Japanese anime...

It's always good to have interest in something that comes from where you're from. It's also excellent to have interest in foreign culture.

It's interesting how many people in the world have interest in Japanese culture.

Especially, the thing that started in America, went to Japan, and grew in Japan.

Animation.

But, it might seem ironic but I do not really like Japanese anime.

They're violent, in ways they're too realistic, and even though beautiful, I don't like how the characters are drawn.

Here are reasons of why.

1. I've always a supporter of Disney
2. I feel jealous that Japanese animation is so succesful
3. The factes I stated above

I'm just making assumptions and I may by biased so forgive me if that's the case.

Take Ghibli for example.

Miyazaki seems to like to draw the dark side of humans and use those as issues, or in the environment around the main character(s).

Doesn't that seem kinda... pessimistic?

I prefer American cartoons since they're more simple, comical, and bright (although more and more American cartoons and getting Japanese style. ...Teen Titans...)

Well yeah some American cartoons are dark and violent in their own way, but I'm talking more about Japanese anime here so yeah... :? :?

Some Japanese cartoons that don't go overseas as much as Ghibli movies are MUCH better 'cause they reflect to a typical life in a mild and bright setting. Those are the one's that I like. But The tpe that I like is not the type everyone else likes.

But what my question is, what makes people like Japanese animation so much?



I am trying to respect other's opinions, but this is mine. Japanese anime is not my thing...

I honestly don't take much positive account to anime as I used to when I was younger. My first anime was Pokemon, which was midly interesting until the first season ended and began to get a little repeative, then as I gre older I began to look at anime with a little more critique.

The only animes' that I like are mainly theatrical movies such as AKIRA, basically all of Miyasaki's and Ghibli's productions, Jin-Roh, Lensman, and various titles from MANGA Entertainment like the Macross movies. I'll also admit that some of the Pokemon and Digimon movies (uncut and not Americanized) were pretty descent as well; A bit of decency on animation and another score for decsent writing, not the best, but still good.

However, I do put up with some anime series such as Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Big O, FLCL, and handfuls of the Gundam sagas. I'll even go for some of the lesser animated and lesser known animes' such as Wild Knights Gulkeeva, Legendz, and Okojo; They may not be high rankers in the animation departmenmt, but they quite funny and have a neat story to follow.

Of course, my dislikes to anime are mainly due to how some of it is drawn as well. I really find the 'pointed nose' trick to be VERY annoying at times and can't help but think "They can draw a jet fighter but they can't draw a nose that's not as sharpened as a pencil?!" (sometimes you can't even notice a nose at all) or how some of the animation (mainly seen in modern day productions) is always 'shiney' and 'sparkly' with eyes that are bigger than a human fist just constantly staring out into the abyss. :roll:

Some anime is good and some of it is bad, I'm not really jelous of it at all of it's popularity compared with American productions. I also find it an improvemnt that some of them are realistic in a sense of using state-of-the-art animation (I'm talking theatrics here) that depict, say, a 'distant future' where we use robots as vehicles for personal use where the robots aren't always just cartoony forms that can do the impossible such as extendable limbs that stretch to great distances or aresenals of weaponry hidden in every square-inche of their bodies, but rather a more reasonable means such as sluggish movements (like you see on contruction equipment), limited firepower (mainly due to econimical cost it would take tyo build such a thing) and not-so-easy handling concerning cokpits and control. In other words, a combination of imagination and realism all rolled into one seems to be a pleasing experience for me, but that's just my opinion of course.

I myself am a Hellsing and Vampire Hunter D fan; I like the dark style. I also like vampires and such, they've always interested me.
I also like, and please don't hate me for this, violence. In fact, I run a Hellsing forum RPG, as well as having both Alucard (Hellsing) and D in another one of my RPGs.
I don't know why my tastes are so dark a violent; perhaps a bad childhood had something to do with it, but I don't know. That's just how I am. I also like movies and such that keeps me on my toes. I like the kind of thing that, just when you think you've got something figured out, something new comes into the plot.
Anyway, that's just me. ;)

Thanks, HolyArrow, I am so glad to see someone on my side. I really don't like Anime much either. There is some anime that is slightly good, but as a whole the genera is obsessively overrated. Japanese animation is for the most part very crude and inferior to most American animation. I believe that it hardly even qualifies as real animation, as it is never "animated" in the full sense of anything that really mirrors animated reality like most american animation does. Even Miyazaki's animation, among the highest quality as far as anime goes, is done at only half the frame rate of visible motion, around 4-7 frames per second, while Don Bluth's animation is done at 32 frames per second, and looks so lifelike it is dazzling to the eye. Any anime you can watch, 90% of the time almost nothing is moving. when characters talk, the mouth is a fluctuating pink circle, while the face and body is a stationary drawinig. Certain scenes they will even pan across a crowd, with sound effects like something's going on, but it is merely a still drawing they are showing. The fastest animation they have is perhaps the flashing-seizure causing backgrounds and light effects, which are just obnoxious and nonsensical. What's the deal? How is that animation? I can see better animation than that on a reading rainbow children's book story narration.

Also, I can't find any interest in any of the ridiculous convoluted screwball pseudo-spiritual plots of most anime, I tire of all the giant robots, seizure-causing light flashes, and demonic spirits and godlike-powered characters, I also cannot stand the character design of ridiculous giant creepy sparkly eyes, a tiny nose, a big pink circle for a mouth and gargantuanly-oversized breasts. The stories and plots are so dumb and cheesy, the dialogue is so wooden and garrulous and there is WAY too much posing. That is basically all it is. Posing. 'Otakus' just can't get enough of those anime characters that pose in their ridiculously goofy and gaudy outfits while holding up inordinately oversized impractical weapons like table-sized swords and howizter-sized guns slung over the shoulder as easily as a gym towel. It's all so CORNY!!!

There is even prevalent pedophilia in alot of anime. Which is disgusting and despicable.

I don't get any of the subtle Japanese humor, although 'Otaku' anime fans claim they do, which I doubt. (I've even observed them giving weak laughs while watching anime during some scene that was apparently supposed to be funny to Asian audiences, it's like they're just putting on trying to convince themselves that anime is worth watching)

Overall, most of it is so bizzarre and alien I can't understand how any Westerner can find so much obsessive interest in it. I know otakus around me in the anime club that think that Anime is just the best thing since sliced bread, so much so they think that all other animation is trash. I can't understand their mentality at all. The Japanese animators have nothing on Don Bluth or Walt Disney.

I'm not much of an Anime fan myself, either. I have seen Inuasha and some show about this secret agent who is also a high school student (very weird), but neither appealed to me that much as good animation. Nonetheless, I do get a few laughes out of it.
If you would consider it Anime, I do like the Sonic X TV series, but that's it.

The best anime I've seen recently is "The Galaxy Railways." It's a great little Sci-Fi/Fantasy story with fantastic writing and engaging characters. I highly recommend it.

As far as anime goes,it can be hard to get into. There are many different types of anime genres to choose from. I personally don't like Sonic X for a couple of reasons. 4Kids ruined the series by not allowing the voice actors from the games do the voices in the show. The addition of Chris Thorndyke just gave Sonic another weak figure to look after. Not to mention the whole series was like they pulled it out of a fanfic. The only good thing about the show is that Sonic uses his Soap shoes in one episode. As of now my favorite anime are MAR and Furi Curi or FLCL. FLCL is in a way a lot like NIMH, just with alien beings, robots coming out of people's heads, and rock music.

I sort of like Sonic X, but thinking back, it did get kind of repetitive of the games. The only memorable thing I really enjoyed from the series was the Tornado X.

I'm not an anime fan either, but there are a few gems out there. Like Battle Angel Alita (I think its real name is "Gunnm"). But its manga was top notch. Not all animes are about about some overly big breasted woman with an overly big weapon in an overly big robot suit with overly big eyes. (haha). You just gotta dig though all the not so great stuff that is popular in western countries to find the few gems that actually do exist. But I do admit, I dont understand half the stuff I do see in japanese animation.

The one Anime I ever had any real interest in was the Ronin Warriors. But since they took it off Toonami several years ago, I haven't seen it. The characters didn't have overly big eyes, nor huge weapons or robots. But it used anime magic similar to DBZ (but not a ripoff mind you).

The only two anime shows I could really get into was Full Metal Alchemist and Samurai Champloo. I thought both were pretty creative and unlike other typical anime shows I've seen.

FMA is a good series. A personal favorite will always be the Tenchi Muyo series though.

I saw a good handfull of Tenchi episodes. I thought it was a good show as well. I kind of liked that cat thing that could turn into a spaceship in later episodes. I think it was called Rio-Oki (or something like that).

Yep. Ryo-Oki was a cabbot who could change into a spaceship. Tenchi was a very enigmatic series.

The only two anime shows I could really get into was Full Metal Alchemist and Samurai Champloo. I thought both were pretty creative and unlike other typical anime shows I've seen.

Samurai Champloo does have a charm to it. I catch myself watching it if its on sometimes. I kinda like the while hip-hop theme it has going on.

I havent seen Tenchi in years, but I remember enjoying it. I was curious if its GXP series was any good, but I have yet to find it.

A friend of mine had a DVD in his posession but got rid of it because of nudity. He's a very pure person.

Ok, firstly, let me clear up the fact that I haven't read anything but the first post...and that was basically a skim through.

Now, onto boring banter and opinionated blabber!

I've been an avid anime hater, yes, hater, for a good portion of my life. Mostly, I didn't see anything all that great about it. I look at it from an artistic standpoint, and to be honest, when I'm watching something and can't tell characters apart because they're all so similiar in looks, and how they are drawn, and dressed for that matter, I get a little pissed that people try to forcefeed "anime is so much more diverse!" down my throat.

Now, while I still don't care for anime from an art perspective...Things I essentially grew up watching (reruns of Kimba the White Lion, Speed Racer, Maya the Bee, The Noozles, The L'il Bits, The Last Unicorn...to rattle off a few) were anime, and I never knew it. Japanese animation has evolved from resembling the western craft to becoming this repetitive over-popularized steaming pile of donkey poo. Now, to further clarify, I can't say I hate EVERYTHING. I'm actually quite fond of Avatar: The Last Air Bender (almost 22 years old and you can't pry me away from cartoons, heh), I liked Spirited Away, Yuyu Hakusho, and I even caught myself watching an episode or two of Naruto. Thing is, the storylines in 3 of those 4 were interesting and held my attention...They interested me.

The other thing to keep in mind, which I did not know until I went to Japan last year, is that every anime show in the US is COMPLETELY different than it is in Japan. The words are changed for us to understand, essentially dumbing down the dialogue and storyline for us slow non-japanese folk. They also remove alot of violent content. I had ALOT more respect for anime after having visited Japan than I did beforehand.

What I find really funny though, is that in the US, people obsess over asian culture with the anime and the pocky and whatever else....in Japan...the emulate Western culture as best they can. They want to be like US, but we want to be like THEM......this world has some weird things going on in it, I'll tell you what.

Everything you said about anime being changed is true. It's not so much that they change it to make us understand it, that's just translating. The violence part I can agree with though. Naruto has most of the blood edited out. ou can still see the episodes without these eits in the Uncut DVDs or go on eBay and find some Japenese episodes like the ones I have. Episodes 1-100 in unedited goodness with subttitles that actually tell you what they're saying,

It is changed, actually, for us to understand. Direct translation would be completely confusing, nothing would make sense at all. The characters are given lines -we- can relate to, using phrases we use, etc. Not to mention, alot of the refrences to the Japanese culture are shifted to a more western ideal. They still -HAVE- it, its just dumbed down and changed into something more obvious that we can relate with more. Even some of the subtitles aren't entirely accurate as there's alot of things in the Japanese language that can't be translated. I don't know how many they actually use in an anime, but, eh. Subtitles are the best way to get the actual storyline though.

Yes, Japanese references may not be understood by American audiences so you're right. What I find distroubling about some anime is the fact of dubbing. Some voice actors just don't match up with their roles.