CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

(Yet another question on the topic of 'escapism').

When you read or watch something, how "wrapped up" are you into its fictional world? Are you more inclined to push reality aside and enjoy the ride, or do you follow along and realize that it is, afterall, fiction?

If I watch a movie, I forget that the directors\writers\actors had made it and simply dwell into the reality that's presented in the film. Same thing with books, my mind seems to key in on the characters and settings that I ignore the fact that everything presented was written by an author.

My enjoyment of the experience will not let me see the strings attached, but it's usually afterwards that I begin to appreciate how that experience was forged (usually in the case of seeing those "Making of..." specials on dvds ).

I get immersed in a good story really easily. It's why I never see plot twists coming, lol.

I get "wrapped up" especially with movies or manga. I allow myself to get emotionally invested with the characters/plot because I believe that even fantasy/fiction have some amount of reality since they are created by the minds of humans who are subconsciously inserting their experiences, feelings and thoughts into their creations.

either way, but most of the time especially if the movie is good i somehow, umm, how could i say this, like it's you who is in the movie

ree namuras wrote:My brother, on the other hand, lost this, and cares more about whether it's dumb or not more than if it's a good story.

I can relate to such people. Whenever there's a public screening of a show or a movie, there is always that one person who just can't get into it, for whatever reason. It's annoying because they disturbed other people by talking and commenting out loud.

Though the people who are into something want little of that as possible.

Perhaps wrapped up is too mild a term for what happens to me.When I
find a series,wheter live or anime,that I like a lot and there is a character
that I really care for in it I can find myself getting so involved that I
start to worry about what happens to the CHARACTER.
For example,when watching Inuyasha I get so wrapped up with Kagome
that I sometimes forget she's just a fictional character.

ree namuras wrote:(My younger sister and I have the wonderful ability to "suspend our belief". Or was it, "suspend our disbelief"? I can never remember.

I believe that "suspend our disbelief" would be the correct term.

I find that I get more easily wrapped up in books than I do in movies. You know how when you watch movies your eyes eventually tune out your surroundings? Every so often it's like my mind bumps me and all of a sudden all of those things are there again. The feeling is similar to sliding back very rapidly.

As for books, those are more real to me for some reason. Sometimes I even find myself praying for the people and situations in the books I am reading!

The "willing suspension of disbelief" is critical to enjoying any fiction, how I generally feel that "gettin wrapped up" goes bejond simple disbelief suspension. I've enjoyed many books, movies, and tv shows with out getting wrapped up in them, however, there are a few that I do loose myself in whenever a reread or watch them. I can read and watch them over and over again and I feel like I am a part of the story some how.

Some tv series make you suspend disbelief more than others though.I mean it's
easier to believe Kagome travelling between the Modern Era and Japan's Feudal
Era via the well at her family's shrine than it is to believe that Xena lived
contemporaneously with Caesar AND King David.

Isn't that the purpose of any story? Whether a book, movie, tv series, the writer wants to get you to invest yourself in it (emotionally, etc.). Otherwise, Boink! wouldn't watch or read it. And yes, Boink! is pretty focussed when watching movies. It's very hard to distract Boink!. Boink!'s mother is the same way. When she watches her Korean soap operas, Boink! could be firing a M60 machine gun next to her ear and she'd just turn up the volume.

There are times when I get so wrapped up in watching a movie or some anime that I don't hear whats going on around me. It takes a few times of calling my name to get my attention if what I'm watching is really good. I also find myself empathizing with characters. I'll cry when they cry or feel embarrassed for them when they get in awkward situations. I guess I'm just really sensitive or something.

Amaya wrote:I also find myself empathizing with characters. I'll cry when they cry or feel embarrassed for them when they get in awkward situations. I guess I'm just really sensitive or something.

I know how this is. If the characters have a lot of depth and are well-executed, I really empathize with them and feel what they're feeling.

I know I get wrapped up when I start dreaming of the characters.For example
I had a dream about Kagura yesterday.

Boink! wrote:Isn't that the purpose of any story? Whether a book, movie, tv series, the writer wants to get you to invest yourself in it (emotionally, etc.).

You'd be surprised at the people I know, who usually like to look at things with strings attached, especially with the stuff on TV. Especially with some of the older people I've met.