#perfectanime

In my usual gallivanting through the internet time, I’ve found people who disagree with me. It’s shocking, but what can you do? Yell? Scream? Throw a chair out the window? That sounds like a good idea, but what I did instead was let it fuel my next blog post. So, uh...here it is.

It has come to my attention that some people believe The Pet Girl of Sakurasou isn’t the greatest anime of all time, which I would agree with only because it is second to the monogatari series. Some arguments come from not being fond of the ending, to which I say: Just because an ending isn’t exactly what you wanted, doesn’t mean it wasn’t good CC Oreimo. YES, OREIMO’S ENDING WAS FINE! Even if it broke my heart. But back to my main concern, the argument has been made that the character’s introductions left little to be invested in, so that when some important happened, it lost impact due to the viewer not being attached to these characters.

While I understand this argument and believe it deserves some merit, I don’t think that’s always the case. Whether or not you connect with a character is completely subjective and often times situational. It can depend on the type of show, the type of character, and the type of person you are. Your individual tastes are yours and yours alone, and I can respect that. However, if you didn’t like Sakurasou, YOUR TASTE IS AUTOMATICALLY SHIT AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DROPPED IT EARLY ON YOU STUPID MOTHERF- Ehrm, I mean, I think there are a few things to keep in mind before writing off a show, and you owe it to yourself to at least try and develop your tastes and grow as a person. Or at least read on and then tell me I’m wrong and stupid and reblog this to others just to show how stupid and wrong I am.

Sometimes characters don’t need an introduction. The element of mystery can be one of the things that makes them so interesting. Just drip feed sometimes vague information about them throughout the show, and by the end we’ll know what they’re up to and the climax will be rewarding because we stuck through it. Of course, this only works if there’s something else to there to keep me enjoying the show, otherwise my interest will fade, the ending won’t be good enough, and I’ll die a little inside.

The “something else” that needs to be present, well, for me it’s usually humor. Comedy is a powerful hook, one that oh so slyly catches you so that when something does happen to a character, you actually care.

Now, these two previous points relate to storytelling in general, but my next one will relate more to the actual point of this post, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou. You see, wanting more of an introduction to characters in a school-life drama, well, kinda doesn’t make sense. The whole point of school is that you’re developing as a person. It’s a coming-of-age story, one about those moments that will, most likely, shape the rest of your life. What’s most important about growing up is not where you started, but where you ended up. You don’t need a brilliant introduction, because this is your backstory in the making. The whole point of this kind of show is to watch the characters become better people.

And besides that, I thought the introduction to Sakuraou’s characters was fine. Sorata doesn’t quite know what he wants out of life yet, but is surrounded by people of extreme talent that make him uncomfortably aware that he doesn’t have any. Shiina lacks common sense and basic abilities to take care of herself, but makes up for it by being a master-class artist. Jin is a playboy/struggling writer, who also feels inadequate due to the talent that overshadows him. Misaka is creative, outgoing and optimistic, and an already successful animator. The other two are more introduced later in the show, but from what we already have on the characters from the first few episodes, I’d say we’re pretty well off.