LAST EDITED ON Aug-16-14 AT 02:02 PM (EDT)
 
>... and then kick his feet up and watch a couple hours of Black
>Lagoon to unwind.

I can see where that would work. From what I can recall of it, Black Lagoon doesn't attempt to be anything other than what it is, which is a hyperviolent mercenary crime saga. Full Metal Panic!, on the other hand, has no idea what it's trying to be most of the time - makes a selling point of it, in fact. Is it a lighthearted teenage romance comedy? Is it a hard-edged near-future military sci-fi drama? Is it a weirdass "newtype humanity" fantasy? It's a dessert topping and a floor wax! I could easily see where someone could get really frustrated with that and just want it to pick one. :)

K-On!, on the third hand, isn't trying to be anything other than what it is, and it does what it is really well. One of the things I like best about it - and I acknowledge that this seems like an odd thing to say about a slice-of-life high school comedy - is how subtly structured its world is. Sure, they have an insane teacher, but the show takes the time to explain how and why she's that way. Some of the characters' friendships pre-date the setting of the show by years, and the show never forgets which ones or how far back they go. Everyone has a backstory and a reason for doing what they do. It's a high-school comedy, so everyone has at least one exaggerated trait, but they aren't the only traits they have; nobody's just her schtick, and nobody's an outright cipher (even the Token Normal Girl, who is actually one of my favorites).

It's not just the world that the story takes place in, either, but the continuum in which it's presented. A lot of thought went into that. Take the ending credits sequences, for example, which is where this thread started. There are three different ones over the course of the series, and they don't seem to make any damn sense at all or connect with the show in any way... until you realize that they're Hokago Tea Time music videos, and then it all suddenly makes perfect sense. Of course they're wearing unusual costumes! Of course there's weird, unintuitive imagery! Of course Mio's suddenly all aggressive-rocker-chick - they're not performing live, so she can fool herself that no one can see her! It's all really cleverly done.

--G.
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Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
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