Anime culture and D&D

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Isn't anime that style of animation where everything is out of proportion, especially eyes?

Never got into it, sorry.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

This is an interesting question.

I don't watch anime. Never have, never will if I can help it. I don't like the Japanese comics/animation aesthetic - and I'm not just talking about "big eyes, small mouth", but the whole tradition over there.

Hell, I don't really like Western animation much either. I'm very picky.

That said . . . I don't have any inherent problem with the stories and tropes you find in manga and anime. I have zero tolerance for goofy slapstick - like when the badass martial artist blushes around the girl he likes and trips over his own feet to land face-down in her lap - but a lot of the stories I hear about in anime or manga sound cool.

The day they do a live-action version of a given anime is probably the day I'll sit down to watch it.

I would have to say that, despite my complete and utter lack of interest in anime, I'm quite open to influences from good stories in my gaming. Sure, the terribly painful cliches are right out, but I don't want people playing Legolas or Luke Skywalker at my table either.

 

[Crothian]

Are you wacked in the head?

D&D I think does a great job of representing Anime, of course it does come down to the DM and how he puts forth the anime type world and NPC's.

I'm fairly certain my being wacked in the head has no bearing on this.

When I think of Anime in my RPGs I think more along the lines of Weapons of the Gods and Exalted. D&D for me is still like it was back in 1980. So, while D&D can probably do anime, it isn't the game I would want to use for it.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

That's what I was going to say! For me, the emphasis on tactical combat, resource management, and balance of power in D&D makes it feel very not Anime to me. In fantasy anime, nearly all characters can do crazy, ballz-out, stuff -- it's more about flash and fury than counting paces on the battlefield or managing material resources. D&D can do Anime, I just don't think it does it well. There are much better systems for it (e.g., BESM, OVA, etc).

Someone hasn't watched Record of Lodoss War. Other than throwing axes and elf jumping, they can't do anything you couldn't do in 2e. (It was actually based around that game. Or maybe 1e.)

 

[jdrakeh]

Someone hasn't watched Record of Lodoss War.

That's very presumptuous of you. I have, in fact, watched the anime in question.

Other than throwing axes and elf jumping, they can't do anything you couldn't do in 2e.

Well, that's not entirely true (I think that the magic of Lodoss War is very much not AD&D's magic). That said I was speaking in terms of the currently supported and in-print edition of D&D (as I suspect the OP was).

 

[hexgrid]

That's what I was going to say! For me, the emphasis on tactical combat, resource management, and balance of power in D&D makes it feel very not Anime to me. In fantasy anime, nearly all characters can do crazy, ballz-out, stuff -- it's more about flash and fury than counting paces on the battlefield or managing material resources. D&D can do Anime, I just don't think it does it well. There are much better systems for it (e.g., BESM, OVA, etc).

For me, anime is the easiest way I can visualize many aspects of D&D, especially at higher levels. The "all characters can do crazy, ballz-out, stuff" nature of D&D is exactly why.

Counting squares and the like doesn't emulate any specific narrative style.

 

[Psion]

Well, that's not entirely true (I think that the magic of Lodoss War is very much not AD&D's magic).

Eh. Flavor text.

 

[Ranger REG]

Are you wacked in the head?

D&D I think does a great job of representing Anime, of course it does come down to the DM and how he puts forth the anime type world and NPC's.


Scott

Not even. Get BESM d20.

 

[Thurbane]

I can respect that some groups enjoy anime style D&D (Bo9S, I'm looking at you), but speaking for myself (and my group), it just isn't what we're into. I like my D&D to have a soldily Arthurian/Middle Earth/Narnia type feel to it...

I suspect that Monkey Grip and Powerful Build were created almost entirely to appease the "my character has a spiked up hairdo and wields an unfeasibly large greatsword" type crowd...

 

[Desdichado]

The only anime influence in my games is that female PCs always ending showing their panties. Well, that and the tentacle pr0n.

No, I'm not really that much of an anime fan, and I certainly don't purposefully look for anime conventions and schticks to add to my games.