Point vs. Counterpoint

June/July 2003 Debate Topic:
What makes a great/anime manga series?

We all have our favourite manga or anime series, but have you ever stopped to think about what your definition of a great series? Our own personalities play a big role in what we watch and love, but what do you look for in a series? What factors separate a "good" or "okay" anime/manga series, into a "great" series?

Some people look for action, a plot that keeps moving, and others love the dramatic unfolding of a good serious series. Is it bishounen characters and beautiful women that draw your eye, or maybe the crazy situations that the protagonist gets themselves into? What about the music, the storyline, or even the original artwork of the series? ShoujoStation asks you, the visitors to let us know your opinion of what makes a truly great anime/manga series.

September 16, 2003 | Himiko says ...

First thing first, the characters, and how they develop. Plot comes also, but the characters are the ones who bring on the plot, flesh it out, they very well be the plot. How the characters develop is important as well. How does their relationship with the other characters change them, what specific events changed their lives, the way they think. Even if a character may start out selfish, annoying, they may change with interaction with other characters.

Secondly, how the anime's plot is executed. It doens't matter too much to me if the plot is overused, but if they pull the right strings, they can make an overused plot, become completely original, and have very unique parts. And of course, uniqueness is important. The more refreshing it is, the more you'll love it.

Thirdly, the art. I love anime art. In almost any way or form. So if the art is appealing, it'll add to the effect. Now, art doesn't determine if an anime is good or not, but if the art is horrible, that's the only thing that will stick out in your mind. That the art is bad. So you'll have a negative feel about the series all around. So art is important.

Other than that, to me, everything else is bonuses, or minuses. The story is most important. Music and good voice acting are definate bonuses, but dont' define a good anime in my opinion. A good anime, has most of what I listed up there.

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August 22, 2003 | credu says ...

to me a great series has to contain one or more strong and intelligent heroine/s. otherwise i cannot really stomach any anime however popular and well-constructed it may be. rose of versailles, kodomo no omocha, hana yori dango fit this standard of mine, and are amusingly all shoujo. moreover, if the animation is peculiarly unique (ex. escaflowne, neighbourhood story) i usually appreciate the work more. voice-acting is key for me. people like Aikawa Rikako (hale in guu), Otani Ikue (hime-chan), Oda Shizue (sana-chan) make the anime worthwhile to me. i adore good voice-acting. and of course the plot is what really makes a series in the end. anime is all about the story-telling, or should be, in my opinion. check out future boy conan for further (non-shoujo) emphasis. ;)

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July 21, 2003 | Nao-chan says ...

things dat make a anime/manga great are:

-Plot. The lpot to me is da most important thing. It has to interesting and can take it turns from funny to serious.

-Characters. The characters make up da plot so they must be important. There has to be a balance of comedic characters, serious characters, weird characters, insane characters, and in da middle characters.

-Art. Duh, da art has to be good! It wont be as good if da art isnt dat well to present da story.

Anime only:
-Seiryuu. da seiryuus have to be very convincing, and fit da chracter perfectly. If not, then I would put it on mute and have subtitles instead.

-Music. da music has to fit good wit whatz happenin. and has to be catchy.

Dat's all i can say
-Nao-chan

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July 18, 2003 | liz says ...

One of the key things that I think makes an anime series great is uniqueness. Let it be the animation style, the storyline, the characters...there has to be something about it that sets it apart from any other anime series. This really helps make the experience worthwhile.

Also, the series must be well constructed, meaning there shouldn't be too many "fill" episodes. I hate it when they have way too many of those as an attempt to make the series longer. It's just too repetitive.

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July 7, 2003 | Steph says ...

To me, a great anime series needs several key factors in order to win my approval. First of all, the artwork has to be attractive and well-done. Sometimes if the mangaka has a unique-style, it adds flavour to the series and can often grab my interest. When I say 'well-done', I mean the art shouldn't change half-way throughout the series, or worse still, female characters shouldn't look progressively manlier (if you've seen 'Boys Be' you'll understand what I mean). The same thing goes for backgrounds, no road-runner-styled backgrounds, repetition, etc unless it's supposed to be a comedy-like scene.

Secondly, a good soundtrack and voice-actor cast are always huge pluses in my book. The music should suit the style of the anime, eg. using the soundtrack of 'Noir', the music is unique, with a distinctive French-influence and a sense of mystery, danger and suspense. I love the Noir OST.

Good character development is the third most important step to making a great anime series. I like it when they give good insight into the characters personality and I dislike characters who are 2d (well, not complex) and are predictable. Characters which have the same emotions as real humans, guilt, anger, loneliness, etc. are easier to relate to and the chances of me wanting to know where that character is headed (thus watching the whole series) is greatly increased.

In terms of storyline or even genre, I've never been one to not give an anime series a look at because of the storyline or genre. I think that any storyline has the possibility of working, but it depends what they choose do with it. I think what is needed is a good balance of seriousness/comic relief.

One thing that can turn me off a good anime series is an annoying heroine. I know that's not anyone's fault, but is probably me but when they make characters unrealistically sweet, or predictable, it gets annoying after a while. Also, 'catch-phrases' of characters should be used in moderation. If they say the same thing every episode, it's irritating.

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