Topic asks it all, why is Anime so appealing that its practically addictive? I mean its just cartoons, every nation has its own version of this stuff but why japans? What's in it that makes channels like cartoon network have a time block called adult swim that has a vast majority of it? Why did it influence the W brothers so much that we can see where Ghost in the Shell played into the movies?
Anime, why is it so appealing
30 posts · 2005-08-18 16:34:35 to 2005-08-22 20:28:56
I hate anime myself... don't have an answer for the question though, because really.. there isn't one. :smileyindifferent:
Anime is something that grows on you.
Message Edited by D3RM41 on 08-19-2005 11:40 AM
try explaining that to my wife, she always has, and always will hate it.
What's their to like about it? :smileyindifferent:
Chanulus wrote:
try explaining that to my wife, she always has, and always will hate it.
I think you missed his point Goblin.
No, no I didnt. I'm agreeing with him, and saying that I dont blame his
wife for not liking it because what is there to actually like about it?
Nothing..
wife for not liking it because what is there to actually like about it?
Nothing..
I'm not all that big of an anime fan myself, but there are a few shows
I like, such as Ghost in the Shell (the movie and the series: Stand
Alone Complex) simply because of deep plotlines, a whole host of plot
twists, and very engaging characters with their own unique and separate
backrounds and stories that all wind up intregrating into the main
story itself very well, and top of all that the animation and cg is
gorgeous.
My next favorite would have to easily be Serial Experiements Lain, not
nearly as action packed, actually there is very little action, it's
just about a little 14 yr old girl who is in reality an independent
computer program made into reality. It's mostly just of her questioning
existing line of what is real and what is not with all the things that
entail an online lifestyle in a world where the border separating the
two can be breeched. I thought it was a real interesting story.
I'm not going to list them all because there are a few more I really
like, but admittedly there are a lot that are just simply trash. But to
take a qoute from another one my favorites, which is Outlaw Star, "...
They are like the stars, there are bright ones and there are those that
are dim...", but the same can be said about all shows and movies,
really, correct?
As to why they're so addicting, I don't find them anymore addicting
that any other kind of shows or movies, but it just all comes down to
preference.
I like, such as Ghost in the Shell (the movie and the series: Stand
Alone Complex) simply because of deep plotlines, a whole host of plot
twists, and very engaging characters with their own unique and separate
backrounds and stories that all wind up intregrating into the main
story itself very well, and top of all that the animation and cg is
gorgeous.
My next favorite would have to easily be Serial Experiements Lain, not
nearly as action packed, actually there is very little action, it's
just about a little 14 yr old girl who is in reality an independent
computer program made into reality. It's mostly just of her questioning
existing line of what is real and what is not with all the things that
entail an online lifestyle in a world where the border separating the
two can be breeched. I thought it was a real interesting story.
I'm not going to list them all because there are a few more I really
like, but admittedly there are a lot that are just simply trash. But to
take a qoute from another one my favorites, which is Outlaw Star, "...
They are like the stars, there are bright ones and there are those that
are dim...", but the same can be said about all shows and movies,
really, correct?
As to why they're so addicting, I don't find them anymore addicting
that any other kind of shows or movies, but it just all comes down to
preference.
I like anime depending on the content. I mean there are some that
are obviously made for younger viewers, and some that are made for
adults. Go watch an ep of Gantz, it's deffinately not your WB
cartoons
are obviously made for younger viewers, and some that are made for
adults. Go watch an ep of Gantz, it's deffinately not your WB
cartoons
there is like one or two shows I enjoy watching from time to time, and now I love anime. but not really. whatever.
*shrugs*
If ya have ta ask why anime is appealing then ya obviously don't get the backround behind it. 
I personaly am not a huge anime fan myself but i've seen a few shows that i really like. My friend has told me about this Paranoia Agent show and it sounds pretty interesting to me.
This is a good question and being Japanese myself, I find it funny that it *is* so popular in other countries. I think there must be several reasons for this. There are people out there who just *love* everything Japanese and regardless of whether they understand it or not, they have to have it. I expect it was these people, coupled with others who noticed that anime, in general, has less restrictions than, say American cartoons. For example, some anime has sexual content, extreme violence and is aimed at adults. While most people get the impression the American cartoons are only for kids. (I do remember some scenes of nudity and violence being removed from anime before it was allowed in the US - Sailor Moon, for example).
The nudity in shows (even children's *animated* shows) is not a big deal over here. Probably a result of the whole public bath thing. But imagine going to Japan and seeing an adult based anime for the first time - say as your very first anime - you're going to get the idea that that is cool. "Wow, they get sex in their cartoons!!!!!" and you're gonna want to see more... Well I know for the UK with their Manga Entertainment, that this is exactly what happened when the UK first got anime.
That has now changed with the bigger Japanese names seeing the potential market for anime, and they now release their commercialised rubbish such as Pocket Monsters (Pokemon, in the US I believe) just to be able to sell all the toys and games. This is the current state of mainstream anime in Japan too. It's only made to sell spin off products. Often with no, or very little, story line. There is decent anime out there (good stories) but they are sadly a rarity.
It also amazes me that anime is cheaper in the US/UK. A 30 minute show on DVD in Japan can cost (approx.) anywhere from 60 US dollars to 110 US dollars! Anime collections are the thing of die hard fans with nothing better to spend their money on only, over here. I think someone listed Tenchi Muyo as a story they liked in the other thread on this subject, that currently sells for over 1000 US dollars if you want the whole set! Anime here is no longer about the story, but all about money.
I also feel that anime has suffered with current trend of computer graphics, especially the children's shows, that will switch from traditional 2D imagery to poorly rendered 3D and back at a moments notice. In general, for me, I really don't like anime anymore. It was great when I was a kid, and young adult, but the anime of today? I can't stand 99% of it.
Still, for a industry pretty much started up by a doctor who copied Walt Disney's character styles, it's done fairly well for itself, I guess. But it certainly seems to be in the realm of kids and young single men now.
The nudity in shows (even children's *animated* shows) is not a big deal over here. Probably a result of the whole public bath thing. But imagine going to Japan and seeing an adult based anime for the first time - say as your very first anime - you're going to get the idea that that is cool. "Wow, they get sex in their cartoons!!!!!" and you're gonna want to see more... Well I know for the UK with their Manga Entertainment, that this is exactly what happened when the UK first got anime.
That has now changed with the bigger Japanese names seeing the potential market for anime, and they now release their commercialised rubbish such as Pocket Monsters (Pokemon, in the US I believe) just to be able to sell all the toys and games. This is the current state of mainstream anime in Japan too. It's only made to sell spin off products. Often with no, or very little, story line. There is decent anime out there (good stories) but they are sadly a rarity.
It also amazes me that anime is cheaper in the US/UK. A 30 minute show on DVD in Japan can cost (approx.) anywhere from 60 US dollars to 110 US dollars! Anime collections are the thing of die hard fans with nothing better to spend their money on only, over here. I think someone listed Tenchi Muyo as a story they liked in the other thread on this subject, that currently sells for over 1000 US dollars if you want the whole set! Anime here is no longer about the story, but all about money.
I also feel that anime has suffered with current trend of computer graphics, especially the children's shows, that will switch from traditional 2D imagery to poorly rendered 3D and back at a moments notice. In general, for me, I really don't like anime anymore. It was great when I was a kid, and young adult, but the anime of today? I can't stand 99% of it.
Still, for a industry pretty much started up by a doctor who copied Walt Disney's character styles, it's done fairly well for itself, I guess. But it certainly seems to be in the realm of kids and young single men now.
That gave me a huge insight, and actually taught me a few things aswell. Thanks for that, Chuui, 5* :smileyhappy:
Chuui wrote:
This is a good question and
being Japanese myself, I find it funny that it *is* so popular in other
countries. I think there must be several reasons for this. There are
people out there who just *love* everything Japanese and regardless of
whether they understand it or not, they have to have it. I expect it
was these people, coupled with others who noticed that anime, in
general, has less restrictions than, say American cartoons. For
example, some anime has sexual content, extreme violence and is aimed
at adults. While most people get the impression the American cartoons
are only for kids. (I do remember some scenes of nudity and violence
being removed from anime before it was allowed in the US - Sailor Moon,
for example).
The nudity in shows (even children's *animated*
shows) is not a big deal over here. Probably a result of the whole
public bath thing. But imagine going to Japan and seeing an adult based
anime for the first time - say as your very first anime - you're going
to get the idea that that is cool. "Wow, they get sex in their
cartoons!!!!!" and you're gonna want to see more... Well I know for the
UK with their Manga Entertainment, that this is exactly what happened
when the UK first got anime.
That has now changed with the
bigger Japanese names seeing the potential market for anime, and they
now release their commercialised rubbish such as Pocket Monsters
(Pokemon, in the US I believe) just to be able to sell all the toys and
games. This is the current state of mainstream anime in Japan too. It's
only made to sell spin off products. Often with no, or very little,
story line. There is decent anime out there (good stories) but they are
sadly a rarity.
It also amazes me that anime is cheaper in the
US/UK. A 30 minute show on DVD in Japan can cost (approx.) anywhere
from 60 US dollars to 110 US dollars! Anime collections are the thing
of die hard fans with nothing better to spend their money on only, over
here. I think someone listed Tenchi Muyo as a story they liked in the
other thread on this subject, that currently sells for over 1000 US
dollars if you want the whole set! Anime here is no longer about the
story, but all about money.
I also feel that anime has suffered
with current trend of computer graphics, especially the children's
shows, that will switch from traditional 2D imagery to poorly rendered
3D and back at a moments notice. In general, for me, I really don't
like anime anymore. It was great when I was a kid, and young adult, but
the anime of today? I can't stand 99% of it.
Still, for a
industry pretty much started up by a doctor who copied Walt Disney's
character styles, it's done fairly well for itself, I guess. But it
certainly seems to be in the realm of kids and young single men now.
Sucks that you cant rate posts in this forum
Message Edited by Globin on 08-18-2005 08:17 PM
Exactly Chuui! Look at the Dragon Box sets for example! Great Idea! Too freakin much!
They really need to base more anime off of good manga, like the stuff
from Tsutomu Nihei, such as Blame! or even Wolverine: Skint, the manga
version of Wolverine.
They really need to base more anime off of good manga, like the stuff
from Tsutomu Nihei, such as Blame! or even Wolverine: Skint, the manga
version of Wolverine.
The only thing that makes anime appealing is because it's currently the only portion of Japanese television that is widely available outside of Japan. Those who have only watched anime have done little more than stick their fingers into a cake to sample the frosting.
As a Japanese television fan, I've watched tons of Japanese shows, anime and beyond. And these days I tend to see the anime fandom as being rather ...erm, limited. You guys live in a world of imaginary boundries. In a way, you live in a Matrix build out of your own fandom.
- An MxO live event transcript website:
"Archival Science in a Post-War Simulation".
-
"Logging Tips for New People and Veterans Alike".
-
"Submit Your Logs".
"Archival Science in a Post-War Simulation".
-
"Logging Tips for New People and Veterans Alike".
-
"Submit Your Logs".
What makes anime appealing to me is that the majority of the anime I watch is not made for kids (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Fist Of The North Star, Appleseed, Cying Freeman etc etc).
What draws me to anime is the vivid imagery and wicked (and often brutal) action sequences. The plotlines are intelligent - sometimes to the point of not actually understanding anything at all unless you watch them several times.
The only thing that makes anime appealing is because it's currently the only portion of Japanese television that is widely available outside of Japan. Those who have only watched anime have done little more than stick their fingers into a cake to sample the frosting.
As a Japanese television fan, I've watched tons of Japanese shows, anime and beyond. And these days I tend to see the anime fandom as being rather ...erm, limited. You guys live in a world of imaginary boundries. In a way, you live in a Matrix build out of your own fandom.
Exactly. I wonder how popular anime would be if more main stream things such as the dramas and the movies (and not just US remakes or Japanese horror) were widely available? I also wonder how popular anime would be in the US if they had the same shows as us, and not just the "pick of the crop", remember for every show that makes it to the US, there's a hundred more over here that are utter rubbish. For the most part, the oversea's fan of anime is judging all anime on a very limited proportion of it. They really should try to sample the wider range of anime, and then see if they still like it.
Baku_, you mention Appleseed, is that the old version, or the new one? I must say that I liked the old one a lot when it first came out, I still have a soft spot Shirow's work, especially Dominion. But the new version that came out earlier this year, was smart too. And is probably the only recently released anime I have bought for my DVD collection - not including Ghibli stuff, although, the even the newer Ghibli movies are nowhere near as good as the older ones.
As a Japanese television fan, I've watched tons of Japanese shows, anime and beyond. And these days I tend to see the anime fandom as being rather ...erm, limited. You guys live in a world of imaginary boundries. In a way, you live in a Matrix build out of your own fandom.
Exactly. I wonder how popular anime would be if more main stream things such as the dramas and the movies (and not just US remakes or Japanese horror) were widely available? I also wonder how popular anime would be in the US if they had the same shows as us, and not just the "pick of the crop", remember for every show that makes it to the US, there's a hundred more over here that are utter rubbish. For the most part, the oversea's fan of anime is judging all anime on a very limited proportion of it. They really should try to sample the wider range of anime, and then see if they still like it.
Baku_, you mention Appleseed, is that the old version, or the new one? I must say that I liked the old one a lot when it first came out, I still have a soft spot Shirow's work, especially Dominion. But the new version that came out earlier this year, was smart too. And is probably the only recently released anime I have bought for my DVD collection - not including Ghibli stuff, although, the even the newer Ghibli movies are nowhere near as good as the older ones.
Watching anime is like a hobby, you have to enjoy doing it, for example
some people build models of cars, boats etc, others think its dumb but
not the person, its a pass time. Like anime, people like to watch it,
others hate it. Its the same concept, basically if you donot have an
open mind for it then you are never going to like it, hence why so many
people hate it, and so many others like it.
some people build models of cars, boats etc, others think its dumb but
not the person, its a pass time. Like anime, people like to watch it,
others hate it. Its the same concept, basically if you donot have an
open mind for it then you are never going to like it, hence why so many
people hate it, and so many others like it.
I loved the old Appleseed - and I used to collect the manga too, but that kinda dwindled.... Dominion rocked as well... gotta love the tongue-in-cheek lewd-ish humour that goes with it (The "Ultimate Deterrant" still cracks me up! lol)
The latest Appleseed (due to be released in Cinemas in the UK fairly soon) I actually really liked... even though the storyline wasn't as intriguing... but the visuals I thought were jaw dropping. I really like the almost cel-shaded characters mixed with CG... very striking.
As someone said before, some people love everything japanese - I have to say I'm one of those people. I love Martial Arts, I collect Katana and Wasakishi and I'm learning Japanese too... (need to brush up on my hiragana though).
^ need any help, i would like to offer it 
3rd year japanese language
student past level 1 profiency test as well sorry off topic
I like anime, it's fun, and it's true about "adult" anime, when my
friend showed it to me the first time, the first words out of my moutth
"*CENSORED*???!" shortly followed by "my god, is that even possible?" lol not
a good experience, do not watch if you haven't already.
3rd year japanese language
student
past level 1 profiency test as well sorry off topicI like anime, it's fun, and it's true about "adult" anime, when my
friend showed it to me the first time, the first words out of my moutth
"*CENSORED*???!" shortly followed by "my god, is that even possible?" lol not
a good experience, do not watch if you haven't already.
it is not bad, not the adult anime, if you are talking about porn, but some movies could only be anime.
Anime is awesome, the stories are amazing, and so are the visuals.
Character development is almost always top-notch. I'm watching "Bleach"
right now, also been reading the manga. The manga is great.
I think it's that the Japanese are very good at story telling and writing, and making great visuals.
Character development is almost always top-notch. I'm watching "Bleach"
right now, also been reading the manga. The manga is great.
I think it's that the Japanese are very good at story telling and writing, and making great visuals.
I think it's that the Japanese are very good at story telling and writing, and making great visuals.
As a Japanese, please let me dispel this myth. We are not always great at telling stories. We are not always great at making "great visuals". What you see in the West is the pick of the crop. The top 1 or 2 percent of the thousands of shows that are made and cancelled each year due to not being any good. Manga also sees this all the time. Only the good ones get published in book format, only the really good ones get published a second time, and only the outstanding ones get published year in year out.
It's just that from the limited selection sent overseas, you don't see the thousands that didn't make it.
As a Japanese, please let me dispel this myth. We are not always great at telling stories. We are not always great at making "great visuals". What you see in the West is the pick of the crop. The top 1 or 2 percent of the thousands of shows that are made and cancelled each year due to not being any good. Manga also sees this all the time. Only the good ones get published in book format, only the really good ones get published a second time, and only the outstanding ones get published year in year out.
It's just that from the limited selection sent overseas, you don't see the thousands that didn't make it.
My apologies if I offended you.
You didn't offend me, so no worries. I just see too many people who come to Japan thinking all the anime is great only to see them wind up disappointed by the state of anime over here. It's a shames that's the way things are, but it will never change.
WGAnubis wrote:
Topic asks it all, why is Anime so appealing that its practically addictive? I mean its just cartoons, every nation has its own version of this stuff but why japans? What's in it that makes channels like cartoon network have a time block called adult swim that has a vast majority of it? Why did it influence the W brothers so much that we can see where Ghost in the Shell played into the movies?
One word: hentai.
yup Hentai and kick *CENSORED* fights
Chuui wrote:
You didn't offend me, so no worries. I just see too many people who come to Japan thinking all the anime is great only to see them wind up disappointed by the state of anime over here. It's a shames that's the way things are, but it will never change.
well, what I have seen come from japan (movies, anime, etc.) has all been good, I have not seen much from there that I did not like...
GODZILLA
GODZILLA VS. EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK UP AND STUFF YOU WOULD NOT THINK OF
*make sound like a old car that keeps turning over but just wont start(and needs oil too)*