Why do YOU, watch anime?

[Alucard_FoN]

I like it because it's a lot better than most of the crap played on American TV. Not that aren't good american shows. The Shield is excellent, as is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But most of american TV is lame, uninspired crap. I'm sure animes like that exist too, but as I only download ones people recommend to me, it doesn't often happen. Also, I like it because anime can do things regular TV shows can't. Specifically I'm referring to the differences in Japanes and American cultures, and how they can do stuff that Americans wouldn't dream of, because most japanese people understand that things like incest, rape, extreme violence, etc. are nothing more than fantasy, whereas in America, stuff like that cause the Christian fundamentalists to go up in arms.

[Six_Bullets_Shy]

amen to chaos angel....and amen to alucard.

[Tsuji Mania]

btw I skimmed but this hit me, there's less shootings in Japan cuz there's less GUNS in japan

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA How true!!! How true!!!!

My friends are always under the impression that 95% of Americans own handarms.

"I think guns are the most scary aspect of American society."

"Um....but I actually don't know anyone who owns one, nor have I seen one ^_^; "

"MAJI DE!?"

I do think Japan has a nice grip on act action flicks, but not nearly as good as that in the hey-day of HK cinema (which has gone down the toilet) and Hollywood. Regardless of how trite Hollywood can be, it does action and explosions well, no....the best. And they have the most money, so it's no question that they do it the best. That's why it makes foreign films that ARE excellent action films THAT impressive.

Most of Takeshi's flicks, they way he does them, they're not really action films, and in reality, they're not yakuza films. They're social commentary masked behind some amazing filmotography. He really is the Japanese Deniro.

[kthulhu]

btw I skimmed but this hit me, there's less shootings in Japan cuz there's less GUNS in japan ;-p besides physically killing somebody does not go over too well in japan (Bhudism and such), they'd rather destroy reputations, therefore mass suicides. (that was sorta' eluded to but...)

Japan has a suicide rate, though, or so I've heard, though . According to the <a href="http://www5.who.int/mental_health/main. ... 49">WHO</a>, Japan has 36.5 male suicides per 100,000 people, and 14.1 female suicides per 100,000. The only people higher are Sri Lanka (a lot of bloody religious and political strife there) and some former Soviet countries (which didn't take the collapse of the USSR well, societally or economically). Rather high, considering Japan is a pretty stable country.

[Rini210]

Watch animé? Well, first off, it's animated. I know that it's not real. I hate to sit and watch some creepy event happen while showing real people because they make it seem crappy or ultra-violent. (I'm not saying that animé is not violent.. that'd just be crazy!)

I love the style of animé too. It's soo much better then the art we have her for our American cartoons, (though I like the due who does PPG/Dexter's Lab/Samurai Jack.. even though I can't spell his name.) So it's just cu to watch people drawn really neat-o and stuff.

Plus, I was obsessed with Sailor Moon when I was littler now I'm just obsessed with Sailor Venus. ^-^;) and whenever I saw an animé in the stores or something that was drawn like it, I would be all, "Look! It's a cartoon that's like Sailor Moon! COOL!" (at that time I did not consider cartoons and animé two different things.)

So.. hmm.. yeah, that's pretty much why I watch animé so much. Neat-o art and the order to fill an obsession...

And don't yell at me for this, but I happen to like Pokémon! Those critters are sooo cute! The animé itself is pretty stupid, but the manga is so much better

[OmniStrata]

Powerful Feminine Roles: (where should I begin...)
Badass Evil Heroes: (Dark Schneider, 'nuff said...)
Nice stories: (Fushigi Yuugi, Onegai Teacher, etc.)
Sappyness: (Saber Marionette J believe it or not..)
Awesome art that's easy to draw...

then there's

Masamune Shirow
Kazushi Hagiwara
and
Keiji Goto...

^_^

[Gamastrike]

Deep thinking ( NGE, EoE )
Action & Political Intrige (sp?) ( Gundam )
Fun ( DBZ)

[goat]

Hmm...

I was exposed to anime at a very young age, though I didn't know it. One of my favorite childhood movies was "Serendipity the Pink Dragon" (ever heard of it?). Then in third or fourth grade I was in to Pokemon. That was when I learned what anime was. After I grew tired of Pokemon, I didn't watch anime for a few years. Then, this summer, I met some girls at a camp who were very into anime. We all called them the "cartoon girls". Then we started talking and I realized that anime is...well...how can I describe it? By the end of the week I was one of the "cartoon girls", and itching to get home and on the computer to find some more information on my exciting new interest.

I'm learning more about anime every day. It's unfortunate that no one at my school sees anime/manga as anything more than "those Japanese cartoons with the big eyes". Sigh.

[Gatsthedarksword]

i watch anime cause it's fun! anything goes in anime and it actually lets people be killed. i am pissed at american cartoons that have superman tear buildings apart and you know people are dying and lots of bad stuff is happening and he gets so mad, but he never killed even the most degenerate scum, people who murder he just puts them in jail. they break out, but there is no reason to keep vilians alive in anime except for the fun factor, it's all about fun in anime, sure there are things like eva where it's no fun at all but for the most part i only watch fun anime, i didn't really enjoy eva anyway. so back to the subject yeah fun, thats what lifes about, FUN! and anime is all fun so go for it!

[OhMyBelldandy009]

I just wanted to get to know what draws everyoen else to japanese anime.

I watch some of it simply on the basis that therer realy isn't anything good on television or in the theaters right now. I also watch it because I have a soft spot for inner meaning, stories with a moral or message, the kind where you walk away with something. This doesn't mean that I don't watch movies or TV at all. I record Law and Order, and I still watch Empire of the Sun and Lorenzo's Oil. And by the same token I don't watch all anime. My favorite animes are Grave of the Fireflies, Metropolis, the Escaflowne movie, and Spriggan, but there are other animes that I won't touch with a ten foot pole. (Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, DBZ, Hamtaro.)

Hey, I think the animes you like are some of the best around, but why don't you like the ones that you said you "won't touch with a ten foot pole?" I wouldn't have said anything except for that these are the animes that are particularly popular on American television! Now, I don't like Pokemon, but the others I have given a chance. Sailor Moon, is actually a good series once you get into it, and DBZ may have the worst animation ever, but it has an okay story. I think that a lot people like to act like they are too good for animes on American afternoon television! Yes there is a lot of hype and franchising surrounding the particular animes that you mentioned, but you really have to ignore that and put some effort into liking the story! I'm not saying that you should worship these shows or anything, but don't act like you are above them! They are still animes, ya know. ^_^