Pop-culture references?

Malintex_Terek

Recently a new moepedo anime came out called Lucky Star and it's causing massive hemorrhaging on various forums (thankfully not so much at Arlong Park) - people are sharply divided as to whether or not it's the best anime of the year or the worst.

A strong component of the show's appeal, beyond the obvious moepedo designs, are random, sudden, and almost spontaneous pop-culture references. In LS' situation, it's otaku/weeaboo references, id est, this blue haired girl talks about what manga she's going to read when she gets home.

…

That's supposed to be a joke.

I hope you see what I mean when I say this show is causing some friction.

...

Anyway, the whole matter forced me to reflect, in general, on pop-culture references - are they a creative and legitimate form of humour, or a shallow substitution for any real imaginative effort?

Buuhan1

I don't see Pop-culture references as a bad thing, but they can be overused or used poorly very easily. One of the main things I like about them is I see them as a form of "breaking the fourth wall", which is a form of humor I often like.

Mr. Evil

Pop-culture references can be funny if used right and not overused. The maain problem with them is that if the viewer doesn't get the reference, the joke falls flat. Relying on pop-culture references isn't a substitute for real humor, but they can be great if parodied right and used sparingly.

Traitor_Jim

I prefer pop-culture references to be of satirical purpose rather than just for the artist's amusement. You put in the references in order to make a point about them, not to show how much of a pop-culture junkie you happen to be. Ridiculing a certain absurd aspect of a culture is good, but just incorporating that aspect into your work just to make you look cool is plain lame.

(This is a univeral you I'm using… sorry D:)

GearSecond

Here and there is certainly fine. If someone has a problem with one every few episodes or so(of Anime or any TV show, but especially Animation of any sort has tons of them) then they hate them for probably no good reason, but it's not really a bad thing.

If there's 5 every episode and it seems that the best humor they have is these references, then they can't think of anything really funny.

But having a TON like overused amount doesn't make it a bad show. The Simpsons and other shows are based on humor that is often used in ways that are stupid or cheesy. Slapstick, pop culture references, and just over all being dumb, are either loved or hated, and I have yet to see a debate over a show being good or bad solely based on one occasional style of humor.

Think of Bobobo, so many references and jokes. Not much pop culture but it still took from aspects of life.

So in short, it's not a bad thing to have them occasionally, only if every joke requires the referencing is it a bad thing. If someone has a problem with pop culture references, they shouldn't watch, and I know there's people who if they don't like one joke or something halfway through a series, they'll stop watching. They'll drop a series mid-climax if they stop liking it, and would rather not watch 2-3 more episodes tom see the final ending.

Bounty1Berry

I AM ERROR.

That's all I have to say on the topic. :D

Local-chan

I dunno, sometimes its good and sometimes it isn't, depends on where you live, I mean to me, a lot of Family Guy's references just go over my head, since a lot of the things were never aired over here, but I do think a lot of the references that are in popular show from over here goes over the heads of American viewers.

Traitor_Jim

@Local-chan:

I dunno, sometimes its good and sometimes it isn't, depends on where you live, I mean to me, a lot of Family Guy's references just go over my head, since a lot of the things were never aired over here, but I do think a lot of the references that are in popular show from over here goes over the heads of American viewers.

I agree. Pop-culture references tend to work within, well, the specific culture. That is, unless it's referencing cross-culture stuff like the internet. That's why sometimes it falls flat (even if it's effective for its intended audience) for people in different cultures.

For example, GTO. I picked up most of the references, but there were some that you really really have to be living in Japan to find it funny. Morning Musume, wtf. (I'm glad I got the Doraemon and Kenshiro thing though. Shit, that's hilarious.)

Taleran

depends on the use and the show in question for me wether it works or not.

Zephos

They're good as jokes, but FUNNY jokes, and entire scenes shouldn't depend on them, IE the action/flow shouldn't stop to focus on them (unless its taht kind of thing). Throwing a little reference in the side will have those who know it laugh without having the people who don't skip a beat.

Pants-eater

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Kuroneko

I think pop-culture references are mostly funny when they are about cult stuff, like those B movies of the 70's. But they got really annoying when they tend to reference freshy or super-popular movies or when they are used too much. That's why most of the animated movies suck nowadays, because they fill their humor of Matrix, Saw or other bunch of crap that people is tired to see everywhere.