This is a weird title. I struggled a bit with it. I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m talking about. Or maybe you silently noded to yourself and moved on to the next post. I’ve been on one of those mind journeys again. And I want to take you with me.
It all started out a while ago when I yet again read a review I disagreed with from a blogger and friend I appreciate. I thought back once more on the fact that of the friends I do have that watch anime, I have very different tastes. Opposite at times. And how great it is that we can still talk about it and have fun.
Of course there are a lot of people I bite my tongue around as well because I know they won’t react well If I bash a show they love. But in general, I can get away with a “it wasn’t for me” and move on. No harm done.
It’s something I feel very lucky about because I live in a world of anime themed social media and I see people get into vicious fight over their views on a particular anime, all the time. So I tried to figure out what the variable was. How one could go about subtantly discussing anime without making their friends mad or sad. I was trying to explore my personal experiences on the subject to mine for revelation when it dawned on me.
Social media and online forums are almost entirely divorced from reality. The reason I can discuss my impressions of anime without upsetting anyone is because my opinions of anime don’t matter. And that’s a very good thing.
Sure sometimes I read a glowing review from a blogger I like about a show I couldn’t sit through and think “really?”. Sometimes a blogger I admire tears through a series I loved and it makes me just a little sad(?). Sad sounds like the wrong word. What’s the feeling when you hoped something that made you happy would make someone you like happy also but it didn’t? Disappointed? Unsettled? Hungry? I’m bad at feelings.
But whatever that feeling is, it has no impact on how I feel about the blogger. Their views on a specific anime don’t change who they are as a person. They also don’t change the anime. Whatever I enjoyed about it is still there regardless of what anyone says.
I figure the opposite is true. I’m a goofball who really enjoys slapstick and occasionally stupid comedies. That puts me in the minority in he Blogging space. I know most of the shows I really love tend to leave a lot of other bloggers indifferent or bored. But I still want to know what they think about it. As long as we don’t judge or insult fans I think criticising any anime is fair play. I read comments on my posts about how someone really didn’t see what I did in a show and it can make for really nice discussions.
My say has no impact on the anime industry. In all likelihood it’s not even going to influence my readers much. That’s not the type of relationship we have here. In the grand scheme of things my Anime opinions don’t matter in any way. Heck, they don’t matter in the tiny scheme of things either. Which means I have boundless freedom to express them!
***I cannot stress enough that this applies to my opinions of anime not of people. Whether they are fans or industry professionals. I personally believe our thoughts on people matter a lot and we should be responsible with them. This is not the general consensus over the internet mind you!***
Because my opinions don’t matter, I can explore ideas that are sometimes risque or in questionable taste. I can also risk being completely wrong because there are no real consequences. And being completely wrong is one of the best ways to learn and grow. Well at least for me.
I dislike being careless. I don’t want my words to have unforeseen consequences. Years of working in the legal field is going to do that to a person. In many ways, my thoughts are my product so they need to be bound by rigorous standards. It’s not at all a bad thing but it can be stifling. I cuts down on creative thinking and risk taking. It teaches you to box yourself in. And that can be dangerous as it can lead to some intellectual laziness and then you have nothing special to offer any more. Finding a venue where you can let your thoughts and opinions run freely is immensely valuable. Especially if you can get some feedback. Especially if you’re wrong! And most especially if you have interest in the topic. I’m not only bad at feelings, I also don’t understand rankings..
The fact that I have a venue where I can take an idea that’s incomplete and may even be incorrect and develop it in an interactive way without implications makes me happy. It’s an important tool at my disposal. And just because something doesn’t bring about great change and consequence doesn’t make it useless. To the contrary.
I have always been a fan of frivolity. And a frivolous place like this blog has all sorts of advantages and opportunities I couldn’t find elsewhere. I have written posts I no longer agree with, or posts with ideas I stand by but expressed in such an unfit manner that readers got a completely different takeaway. .I have and still write posts that even I can’t quite figure out what I wanted to say. And these are the posts that tend to teach me the most about writing allow me to practice critical thinking and help me develop communication skills.
Without those posts I wouldn’t have been able to get everything I want out of my blog. But those posts can only exist because my opinions on anime make no difference.
I’m not sure I explained it well. I guess I was just excited about finding a comfortable mindset and wanted to share.
Well, I’ll follow the blog to see where this is going.
I think you have a very mature and reasonable view of the Internet and it’s relative influence on RL. It’s easy to get caught up in the drama, if that’s what you are looking for, if that’s what your RL lacks. As far as that is concerned, in fact, this would be a mature and reasonable view to carry right on over into RL. If we could accept other people’s views as simply THEIR opinion, and not likely to be changed if they aren’t open to a reasonable discussion – i.e. one without name calling and insults and over the top rhetoric – and move on, there would be a lot more peace in this world. I’ve always loved a good discussion. One in which I can learn from the person I am speaking to, and maybe even have something to offer them and we both approach it with an open mind. Sadly, that is a rare jewel in RL – and to an extent in Internet land, too, depending on where you hang out and what you discuss.
However, your opinions do matter in that they do influence my personal choices on what to watch, anime-wise, and even have encouraged me to dip my toes into VN type games. But it is my personal choice to read this blog, to engage in conversation, and to value your opinions because not only do I like you as a person, it turns out that we have very similar tastes. If you loved something, there’s a better than decent chance I’ll love it, too.
However, that’s a whole different level of “words matter” than what you deal with on a daily basis at work. And, of course, words always do matter – and you get that. You chose to engage on that “higher level” where you state your opinion with real reasons, rather than using broad insults as your first line of defense. Because of this, this blog and it’s little commenting community have a very good vibe. I like it here.
And that’s what really matters 😉
And you are always welcomed here!!
“Social media and online forums are almost entirely divorced from reality.”
I’m going on a tangent here but this is actually quite the brutal realization for many and I’m not sure where that came from. I oftentimes see people on twitter in the strong belief that reality reflects their twitter space (which is, by definition, entirely self-made) and then the shock sets in when actual real life doesn’t. It’s something you see frequently with election results.
On a more related note, I have long since become apathetic to online arguments about taste and whatnot. I have my very pre-defined opinions and others have theirs; doesn’t mean they can’t change and all in all I’m open to many genres but years of experience have shown me that when people have hefty arguments, both sides usually insist on their views all the harder at the end and nothing was solved in the meantime. I don’t actively seek out discussions anymore and believe that both twitter and blogging are perfectly valid places for expressing opinions without getting into much of a hassle. At the end of the day, online fights are just exhausting. I applaud all those who still have the stamina to edge on but I’m not one of them anymore.
Ultimately, saying whatever you want to say without fearing any repercussions from a set of people is a pretty nice thing.
It really is a nice thing and happily not that rare.
Yeah for me the endless bickering on social media is probably my least favorite thing about anime or any other fandom these days. It’s so pointless and unproductive. I have a few unpopular opinions of my own when it comes to my likes and dislikes, but if someone disagrees with me, that’s fine. It doesn’t affect my enjoyment (or lack thereof) of a series in the slightest. I like that your blog seems to be very accepting of different perspectives and that you aren’t afraid to have different ideas. It makes your writing unique!
That said, I try to keep my blog as positive as I can opinion-wise, because I’m terrified of confrontation and getting in long arguments with people. 😬
They are exhausting though once in a while I have learned something from long arguments
I’m just glad you don’t get into the this anime is objectively bad in your reviews or at least in the reviews I have read.
I’m not sure that exists. Althpugh if there is an objectively bad anime out there, I would probably enjoy it.
That’s a Rolling Girl’s gif on the main page? The great ramen stand-off? It is my anime opinion that the show is the best anime of 2015. It’s not a common opinion. I don’t think I’ve seen the show on many (if any) top 10s of the year. 2015 was the year my anime taste diverged the most from… nearly everyone else. It didn’t make me storm out the door in huff, dramitacally throwing the scarve around my neck (It’s a metaphorical one, because I find wearing scarves uncomfortable). But it did make me doubt my place a little.
How can you say that about scarves!!! Scarves are the best. I have a dozen and I name them
My favourite is Beauregard but don’t tell the others.
If you feel this way, that’s fine. Just keep in mind that enjoying your profession is key, (kind of like what you mentioned). Please don’t forget that 👌
My profession? I do. It’s patent law…
Nice 👍
Your opinion does matter. There have been anime i dropped after a couple of episodes. Something rubbed me wrong or it seemed too boring. Then I read your review and you think it fantastic. So I give it another shot – and you are right.
If I disagree with a reviewer, I don’t respond. I have no interest in elevating my opinion over any one else’s. Much too subjective! I may come back a year later with a different POV.
I’m flattered and intimidated. That power is gonna go straight to my head
There was Natsume and there was 3 Gatsu to begin with
Opinions may or may not matter, but I’m just glad that I got to see the old Irina avatar after so long.
Awww
Many of the points in this blog post can also be applied towards video games and what type of consoles you play.
I’ve grew up playing both Sony And Nintendo consoles i’ve played JRPGS like Shin Megami Tensei,Visual Novels like Danganronpa and Steins Gate. And they are my personal favorite video game series. I’m not personally into Western entertainment and i am not interested at all in either pc gaming or the xbox but i respect their right to choose to play whatever console or game they are into so long as they respect my right to play my own personal preferences and not be called a “fanboy” if i dare criticize something stupid that the company is doing.
For my website personally i couldn’t care less at all if someone disagrees with me on a review or opinion piece as i’m just stating the facts about the game,manga or anime whether or not it sucks,in the middle or is a 4-5 star rated product. If someone told me that my blog is garbage it doesn’t bother me but if someone told me hey there’s something i think your blog can do like reorganizing links to make it more easier to access or you should add more visuals to help back up parts for your review or to make it more appealing then it would be something worth looking into.
Or if there was a part in my review that was not properly established as it should be i have no problem and i am more than happy to revise it.
I am perfectly cool with disagreements and while others may be in disagreement with your opinion its not the end of the world as the end of the day your oppinon is yours and their opinon is theres and if we all got along then every will a-ok.
-K(rogueotakugamer)
Unfortunately, unlike the anime industry, reviewers and YouTube has had a pretty substantial and measurable influence on the gaming indistry. For instance all three series you mentionned got localized through fan response which is amazing. First time I played steins I had to translate it myself. Ot was a miserable experience and I dropped it pretty quickly. I was elated when an official translation came out. Then years later that got remastered and became widely available and now is one of the most popular VNs wirldwide. Internet word of mouth had a lot to do with thay
Only now here in the west we are getting more of the Science Adventure games being localized the love chu-chu version of Steins Gate and the Robotic Notes Elite coming out on next gen consoles. But Chaos Head Noah hasn’t been brought on the current consoles as of yet maybe when after when Anonymous Code is released or Robotic Notes Elite.
Video game fans all over the world have more power today especially with the internet to voice their thoughts then they were back in the 20th century with blogs like our own respective ones and through Youtube.
Hey , what do you know we are very alike again. I talked about this on my blog as well. My opinion is just that. To me an opinion holds only one fact … “Pinkie Feels “X” about “Something” .. .
This actually has quite large implications. As there is no factual good or bad. I dislike Code Geass. That doesn’t make it a bad anime. Yet at the same time just because millions disagree with me doesn’t make it factually good either. It’s just a fact that “most” people think it’s good.
It can hurt if people disagree with you.. i do think it can be the right emotion but unsure myself. I don’t think opinions hurt me all that much but when someone states something as a fact it becomes differently.
If you told me “I think your blog sucks’ I wouldn’t be that hurt. If it’s stated as a fact however “Your blog sucks” it’s much more harmfull. I cant explain why.
I guess stating your opinion as an opion has less gravity too it than stating it as a fact. “My reasons why I think Code Geass sucks” people can just reply with their opinion. “Code Geass is overated and here is why” draws in a bigger crowd.. people who don’t know about it will get convinced easier by stating things as a fact I think.
I am not wrong when I say I think something, I am when I state things as facts. So I do agree with you, if you write strictly from yourself you open a lot more doors to you with a chance that is is received positively. An opinon can open dialogue and interaction. “I think” is a two (or more) way street that gives room for others to pass and show you their vehicle/opinion. If you inflate your opinion to the truth that the world has to share.. you turn it into a one way street. If someone comes from the other side.. people will crash.
So I am glad you joined the “my opinion doesn’t matter club”, now that you are a member let me tell you, your opinion does matter. People who have seen the truth are open to dialogue , can make friends with those whose opinion also doesnt matter, we can make friends with anyone, and I would rather have a good debate than a scolding on how I am wrong and should burn!
I always thought my opinions don’t and shouldn’t matter much – I wrote a similar post back in 2017. But I do think Pinkie’s opinions matter so make of that what you will
I think everyones opinion matters, but not in the way people think generally. You cant have the factual right one. I do think your opinion makes the world more fun. It allows to talk deeper about the stuff we like. I think opinions are batteries for conversation but not much more, still useful though
Well that’s a great way to see it