UlasanAnime.com – Having watched three episodes of Anime-Gataris, I found it reminiscent of anitwitter, albeit with a collection of rather rudimentary opinions. Unlike anitwitter, it lacked humor, insightful moments, or even a sense of current relevance, featuring a surprising number of outdated takes. More concerningly, Anime-Gataris fails to exhibit the layered self-awareness I’ve come to expect from meta-anime productions in 2017. For a contemporary example of what Anime-Gataris is not, consider Imoto Sae.
Consequently, and I’m unsure if this is an entirely fair comparison, Anime-Gataris strikes me as quite similar to The Big Bang Theory. Both are character and situation-driven comedies that aim to deliver a barrage of nerdy references. The issue with Anime-Gataris is that while the jokes and references themselves might be acceptable, I question whether they are intended for an audience that truly grasps all of them. To illustrate, consider the discrepancy on ANN’s listing for Garnidelia’s Aikotoba, where it appears with a space, unlike its no-space or hyphenated variations in Anime-Gataris. This is a meta-joke; a more “woke” anitwitter response might be something like “A~I~Ko~To~Ba.”
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The immediate problem with Anime-Gataris, and similar shows, is that they embody the sort of reviled creations from the 2000s, emerging from the mid-Azuma, database-creation era. I am, to a degree, intrigued by the application of the “character X is a supernerd obsessed with [topic Y], and character Z plays the outsider being drawn in” template to actual anime, rather than as a derivative work. This approach reflects how many outside of Japan perceive anime. [This observation leads to numerous thoughts about overseas fan-catering, but that’s beside the point.] We’ve seen this pattern extensively with games, cosplay, Akiba culture, idols, and more. It’s finally being applied to anime itself as disposable entertainment.
In Japan, the anime otaku community is, at its core, an underground and hardcore group. Using a collectible card game metaphor, there are many “poser-likes” who are aware of the meta but choose not to actively participate. I believe the true anime otaku are those who have consistently watched ten or more shows per season over several years. However, it seems there are more individuals who don’t watch a vast number of anime yet still understand the culture, than those who do.
Perhaps in 2017, a show like this is novel in its premise but tired in its execution. At this point, I’m not even particularly interested in its cautious, reserved references to other properties, such as “Dub Tones” or whatever Love Live is. It feels like a committee-driven effort to exploit genuine anime otaku in a superficial manner that appeals to overseas fans. Naturally, this relies on Anime-Gataris developing its characters and providing compelling hijinks. Yet, until it incorporates an IDOLM@STER reference, it’s merely echoing sentiments that have been circulating for the past two decades.
I tend to evaluate such content based on its actual merits, not on superficial presentations. Therefore, while I will observe Anime-Gataris from a distance, I would advise viewers to first watch all the anime referenced within it before engaging with Anime-Gataris itself. This approach will undoubtedly lead to a more rewarding use of your time.
