"underground" writings/literature on anime in a critical light and as a reflection

["Anime Art and the Death of Po(...) No.15851951]

>The above pieces (pic related) of art both depict a young girl on the cusp of pubescence, straddling between youthful innocence and adolescent sexuality. Bouguereau’s painting is very reserved in its depiction of the girl’s eroticism. He uses the symbolism of the stolen pear—the pear being a well-established symbol of the female figure and fertility—to suggest that this young girl has prematurely taken possession of her feminine nature, already visible in her alluring gaze. Aruma’s drawing depicts a similar girl in a similarly mundane situation, though one more typical of modern life. The difference lies in the use of a suggestive pose, exaggerated facial flushing and sweat on the skin to emphasize the girl’s femininity and fertility directly. Her expression suggests a precociousness similar to that of Bouguereau’s “little thief”. The critical distinction is, of course, the method by which the artists characterize their subject, not to mention the relative realism of Bouguereau’s technique when contrasted with Aruma’s stylized, idealistic portrayal.

>In fact, anime art is in many ways a revival of certain Romanticist sentiments. Although anime art is not particularly focused on nature, it does emphasize beauty, especially that of the human form. Anime exalts individuality, expressiveness and emotion just as 19th century Romanticism did. For the time, Romanticist art was often seen as excessive in its indulgence of the senses, though it may not seem so by today’s standards. Anime art certainly embraces this idea with its frequent use bright colors, intricate clothing and sexuality to evoke emotion and stimulate the viewer. Using the newfound cultural freedoms granted by Modernism, anime art takes these ideas even further than 19th century Romanticist artists ever could. Prolific anime director Hayao Miyazaki is famously critical of this idealism in contemporary anime art, dismissing it as being “produced by humans who can’t stand looking at other humans”. From this perspective, anime art serves as escapism, allowing the viewer to experience a world without superficial ugliness. However, one could also interpret this preoccupation with depicting idealized humans as a positive idealism which seeks to highlight and magnify the best traits in humanity as 19th-century Romanticism did.

>If current trends are a bellwether, then Postmodernism will die. Misery in the West is reaching unprecedented levels, due in large part to the destruction of morals and meaning. The nature of man is to search for meaning and aspire to greatness, and Postmodernism stands in the way of this most primal drive. It is up to us to wield the weapons used to slay reason and truth and turn them upon their cynical creator. The groundwork is already being laid. However small, Anime Idealism is undoubtedly a victory—a stepping stone to a beautiful reality yet unseen.

https://whereisthewest.com/en/posts/anime-art-and-the-death-of-postmodernism/

[Anonymous No.15852039]

If you think Romanticism is merely about 'beauty' you'd be wrong. It's about other aesthetic categories like the sublime, it's about the passions, things like love and fear and sadness taken to extremes. But it's also sensible enough to avoid being kitschy, too melodramatic or too saccharine to the point that it becomes nauseating. A lot of modern art is really kitsch and that's true also of anime art. They can be technically impressive, drawing human bodies or landscapes (clouds, mountains, whatever) to dazzle you. But there's an odd cheapness to it. One of the great proofs that people actually have declined lies in their formalist conception of art that many anti-modernists have. They think that all that matters about 'good' art is the (formalist) beauty. That's why they end up defending shitty but technically-impressive kitschy art (and can't even tell why it's different from the great works of the great masters) and criticizing modernist art for being 'ugly.' Hitler was an example of this, he spent his life drawing kitschy but technically impressive paintings of his surroundings and got mad that avant garde modernists were getting attention while he was rightly derided. The author of OP's quote is saying a load of shit. Not surprising since the link ends in fucking Trump anime meme art. Fuck off.

[Anonymous No.15852139]

Fuck Romanticism.

Fuck the Sublime.

[Anonymous No.15852164]

>>15852139
>Fuck the Sublime
Why the fuck?

[Anonymous No.15852190]

>>15852164
Men like Burke have skewed aesthetics into having no meaning with his definition.

[Anonymous No.15852231]

>>15852190
It's not Burke that came up with the sublime, nor is he the authority on it, you can experience what it's like if you stand up close in front of immense magnitudes like mountains or something. Even as a child I knew the feeling without having a word for it. It's real. You really do feel this weird mix of awe and respect, wondrous fixation, and your own smallness and its immensity overcoming you, which some authors talk about as 'fear.'

[Anonymous No.15852256]

Theres something really off with all that guys paintings, the girls look weird.

[Anonymous No.15852514]

4chan posts are fine too desu.

[Anonymous No.15852530]

Every now and then /a/ will pull its head out of its ass and have a genuinely interesting discussion thread about Evangelion, in which some rather /lit/ things will occasionally be said.

[Anonymous No.15852533]

>>15851951
fucking garbage

[Anonymous No.15852587]

>>15851951
>Her expression suggests a precociousness similar to that of Bouguereau’s “little thief”.
I disagree. Bouguereau's girl's expression suggests precociousness, while the anime girl just looks like a lust-possessed animal in comparison.

[Anonymous No.15852767]

>>15852514
it’s so tiresome to see someone complaining about anime pics. It’s as if they expect us to believe they’ve browsed this site for years and that they still must reply to every anime pic with condescension.

[Anonymous No.15852779]

>>15852530
>eva
this is how you spot a pseud

[Anonymous No.15852939]

>>15852039
Lay people and coomers are impressed by toil and mistake this for an artistic process.

[Anonymous No.15853186]

>>15852779
Let me guess, you prefer K-On or Dragon Maid or something "cute" like that.

[Anonymous No.15853259]

>>15852514
I don't mind people using cute images on this site, but I hate it when they're obviously used as a shield to make the poster appear less pretentious or mad than they really are. Anime images are often used for disingenuous purposes, and despite my love for anime girls, I can't really fault other people for getting pissed off at them.
>>15852779
Eva fans are all teenagers, you shouldn't be hard on them.

[Anonymous No.15853268]

>>15852039
>One of the great proofs that people actually have declined lies in their formalist conception of art that many anti-modernists have. They think that all that matters about 'good' art is the (formalist) beauty. That's why they end up defending shitty but technically-impressive kitschy art (and can't even tell why it's different from the great works of the great masters) and criticizing modernist art for being 'ugly.' Hitler was an example of this, he spent his life drawing kitschy but technically impressive paintings of his surroundings and got mad that avant garde modernists were getting attention while he was rightly derided.
Sure, but avant garde modern art is garbage all the same. While kitsch is shallow, modern art is stupid.

[Anonymous No.15854102]

>>15853186
Mecha anime is a plague upon science fiction.
If you like big robots, you posses a mind averse to realistic engineering.
Never become an architect.

[Anonymous No.15854145]

>>15854102
>Mecha anime is a plague upon science fiction.
I read a short story from the 20s Soviet Russia about the Eiffel Tower suddenly starting walking and turning into a mecha of sorts.
>If you like big robots, you posses a mind averse to realistic engineering.
What the fuck does science fiction have to do with realistic engineering? Are you one of those ridiculous autists who can only read hard SF?
Do you have any idea how many people have gotten into engineering careers inspired by mecha?

It's like at all of these points you raised you forgot one of the essential aspects about anime, which is that it's a medium intended for children
and teenagers. And children, as anyone knows, don't require some show to pass a checklist for feasibility to suspend their disbelief.

[Anonymous No.15854191]

>>15854145
I've had a hard time enjoying anime recently. I've found myself wondering how I even enjoyed some of the shows I used to watch. You raise some good points and have given me some things to think about.
Still don't like mechs though. Something about it is instinctual, can't get over it you know?

[Anonymous No.15854208]

>50000 word pseudo intellectual wankery written by some fat pedo midwit
yikes

[Anonymous No.15854292]

>>15851951
I think this is an interesting and well written article, good job anon. Can't wait to see what you'll write about next.

[Anonymous No.15854305]

>>15854102
>Mecha anime is a plague upon science fiction.
Yeah but Japan makes them look so cool.

[Anonymous No.15854320]

>>15851951
please shut the fuck up

[Anonymous No.15854336]

high satire. i am nauseated. well done.

[Anonymous No.15854365]

The final redpill is becoming one with anime

[Anonymous No.15854592]

>>15854102
You realize there were mechas in Greek mythology right?

[Anonymous No.15855192]

>>15854305
>>15854592
Alright, 1920's Soviet Russia, the Eiffel Tower, Japan, and Greek mythology are also plagues upon science fiction. Are there any other plagues upon science fiction I should know about? If any anime I watch from now on has references to any of those, instadrop.
I'll apologize here for that post. Sorry, it was mostly a shitpost in a weird thread I barely read; I wasn't expecting any responses, much less serious ones. I do appreciate them though. Didn't know Talos was from a bronze-man race, depending on the story. Neat. Shame about that design flaw though.

[Anonymous No.15855249]

>>15851951

K now do dis.

[Anonymous No.15855323]

>>15854102
>>15855192
Fucker I'll bet you've read a hundred different books that all have FASTER THAN LIGHT TRAVEL, which is more blatantly unrealistic than mecha will ever be. At least you can actually BUILD a bipedal motorized machine in real life. We've actually done it before, even!

[Anonymous No.15855746]

>>15854102
Good thing the Evas weren't big robots built by engineers. Just watch the show already.

[Anonymous No.15856204]

>>15852039
Avant-garde and modernist art is fucking shit.

[Anonymous No.15856217]

>>15851951
>Bouguereau
>Romanticism

[Anonymous No.15856247]

>>15851951
Manga art and Japanese visual art represents historical Japanese art and vision, however in my opinion while it is unique and has immense value, at least Japanese visual art does not come close to what Europe over the centuries has produced. It is not a bad thing because as I said Japanese art is unique but European art and Japanese can't really be compared or Japanese art judged by European standards and vice versa.

[Anonymous No.15856310]

>>15856204
Modernist art is ok, it is post-modernims that is shit

[Anonymous No.15856390]

>>15856217
/thread