Back in Fall of 2013, people became increasingly disappointed to Kyoukai no Kanata as it didn’t live up to expectations. This made me wonder about if hype and having high expectation is a bad thing or not. (Image Source)
Why do people hype shows?
I think one of the main reasons we tend to hype a certain piece of media is because nobody has experienced it yet. Therefore, we have to base our expectations on the description, genre, studio/maker, character designs, etc. to get excited about it. This is noticeable in the anime blogosphere from the lists of shows he/she looks forward to for an upcoming season. Hype is meant to generate buzz so that more people will watch a certain show and generate popularity. However, it has a dark side, which can affect the overall view for a show if it doesn’t live up to it.
High Expectations and Hype
Since we tend to hype things when we check what is airing for each season, certain aspects can cause us to have high expectations for a show, especially for people who haven’t experienced the source material. To me and everyone else, I usually choose shows based on animation studios such Kyoto Animation, PA Works, Shaft, etc. as they usually make enjoyable shows. Of course, there are other aspects people tend to have high expectations on such as the premise of the show, characters, music, etc.
While these aspects can cause us to have high expectations for a certain show and even cause us to become hyped up, what if it doesn’t live up to these expectations or there is something that disappoints you? I think this is bound to happen as the hype fades away over time when people start sharing their impressions and opinions. This is where having high expectations can be a bad thing as it can cause people to become overly critical and even hate a show even though it might not deserve it otherwise. Besides the popularity factor, the hype backlash can drive people away from watching it even if it can still be enjoyable despite having some flaws. One of the most known examples of this is of course Sword Art Online when it aired back in 2012. While I haven’t watched it, it was one of the most polarizing shows of the year that generated a lot of hate because it didn’t live up to high expectations. Does it deserve all the hate? Probably not, but it would probably be better received if it wasn’t hyped, but instead had moderate popularity with humble expectations.
Is it better to have natural expectations and/or experience the source material?
To me, while there is some shows that I have some high expectations for, I usually view new shows in a neutral manner. Besides looking up the basic stuff such as the staff, genre and the synopsis, I don’t do any research on it what so ever and just watch the show as it comes. To me, I think this is a better approach as one can enjoy the show and not become massively disappointed if a flaw is discovered since one won’t have many expectations.
On the other hand, source material can also affect expectations for people who have experienced it. I think it can be double edge sword since there might be some things that are not close or faithful to the source material. On the other hand, the viewer who experienced it will have a better understanding of the story, especially for some parts of the story where a person who only watch the anime might feel confused. Likewise with sequels, since people already know what the story is about along with the characters, it can be enjoyable based on past experiences.
Conclusion
As a whole, hype is of course a big double-edged sword that can lead to a very enjoyable experience or a very disappointing one. We tend to feel this way because most people haven’t experienced the source material. To me, it’s always best to avoid the hype and view the show in a neutral manner so it doesn’t impact the enjoyment. If it exceeds expectations, then good! If not, you can accept it as it is and move on.
On the other hand, high expectations is a bit harder to handle since there are always some aspects that people look forward to, especially when it comes to sequels. As mentioned, I think it’s better not to set the bar too high so that you won’t become massively disappointed at the end. Sure, not all shows are going to masterpieces, but if one sets the expectations too high for each show, it will only lead to endless disappointment and he/she will enjoy hardly anything. Balance is key.
With that, do you get hyped for new shows before it even airs or you play it safe? Do you think hype is a bad or a good thing? Also, how high do you set your expectations?
Although I think that we’re too often disappointed in a show due to our high expectations, I like hype. I like it because it plays a part in creating this anime community we have around us, and making that place to be at. Also, if it wasn’t for the hype, I never would’ve given a chance to shows like Shingeki no Kyojin and FMA:Brotherhood among others, which are shows I overall enjoyed very much.
While hype has some drawbacks such as the possibility for disappointment, I think you are right that it promotes the show so that more people will watch it and talk about it. Of course without spreading the word, not too many would have watch it. Ironically in a way, people blogging and writing on message boards pretty much promote the franchise in some shape and form, thus it’s beneficial not only for the fandom, but also the creators too.
Generally, I think hype will always lead to backlash one way or another within a fandom. Being aware of these side-effects certainly helps though. I generally try to ignore hype when watching the show and forming opinions about it, but I do sometimes compare my thoughts to hype if it happens to be an opposing opinion. I mean, I suppose the mislabeling of Kyoukai as “dark fantasy” sort of contributed to my disappointed of it, but I looked past that to look at other merits that make it stand out and sadly it still had too little.
It’s always good to look into the source material if it’s available, since that’s supposedly the true essence of the story and all. I wouldn’t like it if I made an awesome drawing and I get flack for someone else scribbling on it, after all. But then you have adaptations that veer off in their own direction, which isn’t necessarily bad, but at that point, you’ll have to criticize it based on its own merits. Comparison and preference for either one is a whole different matter, but if hype for the source material leads to disappointment of an adaptation that might as well be a different story altogether, then I think it’s rather unfair (but then you could say they should have used their own characters and concepts to begin with).
I agree for the fact that if a show is hyped and manages to live up, I still think there is going to be some backlash from haters either way. I think the problem with hype is that it strongly affects the overall opinion of a show, especially if it doesn’t live up to the hype as it will be leaning towards the negative although the show probably didn’t deserve all of it.
Mislabeling a show is also another problem that gives a show unreasonable expectations when in reality, it’s something else. Of course, nobody knows besides the people who actually read the source material and witness what type of story it actually is. But in the end, probably experiencing the source material before hand can make a person less disappointed than an Anime only-viewer as mentioned. Of course, adaptations can’t be 100% the same as there are time constraints, especially video game and visual novel adaptations. I think people need to take these changes with a grain of salt and criticize it for what it is as you mentioned. Some of these changes can be good or bad, so it’s best to experience as it is instead of comparing between the changes.
You may have noticed I changed my url to this:
http://yurination.wordpress.com/
Back on topic, I rarely get super excited and hyped for a show. The last time I was hyped for a show was Neptunia TV. It lived up to the hype imo. Now I am hyped for one show in particular and I think you know which one it is. The last time I was disappointed was by Galilei Donna but that was mainly because it became a confusing Cerebus Syndrome of a mess.
The good thing behind my hype is that I do not expect the world from a show and see a life changing show, I just want to be entertained.
I’ll take note about that change when I have the chance to update the bloglist.
As said previously, hype is a double edge sword as it can give more disappointment, but if it lives up to it, it’s good. But generally, I don’t hype shows, unless I’m familiar with the source material since I don’t usually experience the source material. In fact, some shows have made me want to play some of the game from that franchise. Good examples of this is Idolmaster and Neptune.
Completely agree with the article, as I tend to find myself enjoying shows didn’t have alot of hype attach to it. But it is also true that some sort of hype (initial fan support) is necessary for any anime series, as it is a major way to alert viewers of the show and to give it a try. I guess it is best to have a balanced expectation of things, tended to the lower end, to make thigns more enjoyable (or to limit disappointment).
However, what about series like Infinite Stratos, that didn’t start with much fanfare which I could remember, buildup alot of hype with the succcess of the first season, then crash and burn with the second. Did the fan generated hype somehow got into the studio’s head and make them think they can keep leeching money out from the fan base by tossing sub-par material to us?