the cons are in london, which is a two hour drive :/ also I have no one else to go with.
I may try and beg to go to the london expo in may though. I doubt I’d have enough time to get a costume sorted but it’d be nice to go.
If I start nagging now maybe I can wear my mum down by may -_-
Thanks for replying anyway
March 20th, 2005 at 4:58 pm
I’m beginning to wonder how “rewatchable” Air is… a lot of the appeal is in the “dunno how its going to end up”… but its so well executed probably not an issue.
I’m not finding the expository flashback tooo difficult to deal with though Fred is right, it does make it a bit more difficult to personally relate to the characters…. they’re still just very human people trying to solve a problem a 1000 yrs old — tied through karmic incarnations. Did the lead character get informed about his past life when we did? Not totally clear, as was what the ending of ep 10 meant (not watching 11 til tonight though .. all may be moot).
I had as much difficulty with Makoto’s explanatory conclusion in Kanon — Ayu was actually easier to understand (though I’ll always wonder what Nayuki’s mom thought about the ‘instantiated’ Ayu since she seemed to almost-recognize her.
March 20th, 2005 at 5:37 pm
Kelly
I also find it hard to get to London.. me living in Manchester and all, but i heard there’s a few coming up else where then London, i think one of ‘em is in Coventry. Anyway.. hope i was some help, even though i didn’t give any. Niha.. ^^
March 20th, 2005 at 7:34 pm
Omg thank you sooo much! HA! Mom was wrong! XD I am going to get a shirt from my bro so I can get ppl to sign it. If not, chances that I’ll have my sketchbook with me are high, so I’ll just use that. ^_^ Now if I can just raise money to get it and for a train ticket….
What day will you be there?? I dont wanna screw this up, for this may be the only one in my area for a year..
March 21st, 2005 at 4:01 am
Also watched ep.11 of Air last night. Thought it was quite touching but a little too fast paced. The whole episode seemed to go from one scene to the next at such a rate that I found it difficult to get emotionally attached. If they had spent longer (maybe expanded it over 2 episodes) then it would’ve had more of an impact on me.
Wow… that was really hard to write without giving anything away!
March 21st, 2005 at 10:46 am
I didn’t get much of a chance to reply to the other messages about industrial music…so I’ll do it here
I’m an industrial DJ here in KCMO, and Imperative Reaction’s “Redemption” is great. If you’re looking for the CD, try Metropolis Records. If you’re looking for mp3s…well…I might know where you can find them *winkwinknudgenudgesaynomore* 
March 21st, 2005 at 12:15 pm
Okay.. I’ve seen ep 11 of Air … “tragically uplifting?” Liked the illumination of Haruko’s motivations. But what of “the freeloader”?
I agree it could have been busted out into two episodes (with the climax of the first one at the “3 days” question). That would made the buildup even more wrenching.
Anyway — looking forward to ep 12 with great trepidation.