@Perfidious: Man, latin is so damn hard. VERGILS AENEID ARRGH! But I agree with ya. Even if anime became more repetetive in terms of plot, characters, etc. , I feel that I would still enjoy it because of the comfort factor we find in these shows.

@Cal: So what you’re saying is, originality depends on the mind of the viewer? Probably that’s the best reply, but doesn’t that mean that everyone show has the potential to be considered original in terms of this logic?

@Rollchan: Shit…I hadn’t thought of that. Such a genius commentator :O

@Myssa: Honestly, when I pulled up that image, I had no idea it was from a game or whatnot haha. I agree with what you’re saying about the money issue. It’s a shame that we are often hindered by what Society wants rather than what we feel.

@Shippo: Nice response :O. I’m beginning to see a standard for most anime watchers as to what originality is.

@Christopher: What is that anime? I must watch it! And everything was soooooo much better back in the 2002s. I mean, Phish came back from the dead and the First Spider Man movie came out! Now, they’re planning a Spiderman 4 and 5 ;_;.

Definitely having a hard time visualizing Impz as the officious and sermon-giving yama. Lady Shiki Eiki is not a force to be trifled with, especially with her grave-marker danmaku!

Back on topic however, what I also forgotten to add about the anime production industry (and indeed, any business these days) is that, while they are probably more than capable of producing or supporting series that are original (or are based on source material that is original), there’s a very large amount of risk involved. It might pay off, but then it might fail terribly, so it’s no wonder that they use themes that they KNOW will work.

being original, having original ideas. not being a copycat.

@Myssa: Yeah, I hadn’t thought about business being a factor as to why nothing new seems to be coming out recently. Reminds me of my previous post on Anime Merchandise and how much more guy-oriented merchandise there is than girls. It’s still kind of depressing though, on how money and society basically run our lives, regardless of how much we struggle against them.

@SBWizard: I don’t necessarily believe that Originality is dead. I feel that there are still some gems there such as Death Note that can be considered to be honestly original. However, I think that most new manga/anime that is being produced just plays to the masses because it’s what we like. If you’ve been eating a delicious cheeseburger for everyday of your life and all of a sudden you’re presented with an Avocado Burger, wouldn’t you stick with the cheeseburger? Of course, if you’re a vegetarian, I am very sorry for using this example, but I kind of think that it may not be the problem of Mangakas not trying to be original but the problem of the media feeding off of accepted ideas. I agree with your cliche idea though. So many storylines nowadays are so repetitive that I can call the plot premise before the anime even starts.

@kdp: Yeah, I know what you mean by the expansion of sci-fi and fantasy concepts. Although there’s so many different types of fantastical animes, basically in the end they’re all similar in one way or other. But could you argue the point that right from the first romance anime or the first comedy anime etc. that future shows to come wouldn’t be able to call themselves original? Because of the limited nature of the human language, regardless of how hard we try, we tend to fall into a cycle of utilised words, motifs, etc. Can we even call the small variations on story originality?

@Shippo: Yeah, I also enjoy anime that isn’t necessarily groundbreaking. The character originality concept interests me though. Since each character in an anime is different from any other character, would that mean that one could argue that all anime’s can be considered original? I don’t think so, but it would be intriguing to see someone argue this point.

@Drm: I didn’t even know the loli’s name haha. I just found it on Danbooru ;D. Psychonauts kind of reminds me of Jak and Daxter mixed in with Sly Cooper from the description. Of course, I’ve never played so I may be completely wrong. Also, similarities between what? Green Loli and Raz 0_0?

@BigN: Haha, because of Impzie’s fascination with green loli’s, I always imagine him as a King Loli sitting on his throne that rules over all us underlings. I think that what you feel to be original is basically the generalized thinking amongst most anime viewers. However, how much of a spin do you think an anime needs to be original. Can it be just a simple switch of gender roles such as in Lovely Complex, or does it take something more?

Arrgh Calawain. Your post is so long haha. I’ll post again later but I’ve already spent like an hour thinking about the previous responses X_X.

Still I like anime. I would admit that some shows aren’t the most original thing I’ve ever seen, but there’s a certain comfort to that. And to say nothing is new isnt really true either.

As for originality, it’s a pretty subjective standard. The vast majority of media today contains large parts of things that have been done in the past, whether you notice it or not. This is especially true in comedy where familiarity is what makes a lot of it funny. The fact is that true originality requires a genius, and only a miniscule fraction of the population is capable of something like that. Couple that with the fact that the anime industry doesn’t pay much and is risk averse, and you find shows that are similar in nature. The point is that it’s not something that’s new, it’s always been like that.

People have been saying originality is dead for as long as there has been media. In today’s anime world the people that say originality is dead are those that don’t like the predominant genres out there. If you don’t like moe or harem shows you will probably say they are all crappy copies. However, fans of the genre can tell the differences and appreciate all of the shows. You can categorize True Tears and Kimiaru as moe harem shows, but they are completely and utterly different. The fact that there are pretty girls and one male lead does not mean it is not different and entertaining.

If one doesn’t like mecha they can say that wow every show is a clone of Eva or Gundam First-they are unoriginal and crappy. So be careful before you make broad statements that originality is dead especially when you cite Naruto of all things as something that should be looked upon as a good example.

Perhaps Impz has the ability to send his writers to blog hell?

As long as you place spins that haven’t been seen before on concepts that have, I consider that spin to be original, though this is spotty at best. :3

Errr… … …

Psychonauts. Totally awesome game. Lousy sales until it was up on Steam.

Similarities? Go draw them yourself.

Also, it typically isn’t about originality other than the execution in solid writing, direction and the characters themselves.

Even if a character may seem like a carbon copy on paper, it doesn’t mean that they’re the same. You can’t really compare someone like Heero in Gundam Wing to Setsuna in Gundam 00 even if they do come across as similar characters. Since their actual characters are quite different in their ideologies and how they carry themselves.

Also, general storytelling hasn’t changed that much when it comes to human relationships. Most of the originality today is nothing more than small variations on themes that have been around thousands, perhaps millions, of years.

Anime and manga’s biggest successes for originality have come from embracing many of the sci-fi and fantasy concepts. By doing so they can explore philosophical points that cannot be explored by sticking to the “here and now” of gritty reality.

The real death of originality comes much from the fact that people are happier and more comfortable when they have a frame of reference that matches their own. The most popular shows almost always tend to have situations and settings that parallel ones that are common today. This is particularly true for romance and social interactions, which are often the glue that allows a truly “out there” sci-fi or fantasy to connect with the audience.

I don’t think originality is dead so much as hidden behind the limitations of the medium and social mores. I think it will take either a major technological advance or a major change in our social structure before we see anything we consider “original” again - even though a historian may not find it that original.

Long answer: I work the “graveyard shift” at my job as a security officer. Which is ironically fitting since a funeral begets a graveyard. Originality is DEAD.

Considering that the late-light anime is made for the purpose of “comforting losers and telling them that it’s gonna be alright,” it’s no surprise. Every situation that leads to a guy getting smacked by a girl; every time said guy gets beatened down every time he tries to stand up…

It’s amazing how, in the US, Naruto is disgustingly popular because some retarded punk ninja DARED to stand up. And this causes all the retards to stand up (and risk eternal ridicule; I wonder if they care about that risk). This is much like when, in “Train Man,” an otaku saved a woman and managed to gain a girlfriend; causing all the real otaku to come from out of their bubbles in the hopes of scoring. The results were not pretty.

But yeah. Originality may even mean making the simple decision of altering the cliche; ducking from the hand that’s about to slap you, locking the door to the (bath)room, keeping Makoto (from School Days) alive so he can REALLY… HELL. Not make Makoto such a womanizing wuss and just do that one girl. Maybe two for dramatic effects.

Or is that too much of a ratings failure in Japan to create male leads in an all-female show; one where said male lead mans the freak up.

I mean… The anime that rules in Japan BOMBS in the West. No matter what this or that blog or forum says. There’s a reasong that this “expensive hobby for broke people” is a niche market.