Why do you love anime?

:..Darkamist..: · Post by **:..Darkamist..:** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:06 am

isnt it simple? to escape reality...>.>

panda_pjays · Post by **panda_pjays** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:08 am

Where else do you get such things as anime falls, sweatdrops and priceless faces?

Malificus · Post by **Malificus** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:11 am

panda_pjays wrote:Where else do you get such things as anime falls, sweatdrops and priceless faces?

And sparkle sparkle mode, nosebleeds, and perverted old men.

Evangelion Unit 01 · Post by **Evangelion Unit 01** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 1:11 pm

I like anime for its story lines. Something that is fantastical and drawn proabably has nothing restricting it and therefore has the best chance of having the greatest storyline. Other than that one other thing is that I like the facial experesions anime characters make, and the way they are drawn. Its just something that really seems to intrest me for some reason.

Org Profile · Post by **Otohiko** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 1:24 pm

Visual appeal, some interesting creative solution, but mostly just good occasional entertainment. I'm really not into it to any 'hardcore' extent, aside from involvement in AMV's (there's another reason - I like it as footage for videos!)

Yea, and the fact that TV is terrible. I haven't watched it to any notable extent for 3 years, but whenever I happen to catch occasional glimpses of it in other people's houses - I get the feeling I hadn't missed much...

OtakuMan22 · Post by **OtakuMan22** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:01 pm

US TV has some hidden gems, but you really got to look through a lot of crap to find them.

Reality TV for the most part DOES suck. I watch The Apprentice because, well, it's from the guy that invented Reality TV with Survivor and who has been consistant in doing it RIGHT! Only reality show I'll watch!

Aside from reality TV are the drama like ER. I swear, every single ER these days is a "VERY SPECIAL" ER. Either a bomb, a tank, someone shipped into hostile territory... I am convinced they have been trying their hardest to kill every single person in that hospital now for three years. I'm still waiting for the giant robot or T-Rex to appear on the next "Very Special" ER...

American animation has been going to the pits except for what's on two channels: Cartoon Network and Comedy Central. I watched South Park last night and it is still as fresh, funny, and completely original and outrageous as it used to be with no signs of stopping.

Cartoon Network's got their Adult Swim lineup which shows that a couple of guys with some money can come up with better ideas than a Fox TV "professional" can. I swear... the day they re-did the writing staff for the Simpsons was the day it jumped the shark. Not only has Adult Swim been good, but Cartoon Network's original shows such as Megas XLR, and their rendition of Teen Titans have been top-notch entertainment and sometimes make jaws drop when you try to believe that they're for kids!

I admit... NETWORK TV sucks! Cable TV has some pretty crappy stuff, but also some really really REALLY good stuff too. Basically, if you don't have cable, then there's point in owning a TV. Period!

...okay maybe for Anime DVDs and video games, but THAT'S IT!

~Otaku-Man

Cloud Clone · Post by **Cloud Clone** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:01 pm

Otohiko wrote:
Yeah, and the fact that TV is terrible. I haven't watched it to any notable extent for 3 years, but whenever I happen to catch occasional glimpses of it in other people's houses - I get the feeling I hadn't missed much...

That's very true. Anime outclasses American TV in every category. That's just sad...

bobbarker31 · Post by **bobbarker31** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:18 pm

Otohiko wrote: Yea, and the fact that TV is terrible. I haven't watched it to any notable extent for 3 years, but whenever I happen to catch occasional glimpses of it in other people's houses - I get the feeling I hadn't missed much...

The main trouble is that American television executives want to beat a dead horse once it shows that it makes money. That is why you get 7 to 11 banal seasons of something that does not take any risks. Many anime titles are written like a book, with a beginning, a middle and an end. It is hard to keep making advertising money off of a show if you build into it a self destruct mechanism. But having a built in self destruct mechanism allows you to take dramatic risks. You can kill off characters, change worlds and allegances. Anything goes.

But there are gems out thereon American television. There are not many but there are some excellent shows that are worth tuning into. Lost is brilliant in every way like peeling back layers of a mystery in progress. A show that currently redefining the Sci-Fi genre is Battlestar Galactica. Brilliantly acted and written, it is bucking almost every convention out there. No, there is not much out there to cheer about on American television, but give it time and I am sure that the almighty dollar/yen will influence anime in a bad way too. It is only a matter of time.

OtakuMan22 · Post by **OtakuMan22** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:36 pm

Yeah, I agree that there are some gems on TV. Some may go un-noticed, but if what happens with Family Guy is any indication, then I'm thinking that some shows that go overlooked will soon get the credit they deserve.

Money will not affect anime the same way money affects American TV. It WILL NOT HAPPEN! Japanese culture and tradition will not let that happen. Anime will change and maybe take a page out of the American standards book, but it will not go the way TV in the US has. It just won't!

How do I know this? Because even the most commercialized and hyped anime in Japan will still be original and unique.

Exhibit A) Sailor Moon! Heroine to young girls and fanboys alike! In Japan, there was SOOOO much merchandise available that it seemed silly. From endorsed food products to toys to who knows what else! Yet, that did not keep Sailor Moon from being something so unique and different that the USA can never HOPE to duplicate it. Case in point: Winx Club... it just ain't gonna happen!

Exhibit B) The manga the anime are based on! Manga is from one person... one mind... one genius... and thanks to that creative exclusivity, it keeps anime from being culled together from no talent hacks who sit around trying to think up story ideas. It's because manga is not challenged and cut and changed by people who think "Well this is good and all, but let's make this person a girl" that anime will NOT change! It simply WON'T happen!

Exhibit C) Ranma 1/2 Vs. Love Hina: This is not to say that anime has been influenced by the USA at all. There are some things about anime that have changed over the last few decades in order to make things more... how you say... workable in the states. Case in point: FEMALE NUDITY!! Now that I have your attention, take a look at the Ranma 1/2 anime and compare it to Love Hina. Ranma 1/2 was aired in the 80's and back then there was a lot more nipple showing. It was all in good fun and not in a pornographic sense, but you got a lot of female Ranma back then. Now take Love Hina, something in the 90's to 00's era. A hot spring with LOTS of barely clothed women, but there wasn't a SINGLE nip slip in the TV series (can't say about the OAVs cause I have not seen them myself).

Point is: it seems like anime is restraining itself on some things, but not enough to ruin the anime itself. If you keep a close eye, you can see some VERY significant changes between an anime and the manga it's based on. They may be small, but enough to make you pause and go "Wait, why'd they do THAT?"

Course with this noticeable difference, does that mean manga is getting edgier and pushing more boundaries, or is anime getting more conservative?

YOU Decide!

~Otaku-Man

bobbarker31 · Post by **bobbarker31** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 5:09 pm

But IT IS changing. While many shows are still being planned by Japanese production companies, the actual animation is ending up more and more outsources out of the country. There is enough money being made in the United States off of anime that Japanese companies are taking more of a direct hand in its distribution. It will be more than distribution, it will be tayloring shows for American audiences.

I certainly hope that many writer and directors will maintain their artistic integrity, but the outcome is not an assured one. As consumers we are going to have to let our preferences known.