[OT] Why is Anime so popular???

[Barastrondo]

And I feel slighted enough to point out to Barastrondo that not everyone overlooked the popularity of Anime with women.

Whoops. Sorry, man. I said "seems to be," but was el wrongo.

And from Sixchan:
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.

Which is very true, but the greater point that I didn't quite so accurately make is the specific targeting of the female demographic. A lot of anime tries to hit both male and female viewers equally, by balancing heavy romance and personal emotional issues with dynamic combat and displays of cool power and more "traditional" lures for male viewers. Escaflowne, for instance. But some of them don't even try for that balance. They go for the girls, and if the guys follow, so be it.

Manga and anime both have plenty of offerings aimed with laser-like accuracy at female readers and viewers, which is something that is rarely done with the same media in the States (what percentage of DC and Marvel's titles is aimed specifically at female readers?). Even then, there's so much variety that you can't really call the female-oriented material genre, any more than Transformers and action movies are the same genre because they're largely aimed at males.

This is why I twitch a bit (like most of the people still following this thread, I'm sure) at statements that imply that the popularity of the medium comes from the medium being designed to specifically cater to certain male fantasies. It's kind of the same thing as that "Peter Jackson named his movie The Two Towers to capitalize on the 9/11 disaster!" screed; it's just as easy to disprove, and therefore just as outlandishly surprising to see people say it like they believe it.

 

[s/LaSH]

Why so popular? Perhaps (regardless of arguments about whether it's really popular, or what anime really is, etcetc) because anime caters to a wider market than occidental cartoons. It's been said before, most people think that cartoons are either kiddy shows or three-panel newspaper gags. You look at what comes out of Japan, and... well, I think that they're more willing to do stuff that can be interesting than just slavishly churn out another soap opera or medical drama show.

But you don't see the proper stuff in English because 'cartoons are for kids'. Which is stupid. Go watch Ghost In The Shell and see if you can spot the bits that were taken from St Paul (I watched it with an ex-priest and we were both quite surprised at that), then say toons are exclusively for kids.

I don't know if it's been animated (probably not), but one of the funnest things I've read recently was Hikaru No Go, about this kid who plays Go, and there's this ghost and some really good players, and it's really good. It's not even in English, and I don't read Japanese so I got the manga equivalent of a fansub. But when was the last time anyone read a long, continuing story about people who play a strategic board game? It's that kind of new experience that turns me onto certain anime.

And I say certain anime for a reason, because most of what's out there sucks. I mean, people probably like it... look at Pokemon. Artistic merit? I think not. I mean I like shows that I like, whether anime or not, largely because they have explosions, now that I think about it. That's probably not the primary reason, but there are an awful lot of things blowing up in everything I watch. And it's because the Japanese do a good combat scene (when they want to; uncensored DBZ isn't always good, but when it is good it's very good) that a lot of that's popular with action junkies like myself.

Of course, having just watched Kiki's Delivery Service (subbed), I can say that quality and fun doesn't correlate directly to explosions.

To reiterate my point: Variety. That's what I blame for popularity.

 

[Chun-tzu]

I don't know if it's been animated (probably not), but one of the funnest things I've read recently was Hikaru No Go...

Yes, this series has been out as anime since 2001. There are over 53 episodes so far, and it's still going.

 

[Henry]

The only thing that keeps me from "getting" most anime is the impossiblities of anatomy that most anime I see takes on. Maybe it breaks the Golden Ratio too much for my tastes, or something - but trying to watch it for too long makes my head hurt. Physically.

Most traditional animation I can watch, but not Japanese Manga.

 

[Dinkeldog]

I like good animated features, whether Japanese or American. Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away are among my favorite films, alongside Lilo & Stitch, Disney's Little Mermaid, and Disney's Hunchback. Star Blazers was one of my favorite series of all time. I just don't really care whether they're "anime" or "cartoons" to other people.

 

[Black Omega]

And the Japanese DBZ is massively different from the US release. There's a reason why the equivilant of 26 eps are cut out to make it a show for 10 year olds.

Have to agree though, it's hard to answer the question. Anime is a medium, not a genre. And still for the most part if something is animated it is assumed to be kid friendly in the US. I've found Overfiend in the kids section in a video rental store before. After all, animated means for kids.

I can't really say I like all anime, but there is plenty of anime I do like, very much. Anime ranges from disturbing, to light hearted to serious and even downright silly. It'sa not for everyone, but then, what is?

 

[jdavis]

Have to agree though, it's hard to answer the question. Anime is a medium, not a genre. And still for the most part if something is animated it is assumed to be kid friendly in the US. I've found Overfiend in the kids section in a video rental store before. After all, animated means for kids

Well I bet that was a eye opener for the children in your town. Overfiend usually comes plastered with warning stickers about how this movie is not for anyone who may be offended (by anything in any catagory, they hit 'em all) and children should not be allowed to even touch the tape.

 

[Black Omega]

Well I bet that was a eye opener for the children in your town. Overfiend usually comes plastered with warning stickers about how this movie is not for anyone who may be offended (by anything in any catagory, they hit 'em all) and children should not be allowed to even touch the tape.

Needless to say I did suggest someone at the store might want to watch it and find a better spot for it. I'm guessing no one had rented it yet, or the store would already have gotten hit over it.

 

[Epametheus]

Heh. Anime is pretty much the only thing I watch anymore -- I don't even find western live action shows to be that interesting anymore, let alone western animated shows.

Well first off, I won't deny that there's plenty of anime that's filth. I generally succeed in not watching it.

I find comparing anime with American animation to be fairly pointless -- even Digimon has a real plot, and that really is a kid's show. When I actually find a western animated show to be good (like Batman Beyond), it's in part because the show reminds me of anime I've already seen. On the other hand, Transformers: Armada, which is actually an anime that's been brought over here, is something that I regard as a genuinely bad show -- probably due in part to the fact that it reminds me a lot of western animation.

Random bit: There's a very simple answer to why girls in anime are drawn fairly young. It's because they are generally supposed to be young. The legal age of consent in Japan is 13, though it varies by local. The legal age of marriage is 18 for males and 16 for females. The age of majority is 20. What's defined as jailbait here in the US is defined as fair game over in Japan; they simply have a different set of standards.

Oh, and a lot of the girls in short skirts are actually wearing their school uniforms.

With that out of the way...

I generally watch most anime for the plotlines. Some anime is good despite the lack of real plot -- Cowboy Bebop being a case in point (most of Bebop's plot is taken care of in about 5 episodes spread across the series, even though it's a 26 ep series). Some shows, like Trigun or Noir, simply take their good sweet time getting around to the plot. Kenshin doesn't have its real plotline until ep 28 or so, but the Shishio arc (which is about 30 episodes) actually validates the existence of the show. Eva, on the other hand, is plot intensive from the very beginning, and so is Saikano. Basically, I like for the shows that I'm watching to actually have a point to them.

I wouldn't say that anime is popular; just a few shows are actually popular, while the rest simply have cult followings.

Edit: just rewording a sentence.

 

[Alzrius]

Heh. Anime is pretty much the only thing I watch anymore -- I don't even find western live action shows to be that interesting anymore, let alone western animated shows.

Well first off, I won't deny that there's plenty of anime that's filth. I generally succeed in not watching it.

I wouldn't go that far. Some anime isn't good, and some is certainly damn smutty, but calling it filth seems a bit much.

Random bit: There's a very simple answer to why girls in anime are drawn fairly young. It's because they are generally supposed to be young. The legal age of consent in Japan is 13, though it varies by local. The legal age of marriage is 18 for males and 16 for females. The age of majority is 20. As awful as it may sound, what's defined as jailbait here in the US is defined as fair game over in Japan.

Actually, as I heard it, the age of consent was 14, not 13, and a few years ago it was changed to 18. I could have heard wrong, but I'm pretty sure thats the case. Of course, the rule in Japan is "if its not public, its not a problem" so the jailbait comment remains very true, but that doesn't necessarily make it awful. Japan is just more open about sex and sexuality. Just because younger girls can and do become sexually active there doesn't necessarily mean its rape or molestation.

I wouldn't say that anime is popular; just a few shows are actually popular, while the rest simply have cult followings.

Anime is certainly popular, its just more or less popular in different places. Its extremely popular in Japan, for example, and its slowly moving into the mainstream here in America, which is basically a good thing, even though the fans of anime here in America often have to deal with it being warped and changed from how it was, and this can lead to various controveries (such as the highly popular and successful DBZ being dumped on by other anime fans for no real reason. It's a great anime with over a decade of history, yet people continue to rag on it without even bothering to explain why).

A good place to look for a potpourri of answers to questions about anime is Animenation's Ask John archives: http://www.animenation.net/news/askjohn_archive.php