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Every time I try and get into anything Macross, the love triangles and J-pop elements turn me right off.

And it seems like this is a pretty popular trope in anime/manga. I realize they're basically aimed at kids, but even as a kid I was never into drama, triangles, shipping, and all the crap fan fiction writers deviant-art types seem to thrive on.

It's the reason Netflix superhero show's appeal to me, like Daredevil, vs WB show's like Arrow (Which I still enjoy, but not for Felicity/Ollie drama..)

Anyone else feel the same way? Or am I in a minority, and do people actually like the soap writing?

I think people like it because of the soap opera thing. That's mainly the reason why so many people watch Arrow. Even non-comic book fans. The drama.

Originally posted by cdtm
Every time I try and get into anything Macross, the love triangles and J-pop elements turn me right off.

And it seems like this is a pretty popular trope in anime/manga. I realize they're basically aimed at kids, but even as a kid I was never into drama, triangles, shipping, and all the crap fan fiction writers deviant-art types seem to thrive on.

It's the reason Netflix superhero show's appeal to me, like Daredevil, vs WB show's like Arrow (Which I still enjoy, but not for Felicity/Ollie drama..)

Anyone else feel the same way? Or am I in a minority, and do people actually like the soap writing? I agree with you almost on every point, except your title is a little misleading.

Soap Opera doesn't really translate to Emo Crap.

I dunno, in some cases I like it, like if a murder is about to be found out, or there's this big hardcore mystery. But finding out whether or not two people are gonna get together is not the focal point of any show for me.

I watch EastEnders, but only with the hope that someone will get punched at some point.

Macross is no more aimed at kids than, say, Gundam is. It's just Macross is aiming for a *broader* audience, it was picking up viewers of both genders by having both action and relationship stuff in the same package.


And yea, it's soap opera stuff, and yea, I like it ^^


One of my favorite mecha shows is Escaflowne, which is a really badass fantasy-mecha-soap-opera.

See, I actually like Escaflowne. And I recognize it's very heavily romance oriented..

But I dunno, it doesn't turn me off like Macross romance does. I guess because it seems more... genuine? As in, not obvious pandering to their audience..?

Back to comic show comparisons, Jessica Jone's relationship with Cage is definate romance stuff, but doesn't have the soap opera-ish elements of Smallville/Arrow/most WB shows.

Originally posted by cdtm
Every time I try and get into anything Macross, the love triangles and J-pop elements turn me right off.

And it seems like this is a pretty popular trope in anime/manga. I realize they're basically aimed at kids, but even as a kid I was never into drama, triangles, shipping, and all the crap fan fiction writers deviant-art types seem to thrive on.

It's the reason Netflix superhero show's appeal to me, like Daredevil, vs WB show's like Arrow (Which I still enjoy, but not for Felicity/Ollie drama..)

Anyone else feel the same way? Or am I in a minority, and do people actually like the soap writing?

IMO, drama's fine. As long as it's not over-used/stretched out/stealing the focus. Arrow has more going for it than the Felicity/Oliver crap, although the 3rd season was really annoying because that got way too much focus.

And no, you're not in a minority, but it depends on where you ask.

Originally posted by cdtm
See, I actually like Escaflowne. And I recognize it's very heavily romance oriented..

But I dunno, it doesn't turn me off like Macross romance does. I guess because it seems more... genuine? As in, not obvious pandering to their audience..?


Hm, so it's something in the approach that does it for you...