[OT] Why is Anime so popular???

[Sixchan]

A lot of anime shows do feature children, young teens, and teens. In some of the shows with teens, the females are pretty, um, impressive. Again, I'd point to American comics featuring teens, like Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes. Many of the female characters have quite impressive figures.

Mind you, pretty often there are some surprisingly flat-chested characters too (and they are usually the target of many jokes. But I still liked Aeka better than Ryoko in Tenchi Muyo!).

 

[Celebrim]

I think jdavis speaks wisely. We are making an even worse assumption than assuming that everyone who liked say Toy Story II, likes Batman the Animated Series, South Park, and the Smurfs, because, whether or not the quality is superior, certainly the breadth of material explored by Japaneese animation is a good deal broader than what is explored by the American counterpart.

And I feel slighted enough to point out to Barastrondo that not everyone overlooked the popularity of Anime with women. On the other hand, I also think that Barastrondo is right on the mark when he says that there is no one reason for anime's popularity.

 

[Utrecht]

Ok, that is certainly true - classifying all anime as one entity is grossly unfair to it as a medium.

So the question then becomes, why is all of this "good" stuff that is aparently available in Japan not being imported for mass consumption here in the States or shown on the Cartoon Network?

 

[jdavis]

Ok, that is certainly true - classifying all anime as one entity is grossly unfair to it as a medium.

So the question then becomes, why is all of this "good" stuff that is aparently available in Japan not being imported for mass consumption here in the States or shown on the Cartoon Network?

There is the perception that American audiences just won't get it and there is the perception that anime=cartoons and that cartoons=children and there is alot of anime that just isn't fit for children. In America cartoons are a good marketing tool for toys so we tend to see anime that might cross over into toy production.

I think you are just now starting to see that trend change with Cartoon Network starting Adult Swim, more good anime will make it over to tv here, and there is a ton of anime that is released on video and dvd in America now, I live in rural Kentucky but the Suncoast at the mall has a whole wall from celing to floor with nothing but Anime DVD's, matter of fact the Anime section is as big if not bigger than the Drama section. When I first started watching anime in the late '80's all you could find was a couple of poorly edited and dubbed shows at the local video store, they didn't even refer to them as anime.

 

[Chun-tzu]

So the question then becomes, why is all of this "good" stuff that is aparently available in Japan not being imported for mass consumption here in the States or shown on the Cartoon Network?

I agree with JDavis. First, it IS coming. But the process takes time. There's all sorts of licensure and dubbing and distribution rights and stuff to sort out, first. But the anime invasion has begun, and it's already changed the face of animation.

There's also the dilemma of how to market these shows. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Noir, Cowboy Bebop are all too adult for kids. So how do you market it? Who do you market it to? People don't watch stuff just because it's good. Good TV shows die all the time.

Ask yourself, why doesn't Sci Fi show, you know, really good sci-fi? Why doesn't HBO show really good movies? Because it all costs money. Cartoon Network only has so much money to acquire new shows, and they have to choose, same as any other network. But the demand is there, hence the new Anime Network coming, and the explosion of anime shows on other networks, like TechTV.

 

[Geoff Watson]

Re: Re: Re: Re: [OT] Why is Anime so popular???

Yes, but it should also lead you to a third possibility...

3)While it seems that the percentage of good vs bad anime is higher than other forms, this is not actually the case.

After all, have you actually counted? Doesn't the apparent mystery dissolve if in fact anime has about the same crud/gem ratio as everything else? When trying to reach a conclusion, it pays to not trust a seeming.

It could also be that the better stuff is available to foreigners. They don't get to see the really bad stuff, so they think that anime is better on average.

Geoff.

 

[RyanL]

I used to like anime a lot when I was younger. I think I know why. Anime and manga tend to focus more on, and do a better job with, interpersonal relationships between young characters than similar American forms of entertainment. I honestly can't think of an American medium which portrays teenage and young adult romance in such a frank, yet aloof and entertaining, manner. As I get older, I don't enjoy Anime/manga as much.

-Ryan

 

[jdavis]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: [OT] Why is Anime so popular???

It could also be that the better stuff is available to foreigners. They don't get to see the really bad stuff, so they think that anime is better on average.

Geoff.

Once again that all boils down to personal preference. My wife loves every single show that comes on Lifetime, I think they are all crap, who is right, well we are both right. That's how opinions work I can not like something and she can like something and it is ok, there is nothing wrong with either of us and neither of us is wrong, it's just a opinion not a fact. What is bad anime and what is good anime? how would you measure that without giving a personal opinion?

 

[Tsyr]

Another thing just as overlooked is that not all Girls who enjoy Anime watch Sailor Moon and the like. I've met plenty of girls who like stuff like Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion and such but hate Sailor Moon with a passion.

Then again, there are plenty of non "weird guys who like schoolgirls in skirts" guys who actualy can enjoy Sailor Moon. It's no masterpeice or anything, not by a longshot, but if you get fansubs of it (Or even the american DVD release with subtitles), it's a completely different show than what was released on TV. And I mean completely different. Plot-changingly different. And it's not a bad show, really. It's... "fun", I guess, in a way that I don't find DBZ to be.

 

[frankthedm]

The anime market has suffered over the last 5 years or so in quality due to the dip in quality of a lot of japanese productions. The older stuff is often better than the follow the formula anime that is now being ported over from japan.

The older classics are worth tracking down, just as an example;

Urusei Yatsura : the rights are held by Animeigo.com, a little dated but its shockingly different! Whole genres of anime grew from this one.

tomobiki-cho:THE UY fansite