Exposition is a necessary evil in a story. While some shows can get away with implying that certain things happen (ala Penguindrum), they’re often very grounded and well developed before they can get away with such things. Foreshadowing is a necessity if you’re going to go this route, which is why it’s essential to build up a strong setting before you can have the audience draw their own conclusions.
I acknowledge that it’d be incredibly difficult for a one cour series to do so in the time allotted. Several single cour noitaminA shows such as No. 6 and [C] fell into the trap of attempting to flesh out their worlds, only to let plot development fall by the wayside. So while the first halves of each had a certain richness about them that allowed the audience to further invest itself in the settings, the payoff was relatively minor as each show had to scramble to allow for some kind of conclusion.
An easier way for a twelve episode series to shoehorn in any necessary exposition, while still allowing for the story to flow almost seamlessly, is to dedicate an entire episode to explaining the fine details behind the plot. It’s not preferable or well loved by audiences, but that episode is almost essential to immersing the audience in an otherwise sparse show, and you don’t have to foreshadow much. Madoka Magica did this toward the end to explain Homura’s powers, and it was a good respite from the continued darkening of the plot.
And then you have a series like Blood-C that provides what could be taken as foreshadowing, but instead comes across as wankery that does little but say “This is maybe important, and we just want to take up time!” Even after the strangely inert world that Saya’s been thrust into is identified as a manufactured byproduct made in an effort to observe her under different circumstances, they don’t stop with the pointless flashes to Saya in a dark room, interrogated by an authoritative voice that seems to have a hard on for tormenting her with the banality of a never-changing dream sequence.
To make it even more annoying, after we learn of this, even more is brought to light that’s entirely unnecessary. Each of the characters in Saya’s dream world are actors, transplanted into her world with the promise of a reward once satisfactory results are achieved. If their statements are to be believed, which I think they are, they’ve had to repeat the same sequence again and again for the sake of achieving the aforementioned satisfactory results. It’s kind of a lame twist, but whatever, I’ll roll with it.
What makes me happy though is just how selfish everyone who participates in the experiment is: The creepy twins are criminals promised to have their records cleared if they participated in the experiment, the lesbian teacher wants to prove some kind of folktale correct, which I guess having it happen in a dream world proves somehow, and the random love interest just wants money for his part. Come to think of it, I want money for watching this crap, so he’s probably onto something.
This would ordinarily be a decent twist in the right hands, and would go a ways to explain away the boring interactions of the first few episodes if it were positioned sooner. Nothing would have been lost if one monster fight were left out for the sake of having the situation explained to the audience through more than vague foreshadowing, and it would make the entire experience carry more weight if we knew that the world was completely manufactured from the get-go to observe Saya kill Fisher Price-grade monsters.
It would also be a decent twist if the characters didn’t just stand around doing fuck all for the entire episode, explaining things with an air of boredom while Saya sits dumbfounded. I don’t know a single moment that could be thought of as completely being in keeping with the overall mood of the show, except the oddly placid café owner suddenly appearing out of nowhere to just stand there and be creepy, his neck longer than a human neck should be… though I think that was a flaw in the character design more than an intentionally creepy effect.
To wrap things up, exposition’s a tricky thing that can be handled in a few ways to allow a story to move forward at a good clip. Blood-C attempted both methods and failed at both. It was the equivalent of a girl in a bar leading a guy on through ambiguous flirting, before taking a T-bone steak from her purse and slapping him in the face with it, then tying him up and throwing him in her car’s trunk to bring as a guest to her sister’s surprise party. Actually, that would’ve made a far better story. Somebody help me make an anime about that.
Come to think of it, I want money for watching this crap, so he’s probably onto something.
I was thinking of just this. Seriously, just for all the trouble of sitting through this trainwreck.
Actually, that would’ve made a far better story. Somebody help me make an anime about that.
Just don’t the idea to the guys behind Blood-C because the way I see it, they can pretty much turn ANYTHING boring.
Exactly! I deserve compensation for my saintly patience in writing about this damn show every week. Hell, every blogger who’s written about it does. Preferably with a box of apology chocolates and a private island.
Dude, I’ve been eating nothing but ramen for the past two weeks. I’ll take a t-bone to the face. Let’s play the crappy analogy game. Blood-C is like your SO telling you not to eat lunch cause she’s totally gonna make you the best dinner ever, and so he or she stays on the phone all workday to tease you about the dinner only for you to get home to a goddamn pomegranate salad. Whoa, whoa, steak? It’s coming to the theaters nearest you.
That is also a sufficient analogy, though kind of lacking in steak for my taste.
*reads whole wall ‘o text*
Ha ! Good thing I’ve stopped Blood Crap …
Though … what happened with the Guimauves ?
Were they made out of blood or not ? o.o
( that’s the only thing that interests me in the whole anime )
I think Blood as as an ip is boring no matter who is involved. At least I watched this series completely through unlike the other ones made.