I can’t imagine why people nowadays don’t find anime to be the coolest thing.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to be interested in something where everyone is sounding the death knell and blaming the fans?
Doesn’t that sound like the fun party you would want to be seen at?
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One thing that struck me in the wake of Satoshi Kon’s death was the fact that a number of pro- and amateur-industry commentators have crafted a narrative of The Doom That Came To The Anime Industry that they must add to at all times.
For those people, Kon’s death can’t just be the premature death of a talented individual, it has to be tied into the ongoing narrative of how Japanese cartoons are going to Hell in a handbasket.
I’ll cut them some slack, along the people whose first concern seems to be “is his last film going to be released?”, as they are common responses to death, particularly the deaths of creative people who you only really know through their work.
I’m more curious as to how commentators form their ongoing narratives in their writing, and more importantly, identifying what my own are. Pretty sure I’ve been guilty of selling the anime doomsday scenario into the past, especially in the Hate Fun posts (which are mainly hyperbole and exaggeration, plus incredibly easy to write), though I’ve tried to move away from that somewhat this past year towards getting a better, broader perspective.