D&D 3.x 3.5 is Anime! Wait, what?

[DandD]

The Gnome is nothing more than your typical Anime Magical Girl. Guess that's an attempt to make Gnomes more attractive.
Hur hur hur...

 

[ShadowX]

I occasionally enjoy an anime show and can certainly say that I like the exaggeration and the absurdity that often accompanies it both in the art and the crazy stuff the characters do. But I do not like Wayne Reynolds. He has a weird style that juxtaposes gritty with over-the-top and it just doesn't work for me. I particularly despise the Pathfinder art which, while of high quality, delves too far into the realm of caricature, e.g. the ogres (at least that is what I think they are) bumbling forward on the cover of the third Rise of the Runelords adventure. Oh yes, and I see much of Hennet in his character designs, a character deserving of all the opprobrium directed toward him.

 

[Psion]

Isn't that... like, raging anime? Spikey hair, HUGE sword, etc? So what the hell? I thought Anime influence into D&D was BAD. That it distracted away from D&D's roots and its feel, and all that.

Not necessarily.

1) That's not spikey hair in the anime sense (which tends to look like it's cast in plaster).
2) The sword... okay, maybe a bit.
3) I bet I could go back to comics that predate the popularity of Anime (like Warlord and Arion) and dig up art that looks pretty close to that. The "wind-washed" hair looks very much like what you'd see in an old Conan or King Kull comic.

 

[Psion]

You want Anime? Open up the Pathfinder preview PDF and browse the races section for the art. Doesn't get much more anime than this.

So, have you
1) Not watched much anime,
2) not read many American comics, or
3) Both?

For one thing, you'll note the lack of eyes the size of dinner plates.

From what I'm hearing here, lots of folks are equating all fantasy comics with anime.

 

[DandD]

So, have you
1) Not watched much anime,
2) not read many American comics, or
3) Both?

I think it's very Lineage II.
It does lack playable Drow(Dark Elf) Babes with non-spidery garnment.

For one thing, you'll note the lack of eyes the size of dinner plates.

You will notice that Anime/Manga figures also don't always have "eyes the size of dinner plates". That's only a prejudice that is commonly said by people who don't know about these shows either.

From what I'm hearing here, lots of folks are equating all fantasy comics with anime.

That's because everything that is bad is Anime/Manga/Popsicle. D&D 4th edition is bad, so it's Anime/Manga/Toopsie-Woopsie. But everything that is good is not Anime/Manga/Rowser-Bowser, and because Paizo and/or D&D 3.X was good, nothing of its art was Anime/Manga/Hulk Hogan.

 

[Wolfspider]

HUGE sword? Check.

Spikey/windswept hair? Check.

Elric is so anime.

 

[DandD]

Does he have 'Bishounen'-Power? I think I read once that he was quite effeminated.

 

[Psion]

You will notice that Anime/Manga figures also don't always have "eyes the size of dinner plates". That's only a prejudice that is commonly said by people who don't know about these shows either.

Whereas that may be true, that's one of the distinguishing characteristics between Anime and American comics. When they have normal eyes, the argument that it's "anime" is much harder to make, cause I could run downstairs and find and old Marvel or DC fantasy comic and point at something that looks like it. In such a case, it's naive and reactionary to call it anime.

 

[Psion]

HUGE sword? Check.

Spikey/windswept hair? Check.

Elric is so anime.

FTW.

 

[DandD]

And there are american Cartoons and Comics with huge eyes the size of Jupiter too. Disney, Marvel Comics, DC, you name it, everyone has or had huge eyes drawn.

Eye-size isn't a indicator if something is Anime/Manga/Bruce Banner or rather Cartoon/Comic/Naruto.

Never was, never will be.