I’ve been watching Starship Operators the past couple of nights. I gave up on the show after a couple of episodes back when it first aired, but since it’s well-regarded in the circles I run in, I’ve been meaning to give it a second look. Unfortunately, it looks about the same as I remember. The story makes zero sense at times - and not because it’s especially complex or anything. Rather, the events that push the story forward so defy logic at times that I can’t make any sense of the big picture. It’s like trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle from individual pieces that aren’t quite cut to fit. Keep mashing pieces together, and you’ll at least get them to stay connected, but you’re left with gaps all over the place and a pastoral Amish farm scene as viewed through the eyes of Pablo Picasso. That’s good enough for a five year old, but is it good enough for you? Is it good enough for me?
Maybe. Or, in the case of Starship Operators, I suppose it is, seeing as I’m still watching and all. It’s frustrating, yeah, but I’m used to it, so no big deal. I can laugh it off, roll my eyes, enjoy the show for whatever tickles my fancy (cute girls!)… I’ll find a way. And, as anime fans, I think that’s something we do often: we find a way. And for those anime fans who burn out and move on to other hobbies? Perhaps they didn’t find a way.
I’ve long felt that being an anime fan has just as much to do with putting up with the stuff you don’t like as it does with seeking out the stuff you do like. Why? Because anime’s just that eclectic and diverse a medium. Don’t like fanservice? Gonna be rough. Can’t stand moe or bishoujo game adaptations? Slim pickings lately. Run away, screaming in horror at first sight of a loli character? Might be missing out on some good shows.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you have an obligation as an anime fan to subject yourself to shows you don’t care for - especially at the expense of shows you do care for. However, if you spend all of your time and energy looking for the perfect show, you’re likely to be disappointed. Because, chances are, your perfect show doesn’t even exist… especially if you’re a furry loli vampire slice-of-life dramedy fan.
Then again, there was Magical Pokaan…