Support NeoGAF

[Men_in_Boxes]

What is anime?

I have two personal connections to anime, but I don't think that's enough for me to really understand it.

1. I watched like 10 episodes of DBZ at my friends house one summer as a kid. I would describe that show as a soap opera for kids.

2. I've been told Metal Gear Solid is really just anime. I'd describe MGS as a soap opera for military sci fi fans.

So, is anime just cartoon soap operas? As in narratives that have stakes (characters die, betrayals, dramatic moments, long story arcs etc)?

Is that all anime is? Or is that too narrow of a definition?

PS: Then can you explain why anime seems to produce a rather large amount of cringe? Is that just a cultural thing?

Thanks.

 

[DanteFox]

Anime is cartoons made in Japan that have big watery eyes and small pointy noses.

 

[nush]

It's for man children that are unable to function as adults and use anime as a basis for how to interact with real adults and relationships.

Japanese animation and movies, great. 400 year old Dragons not so much.

 

[Dark Star]

If you want to get into anime I'd recommend Death Note and any Studio Ghibli movie

 

[Tschumi]

It's a traditional art form that has been adapted by the Japanese comic industry and, through its versatility, come to be a medium through which a huge swathe of cultural phenomena express themselves. It's ubiquity has forced it to innovate and branch into many subgenres and styles.

As with all pop phenomenon, hipster dufuses will give you a million obscure recommendations, so I will leave it to them, except for this:

any Studio Ghibli movie

 

[haxan7]

It seems like your question is “why do people enjoy anime?”

in which case my answer is irrelevant because i’m not a fat nerd who still lives with his parents.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

It's a traditional art form that has been adapted by the Japanese comic industry and, through its versatility, come to be a medium through which a huge swathe of cultural phenomena express themselves. It's ubiquity has forced it to innovate and branch into many subgenres and styles.

As with all pop phenomenon, hipster dufuses will give you a million obscure recommendations, so I will leave it to them, except for this:

So it's a pretty broad artistic medium? It doesn't necessarily mean "longer arch, soap style narrative with heavy Japanese influence?"

Are there Japanese produced cartoons that are not considered anime?

 

[GeekyDad]

Well, you see, little Johnny, anime are cartoons with cute, little hot chicks in short skirts. Goofy guys with spikey hair try to get hot chicks by fighting each other. The fights look so cool and amazing, and in the end...well, there's no end. They just repeat this over and over until you're dead or the series is canceled.

 

[Alx]

So it's a pretty broad artistic medium? It doesn't necessarily mean "longer arch, soap style narrative with heavy Japanese influence?"

Are there Japanese produced cartoons that are not considered anime?

Exactly, anime is just cartoon animation from Japan. Just like manga is just comics from Japan. Both media have a large range of styles, topics and quality, even if most people will judge them based on the more popular IPs and especially those that reached foreign markets.

 

[Armorian]

Watch:

- Cowboy Bebop
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (tv series not movies)
- Berserk (tv series from 1999 or 3 movies)
- Code Geass
- Death Note
- Ghost in the Shell
- Ergo Proxy/Monster/Claymore/Attack on Titan

And after that you can know for sure if you get or you don't get what anime is.

 

[sol_bad]

You should check out Urotsukidoji.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Anime is just animation made in Japan.

Might as well ask me to explain American Football like you're 5. Well, it's an American sport played with a ball. There you go.

 

[haxan7]

Well, you see, little Johnny, anime are cartoons with cute, little hot chicks in short skirts. Goofy guys with spikey hair try to get hot chicks by fighting each other. The fights look so cool and amazing, and in the end...well, there's no end. They just repeat this over and over until you're dead or the series is canceled.

what's death daddy

 

[Tschumi]

So it's a pretty broad artistic medium? It doesn't necessarily mean "longer arch, soap style narrative with heavy Japanese influence?"

Are there Japanese produced cartoons that are not considered anime?

Gelato is just Italian for ice cream, I'm pretty sure, i think that's a tidy parallel.. do Italians have more words for ice cream? Anime just means animation, they don't really have a convenient alphabetical combination to construct "tion"... (i guess they could say ション but they don't) Anything that's animated could be called animation.. i think there are names for different sub genres, i think the heavily formulaic style you're referring to - which i don't like much either lol - could certainly be told apart from other sub genres.

My avatar incorporates one of only 5 or 6 anime i actually like.. three of these series i like are from the 70s and 80s, before they got too formulaic... The Tatami Galaxy is a show i enjoy a lot and has a funky format.

There's a retired anime hipster troll occasionally stalking these boards who thinks I'm not allowed to talk about it though so I'll end it there

 

[MilkyJoe]

Anime is a red flag used by certain people on the Internet as their preferred avatar, it means "stay away from me, I'm out of my fucking mind"

 

[zeorhymer]

Anime are animated shows made in Japan. It ranges from drama, comedy, slice of life, fantasy, sci-fi, erotica, sports, and anything in-between.

 

[triplestation]

it means mistake in japanese

 

[GeekyDad]

what's death daddy

It's the same thing as when the show gets "canceled," but instead of it happening to the show it happens to you.

 

[Keihart]

What is anime?

I have two personal connections to anime, but I don't think that's enough for me to really understand it.

1. I watched like 10 episodes of DBZ at my friends house one summer as a kid. I would describe that show as a soap opera for kids.

2. I've been told Metal Gear Solid is really just anime. I'd describe MGS as a soap opera for military sci fi fans.

So, is anime just cartoon soap operas? As in narratives that have stakes (characters die, betrayals, dramatic moments, long story arcs etc)?

Is that all anime is? Or is that too narrow of a definition?

PS: Then can you explain why anime seems to produce a rather large amount of cringe? Is that just a cultural thing?

Thanks.

Well, anime is just a name for japanese animation.

Regarding japanese animation, there is something for everyone just like mangas, unlike the NA comic industry, genres aimed at different demographics are not considered niche or relegated to indie publications, so you get complete libraries with some popular standouts of stories aimed at any demographic like young males(shounen), young females(shoujo), young adult males(seinen), young adult females (josei) in every genre you can think off, from horror to romance to literally drama or even comedy, animated shows have been made out of any of this categories. The serialization format also follows every format you can think of, from weekly shows, to monthly shows, limited duration shows, one shots( stand alone) or even irregular publications like Berserk or HunterxHunter.

There are some genres that dominate some demographics tho, for example, Martial Arts/fighting usually dominates shounen aimed magazines and romance usually dominates shoujo.

So it's a pretty broad artistic medium? It doesn't necessarily mean "longer arch, soap style narrative with heavy Japanese influence?"

Are there Japanese produced cartoons that are not considered anime?

No, every animation is "anime" even the ones not wanting to be associated with the rest of them like Ghibli movies.

Regarding the serialization format, read above, they come in all shapes.

 

[Whitecrow]

Do you like great stories and characters? You have plenty of them there.

There's a lot of trash? Yes. But that doesnt make the great things worse.

To give some examples. The hype, emotion, and tension you can feel in a shonen (dragon ball, naruto...), You cant feel it anywhere else.

The feelings of some high level drama (Tomb of the fireflies), more of the same.

Stories and mindfucks like Death Note? Nowhere else.

Stories of a person that gets reincarnated in a spider and that character carries all the show by being so incredibly hilarious and well acted? Nowhere else.

It's a medium full of creativity and emotions (and trash) that everyone should know before making any judgement.

 

[Psy-Phi]

There are certainly "soaps" type of anime, but they often have absurd or wacky premise, or unusual circumstances. A person who changes sex when they get wet, or someone who can speak with ghosts or animals, or dreary day jobs but in outer space, like Planetes.

Look at the TV series (though it's based on a comic) Doom Patrol, or Buffy for examples of what you might find in Anime. There are tropes, and some series go on forever. But Original Video Animation (OVA) liKe Trigun, Lain: Serial Experiments, or Samurai Champloo have some great episodes, and even better story arcs, and are complete in less than 30 episodes.

Anime movies like "Ghost in the Shell" or "Akira" are as important to animation as "Blade Runner" or "the Matrix" is to film. And as mentioned Studio Ghibli has some simply heart tugging stories to tell like great western animation from Disney.

Anime is a lot, and there are so many types. It's simply cartoons from Japan, that can be for children or adults, mature or sophmoric. Many are typically based on manga which are comics but there's something for everyone, unless there's some mental barrier against cartoons, there's definitely something that should catch your interest.

 

[bender]

Watch Ninja Scroll. Thank me later.

 

[Armorian]

Do you like great stories and characters? You have plenty of them there.

There's a lot of trash? Yes. But that doesnt make the great things worse.

To give some examples. The hype, emotion, and tension you can feel in a shonen (dragon ball, naruto...), You cant feel it anywhere else.

The feelings of some high level drama (Tomb of the fireflies), more of the same.

Stories and mindfucks like Death Note? Nowhere else.

Stories of a person that gets reincarnated in a spider and that character carries all the show by being so incredibly hilarious and well acted? Nowhere else.

It's a medium full of creativity and emotions (and trash) that everyone should know before making any judgement.

YES!

There is lot of shit animes just like lot of shit made in any entertainment genre.

Animes don't have boundries that movies has, creators can do anything. To me the best animes created are one level above best movies ever made in terms of impact story had on me. So NGE > Godfather 2, all day, every day.

 

[TrueLegend]

I didn't knew people hated anime. Hating anime based on some low stuff you watched is like hating Hollywood by just watching B movies. But leave to some Americans who belong in a museum like those who think Texas is a nation, to surprise you. Anyway, Studio Ghibli is must watch.....if you love Pixar movies you should know Pixar animators worship Studio Ghibli. Spirited away by them won an oscar and is way high in the IMDB 250 list at #28. However, my favorite animated film of All time is Princess Mononoke which sits at #68 of IMDB's Top 250. In terms of TV series, I will recommend.........Code Geass and Monster sitting at #118 and #128 in IMDB's Top 250 TV series. That should give you a broad idea of the medium.

 

[GeekyDad]

I didn't knew people hated anime. Hating anime based on some low stuff you watched is like hating Hollywood by just watching B movies. But leave to some Americans who belong in a museum like those who think Texas is a nation, to surprise you. Anyway, Studio Ghibli is must watch.....if you love Pixar movies you should know Pixar animators worship Studio Ghibli. Spirited away by them won an oscar and is way high in the IMDB 250 list at #28. However, my favorite animated film of All time is Princess Mononoke which sits at #68 of IMDB's Top 250. In terms of TV series, I will recommend.........Code Geass and Monster sitting at #118 and #128 in IMDB's Top 250 TV series. That should give you a broad idea of the medium.

Hopefully, you didn't take my silly comment as hate for anime. I love hot chicks in short skirts; love watching goofy guys getting into blazing battles; and I'll be watching that stuff until either I die or the shit gets canceled.

 

[TrueLegend]

Hopefully, you didn't take my silly comment as hate for anime. I love hot chicks in short skirts; love watching goofy guys getting into blazing battles; and I'll be watching that stuff until either I die or the shit gets canceled.

No, i didn't. I don't watch too much Anime, but its just a medium and I will take a good story in any medium. I got your jest but there are some who don't jest.

 

[Toots]

Anime is sometimes cool sometimes lame, but certain animations techniques are an insult to life itself. Be careful what you choose to watch or you'll go to anime hell.

(watch kemonozume it's great)

 

[nkarafo]

80's, 90's anime was good. Big OVAs, big budgets, nice detailed drawings, impressive and complex animated sequences made by hand.

Modern anime is shit. Except for some bigger movies i assume.

 

[Kev Kev]

with the exception of cowboy bebop, anime is garbage. it sucks. not much more to be said about it. its like its stuck in this indefinite, pre-pubescent, awkward stage, much like the grown man-children who still watch it, and it is showing no signs of growing up.

i honestly think anime was in a much better place in the 80's and 90's, hence great shows like cowboy bebop, but it has since devolved into... whatever the fuck you want to call the atrocity it is now.

 

[BigBooper]

The Inspector Gadget cartoon.

When I was a kid, I was forced to watch a couple of animu, but no one around here knew that's what it was or admitted it at least.

 

[Toots]

"Tom Sawyer c'est l'Amérique,
Le symbole de la liberté !
Il est né sur les bords du fleuve Mississipi,
Tom Sawyer c'est pour nous tous un ami.

Il n'a peur de rien c'est un américain, and i don't know the rest of the song..."

There is Huckleberry Finn too, with an OST solely comprised of bangers like this one




But really OP if you want (kind of ) children oriented anime's go watch Myiazaki's serial work, Sherlock Holmes, Conan, and Lupin, when you're finished with kemonozume.

 

[Scotty W]

Back when I first heard about it, and people didn’t know how to pronounce it, people called it Japanimation.

Manga, which is the comic form of, uhh, comics, goes back a long way. You can find the great artists of Japan, Hokusai and Hiroshige, as well as their followers gradually moving toward manga, and hence, anime.

 

[SirTerry-T]

Anime is where Vapourwave artists go to nick stuff for their YouTube videos...

 

[GeekyDad]

Anime is a red flag used by certain people on the Internet as their preferring avatar, it means "stay away from me, I'm out of my fucking mind"

 

[AJUMP23]

It is like Metal Gear Solid but with a more more cartoony backdrop.

 

[Nester99]

Why do we even call them CARtoons. Very rarely do they drive!

 

[nush]

I'd just like to make the observation that we have no big titty anime schoolgirl avatars so far replying to this topic.

 

[Keihart]

Hey OP, you should watch some satoshi Kon if you are really curious about what anime can be, even when operating on the mainstream.

 

[Astral Dog]

Pretty drawings, boobs, sometimes cool looking action, others cheap looking action,absolute nonsenical plot and bizarre writting that may be hit or miss depending on the audience,full of gags, hype music.Dragon Ball is awesome

 

[Fbh]

Anime is just animation made in japan, and like most media 90% of it is trash.
The vast majority of popular shows with big international success, like DBZ, Naruto, One Piece, Demon Slayer, etc fall into the Shounen category which are usually action heavy shows aimed at kids and teens. These shows usually have a lot of similar themes, characters, storytelling and often feature common tropes. When people say something is "anime" they usually mean it reminds them of this type of shows.

 

[KielCasto]

Just a medium made in Japan with its own clichés and tropes. Nothing too deep about it.

 

[Nobody_Important]

It depends on the anime. It can vary as widely from being cheesy campy fun to heartbreakingly dramatic to being borderline pornography.


That's why it is so popular. It has something for everyone and some things that you didn't know that you wanted in the first place.

 

[killatopak]

No Boku No Pico recommendation.

I’m disappointed gaf.

 

[partime]

You want a little squishy squishy in real-life? Here, you can go squishy squishy.

Oh, you want a waifu that gives you unconditional affection and love? Close your eyes and imagine. Alternatively, watch anime.

 

[xellos2099alpha]

Do you like great stories and characters? You have plenty of them there.

There's a lot of trash? Yes. But that doesnt make the great things worse.

To give some examples. The hype, emotion, and tension you can feel in a shonen (dragon ball, naruto...), You cant feel it anywhere else.

The feelings of some high level drama (Tomb of the fireflies), more of the same.

Stories and mindfucks like Death Note? Nowhere else.

Stories of a person that gets reincarnated in a spider and that character carries all the show by being so incredibly hilarious and well acted? Nowhere else.

It's a medium full of creativity and emotions (and trash) that everyone should know before making any judgement.

I mean if you are going to recommand something, made it Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.

 

[NahaNago]

Like folks have said anime is just cartoons made in Japan. They can be comedy, drama, action, horror, perverted, fantasy, sci-fi, romance or anything the creator tries to make. Like others have said their is a lot of anime and a lot of it can be cringey or terrible just like in the west not everything is great. The biggest issue I can see folks having is the perverted anime stuff since a lot of that has teenage girls as part of a teen boy fantasy harem.

 

[GeorgPrime]

What is anime?

I have two personal connections to anime, but I don't think that's enough for me to really understand it.

1. I watched like 10 episodes of DBZ at my friends house one summer as a kid. I would describe that show as a soap opera for kids.

2. I've been told Metal Gear Solid is really just anime. I'd describe MGS as a soap opera for military sci fi fans.

So, is anime just cartoon soap operas? As in narratives that have stakes (characters die, betrayals, dramatic moments, long story arcs etc)?

Is that all anime is? Or is that too narrow of a definition?

PS: Then can you explain why anime seems to produce a rather large amount of cringe? Is that just a cultural thing?

Thanks.

 

[bronk]

I'd just like to make the observation that we have no big titty anime schoolgirl avatars so far replying to this topic.

Isnt that what you're into though? Ya know the ones u pay for manchild style?

 

[partime]

Like folks have said anime is just cartoons made in Japan. They can be comedy, drama, action, horror, perverted, fantasy, sci-fi, romance or anything the creator tries to make. Like others have said their is a lot of anime and a lot of it can be cringey or terrible just like in the west not everything is great. The biggest issue I can see folks having is the perverted anime stuff since a lot of that has teenage girls as part of a teen boy fantasy harem.

I went to an anime store yesterday looking for pokemon cards for my son. More 'perverted anime stuff' than 'comedy, drama, action, horror, perverted, fantasy, sci-fi, romance' combined.

 

[niilokin]

ninja scroll and 90s moomin. one punch man too.