A manga by a Pixiv artist that has been making waves online. A very interesting commentary on anime fandom and anime appreciation. Translated by me.

Original here:

http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&illust_id=55569366

"Nothing is born out of criticism" goes against pretty much the entire ethos of commentary. Improvement is borne out of criticism. It's possible to enjoy something that's not objectively all that good and it's also possible to enjoy something your friends hated.

Perhaps the lesson here shoudn't be "never criticise things' but more "get a slightly thicker skin, holy shit."

Base +6, Ilosia +12, adam89 +6, shuntensatsu +13, Onthorm +7, pokkoncho +8, Beane +7, Danjian +6, kaura117 +7, Exsteverbur +7, TVHEAD +6, savaris +7, latzki3 +9, and 33 more...

...So... Criticism is bad because people can't have their own opinions?

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/a/ in a nutshell

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I think there is nonthing wrong in criticism itself , what's wrong is to criticize things without listening to another's opinion beforehand.... As seen on page 3..... That girl kept on talking while ignoring the main character's opinion and not giving her chance to express herself....
If it were me , i'd say ... "shut up and stop your blabbering.... let us discuss it.... In my opinion... blablabla ... what do you think?"

Base +5, fillin +6, ziggyb +7, solisel +6, Hamjameter +6, meirus +7

criticism is just a dressed up word for "opinion", and like assholes everybody has one. the biggest problem with opinions is that people try to force them on others, her friend should've read the room a little and realized that all her bitching and moaning was sucking up all her friends enjoyment.

Base +15, TVHEAD -6, Progeusz -8, zeroKot +8, end374 -7, thequack1212 -6, solisel +6, Hyoros +12, meirus +7

Personally speaking, the fallacy that everyone's making is assuming that there is some from of objectivity when it comes to criticism and anime appreciation. There is none. What there are are only opinions. If both the critic and the one listening to the critic understands this simple fact, these kinds of situations won't even occur and both can say their piece. I believe that that is the true issue being raised in this comic.

Why, then, do many people want to claim that art can be objective? Pulling out my cynical side, I argue that they want to establish objectivity so that their own tastes can reign supreme over others. By applying value judgment to taste they can then feel like they are better human beings and look down on others for liking or disliking certain shows. For instance, the term "otaku-pandering" is just a way to “other” the otaku and make oneself feel superior to them. Not only that, this way of thinking only serves to make people feel inferior for liking shows that are deemed bad, necessitating the use of the term "guilty pleasure" to absolve themselves of their guilt. In fact, if you really think about it, every show is a guilty pleasure if you choose to follow someone else’s standards. In the end, I’d argue that it’s all about enjoyment. There are people who enjoy art that challenges them. There are people who enjoy art that moves them. There are people who enjoy art that impresses them. If you enjoy different kinds of art for different reasons, why is your enjoyment any less genuine, less valuable or less legitimate than the enjoyment of others?

Base +6, moonflow +40, TVHEAD -6, savaris +7, Carnes344 +6, shiranai +7, N.N. -6, Whoknowsidont -2, TrilbysQuest +5, Jalis -7, lgdz +9, grey_side +6, Superstevefive +6, and 12 more...

>I Like Anime A
>Want to talk about A
>ANIME A IS SHIT AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD ENJOYING IT
>Don't want to talk about it again and the enjoyment plummet.
More like better find a nice circlejerk community if you can't handle the banter.

Base +6, HKE +6, Beane +7, quandox +6, kahn0219 +6, Superstevefive -6, ProNwo2012 +9, -TT- +6, thequack1212 +6, solisel -6, Hyoros -12

>Nothing is born out of criticism

Except, you know, meaningful discussions about things and our own growth as human beings. If your love for it was so shallow that one person could ruin it for you, you obviously didn't really care in the first place. My favorite show of all time is a monster-of-the-week Super Robot show that plenty of people have criticized for years, but I can accept the faults it does have and still love it to pieces.

Base +7, quandox +6, Ilosia +12, kahn0219 +6, hagenrc +5, KhanJr +6, ProNwo2012 +9, -TT- +6, Lucilia +6, end374 +7, Hamjameter +6

Sounds like a thin skinned pussy getting all butthurt because someone didn't like what he made. Then he tries to make up some bullshit justification so he doesn't have to admit to himself that he's a crybaby. If you're such a mindless meat robot that you can be reprogrammed by a single offhand remark, you're two things. The first is subhuman. The second is someone who clearly didn't actually like whatever it was in the first place. I give this 0 out of 5 stars and an enthusiastic 'Grow a pair, princess!'.

"criticism is just a dressed up word for "opinion", and like assholes everybody has one. the biggest problem with opinions is that people try to force them on others, her friend should've read the room a little and realized that all her bitching and moaning was sucking up all her friends enjoyment." -redbone

She asked her friend what she thought, you delusional cunt. Nobody forced anything on anyone. And no one is responsible for anyone else's opinion.

Last edited on 06 March 2016, 13:20.

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To the author: Grow an ego. Accept that tastes and opinions differ. If other people opinions affect you that much you aither clearly aren't a well developed person or you believe yourself to be so good noone could ever say anything bad about your work.

To summarize: grow up.

Base +6, quandox +6, Quote Marks +7, TrilbysQuest -5, Wolfragnium -3, Jalis +7, KhanJr +6, ProNwo2012 +9, end374 +7, solisel -6, Hyoros -12

@Raikit

I have to disagree with you. I believe there IS some form of objectivity when judging anime and the like. It is however more of a pass/fail situation and is done by the larger part of the community/fan base as a whole. This does NOT bar people from liking said work but serves as an example of how not to create the type of thing being criticized. There is a definitive point where something goes from having flaws to being absolutely awful and the community rejects and chastise said work. This mainly comes in to place when the creator or a person working on the thing at some level just does not put effort in to their work and NOT when someone just doesn't agree with the story or doesn't like the style of the animation.

Example; I like the video game dead rising and think it's great despite having a few flaws. Others may say it's bad but others will agree with me, this is all opinion. The game Superman 64 was a terrible game that is bad. This does not bar people form liking it (on the contrary some people like it FOR that reason.) but the community as a whole did not, pushing the developers away from things like it for the betterment of the fandom. This is where the actual legitimate criticism lies and where art can be objective.

Base +7, Shino205 +7, KhanJr +6, solisel -6, meirus -7

To be fair, her friend could have used more tact instead of shooting her mouth off like that, especially when she was having so much fun about something she loved very much. I don't know if it's a cultural thing though, maybe in Japan direct criticism is frowned upon.

Base +18, Wolfragnium +3, lgdz +9, solisel +6, Hyoros +12, meirus +7

while the protagonist is a mindless sheep, her friend is also a toxic people in general
if you like something & people diss it, its better to know what is bad about them & argue with them about the show positive that you seen
defend your idea by explaining why its "ALRIGHT"

Base +6, Progeusz +8, Hyoros +12

@ oneiwonder:

It's perfectly fine to disagree. However, I am not convinced by your argument. Firstly, everyone has their own criteria for what they consider to be good and bad. Gravity is an objective fact because the apple always falls downwards. If it falls up even once, gravity's no longer objective. Similarly, for something to be objectively bad, it has to be hated by everyone in the world regardless of their judging criteria. If even one person considers it good based on their own criteria, it is no longer objective.

Using the community/fanbase as an arbiter is problematic. Firstly, just like the individual, there are many different communities and fanbases from different social backgrounds and cultural contexts. Who should the creators listen to? Moe anime is popular in Japan, but not in the US. Does the US have superior taste that should be catered to? Not to mention, who decides who belongs in these groups? How will you be able to determine the majority anyway? Don't forget about the silent majority and vocal minority. This idea of "majority wins" is a very unreliable way of deciding what is objectively good or bad. For instance, should the critically panned Transformers movies be considered good because it made a killing at the box office by appealing to the lowest common denominator? In this case, it's commercial gain that drives production as opposed to the desire to pander to the critics' criteria of what makes a good movie.

Last edited on 06 March 2016, 18:00.

Base +6, lgdz +9, TVHEAD -6, KhanJr -6, zeroKot +8, solisel +6, meirus +7, SCSS +19

Usually it's this site that does the title for me and for a totally different reason.

Base +6, FuckThisShittyShit +2, meirus +7

I think many are missing the point of this comic. I think the whole assumption of this being complete anti-criticism is bs. The victim in this story isn't what matters, it's the perpetrator. When the main character asks if her friend wants to go see the movie, she answers with "I guesses" and "hmm... why not?". Clearly she isn't as interested in the movie/series as her friend is. But she goes with her friend anyways and seems to suck it up.

However, here is where she becomes less a good friend. She would clearly know, from both how excited the MC was before the movie and after, that her friend really enjoyed it regardless of what errors she may have seen but chose to ignore. When asked "what did you think" a good friend would not have wanted to hurt the MC and instead of deliberately and harshly tearing into the show, the more appropriate response would have just been to talk about the one or two things she did like. She did not, thus I would more question the quality of friendship those two share.

I would never do such a thing to my best friend, we both like different shows and we both are excited to talk about them. And while I may not watch the same shows he watches (not to say I dislike them, more disinterested in that particular genre) I don't tear apart the show, thus being a total ass, and he doesn't when I talk about shows that I like.

That's why I think the moral of this comic is more along the lines of friendship and knowing when to read the mood and take care in what you say around your friends who you know might take great enjoyment on something you either are disinterested in or dislike, than it is about total censorship of criticism. Its about respect for another's preferences. The friend clearly didn't, and if, in the extreme case, she really hated the series her friend loved, she never had to go.

Base +1, lgdz +9, Leldude +6, KhanJr -6, Blaze_fire +8, solisel +6, Hyoros +12, meirus +7

If you can't take your friend thinking something you like is bad and it destroys your entire outlook on something, then you need to seek some fucking emotional or mental counseling.

Base +6, Hyoros -12

@Penchinon: I was going to ask which one, but then I looked at your username and realized it's clearly Groizer X. (I jest, of course)

That said, criticism is something that people need, because it keeps us level and reminds us that not EVERYONE shares our opinion. Criticism in excess is a problem, and negative "everything sucks" cesspits are terrible places, but as with most things, in moderation it is quite good.

Base +5

@igmas

The point is that neither of us care, and we're both happier for it. Neither of us have ever argued about *anything*. If anything else, being respectful of each other's opinions (not trying to tell the other person why their wrong, like this "friend" did) and not trying to shove our own down each-other's throats have made us even greater friends. It's nothing secret to be careful of what you say or don't always say what you're thinking. Common courtesy is no secret in life, and it goes a long way. The so-called friend wasn't respectful of her friend's opinions. She should have kept silent, or if she felt she had to be negative, reply in vague answers like "It was good, I can't remember the last time I watched this series.". Like I said, common courtesy is a lost art, and something truly great friends would know.

Common courtesy and mutual respect, goes a long way.

The point is furthered by the fact that the MC realizes that her "friend" is not the friend she thought, because when the friend asks "want to go see that movie", she remembers what a b**** the friend was to her and says "no" (smart girl). Honestly, I think the MC is better off without X-ko-chan.

Base +1, TVHEAD -6, KhanJr -6, Hyoros +12, meirus +7

I see a lot of folks saying "respect my opinion" but really when it boils down to it there are good and bad ideas. This is why I don't apply critic logic to anime. In my eyes anime is just something to turn off your brain and enjoy. Going "this is bad because" and "this is good because" every single time is just a depressing way to live and I've even heard a number of critics go out of their way to say that sometimes they regret becoming critics.

Base +6, Hyoros +12, shuwadorimin -6

@ Jube:

The thing is, how do you define that "improvement"? To change one's work in accordance to someone's judging criteria? Whose judging criteria would you consider to be more valid than everyone else's? Your own?

Base +6, solisel +6

The thing is, there is not a singular criteria to define something as bad or good, as the criteria differs in each society and wwith the passage of time.

It's true tha the friend was a little too bitchy, but in the end it boils down to what someone values more, their own opinion or the opinion of other people. If someone asks for an opinion, that person should be prepared to deal with the fact that other people may not share tastes, may even hate it, and want to express said opinion.

Base +6, solisel +6, Hamjameter +6

Autism and retardation/10
Talking about this comment section of course.
The author is simply an idiot.

Base +6, FuckThisShittyShit -2, thequack1212 +6, solisel -6, wktra +6, Hyoros -12, meirus -7

@Jube
I'd rather not grown a skin too thick and ended up hurling shit at people because I can't feel that that it is shit (due to the affordmentioned thick skin)

Base +5