So, let's talk about time and the 90's · 2:13pm Mar 20th, 2023
I've been hearing a lot of talk lately about how time has changed, and that there's not enough of it anymore, or that it seems like we have shorter and shorter days. I've even had people debating with me about how it's not because they're getting old.
Okay, might be strange for just a second, but let's briefly go back in time, then, to the 90's.
The biggest memory I have is of Dragon Ball Z. I'd get home from school, sit down in front of the TV, and turn on Toonami. The episodes came out on a daily (Or was it weekly?) bases, and I'm not talking about Z-kai, either.
This is just one example, but remember first seeing Cell in his first form?
What about his second form? Oh, even better because of that deep, burbly voice! I still have nightmares!
And then finally, his perfect form along with all of the drama that ensued just before thanks to Vegeta.
These were different days. Think about Jiren... That's already over, isn't it? Comparatively, there was little to no build-up or several forms.
I'm just sayian, things are done differently now-a-days. Things are done at a much faster pace. I think that's why the days seem so much shorter.
The 90's was actually a pretty good soft spot to be a kid, too. These days, there's far too much and nothing gets paced and hyped correctly the way it used to.
These days, there's far too much and nothing gets paced and hyped correctly the way it used to.
Well said. The pacing and natural climax of things is more like rapid-fire consumption these days.
Just look at YouTube and TikTok. Bored? Just keep scrolling for new content. Want new music? Heck, it’s free! The business model has changed and record labels release their content for free on YouTube. We no longer need to physically travel to a store and purchase albums.
There is an expectation of immediate satiation.
Imagine taking today’s kids back in time and showing them video rental stores.
When I wanted to watch episodes of Star Trek, I either waited for the re-run on TV or rented it, two episodes on VHS at a time.
Haha, I even remember setting the VCR for timer record at 05:30am to record re-runs of The Three Stooges. No “Netflix season binging” back then!
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Gotta meet that quota.
And I'm not saying everything these days is bad. There's lots of great content out there, too...
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Great content, yes.
Arguably it’s easier to create great content too.
So that’s another good thing, right?
But sometimes life needs to slow down in order to enjoy life itself.
And experience things together. The often mentioned example of the Seinfeld finale comes to mind. Remember that? People around the globe experienced it together and had break up parties.
Now, with some shows released season-at-a-time on streaming platforms, it ruins what would be “proper pacing and hype buildup”. And the social commentary is reduced into islands-of-one. And that’s coming from an introvert.
But yes, not all bad. And most shows are episode releases.
And platforms such as Kickstarter have even enabled people who have not been signed up with production houses to pitch, fund, and create their own content.
I saw one such example on YouTube last month - it was a “go fund me” style pitch for an animation called “Talon”. Imagine mlp pony magic combined with The Land Before Time.