UlasanAnime.com – It’s easy to point to an example when discussing anime reception, and while not intending to pick on anyone, an illustrative case can be found. Take a look at this review.
Is this assessment fair? It’s a valid opinion, and likely a common one, and the review itself appears reasonable based on the points made. However, having only watched five episodes of the series, it seems the show has long surpassed the initial hurdles of being a “mary-sue moe genderswapped Sengoku reenactment.” Five episodes! Is that too much to ask for anime reviewers to reach before forming a definitive opinion? In fact, my impression of Nobuna hasn’t significantly changed since episode three. The recent addition of a Yui Ogura-style loli character feels like a considerable distraction. While she might be an appealing character for fanservice, the show’s core remains strong regardless of this new addition to Nobuna’s harem.
Naturally, my own perspective is also colored by bias. After five episodes, this Sengoku gender-swap “mary-sue” is still impressing me, and it’s not to be confused with “Sengoku Collection.” (For reference, Sencolle stopped impressing me around episode eight when it resorted to an Alice in Wonderland-esque directorial choice; this isn’t to say Sencolle is bad now, but my expectations have adjusted accordingly.) I genuinely didn’t anticipate Nobuna’s Ambition to evolve into the show it is today. Therefore, the criticism I linked only holds validity in a hypothetical, alternate universe where the anime concluded after just one or two episodes.
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And that’s precisely the issue. It boils down to expectations, and many blogs conflate their personal feelings with genuine critical judgment. The amusing aspect of the quoted example was the acknowledgment of Nobuna’s strengths. The review becomes incredibly shallow when it assumes the show is just another moe Sengoku genderswap anime. To clarify, this is akin to dismissing a root beer float simply because it’s a root beer float, therefore it’s bad? What exactly is wrong with this particular iteration of the Sengoku genderswap (or any version)? Is it the lack of burly male leads (wait, what part of “genderswap” wasn’t clear)? Or perhaps the characters are too simple? Maybe it’s Nobuna’s right breast? I couldn’t discern the reviewer’s specific grievances after reading the post.
In the broader context, Nobuna remains a typical romance/comedy/adventure anime. It might not be groundbreaking unless you have a particular fondness for historical games or RPGs, especially the various Nobunaga’s Ambition spinoffs. It might not possess the charm of “Ankori Pasta Rice,” but who would have given either show a second thought if their initial premise was that any anime with a male lead and a harem is inherently bad? Perhaps it is indeed not “good” if your definition of good aligns with “Cowboy Bebop” or, humorously, “Redline.”
Upon reflection, on a fundamental level, there are few adventure anime these days that incorporate these elements and can still be completed within one or two cours. Nobuna’s Ambition fits this description. We won’t rehash its positive aspects: the solid writing and commendable animation/direction. We also won’t dwell on how the main character remains primarily focused on Nobuna, despite his inevitably awkward interactions with the rest of the (arguably disposable, much like in-game generals) female cast. Certainly, we won’t discuss the show’s intended audience, which could be a valid justification for someone like the quoted reviewer to react as they did. Some viewers might simply dislike cute girls in their anime, ninjas who stutter, or anything resembling a “mary-sue.” This might explain why “replay novels” never quite gained traction in the West.
On a very basic level, one could argue that our act of gauging expectations is, however subtly, influenced by the shows we watch. Perhaps you might find such a mismatch as a result of the show itself. However, for instance, I know that for every complaint about “Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere’s” character designs and fanservice, there’s a genuine concern about cultural clashes or a simple distaste for aesthetics, which is an inevitable outcome as long as diverse tastes exist. That kind of opinion is worth considering. But it’s a very different matter to speak favorably of shows you enjoy and negatively of shows you drop. It’s fundamentally different to judge a show based on incorrect assumptions. It’s like reviewing a sports car as if it were a minivan, or critiquing chocolate ice cream when you’re tired of chocolate.
This, again, points to the ongoing and pervasive problem of decontextualization that anime fandom overseas has grappled with since its inception.
