Kannagi 14 proves that Kannagi is the greatest anime in the history of greatness and anime
Posted: June 1, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 21 Comments »
Instead of doing something like a point-by-point analysis of why this episode is awesome, I’m falling back on a more standard episodic post format of pictures –> thoughts (no summary, of course).
So this is basically the thoughts section right here.
The thing about this episode that impressed me the most is its ability to blatantly parody anime stereotypes without crashing and burning. A-1 cleverly fit the parody inside a frame story (which even ended up in another frame story), so there’s no such thing as “too” straightforward when it comes to parodying.
Kigurumikku V3 is the perfect example of a parody that is too direct. Unlike Kigurumikku V3, Kannagi 14 can explain away the parody elements… but that’s not all. Because it has the frame story to lean back on, Kannagi episode 14 doesn’t need to insert random wisecracks to remind the viewers that it’s a parody. If anything, the objective of this episode is to fool the audience into thinking that it’s not a parody.
Instead of using random jokes that attack regular dramatic anime sequences, this episode goes straight through with the drama, not pausing to explain that it’s a parody. We get stereotypes, cliched scenes, and oh-so-ordinary lines hurled directly at us in rapid succession. The only thing we have that tells us not to stop watching is the first half of the episode. Because the first half was so outright comedic, and since the whole goal of the expedition is to return a video, it’s obvious that this is absurd. And that’s where most parodies stop dead in their tracks.
Because most parodies cannot dismiss the dramatic elements as unreal, they are forced to accept the parodied elements into the plot as actual events. However, this episode of Kannagi shows otherwise. The ending is clever. In retrospect, even a five-year-old could have predicted the ending. Yet while you’re watching Kannagi 14, you’re too busy laughing at the absurd situation to notice. Instead of following a normal parody and closing the anime at the rental store, Kannagi 14 goes further and explains away the parody elements with a sudden ending – a very successful move that leaves us laughing at the absurdity of the now-fake situation while being able to appreciate the fact that the characters, the plot, and everything aren’t just tossed aside for the sake of parody.
tl;dr Kannagi is the best anime ever made.
you realize i have to bash this right? ok. good.
everything from the beginning of the shooting movie to where it started raining was BORING.
the opening was ok. i loved the double breast sandwich b/w tsugumi and zange. ill take that please! i really felt bad for nagi too, i was like she deserves some better titties. on another note, i loved the cute moment between nagi and jin. i really am a proponent of them two even though i like tsumugi. zange is just a sex toy.
so tl;dr kannagi is not the best anime ever made
This is one of the best anime ever made. Admit it. This is not one of the “loser magician named after a French noblewoman who fails acting tsundere with a pervert Japanese as a familiar” shows
I stopped this show before the last episode because of more interesting shows, give me a good reason to finish it.
the last episode is so great bob and the last 5 minutes are some of the funniest and incredibly well animated minutes of anime.
>>incredibly well animated minutes of anime.
Better be, downloading as I type.
good good
@jersey: simplybill’s comment.
Also: It could just be that you aren’t inclined towards the parody form of comedy. Looking at your anime list at MAL, there are no parody anime rated “10.”
The first half was supposed to be funny because of the sheer lameness of the movie and the movie-making process, not from the humor of the movie itself!
Finally, that “cute” moment was actually part of the parody. It was supposed to be more funny than anything else because it sounded so generic, like something out of any romance anime.
tl;dr: I think you’re a more direct kind of guy. Lolwut
Kannagi is awesome
The jokes were OK, nothing made me guffaw like some of the earlier episodes did. The home movie portion only reminded me of Haruhi, which invites comparisons that does Kannagi no favors. Let’s just say, Suzumiya’s standard is in no danger of being surpassed soon.
Overall, not great, but nothing really bad either.
An aside: All public access rating systems (MAL being one kind) eventually include copious numbers of members who egregiously overrate everything. An 8.17 is pretty average on MAL.
I was also reminded of Haruhi 00, but they were quite, quite different.
But still, if 8.17 is average on MAL, and Kannagi has a 7.97, I’m just going to go out on a limb and say that everybody is mad except for me.
I cried manly tears.
Whoa? You liked this episode? I thought it was pretty bad (in a bad way). So bad that I decided not to blog it (I even had a fan-sketch ready for it…)
Lets say I wanted to make fun of someone who lit themselves on fire, and I decide “Hey I know! I’ll light myself on fire in order to make fun of said person who lit themselves on fire!” So then I lit myself on fire, right? Conclusion of the story: THEY (me and person who lit him/herself on fire) ARE STUPID!!! Why would you go about parodying someone by doing what they’re doing, but in the process, also sucking? It just wasn’t funny or charming at all.
While poking fun at bad editing/directing, it also had bad editing/directing, but thats exactly the point. Its purposely bad to show how other anime are bad, but that doesn’t change the fact that the episode itself was bad, cause it follows what other bad anime are doing, and what other bad anime are doing is being bad, feelin’ me?
tl;dr WHO’S BAD?!?! *does Michael Jackson dance*
Well, some parodies make fun of their targets by purposely sucking. That way, we can laugh at how lame the exaggerated aspects of the target are.
I found humor in how bad this episode made generic events look. For example, Daitetsu “dying” was basically the usual “friend dies” scene, except in an absurd situation and under absurd conditions, making the scene look even more ridiculous. It was hilarious to me because this episode managed to bundle up all the bad elements and present them in an even worse manner.
Bah. I don’t know. It sounds like I’m arguing your point.
No sir, you aren’t arguing my point, you’re pointing my arguing! *ba dum PSH*…
Anyways, I thought the later part of the episode (especially the end with the stacks of money on the floor) enjoyable, the rest was meh =/
Oh dang. Well, I was mostly talking about the latter half in this post/my comment.
… lol?
I thought that the first half was good, but nothing extraordinary. That second half, though, launched my roflcopter into the sky.
Great episode. Well written and enjoyable. But ……the animation quality. Shrunken heads. Linebacker shoulders for Nagi. WTF! I think I’m going to be sick.
O out of 5
tru.dat
The art/animation of Kannagi have never been good (or Nagi wears an extremely thick school uniform). Though that’s not to say that there aren’t airing shows that fail a lot more… (I’m looking at you, Tayutama!)
The animation for Kannagi has been top notch until this episode. The 1080p broadcasts in particular have been spectacular to watch.
Urgh, I need some K-ON moe to wash out the vomit inducing ugliness of Kannagi 14. Was Kannagi 14 even made by the same animation studio?
They even taunt us with awesome Nagi shoulder picture at the end. WTH…
IMO, no way. Kannagi’s animation and art have never been more than “good” in my eyes. I’d say that it has the level of quality that ToraDora! presented to us: sometimes good and sometimes downright shitty (ToraDora episode 3 was horrific).
Though that endcard was awesome…
I agree with pretty much everything you said.(and disagree with half of what simplybill said) What exactly makes Kannagi hysterical is kinda hard to put into words. It manages to be completely absurd without blatantly showing its absurdity… well, that’s the best I can but it. Have you read the manga? I feel as though the anime format pulls off the comedy a lot better.
I actually don’t read manga (well, the stuff online, at any rate). However, I have found that in general, the really good comedies are much better on-screen than on paper. Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei is probably the best example of this.
Also, yes. Kannagi’s humor is a very refined one that really brings out the laughs in a unique way.