A Brave New World of Japanese Animation

Sturgeon's law is a very lovely adage that postulates "ninety per cent of everything is crap." I'm a pretty cynical guy, so I would argue that the actual number is a lot higher. Still, either way, it does present an interesting obstacle you will likely face when experiencing a new medium of entertainment. Because if Theodore Sturgeon was correct, then when you take any random piece of media from any arbitrary genre, nine out of ten times, you will find it to be 'crap'. Often we dismiss entire genres of media due to a few bad experiences.

"Oh, I won't watch that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a horror film. I don't like horror."

And so I tell myself:

If it's a horror, then I won't like it.

The truth is, if I were willing to filter through every horror film I could find, then I am sure it wouldn't take long to find something that I genuinely love. However, as a general rule, I think for me, the statement is still true. Because every time we start a new show, watch a film or pick up a new book, we gamble. Will we be entertained, or will we be wasting our time? This is why genres are essential. Shows are complicated and unique, but with genres, we can classify them by their similarities and better understand what to expect. By figuring out a genre we like and don't like, we can more reliably predict what shows we will enjoy.

You see, Sturgeon's law isn't a constant but a variable. It's unique to each individual and their standards, and to each genre. For me, Sturgeon's law decreases with mystery and increases with horror. If the genre is horror, I am less likely to enjoy it and therefore more hesitant to accept others' recommendations. Genres are simply a useful tool we can use to filter out the crap. So with this in mind, perhaps you will argue the following:

If it's an anime, then I won't like it.

However, I would argue that this idea is fallacious. Because anime is not a genre, it's simply a medium of storytelling. It is far too broad a category to reliably indicate the likelihood of you enjoying a film or show. In my experience, it can be the most obnoxious and loudest examples that are our first experience of a category of media. These are the examples that make the most noise and are the most noticeable. There are plenty of obnoxious animes out there, and they may put you off, but rather than using these examples to judge the medium of anime, I encourage you to instead evaluate them by their genres. With this approach, I guarantee you will develop much more accurate predictions and perhaps, as I did, find something that you truly love.

So if you have made it this far, then I would like to recommend two of my favourite animes:

Cowboy Bebop

Sometimes I like to gauge whether I will like a show by reading its most negative reviews and seeing if they make sense. For cowboy bebop, the common argument among the one-star reviews was "a meaningless waste of time." I was sold immediately, and you should be too.

Monster

Imagine you are a doctor, and two patients arrive, both in need of urgent medical treatment. One is an elderly man who also happens to be the largest investor in the hospital you work at, and the other is a nine-year-old child. Who do you save? If you think this question has a 'right' answer, then I suggest that you watch this show.