wafflejones (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wafflejones) wrote2012-01-18 02:41 pm
wafflejones) wrote2012-01-18 02:41 pm
Entry tags:
THE 'SOLUTION' TO THE PRETTY CURE SEASON WARS
…is that there is no solution.
(EDIT: I wrote this while I was protesting the SOPA and PIPA bills, which is why I wanted to wait until midnight to post it. Meanwhile, as I was doing some clothes washing, truechaoticneutral thought up quite a few solutions. Many of the suggestions in that post should at the very least be considered by the mods and the community itself. Also, I crossposted this every-fricking-where.)
Prepare for the TL;DR with some popcorn or a soda.
So for those not in the know, there has been a lot of contention over the current season, Suite Pretty Cure. There has been a lot of negative thoughts about this season, some deserved and some not. For a lot of us who are enjoying the season, the criticisms have been plentiful and irritating. This doesn't mean that people can't complain. No no. People have been complaining since Fresh. They did it through Heartcatch as well. Disagreeing with fellow fans isn't going to change, nor should it change.
You know what I want to change? The repetitiveness of the complaints. The way some complaints are phased i.e. "This season sucks because it doesn't meet my every waking whim." Because when it come right down to it, I'm not enjoying myself at the LJ community anymore.
However, I've got questions for both sides of this issue.
For the side that hates(hated)/dislike/whatever you want to call it any of the seasons while they were on air:
Why are you still watching this season? Take note, I'm not asking whether you like Pretty Cure as a whole. You wouldn't still be commenting if you did, right? Because if that was the case, it just seems like a waste of your own time.
Why bother waiting to enjoy a season? This is for those who are "sticking around" to see if it "gets any better". Listen, if you hated the 30 or so episodes before, you are not going to enjoy it as a whole. Put it down. Give it a rest. Read summaries to 'finish what you started.' It's like your least favorite flavor of ice cream. just because you hate one flavor, doesn't mean you hate all ice cream. You tried the flavor, you didn't like it and that's okay. You know what I don't think is okay?
Why are you continuing to bash this season while other people are trying to enjoy it? It's not like we all didn't have our expectations. It's not like even those of us who do like this season aren't disappointed in one thing or another. But a lot of the negative feedback come across as rubbing a dog's nose in it's own poop to 'teach it a lesson' on where to poop. "I'm only doing it for your own good." Well guess what, we aren't dogs. The writers and artists and producers of the season aren't dogs. We are people. A lot of us are old enough know that every season isn't perfect. And we don't need you to continue making repetitive negative comments as if we don't get the point.
The line between bashing(which is a comment that comes from an unhelpful and destructive place) and criticism(which are comments that delve in further of why something doesn't work and are a lot more useful) is actually both thick yet easy to cross. The only problem with a lot of the criticism on Precure LJ is that it usually is done without much research. "This season isn't doing well." Actually, it's doing quite well. "The kids in Japan don't like this season." Actually, it seems that many of them do. You don't. That's your decision.
A lot of people flocked to Precure LJ community to celebrate Pretty Cure. They came to enjoy themselves and enjoy the show(s). I know there can be enjoyment had in critiquing, but when it seems to happen over and over again it gets tiring.
I'd say that critiquing reviews should be kept on the reviewer's own journal. The critic can link to their review in Free For All Friday or in the episode's own post. This would let things be a bit more neutral.
Perhaps there should be a Pretty Cure rant community, but I feel that making such a thing would make things worse. I'm not sure, so I'm not really recommending it.
As for the other side that is irritated by the criticism and over-negativity:
Here are the questions I've asked myself before I made a decision.
Why are you still going to the LJ comm? If it brings you no joy anymore, maybe you shouldn't go there anymore. No wait, DON'T GO THERE ANYMORE. It's not as if there aren't other places for you the talk with your friends like tumblr, IRC, and 4chan for example. And be honest, you're happier at those places to chat about Pretty Cure anyways(well most of the time). I'm not saying that the LJ can't be a hub of information. It's where a lot of people gather, new and old. But with a lot of people comes a lot of opinions. If you feel that the atmosphere of the LJ isn't for you, then…
Why are you reading the comments? Come on, this is the internet. You should know how this is going to go. If you're going there just for information and not participation, don't read anything else. This goes for almost anything else on the internet, really.
Why are you even surprised? Like I said, this is the internet. The bonus of anonymity is that you are free to explore things that you wouldn't usually do in real life. The downside is that if you say trollish things, no one (outside of stalking) will ever know it's you. I'm not saying that everyone that has been bashing *insert season here* is a troll but you don't know if they are or not. Why even bother to guess? Just continue to scroll on by if you are feeling heckled.
So those are my thoughts. The Pretty Cure fandom outside of Japan was a small one. Because of the hit season, Heartcatch Pretty Cure, and other reasons, there has been an influx of fans. But the negative comments and the backlash to those comments aren't anything new. I remember when Fresh had review after review of bashing. I remember when Heartcatch had rants against it. This kind of thing isn't going to stop because we don't all like the same things. But that doesn't mean you have to be overbearing about the things you don't like. Or do like.
All of us need to learn when to step back and repeat to yourself "It's just a show. I should really just relax."
(EDIT: I wrote this while I was protesting the SOPA and PIPA bills, which is why I wanted to wait until midnight to post it. Meanwhile, as I was doing some clothes washing, truechaoticneutral thought up quite a few solutions. Many of the suggestions in that post should at the very least be considered by the mods and the community itself. Also, I crossposted this every-fricking-where.)
Prepare for the TL;DR with some popcorn or a soda.
So for those not in the know, there has been a lot of contention over the current season, Suite Pretty Cure. There has been a lot of negative thoughts about this season, some deserved and some not. For a lot of us who are enjoying the season, the criticisms have been plentiful and irritating. This doesn't mean that people can't complain. No no. People have been complaining since Fresh. They did it through Heartcatch as well. Disagreeing with fellow fans isn't going to change, nor should it change.
You know what I want to change? The repetitiveness of the complaints. The way some complaints are phased i.e. "This season sucks because it doesn't meet my every waking whim." Because when it come right down to it, I'm not enjoying myself at the LJ community anymore.
However, I've got questions for both sides of this issue.
For the side that hates(hated)/dislike/whatever you want to call it any of the seasons while they were on air:
Why are you still watching this season? Take note, I'm not asking whether you like Pretty Cure as a whole. You wouldn't still be commenting if you did, right? Because if that was the case, it just seems like a waste of your own time.
Why bother waiting to enjoy a season? This is for those who are "sticking around" to see if it "gets any better". Listen, if you hated the 30 or so episodes before, you are not going to enjoy it as a whole. Put it down. Give it a rest. Read summaries to 'finish what you started.' It's like your least favorite flavor of ice cream. just because you hate one flavor, doesn't mean you hate all ice cream. You tried the flavor, you didn't like it and that's okay. You know what I don't think is okay?
Why are you continuing to bash this season while other people are trying to enjoy it? It's not like we all didn't have our expectations. It's not like even those of us who do like this season aren't disappointed in one thing or another. But a lot of the negative feedback come across as rubbing a dog's nose in it's own poop to 'teach it a lesson' on where to poop. "I'm only doing it for your own good." Well guess what, we aren't dogs. The writers and artists and producers of the season aren't dogs. We are people. A lot of us are old enough know that every season isn't perfect. And we don't need you to continue making repetitive negative comments as if we don't get the point.
The line between bashing(which is a comment that comes from an unhelpful and destructive place) and criticism(which are comments that delve in further of why something doesn't work and are a lot more useful) is actually both thick yet easy to cross. The only problem with a lot of the criticism on Precure LJ is that it usually is done without much research. "This season isn't doing well." Actually, it's doing quite well. "The kids in Japan don't like this season." Actually, it seems that many of them do. You don't. That's your decision.
A lot of people flocked to Precure LJ community to celebrate Pretty Cure. They came to enjoy themselves and enjoy the show(s). I know there can be enjoyment had in critiquing, but when it seems to happen over and over again it gets tiring.
I'd say that critiquing reviews should be kept on the reviewer's own journal. The critic can link to their review in Free For All Friday or in the episode's own post. This would let things be a bit more neutral.
Perhaps there should be a Pretty Cure rant community, but I feel that making such a thing would make things worse. I'm not sure, so I'm not really recommending it.
As for the other side that is irritated by the criticism and over-negativity:
Here are the questions I've asked myself before I made a decision.
Why are you still going to the LJ comm? If it brings you no joy anymore, maybe you shouldn't go there anymore. No wait, DON'T GO THERE ANYMORE. It's not as if there aren't other places for you the talk with your friends like tumblr, IRC, and 4chan for example. And be honest, you're happier at those places to chat about Pretty Cure anyways(well most of the time). I'm not saying that the LJ can't be a hub of information. It's where a lot of people gather, new and old. But with a lot of people comes a lot of opinions. If you feel that the atmosphere of the LJ isn't for you, then…
Why are you reading the comments? Come on, this is the internet. You should know how this is going to go. If you're going there just for information and not participation, don't read anything else. This goes for almost anything else on the internet, really.
Why are you even surprised? Like I said, this is the internet. The bonus of anonymity is that you are free to explore things that you wouldn't usually do in real life. The downside is that if you say trollish things, no one (outside of stalking) will ever know it's you. I'm not saying that everyone that has been bashing *insert season here* is a troll but you don't know if they are or not. Why even bother to guess? Just continue to scroll on by if you are feeling heckled.
So those are my thoughts. The Pretty Cure fandom outside of Japan was a small one. Because of the hit season, Heartcatch Pretty Cure, and other reasons, there has been an influx of fans. But the negative comments and the backlash to those comments aren't anything new. I remember when Fresh had review after review of bashing. I remember when Heartcatch had rants against it. This kind of thing isn't going to stop because we don't all like the same things. But that doesn't mean you have to be overbearing about the things you don't like. Or do like.
All of us need to learn when to step back and repeat to yourself "It's just a show. I should really just relax."