As an experienced anime viewer with a penchant for dissecting the “goods” and the “bads” of any particular series, I’ve developed a sense of what I typically value in a fictional (or nonfictional) story. Though trying to pinpoint every little detail about what makes one topic of entertainment good or bad in an Aristotle-like manner is a near-impossible task in this day and age, I try to do my best to elaborate on why I find particular aspects of a story valuable or otherwise. In recent years—though its mark can be found in earlier decades—series have begun to hop onto the popular trend of something I’ve come to call “Self-indulgent writing,” which I will explain in more detail as the post continues. This passage will serve as the basis for what I’m referring to by this phrasing, should it ever come up in future articles (and I’m sure it will), as well as my thoughts on why this negative criticism of the topic may just be my desire to be a hipster. Continue reading “Self-Indulgent Writing in Anime: Why I Hate It and Why You Probably Don’t” →