Gorillaz Is My Favorite Anime

like its not a bad thing for a show to respond to what the fans think. its actually very valuable! literally any creator can tell you that feedback is a critical part of the artistic process and thats one of the benefits of having a multi-season show as opposed to a limited series. but when the priority of a narrative stops being “what story do we want to tell” and starts becoming “what will shock and/or appease our audience” (so they can keep doing free advertising for us/make us more money), it immediately becomes a two-dimensional caricature of itself. and this abandons any emotional, philosophical, or thematic depth a piece of art could hope to have.

and the problem is that strategy works, until it doesnt! its genuinely scary how much their fanbases initially lean into this, further reinforcing the reduction. i have seen fans actively brag about how they negatively manipulated ratings for a more experimental episode, or how they feel secure that a show wont try anything new “at risk of upsetting the fans.” regardless of how satisfied one is in the short term, the long term consequences of this media engagement is depressing. no wonder so many bland cookie-cutter reboots keep getting greenlit. no wonder so many shows become repetitive, becoming little more than making fanfic scenarios for their paper doll characters to dance around in or kiss. artistic bankruptcy is profitable. riverdale, supernatural, stranger things, glee, the walking dead, any cw show honestly take your pick.