a half gestated and spur of the moment consideration of anime

i think i'm done watching new anime. it all seems so... barren and devoid of everything i used to enjoy about the medium. there's a perpetual hype machine on 4chan heralding the arrival of the next big thing every single blasted new season, but for the last 4 years it's mostly been nothing but strike outs and would-be homers that drift into foul territory. i'm looking at my burned archives, pondering over what was truly worthwhile, even for the cost of the DVD-R media upon which it was preserved... and few and far between are the shows presenting a value in my mind equal to $0.50, or whatever the individual discs cost.

even the evergreen favorite gundam series are growing increasingly unsatisfying, oscillating violently between moments of sheer genius and the absolute depths of tripe and rehash; Gundam UC was supposed to be an epoch revival, calling back to the days of old when the repeated formula defied the logic of math and presented new and exciting outcomes at every turn... instead it's another healthy sized serving of androgynous characters, fairy tale absolutism, and an aimlessness in pacing and direction that would make the biblical hebrews of days long since passed wonder who the blind person was that was leading that march. maybe that time has long since gone where the formula worked, and i'm longing for something that culture and progress and time has swiftly trotted past; i'm a silent fan in a world of color talkies, perhaps.

and i suppose that gundam sums up rather nicely the gradual shape and condition of fan that i've been forced to mold into. i'm no longer looking forward to the next installment... i'm dreading it. the degraded condition of anime and the general unapproachable nature of the industry has fed into my natural hater mentality, and now i'm at the point where i consider viewing a new show as just as much a deplorable idea as cramming into a theater full of assholes just to watch the latest christopher nolan "too deep for you" flick and pretending to be impressed.

i mean, i tried... i fully and honestly, without restraint, tried. i grabbed some shows that were up my alley and some that were recognizable side streets... hell, even some that were from the wrong side of town that i felt could maybe shake up my preconceptions and cast a new light on things. each was a disappointment that eclipsed the last, and it only made me long ever deeper for my easier to accept outlook of 3 years ago towards these things. something tells me that with Fullmetal Alchemist wrapped up, a satisfying ending logged, and a bare minimum chance of seeing a repeat performance, maybe it's time that i duck out. it's a kids game, after all... i never wanted to admit that sort of thing, but it's an inescapable aspect of the medium. i'm sure that the occasional kon, anno, and oshii flick will challenge that black and white outlook, but by and large, and as a viewer primarily interested in series, i'm about ready to cash in and look elsewhere.