Why can't anime with more complex plots and focus on thematic delivety handle their exposition? In all these kinds of shows like Eva, Lain, Utena, Ghost in the Shell there is always this blatant exposition dumbing. In Eva we get Kaiji, Seele and a whole flashback episode dedicated to exposion. In the film we have projections of Yui and Rei shoving the themes and message of the series in our faces. In Ghost in the Shell we have the Puppeteer and Motoko telling us what issues to think about. In Utena we have all of episode 34 with the shadow girls, in Lain we have first the scientist who worked on kids and then episode 9 where the narrator describes all of these files which explain to us everything. I won't even mention shows like LotGH which have terrible exposition all around ep after ep.
Why is this? Anime have evolved a lot in terms of animation, cinematography and visual design. It seems to be a medium with lots of competent directors. Is it their fault that they don't pay attention to this aspect? Or is it a lack of good scriptwriters?
There is nothing wrong with exposition.
There's a difference between having a complex plot and going out of your way to make your story as impenetrable as possible.
>>137235977
It disengages the viewer and in the cases I mentioned feels unnatural and disrupts immersion.
>>137236132
Most people and professionals disagree with you
>>137235287
>>137236132
>flashback dedicated to exposition
And what is wrong with that? It's important to have expositon, especially for something like anime where the world isn't often normal at all and therefore world building through exposition is used to fill in the gaps. There are plenty of bad info dumping exposition such as in Fate but that's due to the writing and game like concepts which don't work as well in anime form.
Also the SEELE meetings aren't just exposition and don't take you out of the story at all, I don't know why you feel this is the case.
As >>137236166 said most people don't feel this way. Sure people criticize Hollywood films using news reels to explain current happenings and the world, but that's not because it's exposition, but because it's a cliche. Exposition is fine.
>>137235287
Because anime isn't the right medium for that.
Also fuck anyone who thinks Lain is 'doing it right' it's not fucking deep, it's muh WIRE, muh obvious metaphors. It's just boring
Exposition is just inheritently boring. At least Lain had interesting visuals during its exposition dump.
There's nothing wrong with exposition, you sound like a try-hard film student.
>>137236132
How does Seele and a flashback episode disrupt immersion?
>>137236689
It feels unnatural, because they go into detail explaining things which they're supposed to know to each other. It feels like that scene is just made their to inform the viewer.
>>137238437
In the case when it's thematic exposition, like with GITS and Eva but also Angel's Egg and LotGH for example. It forces certain ideas onto the viewer instead of inspiring him to think about them.
It's a matter of the nature of the exposition.
Story exposition has to be handled carefully, as it serves both to add weight to the story, and to diminish one's interest in the series. I see nothing fundamentally wrong with it.
I think the need for thematic exposition is indicative of poor direction, or, alternatively, a proletariat target audience. I'm always disappointed when an anime descends into thematic exposition, as the media lends itself to naturally conveying complex themes. You are only bound by your art (and the episodic nature of the series), and, as such, there is so much room for artistic direction that thematic exposition should be wholly unnecessary.
The worst crime is an intellectual cop-out though, whereby an otherwise well constructed anime provides penultimate exposition, as to not estrange their unthinking (or disinterested) viewerbase.
