Why is Aesthetic Overlooked in Anime Critique?

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In the behind the scenes feature on the DVD of the 3-episode OVA Le Portrait de Petit Cossette, director Akiyuki Shinbo states that the series was born from the idea of creating a “gothic lolita” anime. That is exactly what the series is–nothing more, nothing less. Its story combines elements of gothic horror with themes from the novel Lolita itself–but this story mostly works as a springboard for the show to explore the visual aesthetic of gothic lolita; not only in terms of the fashion styles, but in the greater general sense of each of those words. It seeks to encapsulate every characteristic of the gothic and lolita aesthetics, and the marriage between them. Every single aspect of this OVA works towards that aesthetic.

From a critical standpoint, Petit Cossette poses certain complications. Its story and characters aren’t memorable in the slightest, but it seems like the creators never particularly cared about those elements to begin with. How much one enjoys the series will come down to how much they buy into the aesthetic. Does the idea of Akiyuki Shinbo, whom you’ll likely recognize as the director of Madoka Magica, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Bakemonogatari, and others, going completely unhinged to a Yuki Kajiura soundtrack sound like enough to get you hooked? Can you appreciate early-2000s CGI when it’s being used moderately well in combination with striking shot composition? Does the phrase “gothic lolita” excite you? If yes, then you’ll probably enjoy Petite Cossette. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

It seems obvious enough, right? Everyone likes things for their own reasons; but I think there’s an odd sort of bias among anime fans pointed against shows that focus more on aesthetic than they do on storytelling. And sure, its fair enough to assume that most people will appreciate a story and characters that connect with them emotionally more than anything, but when I think about how many people can easily get into music and illustrative art, I get a little confused.

After all, while music and art can definitely tell stories and illicit emotional responses, these mediums rely far more heavily on aesthetic than anything else. Musical genres are often defined by the kind of mood they create. Black metal feels exactly like the name implies, as does pop music. Art often appeals to us immediately on an aesthetic level before we even stop to think about it. Yet, perhaps because so much of anime does attempt to focus more on storytelling and character development, most people don’t seem to look for anime based on its aesthetic as much as they do on the type of story that it is.

But overall, I think pretty much everyone who watches a lot of anime is watching it for aesthetic reasons on some level. After all, if you didn’t care about the aesthetic elements at all, there’d be little reason to stick with anime as a medium of choice. You can find plenty of great stories in novels–and if you don’t like reading, there are countless films and TV shows which are worth your time. To be focused on anime suggests that something about that medium in particular grabs your attention more than any other medium is capable of doing, and of course this works in reverse for other mediums as well.

The most critically acclaimed anime are the ones which can tell a good story with good characters while also being aesthetically pleasing. We don’t love these shows just for telling good stories, we love them for doing so while BEING anime, because we love anime as a medium. We’re less concerned about whether or not anime is necessarily the best storytelling medium, and more concerned about whether stories within that medium can appeal to us.

Even so, I understand why for most viewers, it’s the combination of both story and aesthetic which ropes them in, and purely aesthetic experiences may not be as appealing. Still, I think there’s a lot to be said about anime that go out of their way to communicate a certain style without trying to do anything else. Petite Cossette conveys a feeling similar to a music video. When I think of it, I always think of this one AMV which set clips from the show to the song Porcelain Heart by Opeth, and how watching that was almost as appealing as watching the show itself, because the aesthetic of the song fit that of the show so perfectly.

I’d love it if more people appreciated that animation is a medium not necessarily bound just to telling compelling stories, but can also be about conveying compelling atmosphere. It can be about putting on something like Petite Cossette on Halloween, with the lights turned off, and just feasting on the visuals; and that can be just as much of an entertaining and rewarding experience as that of a good narrative.