The narratives in some larger anime could be saved
Reddit’s famous how to watch “Star Wars” guide is the perfect way to watch the series as a whole. The guide fixes the weird transition of Anakin’s character and the inconsistencies of the “Star Wars” universe. As an exercise, I applied the principle of this activity to other series I had watched. I came to the interesting conclusion that the plot of longer Shonen may be savable. For those that have not watched 900 episodes of pirates allergic to water; there’s a dude, he has x power, he has to do x thing, then he becomes the x. The plot usually takes place with young adolescent males, involves an intricate power system, and involves little meaningful dialogue or character development. The first step to fixing a Shonen is to strip down the unnecessary filler, fight based parts, and wierdo hentia esc female bits. The result can be interesting narratives with dramatically different worlds and similar endings. I picked two of the worst, Naruto and Bleach. (One Piece is screwed, there’s nothing salvageable about the plot or characters)
Naruto
Cut about 900 of the episodes instantly. The series is not about the development of ninja abilities, a secret ninja war, or the tailed beasts. Second gut the character list. While some of the side characters are interesting moral tales in relation to their powers, they are useless in the plot of the series as a whole. A focus on the stories antagonist and protagonist as a whole, minus the weird Indra stuff, is a Machiavellian/Hobbesian tale on how to handle power and change the world. This stems from the two characters coming from similar backgrounds and having different outcomes. Focusing on this, without having either being dramatically wrong, makes a deeper narrative.
At the beginning of the series both characters are orphans, lack social increment, despise the world as it is, and are young rebelious men. As they develop, one becomes kinder and a natural leader through trauma. The other gains a more realistic view of the world and finds the truth in tragedy. The idea that not all trauma is the same, that no one experiences loss in the same manner, and that the world requires imperfect answers are all present within sasuke’s story. The idea that moral absolutes solve complex problems, that healing can be done in growth, and that family can extend beyond death are present in narutos. The three fights both characters have, become a larger dialogue about self growth and the kind of people both want to be. In the end, Sasuke wants to create a world in his image and Naruto wants to save the world from itself. Focusing on that as the central narrative for the story, with a hint of ninja bs, makes for a deeper series. It probably doesn’t need to be longer than 50 episodes. The growth into adulthood is surprisingly fresh in the series, not including Boruto.
Cut about 900 of the episodes instantly. The series is not about the development of ninja abilities, a secret ninja war, or the tailed beasts. Second gut the character list. While some of the side characters are interesting moral tales in relation to their powers, they are useless in the plot of the series as a whole. A focus on the stories antagonist and protagonist as a whole, minus the weird Indra stuff, is a Machiavellian/Hobbesian tale on how to handle power and change the world. This stems from the two characters coming from similar backgrounds and having different outcomes. Focusing on this, without having either being dramatically wrong, makes a deeper narrative.
At the beginning of the series both characters are orphans, lack social increment, despise the world as it is, and are young rebelious men. As they develop, one becomes kinder and a natural leader through trauma. The other gains a more realistic view of the world and finds the truth in tragedy. The idea that not all trauma is the same, that no one experiences loss in the same manner, and that the world requires imperfect answers are all present within sasuke’s story. The idea that moral absolutes solve complex problems, that healing can be done in growth, and that family can extend beyond death are present in narutos. The three fights both characters have, become a larger dialogue about self growth and the kind of people both want to be. In the end, Sasuke wants to create a world in his image and Naruto wants to save the world from itself. Focusing on that as the central narrative for the story, with a hint of ninja bs, makes for a deeper series. It probably doesn’t need to be longer than 50 episodes. The growth into adulthood is surprisingly fresh in the series, not including Boruto.
Its okay for series to end...
Bleach
The plot of this series has some decent sub motifs that could have been focused on. The beginning’s take on death is fairly interesting and the shinigami world in the first season is something that is mysterious but complete. The combination of those two things could have led to a deeper series. Fixing this one calls for a complete gutting of the main plots and story structure.
The plot of this series has some decent sub motifs that could have been focused on. The beginning’s take on death is fairly interesting and the shinigami world in the first season is something that is mysterious but complete. The combination of those two things could have led to a deeper series. Fixing this one calls for a complete gutting of the main plots and story structure.
- No sword powers
- No captains and more politics
- No Hueco Mundo
- The series needs to be solely on the nature of death
- No relatable hollows
- Aizen needs to be understandable
Hollows, in the beginning of the series, are beings that solely consume people. As a mechanism, that can be fairly useful. A Shinigami killing hollows frees people. People are the things that become hollows through suffering. Consumptive spirits exist as an eastern storytelling mechanism motif that is played out better in other series, for example Mushi-Shi. Handled differently, the beginning anchors the series as a series about people. Hollows become a part of a ecosystem of trauma and healing. This makes the Shinigami a therapeutic and biological reflex to suffering. A political structure deciding who is powerful and how death should be handled adds a layer of depth to this system. The first season would be about someone breaking the rules, and the second would be about how to handle someone subverting them for a “just” cause. As a plot, a condensed version of bleach is probably doable in 26 episodes tops. Cut Orihime’s character completely, the lack of a romantic subplot makes a kids series about death more relatable.
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