Put the following five components in order from most important

Characters
Theme
Direction
Plot
Fanservice

>>142012878
There are 3 components not 5:
Animation
Characters
Story

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Theme
Direction
Plot
Characters
fan service

>>142012878
Why is themes a separate category from story?

What about muh music?

>>142013086
Themes=overral point of the events and meaning behind the show
Story= the events themselves

So an anime can have a terribly written story with huge plot holes but the "point" behind it can still be good

>>142012996
I'm more just interested in what /a/ finds more important. If you think you need to add any components like art / animation, score, or whatever else, then feel free. Or if you think your taste can be expressed in fewer less granular components, then that's up to you. I just wanted to establish a basic framework for discussion.

>>142013116
>>142013217

>>142013086
Because a lot of anime can be very distinctly categorized into character-driven, plot-driven, or theme-driven. Most are mixtures of these three, but they're pretty distinct things. For example, I would call something like Tatami Galaxy or GiTS '95 heavily theme-driven, whereas a show like Rose of Versailles or even GiTS:SAC is more plot-driven.

Characters >>> Theme = Direction = Plot > Fanservice

Characters are by far the most important thing for me, if there are great characters the author can have them do nearly anything and it's engaging. There is a lot of shows with mundane plot or themes that I liked because the characters were interesting.

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Characters first. If I can't give a rats ass about the people the stories about then its hard to care or keep interest in anything else.

Plot second. The plot gives characters something to do and an actual story to follow. It helps keep the characters interesting and gives them opportunity to develop.

Direction is third. It's important, but top tier direction cannot make up for a shitty story or crap characters.

Fanservice is fourth. I like titties and ass.

Themes are last in my opinion. While a strong theme can tie a work together and really add to it, it's not really necessary in my opinion as lomg as the work itself is entertaining.

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>>142013217
Okay here I go:
1) characters/OP music
2) story/animation
3) ED music

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>>142012878
Characters
theme
plot
direction
fan service

>>142012878
1. Cute girls

>>142014087
>1) OP music

Surely you jest.

>>142012878
1. Theme
-power gap-
2. Characters
3. Direction
4. Plot
5. PLOT

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>>142012878
Characters > Direction > Theme > Plot
Theme I great, but it gets pretty boring when the theme isn't as interesting or isn't explored thoroughly enough, like TTGL. Plot is only good for conveying the characters in my opinion.

However for movies I feel that the theme is more important than direction and the characters because of its shorter length to make an impact.

>>142014635
If the OP music is really good (which is rare) it gets me in a hype mood to watch the show and makes me look forward to starting a new episode

>>142014852
>However for movies I feel that the theme is more important than direction and the characters because of its shorter length to make an impact.
This is a really interesting point. Something that's shorter can kinda get away with being more abstract, like movies, or an OVA like FLCL. If you stretched something that relies so heavily on theme into a full cour, it would either have to shake things up or it would just get redundant like Tatami Galaxy and Paranoia Agent inb4 crucify.

>>142014878
>>142014635
This is actually the kind of stuff I was really hoping to see in this thread. I suspect that /a/ is mostly a collection of fractured minority opinions more than it is a bulk general audience. Like this dude puts music at the top, this other dude >>142012996 puts animation at the top, I just can't wait till somebody puts armpits at the top.

Character
Direction
Theme
Plot
Fanservice

Good direction can make any trash writing better.

>>142015855
>>142015855
>>142015855

>>142012878
1. Plot
2. Characters
3. Direction
4. Theme
5. Fan service

>>142012968
I agree.
>>142014733
I agree even more.
Plotfags are the worst.
The meaning of the work is most important. Why would you even bother if you are not trying to say anything.
Direction is important as it conveys that meaning but as a sci-fi fag I can tell that terrible writers can write great and very meaningful things. As long as it gets the idea across direction doesn't have to be good in the strict sense of the word.
Characters in comparison don't seem to be all that important but when you think about it art is aimed a humans so you could say that portraying humans in a way that is true to life is probably the most powerful statement that you could ever make. After all the purpose is to learn something about ourselves.

theme
direction
characters
fan service
plot

Plot is the least important part of a story and is only regarded by pleb who've never read anything greater than shitty genre fiction

>>142012878
Directing
Animation
Charaters/Plot
Theme
Fanservice

>>142013086
Plot=/=story
it says story no where in the OP
you illiterate fuck

>>142016648
>the purpose is to learn something about ourselves
This is a very loaded statement. I'd argue that it's entertainment, and that the purpose is for it to be engaging. Sometimes that's accomplished via nuanced themes about the nature of the human condition, and sometimes it's accomplished via light comedy. Neither is an intrinsically more or less valuable form of entertainment.

>>142016977
>consuming art to be entertained
fucking philistine fuck off to >>>/v/

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>>142017067
You're right, my mistake.

>>142016977
>the purpose is for it to be engaging
No.I don't see where you people get ideas like this from. No one is obligated to entertain you. Some people are entertained by one thing and others by another. If you didn't find something engaging that is because you found no meaning in it.
Are you one of those people that complain about thing by saying "Maybe it was not bad but I hate it because it was boooring."
"It was boring." is the vaguest comment one could possibly come up with. It only conveys the viewer's lack of imagination.

>>142012878
Direction
Fanservice
Characters
Theme
Plot

This question not only stupid because the proper order can easily be decided by using good old fashioned logic and reasoning but also useless since all of the elements(except for fanservece) are co-dependant anyway, meaning that in a well executed product they enhance each other or if the product executed poorly one of them can ruin the rest.

But what I can here to say is that anyone who put themes at 1 is a retard since it's impossible to properly present or explore themes if you don't have well written character and a good narrative which streamlines the thematic exploration. Themes come from the characters and form the plot/narrative. It's also OP's fault for splitting them up in the fist place.

>>142018065
It depends on what you derive enjoyment from. Some people like simple characters and simple plots but with a heavy theme behind it. Just look at Kino or Mushishi or even the more action heavy stuff that rely more on action than plot, theme, or characters.

Aspects of a work should always enhance each other, but they don't have to be all good to make something enjoyable, its just what separates the good from the great.

>>142018065
>in a well executed product they enhance each other or if the product executed poorly one of them can ruin the rest
Of course, I agree with the this statement that all part must go together but they don't have to be all good.
For example Dune has stilted writing and dialogue , stupidly written characters , plot that is overly convoluted and fails in it's attempts to be clever more often than not but still is regarded as important for the breadth and complexity of it's themes.
Lovecraft is often hailed as a horrible writer but (at least according to me) his overly dry and pompous prose is perfect for the type of stories he is trying to tell.
Dostoevsky is rambling as fuck and his characters act like spastic autists but still have incredible psychological depth.

>>142016648

Plotfags are bad, but "deep"fags are the absolute worst. Just fuck off and read an intro to philosophy textbook.

Character designs and artwork are the most important thing (This is not a measure of realism or level of detail, it only needs to match with the intended atmosphere of the show). Anime's a visual medium, shit needs to look good.

>>142021234
Themes don't have to be "deep". Even for something as simple as TTGL you could say that the themes are the most important thing.

Characters
Theme
Direction
Plot
Fan service

>>142021234
Being a pretentious fag is bad but that doesn't mean that pretty designs are more important than everything else.

>>142021234
You're retarded. And don't understand thematics.

>>142022065
Explain then nerd.

>>142014635
Sometimes.

>>142025041
How does philosophy relate to depth?