There’s something that’s been bothering for a while—almost three months. A tiny gnat buzzing in my brain, reminding me there’s something left unfinished. Something that needs to be dealt with. And that something…is my Danmachi fan fiction. Continue reading
Recently, I’ve been bringing back a lot of the old types of features I used to do. Why I Dropped… and Otaku in Anime are both fine subjects of writing (in my humble opinion), but when it comes right down to it, I do enjoy creating my From Bad Anime… features the most. For those unfamiliar, this kind of post is a creative writing exercise that I developed a little over a year ago, something born from the envy and smugness that I feel inside whenever I watch an anime that I KNOW I could do better than. For everything people often rightfully criticize about Sword Art Online, there was plenty of good things to take away from it as well—good ideas that, in the right hands…in my hands, could prove to be something far better than the actual result. So basically, I like writing fan fiction pitches that play off the original work by either “fixing” parts of it, or just taking what I like in a different direction. And so here we are, with me pitching what I think is a far better version of the story that is Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, or Danmachi for short. Also, I’ll give you an +18 warning on this one. Continue reading
If you’re new to this blog, let enlighten you as to what exactly is this series of posts. Every so often I come across anime that I deem to be “bad”. Usually I’ll drop a show right away if I see nothing of value in it, but more often than not shows that tend to be “bad” aren’t inherently irredeemable. For the most part, anime that prove to be unlikeable turn out that way because of incompetent execution, rather than a lack of a compelling concept. So, when I find myself sitting down and watching anime like this, feeling a bit disappointed in all the storytelling choices made since that intriguing first episode, I can’t help but wonder what could’ve been. That’s why I created this series: To express what I think could make some not-so-great anime live up to the potential that I saw in them. So without further ado… Continue reading
That’s right, I’m back for more and this time I’m looking for inspiration in some of the less-great shows of summer 2016. Basically, if you haven’t read volume one of this series of blog posts that I just made up, what I do here is simple: Sometimes I find that watching not-so-well-written anime gives me more inspiration for my own creative writing than shows of a higher standard. That is because in these types of shows there’s usually a nugget of something worthwhile, something that might have been misused during the execution of the series but could work well in the hands of someone who knows what to do with it. Be it a certain plot device (it’s usually a plot device) or just a really good character that you want to put in the scenario you think they deserve. Basically, I watch anime while thinking of ways to outdo it, pinpointing my problems with the show and coming up with ways to fix or change it completely. So without further ado, here are some stories I think I could write better: Continue reading
As a creative writer, I sometimes find that poorly written work is more inspirational than something exceptional. Now, I’m not talking about watching straight garbage in hopes of it being some sort of learning experience. It’s more helpful to watch shows that try something and fail. Maybe the dialogue isn’t great or the plot moves along a little slowly, or perhaps the show just went in a direction that you yourself would’ve rather steered clear from. And so what I like to do is take the things you like and cut out the bullshit. What helps even more is when the show in question is overrated. So many people love this thing even though you can clearly see its flaws, and you think to yourself I could write that a thousand times better. And then you do, because who doesn’t love a good story born from spite and envy? Anyway, here are some anime that I think I could improve with my ultimate creative writing prowess. I’ll also limit myself to only shows airing this season, plus I could always return to this topic with other shows sometime in the future. Continue reading
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