Since I've been a little bored lately, I decided to do a daily blog for the next few weeks.
The first entry I'd like to address would be about dropping anime. Generally speaking, I have a very hard time dropping anime. A fellow MAL user recently asked me why I don't drop anime more often if I think they are bad. There were only two reasons I could give him. The first being I've seen some bad anime do a complete 180 and turn into good anime. The other reason being for the past year, I've been reviewing anime, so I try and stick with an anime no matter how bad it is. While yes, it might seem illogical to intentionally watch a bad anime, the one thing I can say is the upside about it is usually there is at least something that's so bad, it's enjoyable. The "so bad, it's good" philosophy.
Ironically, shortly after having this conversation, I found an anime that I just couldn't make it through. It was a series called Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou (aka. Dog & Scissors). Strangely enough, it wasn't for the reason of being "bad." My reason for dropping it was that it wasn't enjoyable for me. In the world of anime comedy, there is rarely a silver lining. With most other genres, there is usually something that's worthwhile in watching a bad series. When it comes to comedy, if a series isn't funny, then it makes for a miserable watch. To me, that's what prevented me from finishing Dog & Scissors (or rather, stopped watching). I found the comedy to be so lame and so tasteless that I couldn't find the resolve to even stick it out and finish it.
Honestly, the only reason why I even stuck with it through six episodes was that I figured that even though I'm not enjoying it, I could still write a review for it. After giving it a second thought, I found that to be a terrible reason. Even if I write a review for it, it wouldn't be a fair review. It wouldn't be fair because I honestly can't call the show "bad." It's probably not even the worst show I've seen this year (I think Amnesia pretty much has that locked up). It wouldn't be fair because I'm sure there are people out there that think it's one of the funniest shows they've ever seen and I couldn't hold that against them.
It's a big reason why I feel hesitant to write reviews for comedies. Sure, I will write some reviews for comedies, but it's a difficult process. Unlike most genres like drama, romance, action, etc., comedies are probably the most subjective anime you could possibly watch. With comedy, plot, story, and characters aren't the biggest driving point. Well...they can be, but the biggest driving force behind the enjoyment of a comedy is it's ability to make you laugh. Unfortunately from a reviewer standpoint, judging a comedy by this standard is a difficult process because people have varying senses of humor. There are people that believe the best comedies are shows like Nichijou, Azumanga Daioh, and Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou. There are some people that think shows like Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san and 2x2 Shinobuden are the best comedies...and the same can be said for Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou. Simply put, as an anime fan community, I don't think we could possibly agree on what can be considered "great comedy." Sure, there are some that will have an enormous fan base like the aforementioned Nichijou and Azumanga Daioh, but even then, those anime have their fair share of haters as well.
It does pain me a bit that I have to drop this show. Ever since I started watching anime seasonally in January 2011, Dog & Scissors is only the fourth anime I've ever dropped. The previous three were Hiiro no Kakera (I didn't like the characters), Shining Hearts: Shiawase no Pan (it bored me to tears), and Brave 10 (for a shounen, it was hard to enjoy).
I do find it very difficult to drop anime for many reasons. However, as a few fellow MALers told me, why watch a show if you're not enjoying it? Even for reviewers, there is only so much of a show you can take before you say, "enough." It was probably a smart move to drop it because it really is a good way to get burned out on anime. I guess if nothing else, I am fortunate to say this is the only anime I've seen this year that I've even considered dropping. However, that's not to say this is a great year for anime. My biggest reason for writing this entry was for the sole purpose of stating, only watch anime you can get at least some enjoyment out of, even if you are a reviewer. Doing what I was doing would only burn you out and make you hate the hobby you love.
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