No.83
Is anyone else here actually watching any Chinese anime atm? I dabble in it, mostly because I've got too much time on my hands and have some curiosity about China. But by no means expert, don't speak a word of Chinese or know the cultural baggage.
Stray observation I can make so far:
- not a very diverse medium, 90% seems some variation of fantasy genre. Most of that something called "cultivation", which is like people who are trying to become gods by joining sects and cultivating spirit energy, I think. They do magic at each other and sometimes there's demons and weird things.
- a lot of 3D rendered shows, I don't watch those at all. But you see it come back in normal shows, pretty grating (notorious example is the Marx anime)
- very gay. Don't know how else to put it. I don't go looking for it, yet so many seem to be about MM relationships between androgynous looking fellows, with the occasional gf for a beard. Why is this, what is the structural explanation? really puzzling
- the available subs don't cut it. often hard to follow along, I can tell I'm missing a lot of nuance and jokes, and there is a tendency to not add translations to in-medium text (like say a menu that is shown)
But you know, I can see the embryo of great things forming. That's mostly why I'm sticking with it and keep sampling these Chinese shows. Nothing that I can recommend without reservation quite yet, but still, a grab bag of what I've watched through:
White Cat Legend, most all around quality series I think. Uneven and unfocused but no real faults. Looks great, some historical background and setting to make it feel grounded, and the MC is a cat and a bureaucrat - delightful. No gay.
All saint street, this one is light on calories and runtime, but maybe the most finished product of the list. Clear setup, the humour translates, decent worksmanship qua art. Pretty gay.
Berryl and Saphire, very uneven. Five minute skits interspersed with full episodes, format is anthology, with some recurring storylines. The show shines when they do a full-length episode every now and then. Very creative in what they do with it, they tackle all kind of genre, all over the emotional range. Some of these are simply great. But you do have to sit through duds as well - emblematic of the state of the medium. Pretty gay.
Bureau of paranormal investigation, it's kinda trash but I like it. X-files meets Indiana Jones but with Chinamen. Just wish they didn't cut in bad looking 3D animation. No gay.
Our Big Brother's Mind Has A Problem, kinda trash and cringy attempts at humour but I can't stop watching it. First season short skits, second season actual episodes. Appreciate that it explained what cultivation was in season two with diagrams n sheet. Very gay.
Kaifeng Strange Tales:…, it had some funny jokes, mostly cringe tho. But putting it up for not indulging in fantasy elements I guess? Kinda gay.