Anime can be good: Nichijou first impressions

I often pass over anime titles on perception of genre.  I nearly did so with Nichijou, and thank goodness I gave it a chance.

I've spoken before about my disdain for moe.  My general dislike for the genre (to which some will protest and say there's no such thing as a "moe genre") is predicated upon the moe-lolicon tendencies in the audience that too many content producers willingly play to. Deny it all they like, this is the category all too many moe fans fall in to. The prevalence of moe as a trend through anime has led many people, myself included, to dismiss anything cute as moe, which is falacious.  I'm not so simpleminded as to really believe that anything cute is moe, rather that I've become so accustomed to the overabundance of moe-loli in anime that I've started making assumptions.  I'm not sure what made me decide to give Nichijou a chance, but I want to make this clear, this show is not merely a moe show. 

First I'd like to clearly define exactly what moe is.  Moe is a Japanese slang term used to refer to the innocent and child-like charm of young (usually female) characters.  Technically moe describes not a quality of the character, but a feeling that the character inspires in the viewer.  When a viewer is filled with the desire to protect and nurture a young character, as they would a younger sister or daughter, that is the true expression of moe.   

All of which sounds quite benevolent, right?  Unfortunately many shows which play to moe are driven by the lolicon segment of the viewership.  When popular portrayals of a character features, for example, swim wear, this is not the innocent moe described above.  No older brother or father takes pleasure in their siblings and children posing in revealing clothing.  The only thing at play here is lascivious and lecherous desire, even if the target demographic is in denial about it. 

So normally, even the hint of moe focus in an anime will turn me away.  So it nearly was with Nichijou. 

Yes, the show is extremely cute.  One might even say it's adorable.  It's also filled with absurdist humour and references to tropes of the anime industry as a whole.  Witness the following epic weiner chase:

All the characters in Nichijou are rendered in a simplistic style which conveys a cute sensibility to the entire world - from the eight-year-old mad scientist to the as-of-yet unnamed mohawk wearing bad-boy highschool student.  And yes, there are moments that are quite moe, but not a bit of it panders to the base elements of fandom.  So far, at least.  I expect that to continue.

The only hiccup is the rare occasion of cultural references failing to deliver a punchline.  Crunchyroll could really take this as an opportunity to deliver some liner notes for the episode providing cultural context for sequences that western viewers may otherwise be confused by.  Many fansubbers have been providing on-screen liner notes for years, and there's no reason Crunchyroll, with their streaming interface, couldn't improve upon that.     

Overall, the first three episodes of Nichijou have been a complete delight.  As long as the cute laughs continue, I'll continue to watch. 

Posted via email from Newtronika