Why I expected more from Free!

Hello there and welcome back to my “Why something or rather is this for these reasons” blog post. Thank you to all those who read my last past on the incorrect classification of K-On!. It was really well researched too. But this post is just pure rant so hold on tight kids. I may get brutal. (If you get off on that well you’ll be fine. Just make sure you wipe the screen when you’re done.)

Back when it was ok to be a man

Not going to lie, I really wanted to invest in this anime. I remembered when I was introduced to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and my oh my, was I pleasantly amused. I love my fair share of otome games and whilst I found the female protagonist as a dry as wood (and about as personable) I could look past it because “Oh my glob the romance, the drama, the sexy guys!” The main difference between visual novels made for women and those that are made for men is that women want the slow build up through meaningful interactions, the sexual tension that builds as you realise he blushes at your affection and the release when we feel special as he compliments us on the amazing um, personality, we have. (Seriously guys there is a slight message there)

Totally not turned on.

Men however like their women bound and gagging for it. Yup, some may like the banter but in the end, the women are there for a reason. That is not to say that there isn’t a level of objectification present in both types of games. Women, however, objectify words and actions rather than visual appearance. For me, I look for a game where the man makes me feel both empowered as a woman, yet special and gentle like a flower. I don’t like characters who are sleazy or ones that simper. I want them simple, straight forward and preferably bringing some sort of cooked goods to the table.

That said, why did I expect more from Iwatobi Swim Club? I just did not feel like the guys were, well, guys. If you gave them breasts than maybe their social interactions would have made more sense. Even if they are homosexual, they are still men. Granted the characters are teenagers but I could not become immersed as I was continually wrenched away by how unrealistic the conversations were. Judging by their names, I actually think there might have been a typo in the gender column at some stage. And what guy walks in on his friend and acts surprised when he is wearing swimmers, when it’s established that he walks in on him all the time. Sure, I get you’re going for fan service but come on, consistency please!

Dio: "Remember JoJo, we are the real men"

If we want to talk basic appearance then these guys are not what gets my motor running. Seriously guys, SLAM DOWN A DR PEPPER FOR CHRISTS SAKE! I may not have done swimming squad, but the boys I did not perv on, just merely glanced at between laps, did not have bodies like that. These kids look positively malnourished. If these characters were women I would be outraged! Are the charities aware of this? If not they should because I sure as hell want to sponsor one of these poor, deprived individuals.

So I guess the biggest thing here is that I wanted them to act like men. Sure, if you want to make it as boring as K-On! go ahead, but please, at least get the gender right.

Why K-on! Is not a slice-of-life

Seriously, eating sweets and nothing else is not slice-of-life people!

I am new to this. I have blogged before but not long posts of deconstruction. I have not had much to say in terms of anime and manga but as time has gone by and I have been exposed to more and more of the culture I have discovered that yes, I might have a thing or two to say about some things. 

Here it goes. Buckle down your seats my friends because… K-On is not the groundbreaking anime people say it is. Ok so I lied. It’s not much of a revelation  I don’t hate it so much as think that it is vastly improved when sped up by 1.5x. If you can ignore the higher pitched cuteness of their saccharine squeaking, you’ll begin to truly believe that this is actually the pace the anime is supposed to be watched at. But I digress.

What I really want to say is that K-On! should not be classified as slice-of-life. I am not intending to get on the “K-On! sucks bandwagon.” Oh no. Regardless as to how I feel about this anime, my recent research just highlighted how little people know about the true meaning behind what makes a slice-of-life.

Let me outline a few things others have to say about the genre. Horton and Romero define the slice-of-life genre as being close to real life. They explain that though slice-of-life may utilise elements such as drama as a way to increase tension and or conflict, this should not be its main focus. However the mundane activities of the characters, settings and plots, whilst based on real life situations, should be “explorations of humanity.”

So how does K-On! not do this? Simple. There is little exploration on the depths of what it means to be human. Rather it is the objectification of cakes, tea and Mio’s underwear. 

Oh my stars! A 'revealing' look at the depth of K-On!'s exploration of humanity.

The focus of the anime is their everyday routine, granted, but that’s all there is to it.  Cowboy Bepop by comparison deals with deep moral issues whilst living a life of a space bounty hunter. I have yet to see Faye and Spike talking about how “Kawaii” those cakes are and how they really should be playing music but oh my god, did Mugi bring out another cup of tea potentially laced with alcohol? (Wow… kinda got away from me there.) No, K-On! does not explore the essence of humanity. Rather, it meanders around, going nowhere and doing nothing. The only thing it does do is take up time by eating all the cake.

However, if we were to take Baker’s view that a slice-of-life was to have the absence of a satisfying ending and “a kind of arbitrary ‘core sample’ of life lived”, then hats off to K-On! because it certainly does that. Yet there is another factor that Baker argues that elaborates on this. As far as he is concerned, a story ends when the audience has been presented with enough morals or lessons or with a conclusion of an argument. He does explain that whilst the audience may not be presented with a satisfying ending, they are forced face the reality of the situation with a deeper respect for life as it is presented through the narrative.

Yeah… deep isn’t it? So what moral, lessons or conclusions can we gain from K-On!? If someone mentions cake then no, there is no overarching message or deep investigation or argument that K-On! puts forward. Although I will be the first to mention that it does offer an interesting look at the effects of stooping to the lowest common denominator has on a group of prepubescent girls. Maybe that’s its argument, but I am really not keen to give it that much of the benefit of the doubt. Particularly if we compare it to another, more worth while manga which I promise to stop banging on about to people despite how AMAZING IT IS!

“What a Wonderful World” by Inio Asano’s, pretty much strengthens this view put forward by Baker. This manga is a series of short stories, exploring the lives of young adults and their conflicts between their dreams and their perceived expectations from society. The characters are explored over 20 pages before it switches to the next “track.” These “tracks” reflect on what is to be a young Japanese person facing society’s challenges whilst facing how you feel about pursuing or abandoning your dreams.

I could keep going. But I think I have presented enough evidence to prove that K-On! is not a slice-of-life anime. At most I would call it humour. Or maybe it exists in its own bubble of unclassifiable anime. Where the pacing, characters and lack of story (except for the beach episode, because who doesn’t love a beach episode?) are just too ass retarded to warrant being pigeon-hold into any genre category. My friends, if you enjoy K-On! awesome. If not, hats off to you. But take this final word of advice. Watch in 1.5x speed. It really improves the show. At the very least, it is over quicker.

Public Service announcement: If anyone has any information regarding this individual please contact the police. 

References for those who are interested in lame stuff like that :P

Asano, I. (2009). What a Wonderful World! : VIZ Media LLC.

Baker, S. E. (2002). Bernard Shaw's Remarkable Religion: A Faith That Fits the Facts: University Press of Florida.

Brenner, R. E. (2007). Understanding Manga and Anime: LIBRARIES UNLIMITED Incorporated.

Horton, S., & Romero, S. (2008). Webcomics 2.0 : An Insider's Guide to Writing, Drawing, and Promoting Your Own Webcomics. Boston, MA, USA: Course Technology / Cengage Learning.

Watanabe, S. (Writer). (1998). Cowboy Bebop [Anime]. In M. Minami & K. Ikeguchi (Producer). Japan: Madman Entertainment.