Anime "look a like"

Melina-chan · Post by **Melina-chan** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 10:52 am

What do you think about cartoons who try to look like to Anime???
Here some exemple:

-Jackie Chan Adventures(USA)
-Titans (USA)
-New Ninja Turtles (USA)
-Martin Mystery (Canada)
-Totally Spies (France)
-Code Lyoko (France)
---

I think their series have the look of anime but doesn't have the soul at all...It is somewhat insulting because it is like an "caricature" of anime....(for exemple the facial expressions are all
And dosen't have a continue story(I mean it is like the Simpsons.What happenend in the last episode is canceled in the new).
The BGM are also very normal.....
Code Lyoko is the only one in the list I can "tolerate" because it look like to an westerner cartoon but only with phew elements who make look like to an anime.(Not a caricature with to much(really to much lol) annoying jokes).

So,what is your opinion? Do you think Westerners have the talents to made anime and manga like japanese??? Or we have to leave that to them??

Malificus · Post by **Malificus** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:05 am

What about the ones that are actually good?

-Megas XLR
-Avatar: The last Airbender.

And what about American Manga? Have you read any of them? Why would it be any different from Korean Manhwa?

In my opinion, yes westerners can make good manga and anime, but only if they aren't keeping the children's cartoon mindset while they do so.

OtakuMan22 · Post by **OtakuMan22** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:34 am

I actually disagree with some of your statements.

First off, yes there are other countries trying to imitate the "Style" of anime. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, some shows don't really come off as... good.

I can't speak for what other countries do (I dunno why Totally Spies or Code Lyoko were made, but oh well...), but as for US shows...

Jackie Chan Adventures is, well, a Jackie Chan product. He voices it, no doubt writes for it, and plays a big role in the production. From what episodes I've seen, they are mostly episodic, but there is a thread that kind of ties them together. Neat, but not as good as the next two:

Teen Titans. Now this is a GOOD show. Great sense of humor and in jokes that if you really sit down and watch will make you laugh. Some of the stories do continue through other episodes, most notably the main villain "Slade", and some can be damn serious! So serious that it surprises my fiancee that it's a KIDS show because it can get REALLY deep at times. Especially with the conflict between Beast Boy and good gal/bad gal/now stone gal Terra. It's a good show and needs more episodes. It's obvious the creators are having WAY too much fun with it.

Ninja Turtles? Not really an anime style as far as I've noticed. It actually suits the original comic better. The stories and characters are coming straight from the classic Eastman and Laird stories. From Donatello's interdimensional voyage with Kirby (an old comic tribute to late comic artist Jack Kirby), to the Triceratons and the Fugitoid... this was ALL in the original comic and follows it more closely than I ever imagined. It SERIOUSLY puts the old cartoon show to shame. I mean, they even got Baxter Stockman to be black, which he ORIGINALLY WAS!!!

Turtles is just REALLY cool!

So far, these new shows, or re-renditions of comics (see original Teen Titans comics to see some BIG differences, especially Starfire's outfit), are not too bad.

Now what I've heard about them doing to the Looney Tunes... The Loonatics... just... NO! BAD MARKETING PEOPLE!!!

Some things are just NOT to be messed with lest the original concept and meaning is lost. Tsk.

~Otaku-Man

P.S. Megas isn't so much an imitation of anime as it is SOMETHING THAT BLOWS IT OUT OF THE WATER! It takes perverse delight out of ridiculing anime standards and is funny as hell! I've seen Voltron, Sailor Moon, and Captain Harlock parodies that are to DIE for! Not bad for a show made by two guys who live in one of the guy's Mom's basement. SERIOUSLY! It's true!

angelx03 · Post by **angelx03** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 11:58 am

Actually, Jackie Chan didn't really do his own voice over for the series.

OtakuMan22 · Post by **OtakuMan22** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 12:01 pm

Really? No kiddin'?

Huh, then it must have been a really good impersonator. Who was that?

~Otaku-Man

angelx03 · Post by **angelx03** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 12:16 pm

That I don't know, but I pretty much knew it wasn't the real Jackie Chan doing the voice since the animated one sound a bit high-pitched and more stereotypically Chinese.

Org Profile · Post by **LantisEscudo** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 12:31 pm

According to IMDB, Jackie's voice was provided by James Sie, who also voices Shendu the Fire Dragon and Chow.

Merm · Post by **Merm** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 12:48 pm

Can't really say anything about Martin or Lyoko as I have not seen them but:

Jackie Chan: Too stereotypically American (this statement just sounds bad). Anyway, it is just episode after episode of goofiness intersparsed with ass kicking and each episode has the same premise. Some mystical artifact is stolen/lost/causing havoc/etc. and Jackie has to return/find/destroy/etc. said artifact with the wise cracking kid, the big muscle, and the smart ass old guy.

Teen Titans: Good show, good storyline with a change of pace from episode to episode. Not every episode is "bad guy comes up with nefarious plot, teen titans kick his ass." Deep and emotional in some episodes.

Ninja Turtles: Haven't seen a lot but I do enjoy the new, semi-dysfunctional turtles. They have issues with each other in the group and it is a lot more serious than its predecessor. They seem to go more with the movies than anything.

Totally Spies: Ick. I just can't stand it. It is like watching James Bond except without the savvy, shaken martinis, and witty one-liners. They tried to replace it with more gadgets and beat downs, but it doesn't have a lot of charm. It looks like Q gave Bond some fancy stuff, Bond uses it correctly, and beats the bad guy without any real suspense.

Bardiel13 · Post by **Bardiel13** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:11 pm

Okay, here are my views on some of the shows mentioned.

Ninja Turtles- 3 words... WHAT THE FUDGEMONKIES?!??! I need to get my hands on what the creators were smoking when they made this! And the people who okayed it were probably smoking something stronger! Not saying that it's bad, just... Fooked up.

Teen Titans- Basically, it's America's poor shot at imitating japanese animation. I know, that no one owns the whole overly spastic SD styles and stuff but it DID originate in Japan and the fake asian characters are a dead give away that this is trying to be anime. I just don't like it...

Megas XLR- Basically a parody of giant mecha shows. It's actually pretty funny and, hey... I dig giant robots!

And now, some manga...

Shutterbox- Way, way, way too anime style for America! But, hey, a lot of the manga girls at my skewl read it, so... meh...

WarCraft- I don't consider this anime, but I still like it because it's FREAKING ANIME-STYLE WARCRAFT!!! Where else can you find WarCraft anime besides the Studio Rain website???

Malificus · Post by **Malificus** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:47 pm

Bardiel13 wrote:WarCraft- I don't consider this anime, but I still like it because it's FREAKING ANIME-STYLE WARCRAFT!!! Where else can you find WarCraft anime besides the Studio Rain website???

Isn't Warcraft being made into a manhwa?