#*don't

Like, loving and praising a piece of media isn't bad of course. And comparisons can be fun. But a lot of the time, when it came to discussing mp100 in relation to other shows, fans would often go after the other shows just to lift mp100 up in how it's so much better. And like, of course, you can have your preferences, and you can judge the quality of shows and place some above another! But the way that these fans did it, it was so obvious in many cases that they weren't coming into the discussion with a meaningfully critical mindset. It was mostly just fueled by spite, and a wish for a feeling of superiority.

Which is a shame, because there's always insight to be had in analysing media in relation to another, but because this sort of analysis was often about forcing expectations on series, instead of exploring the differences, it made it all feel very petty. We shouldn't hold some one way of creating stories above every other. There is no single right way to write well. If we remain stubborn on our stances and are inflexible when it comes to considering the different intentions with which different media is created, and the angles with which they can be viewed, we just end up shackling our creativity. Different media should all be handled differently. That's how we create unique stories rather than rehash existing ones. It doesn't mean we shouldn't be critical, but that critique works better if it comes from a place of wanting to understand, not tear down, and this critical lens should go both ways.

I mean, as cheesy as I might sound saying this, mp100 does also teach this, does it not? The message of noone being special - that can apply to no media being universally superior, and how we shouldn't place ourselves above for our tastes. The message of empathy and kindness, and how we should take that and apply it to ourselves and not harass or demean others. It feels like often it's these types of stories, with compassion at their core, which seem to breed these types of judgemental mindsets the most.

Which, I think that comes down to people absorbing the softer parts of those themes, of how your feelings are valid, while disregarding the ones about humility and how we are all capable of harm, because those parts are harder to swallow; as well as that people often get attached to media that makes them feel comforted, which can create an air of defensiveness, as you may not want to loose that feeling of appreciation. But just as mp100's characters can all have both good and bad sides, so can stories; and the bad doesn't erase the good - it just means there is depth. Stories would be boring if there was nothing to critique - if there were no cracks to fill, parts subject to change, reflections of flaws in our society that would do good to acknowledge - if there was no room for growth. And I think, this aspect, of adding your own to what you love, is also why a lot of 'bad media' gets popular. Stories that are lovable, but still visibly lacking in some way, just feel more human. So in that sense, I find a lot of potential in the flaws of what we love, because it challenges us to see the gray areas and inspires more conversations and ideas.