Hige vs. Otaku

The first, one that I continue to struggle with somewhat, is the parallels my mind makes between it and Boogiepop Phantom. The likenesses, so far, have been fairly superficial: both have shinigami-like overseers with flamboyantly dressed schoolgirl appearances and both use the supernatural to examine human pathology. These passing similarities have the potential to develop into something more glarringly obvious, but nonetheless it’s enough to bait and nag a particular part of my anime-watching consciousness.

That being The Raging Fanboy. I suppose you could write these things off more as ‘genre resemblance’ than anything else, but my preoccupation with Boogiepop Phantom is what makes accepting such very difficult. I adore Boogiepop Phantom like I adore FLCL; it transcends a lot of rational explanation (well, brief rational explanation) and simply sits in the realm of I just really bloody love it. So my comparative mind won’t relax and give Shigofumi a break. It’s hardly a deal-breaker – I still thoroughly enjoy Shigofumi and appreciate its merits apart from Boogiepop’s looming shadow. Yet I can’t ignore the niggling anxieties about how Shigofumi is going to match what I doubt can be equalled in my estimations.

Of course, this attitude whips up all sorts of contention over whether two separate works can truly equal one another, or even if it’s worth debating the possibility. It isn’t my intention to suggest it’s a reasonable expectation, either. Rather, I want to articulate a problem that occasionally occurs when following a medium in the way that we do as anime bloggers. Sometimes it’s impossible to ignore a fevered admiration for something when vaguely similar approximations appear (which is commonplace in anime, let’s be honest). It seems, Lit Theory forgive me, apart of human nature to compare and have expectations influenced by those comparisons.

Nonetheless, it’s more than likely that by the time Shigofumi ends there will be enough distinction for me to set the two apart comfortably and get over all this neurosis. Though as it stands, three episodes in, I’m still thinking about Boogiepop’s hot bod while doing it with Shigofumi.

The fact that both series revolve around death makes that analogy particularly unsettling, and I official declare that was my intention. Yeah, that’s right: you heard me.

The other problem, one that was brutally resolved in episode three, was Kanaka’s role as comic relief. Basically, she/it royally pissed me off with all the inappropriate anime flourishes and high-pitched squealing. It felt out of place when the subject matter and general approach seemed so heavy and complex. But episode three’s conversation between she/it and Fumika about humanity’s flaws, the darkest things we’re capable of, and Kanaka’s consequent hysterics at how messed up we can be, shut me the hell up. I still acknowledge her role as something to lighten the mood (aka appease the otaku) and still wish she would stfu and dirl, but JC Staff obviously aren’t afraid to suggest that her cheery demeanour masks a much bleaker, tragic sense of humour.

So, Shigofumi is shaping up to be rather exceptional. Or at least, refreshingly different. It makes me want to jump up and down and point at it, evangelising early so I can feel smug when everyone else realises how excellent it is, but the sphere seems miles ahead of me on this one. Not bad for a bunch of Haruhi-obsessed paedophiles.

<3

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 11:21 pm and is filed under Shigofumi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.