Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

19 Responses to “Anime Yin and Yang: Feel the Force in the Cartoon”  

1. 1 Gravmech 15 comments Dec 5th, 2007 at 8:05 pm

   A dose of Yin shows isn’t bad, watching it weekly helps since I have time to recover from the downward spiral.

   Like this week’s episode of ef - a tale of memories. [I’m a Kei-fan]

   Yin shows are usually not marathon material, I was rather depressed for a couple of days after finishing Black Lagoon.

2. 2 Sylon Beta 32 comments Dec 5th, 2007 at 8:23 pm

   @Gravmech: I find it easier to marathon Yin shows, like Higurashi.

   Well, I like Yang shows a lot, not because of a lack of emotional endurance, but because I don’t actually need to know of another sad story. There’s the newspapers for that. Of course, that isn’t to say I’m not fond of Yin shows, they make for good viewing too.

   As for examples, the aforementioned Higurashi. Though, it doesn’t involve solely gore and blood and bad endings; the characters eventually overcome their problems. Thus, though it is primarily Yin, there is still some portions of Yang in it, such as the themes of friendship and perseverance.

   ARIA, on the other hand, isn’t about only having good things happen, it involves choosing to look at things in a positive manner.

3. 3 tik 67 comments Dec 5th, 2007 at 9:16 pm

   @tjhan: This is where it gets interesting. Higurashi, School Days, Jigoku Shoujo are three examples which pop to mind.

   I suppose you are referring to the first season of Higurashi?
   It could just be me but I find the second season of Higurashi extremely motivational, it’s almost a “yang” show with “yin” toppings for me.

4. 4 TheBigN 14 comments Dec 5th, 2007 at 11:20 pm

   I’d prefer “Yang” anime, but I watch both, and attempt to fuse them together in a righteous balance. With help of meditation, Chi Gong, and chamomile tea.

5. 5 Xstacy02 33 comments Dec 5th, 2007 at 11:41 pm

   Some people like ‘Yin’ for their realistic feel. ‘Yang’ shows, whilst having a feel-good and sometimes energetic appeal, relies a lot on ideals and utopian philosophies. God knows stuff like “I don’t fight out of anger, I’m fighting to protect my loved ones”, “If you work hard, you will suceed!”, etc have been rehashed for countless times already, since Rurouni Kenshin to Ble*ch. Of course, if you are a fan of action sakuga by the likes of Ichiro Itano, Iso Mitsuo, or Inoue Toshiyuki, ‘yang’ shows are a treasure trove of them. (Itano Circus, anyone?)

   Yes, I do not deny ‘yin’ shows can be depressing at times. But, it would be a reflection of life’s realities, or at least from the otaku point-of-view, albeit a melancholic interpretation. Let’s analyse Jigoku Shoujo: Certainly there are times when one feels like killing someone for various reasons. But, most of us do not have the capability to do so (for fear of the death penalty) and the pulling of red knot of that puppet thing symbolises the desire to kill (or at least get rid of) our enemies without running afoul of the law, and certainly gives us a feeling of empowerment being able to decide one’s death (think of the helpless otaku who are often discriminated).

   If you do not want to get depressed, watch MORE MOE stuff. Strongly recommended. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

6. 6 John Smith 1 comment Dec 6th, 2007 at 12:00 am

   Anime is a largely escapist hobby. We all want to somehow escape from the gruesome reality we call life.

7. 7 TP 37 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 1:03 am

   The yin-yang concept you examplified seemed a bit far-fetched, but nonetheless explained a bit of what people’s tastes are.

   For me, judging from the DVDs I bought, it’d be an eclectic mix. I like yin shows (somehow I’m attracted to the Moshimo-Bee Train “girls-with-guns” trilogy — Noir, Madlax & El Cazador —) because they offer a recluse into my closet fetish: girls with a convulated history. Recently, I rewatched “yin trash” shows, for a lack of better word, e.g. Innocent Venus, because the story presents a post-apocalyptic scenario. (If anything to deduce, you can say I’m a bit megalomaniac sometimes.) It doesn’t however translates into good shows to watch.

   As for the “yang” shows, I’ve distanced myself from “Shounen Jump” shows, due to their outrageous use of “power levels.” (Who doesn’t?) I’m more attuned towards light shows like “Genshiken” or “Bamboo Blade” if you can call comedy shows “yang.” (Comedy shows are like jester clowns: they offer light entertainment for you, so that qualifies for “Yang” shows, I guess.)

   I guess to me, comedy is yang, drama is yin (to a certain extent). I dunno. My tastes do not reflect the mainstream tastes most animé viewers have.

8. 8 kokanaden 336 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 1:36 am

   But you like Yin in Darker than Black.

   So how can you not like Yin?

9. 9 Beowulf Lee 29 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 4:46 am

   Yang shows without yin are stupid. You can’t have good guys without baddies going around wreaking havoc. Yin shows without yang are stupid. Everything is not useless and pointless - I hate emos.

10. 10 Wavedash 5 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 5:53 am

    There’s a widespread, almost elitist attitude that things which are generally full of depression and darkness are somehow better at reflecting life and are finer because of it. I strongly disagree, because while life often isn’t what we’d like it to be, it’s generally good enough if you know how to appreciate what you have rather than dreaming about things you don’t.

    To get back to more of what TJ-han was talking about, Yin/Yang as he describes it is a continuum, not a dichotomy. I don’t generally use such qualifiers to choose shows; what matters to me is how well it reflects an artistic ideal, how realistically things are portrayed, or other criteria. I’d gladly watch anything dark if it scored on those, and anything light as well.

11. 11 0rion 11 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 7:00 am

    I prefer Yin/Hei over Yin/Yang.

12. 12 korosora 9 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 12:26 pm

    “Anime Yin and Yang: Feel the Force in the Cartoon”

    Cartoon wa nani?

13. 13 Shigeru 1 comment Dec 6th, 2007 at 1:38 pm

    AKAGI is more Yang than Yin.
    KAIJI is more Yin than Yang.

    How can this be, you ask? I’ll tell you.

    Akagi walks away a winner. He may not care or celebrate, but he triumphs.
    Kaiji, a much more human character, is merely a survivor. He begins the series in great debt, and only accumulates more as time goes on.

    Akagi bets his fingers, but keeps them.
    Kaiji, well, *spoiler ommitted*, but you can probably figure out what goes there.

    I prefer Yang anime more than Yin, but I won’t avoid Yin shows entirely.

14. 14 Lupus 67 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 2:41 pm

    Welcome to the NHK is the ultimate Yin show, so much so that I dropped it after 1 episode.

    I’m like you, I can’t stand Yin shows. So even if I logically ‘know’ that a show is good, I can’t bring myself to watch them.

    As if my own life isn’t depressing enough already.

15. 15 sesshomaru_haku 31 comments Dec 6th, 2007 at 4:27 pm

    I prefer Yin, but I watch a mix of both.

16. 16 Cameron Probert 1 comment Dec 7th, 2007 at 12:04 am

    Honestly, I prefer the yang/yin shows that you mentioned at the end. Where the hero isn’t always the winner, but generally ends up either okay, or at the least breaking even. Generally I find yang shows to be fun escapism, but generally without a lot of meat on them. You already know that the hero is going to win because the show is named after them (at least in some cases.) Although it would be interesting to see a shounen fighting show where the title character dies in the first five episodes and never comes back to life.
    That said they are fun.

    I find Yin shows to be depressing, and just as liable to be escapism in a emo kind of way. I think though that they tend to have a bit more meat on their proverbial bones. Generally they ask what do you believe is right and wrong. Gantz is a good example of that. They do tend to be psychological examinations of man.

    However, in that list of combination shows lays some of my favorites. Of which I’d add RahXephon, Ghost in the Shell:Standalone Complex, arguably Samurai Champloo, definitely Cowboy Beebop and I think the lists go on. I think these shows are generally the best at doing a deconstruction of man, but a deconstruction of society as well.

17. 17 Nano-kun 79 comments Dec 7th, 2007 at 1:09 am

    i like mine yang… white tea anyone?

18. 18 Silencers 60 comments Dec 7th, 2007 at 7:04 am

    Balance is important, of course. Which is why I believe that we should consume, so to speak, a good balance of the three. While I enjoy a lot of Yang show for the feel-good factor, there’s also the apocalyptic Yin shows, which is good for self-reflection and giving you a chance to spend some time thinking. The hybrids, i believe, help you to see between the lines of the opposing ‘energies’.

    But Higurashi is too much for me, lol. The likes of Jigoku Shoujo and Elfen Lied is enough Yin for me.

19. 19 usagijen 34 comments Dec 8th, 2007 at 9:20 pm

    I try to avoid Yin animes as much as possible, especially of the horror and emo angst & drama fest genre *cough* Nana *cough* I don’t mind Yin animes, so long as there’s gonne ba a ‘Yang’ side in the end (and in between the Yin-ness), a redeeming factor despite the tragedies =3

Do not use any < and > for your own sake. It will end the comment there and then. Also, there is an automatic IQ filter which weeds out comments made by those who accidentally got transported from the stone age.

Leave a Reply