I listened to the ANNCast with the editorial team of Colony Drop recently and found it to be an interesting listen. The interview used the site’s noteriety as a springboard for questions on a number of relevant issues from conventions to Danny Choo but it clarified a few things I’d been wanting to say about their approach to blogging and the fan community as a whole.
My personal opinion is coloured slightly by a personal run-in I had with them a while back but before saying anything else I need to point out that my opinion on the site is more complicated than simple approval or disapproval of what they do.
Perhaps the most surprising thing is that, on certain issues, I’m actually on their side. “The standard of my writing should match what I myself find interesting and would want to read,” is a rule of thumb I try to work to (sometimes I read an old post of mine and think “urgh, that’s shite…”).
That is to say, if you don’t see enough interesting writing, put your money where your mouth is and try it yourself. I must admit that 1. there’re a lot of episodic-style blogs around already and I’m not interested in them and 2. I’ve no incentive to either read or write episodic posts for that reason. I regularly read and enjoy Hanners and the Sea Slug Team as ‘episodic’ blogs that stand out from the crowd, but otherwise it’s a case of “other people’s idea of ‘interesting’, not mine.” (Re: the rule of thumb in the previous paragraph).
In that sense I can understand how CD wanted to write differently from what they themselves were used to seeing elsewhere; it was a gap in the market that needed filling, so to speak. Quite a few of the blogs I read are of the more eclectic and unusual but many of them have succumbed to Hiatus Disease; bucking the trend(s) and striving to write something different is a good thing, because you can’t have too much good content around.
In regards to showing everyone else how it can be done and done well, the fandom would actually benefit from someone who has thick skin and innovative ideas…someone who grabs it by the shoulders, gives it a good shake and looks it in the eye to say “this is boring! You can do better than this!” Being a vocal detractor of the status quo but failing to actually provide an alternative simply won’t cut it: just ask Yutaka Yamamoto after he made a grand speech about saving The Industry before going on to disappoint viewers with Fractale.
Combining intelligence and humour is a difficult balance too, and at first glance a well-intentioned stance of “You guys can do better! We have the balls so show you how!” can come across as arrogant or condescending. Even so, I can make a list of things I agree with these guys on:
- Macross Plus is awesome.
- Gurren Lagann is fun.
- Madoka Magica was surprisingly good.
- A lot of anime isn’t interesting to me.
- Many anime blogs aren’t interesting to me.
- It’s possible to write intelligent and fun articles about anime.
- Some anime fans make me shake my head in bemusement and then click the “back” button on my browser.
- It’s all too easy for satirical/sarcastic humour to be misunderstood.
I’d also like to point out that they’re articulate and experienced in the fandom, and I enjoy reading quite a few of their posts: Loups=Garous was indeed a godawful film and deserved to be panned as such; Redline is a blast and Satoshi Kon was a genius at filmmaking. My opinion on the site though is still mixed and even though I can understand where they’re coming from better now, I still have issues with their methods.
The best analogy I have unfortunately comes from British TV, so bear with me on this one. Jeremy Clarkson’s public persona in his newspaper columns and on the Top Gear TV show is that of the opinionated, vocal alpha male. This on-camera attitude won’t be exactly the same as his real-life personality but even though it’s not an act, there’s a definite sense of it being tongue-in-cheek and playing on his own reputation. The CD staff came across as less, well, angry in interview but they admitted that their colourful blogging language is part of their attempt to get people to sit up and take notice, and also an attempt to be entertaining.
I’ve seen numerous instances where Clarkson and the other Top Gear presenters have offended people; similarly, I can appreciate that CD play the Angry Old Fan card and risk offending people to emphasise a valid point…or simply for the lulz. In my view, satire can’t fulfil its full potential if it avoids offending everybody!
Irony and sarcasm is easily misunderstood though, and it’s possible to argue “the writer fails at conveying this effectively.” just as easily as “the reader fails to get it.” An important issue here then is that of the target readership: according to CD’s perfectly reasonable goal of setting an example through posting interesting and entertaining content, they need to connect with people and encourage them to improve. Their irreverant style however implies that their readers must be of a certain level of intelligence and understanding, if only to stop them thinking “what a bunch of embittered old arseholes,” and going elsewhere.
I felt I was receiving mixed signals from the interview responses: do the CD staff aim to use their controversial approach to shock fans into being more thoughtful, interesting people? If their writing style is intentionally a “rabid dog running around the neighbourhood,” do they recognise that the implimentation of these aims can actually drive people away?
If people are intelligent and grown-up enough to understand CD’s humour, surely those readers aren’t part of the fan community’s problem? Conversely, if the blog is a campaign to make fools sit up and think, the last person you’d expect to appreciate a writing style that’s full of easily-misconstrued sarcasm is a fool who doesn’t like thinking about stuff. What concerns me, and may or may not be clear to the CD writers, is that it’s not just the idiots who dismiss them out of hand. It goes without saying that I’ve no intention of telling someone else how to run his or her blog, but I’d be interested to know if they realise that fact.
I agree with the intention to use sharp, dry humour, the desire to write high quality content and I recognise that the signal-to-noise ratio in the anime blogging community could be improved. Even so, this interview didn’t convince me that CD’s not also a thinly-veiled excuse to merely vent their frustration at the areas of the fan community that annoy them. I’m in a situation where I want to be mindful of what motivates them but at the same time I have a lingering feeling that it doesn’t need to be this way…and given the limited shelf life of any joke, it can’t last forever in any case.
The simple truth is that when people are angry with your attitude they are less inclined to listen to what it is you have to say. You be witty and clever, discuss issues others either ignore or are unaware of, but as long as you project yourself as an arrogant ass it runs the risk of falling on deaf ears. I understand why CD are annoyed at the fandom, why they want to show the world “a blog that doesn’t suck” but when tough love is mistaken for being a jackass it can actually be counterproductive.
I have no idea about what could possibly be relevant and break the wall of text, so here is a pic of a bear with a gun instead
Incidentally, when working for a team blog you also need to be mindful that what you say is going to affect opinions on the team as a whole. I personally find that responsibility constricting because my co-writers might get into trouble if I said something stupid, hence why this has always been my blog and mine alone. This is a point worth remembering; not just when you’re reading something CD posted, but when you’re reading any team blog or similar joint venture.
Whether a united front is present or not, it’s still comprised of individual human beings rather than some hive mind. Just thought I’d toss that general observation about the blogosphere in there (this observation also partly came about from a post on Shameful Otaku Secret!, when I congratulated Mike on a job well done then found out that Digiboy was the one who had written it. *headdesk*).
Believe it or not I’m actually considering putting Colony Drop on my blogroll, despite the flaws in their M.O. being so obvious to me. And on that bombshell…goodnight.