Sat through a whole anime panel at a con last weekend and it clicked why I hate those 'top 10' lists so much

This guy on stage in Denver was breaking down how one show used a repeating kitchen scene to show a character's mental state without any dialogue. He pointed out 3 specific cuts across 8 episodes that I never noticed before. It made me realize those 'top 10 saddest deaths' lists are just skipping right past the actual craft. So has anyone else found that analyzing a single scene beats watching 50 episodes of recaps?

2 comments

2 Comments

shanenguyen1mo ago

Wait have you ever tried rewatching a show just to track one thing like light positioning or background noise? I did that after a con panel broke down how a romance anime used the same corner of a coffee shop to speed up or slow down the pacing. It changes everything when you notice how the director uses clutter on the table to show shes running late mentally or how the ambient chatter drops during the heavy parts. Those top 10 lists feel like fast food now, just grabbing the easy crying moment without earning it. Once you see the craft in a single scene, the listicle format feels like it ripped the soul out of the story to make a quick click.

the_lee1mo ago

But is it even possible to un-see that stuff once you notice it? Like can you go back to watching totally blind after you catch how they're trimming the ambient room tone to signal a shift in tension, or does it just ruin all the lazy shows for you now?