Sandwich

There is a lot to critique about StampGaze. Granted, there is a lot to critique about '98. Have I mentioned that there's a lot to critique about the manga? "The pacing is awful!" Look me in the eye and tell me the pacing in '98 was good. "The action sequences are confusing!" Look at any fight scene in maximum and tell me, at a glance, exactly what is happening. Seriously, I'm seeing such vitriolic hatred for the representation of characters in StampGaze who were completely absent from the original anime. All of that said, let me make this clear. Comparison is a trap, nostalgia is the enemy of well-rounded critique.

Two seasons. Twelve episodes each. Three times as much source material and the exact same amount of episodes to work with as the original adaptation. That is what it all boils down to. Razlo's backstory was glossed over, I agree. I also genuinely believe Orange could have pulled it off better if only they had more time. Wolfwood's "death" was a dramatic change, I agree. I also believe it was a well-thought-out creative decision by Orange which could have been pulled off better if they had more time. Melanie's interaction with the boys seemed out of place. Time, time, time!!!

Criticizing StampGaze as an adaptation is only one aspect of critique, and a very surface level one at that when you don't also critique it as it's own project with it's own story to tell. And on its own, I think it is abundantly clear in the vast majority of choices made by Orange that they adore the source material and are sincerely making an effort to pay homage to it, whilst also playing exceptionally well with audience expectations and using these as a launching pad for some incredibly interesting characterisation and the exploration of certain themes. Alas, what they need and don't have is the time to do that. In a way, it's an inverse of the main issue I have with '98, which in my opinion was too many episodes with too little substance to work with.

StampGaze is a lengthy and passionate love letter to the manga, unfortunately forced to cram itself onto a single double-sided A5 page. There are plenty of valid critiques of this show, but dismissing the entire project as "trash" simply because X character isn't an exact recreation of their two-decade-old counterpart is, in my opinion, a rather reductive way to look at things, especially if, for the sake of the comparisons people like to draw, you are not also extending that same energy to the iffier aspects of other adaptations. StampGaze is its own unique story. As such, it has its own unique takes on certain characters and plot points. These creative choices, in isolation, are not the spark which lights the giant, heaping garbage-fire some folks are making it out to be.

Jesper: they’re free