111–120 of 158 posts
Power lines are awful. They are an eyesore that destroys an otherwise beautiful landscape. I hope we can start putting these underground soon.
I agree but underground lines are often 2-4 times more expensive than above ground - for that reason alone I don't see them going away in our lifetime.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Honestly. I went to Japan just last month and the fact that all of this is everywhere is just crazy.
> The fact that traffic "signals, airplanes, and the roof of a building" is everywhere is just crazy? What does that mean?
Lol... I was going to say this exactly. Evangelion and Lain were pretty popular even in the US around the year 2000, so I imagine they were near ubiquitous in Japan. Both were well-animated and the power lines a symbol that was returned to again and again. Anime/manga also loves to meme/trope things like this because animation studios are cheap and love 30s tracking shots across 2 hand-drawn panel with nothing more t…
Were they that popular in the US in 2000? Evangelion started airing on Adult Swim in 2005, and Lain started in 2002 on TechTV IIRC.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
If I recall correctly, Lain was fairly popular both in the West and Japan, largely for similar reasons, although it was less big in the West since at the time it came out anime had not really become A Thing yet. To your point, Cowboy Bebop can probably be considered to be one of the biggest causes for anime to gain so much traction in the US due to being on Adult Swim and having a killer feel and soundtrack, but its…
IIRC Cowboy Bebop was developed explicitly with western audiences in mind. It’s success informed later shows (in a similar way to how thr Chinese market is influencing Hollywood movies) so it really is a landmark show, even if it wasn’t as well received in Japan.
Lol... I was going to say this exactly. Evangelion and Lain were pretty popular even in the US around the year 2000, so I imagine they were near ubiquitous in Japan. Both were well-animated and the power lines a symbol that was returned to again and again. Anime/manga also loves to meme/trope things like this because animation studios are cheap and love 30s tracking shots across 2 hand-drawn panel with nothing more t…
Lol... I was going to say this exactly. Evangelion and Lain were pretty popular even in the US around the year 2000, so I imagine they were near ubiquitous in Japan. Both were well-animated and the power lines a symbol that was returned to again and again. Anime/manga also loves to meme/trope things like this because animation studios are cheap and love 30s tracking shots across 2 hand-drawn panel with nothing more t…
One thing I learned about anime (from discussing it with Japanese folks) is that "anime Westerners like" and "anime Japanese like" can be way different. Something may come out in Japan that has only niche appeal, only to blow up in the West. Azumanga Daioh -- Mother of a Thousand 4chan Memes -- comes to mind. Likewise, sometimes a title takes off in Japan only to find rocky soil here. I think Evangelion was well love…
Also in some strange way, Power Rangers as a longer than 1 year thing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Which article(s) do you recommend for going into more detail on "Evangelion revolutionized anime"? I remember reading on how one of the people involved was surprised at its popularity despite all the "characters being messed up".
So, this doesn't have the best translation to English, but it's probably the most useful Japanese perspective on why Evangelion was such a revolutionary work for its time. It contextualizes the series as a cultural event and shows how Anno compares with the other convention-breaking directors of that era. http://www.ntticc.or.jp/pub/ic_mag/ic018/intercity/higashi_E... Keep in mind that Azuma has his own slant as some…
Short Answer: Anno Until their depiction in Neon Genesis Evangelion in 1995, power lines were virtually non-existent in anime. After all, why draw them when they take up more time and effort during a time-packed production schedule? However, Hideaki Anno, the director of the aforementioned anime, began to implement them in backgrounds, bringing in a new kind of mechanical urban aesthetics. Anno has a certain kind of…
It's not quite the same as simple scenery shots emphasizing the powerlines, but they were significant before too.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Soap Operas?
I was thinking of that too, especially of all the personal problems the characters had in Evangelion. I had to stop watching because of the main protagonist repeatedly asking why his father doesn't show any love for him. A lot of people are into those story-lines, and I guess it partly explains Evangelion's popularity with women too.
I thought it's just that in Asia, they don't usually hide lines or make effort to decrease number of individual wires. That's what you have on street - that's what you get in anime.
I was told that at least in Japan, this is done because it's easier to rebuild after an earthquake than digging up and reburying broken power and communication lines.