What are your thoughts on ANIME's influence on D&D?

[Emirikol]

What are your thoughts on ANIME's influence on D&D? (Art, combat, NPC interaction/depth, traditional fantasy concepts, etc.)

For those of you who don't know what the "anime" genre and artstyle is, here's the WIKI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

Here's the Dictionary reference:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/anime


Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
an·i·me /ˈænəˌmeɪ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[an-uh-mey] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
a Japanese style of motion-picture animation, characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, futuristic settings, and sexuality and violence.
[Origin: < Japn, borrowing of E animation]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source
an·i·me (ān'ə-mā') Pronunciation Key
n. A style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art and often adult themes.


[Japanese, short for animēshon, animation, from English animation.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source
anime
c.1985, Japanese for "animation," a term that seems to have arisen in the 1970s, apparently based on the Eng. word. Manga (q.v.) is Japanese for "comic book, graphic novel," but anime largely are based on manga and until 1970s, anime were known as manga eiga or "TV manga." The two terms are somewhat confused in Eng.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source

jh

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Where's the option for "I'll burn my books and abandon the hobby before I allow anime influence on my game."?

 

[Korgoth]

What are your thoughts on ANIME's influence on D&D?

jh

I would say that it has been a bad influence. Here are my main objections, presented with hyperbole for entertainment value:

(1) Cult of Youth - everybody assumes that your 15-year old girl should be able to be a ninja/swordmaster/olympic gymnast, or maybe also a wizard and ranger if she's so long in the tooth as to be 17 years old (practically out to pasture!). If you haven't made Epic by the time you're 19 you're probably an NPC.

(2) Soap Opera - so the teenaged girl with Death Star-level psychic powers and the teenaged ninja/swordmaster/gymnast girl are having an affair, but the teenaged ninja/swordmaster/wizard boy likes the psychic girl, and how can he compete with Ai for Noriko's favor because he's only a wizard and not a gymnast, and maybe if he buys her roses in the next town blah blah blah. None of which has anything to do with exploring the Mad Wizard's dungeon. Unless someone casts Power Word Angst.

(3) Attitude - I have the suspicion that anime is partly behind the "Dungeonpunk" style of 3E. Obviously nobody can be a hero without asymmetrical spikey bondage clothes and wacky hair. These things are almost as important as being a teenager and having pointless angst.

 

[Crothian]

I've seen very little anime influence on D&D so I need a "there isn't any" answer

 

[el-remmen]

Generally, I am not a fan of anime. It just does not visually appeal to me.

But there is some I like. Particularly, Miyazaki's films - And they have definitely influenced me.

For example, I like the dark side to fairy tale approach in Spirited Away, and the bizarre and often absurdist nature of My Neighbor Totoro - both of which are fun to play with in the D&D milieu.

And I loved the beastial conflict of Princess Mononoke - and the gray morality of it. It had a flavor to it that resonated nicely with my homebrew setting.

I'm not sure if there is a general influence of anime on D&D - but if there has been I guess I don't mind it simply because I haven't noticed. But I am all for all sorts of influences on the game.

 

[S'mon]

Hmm, I like the style of most anime but I don't like the default style of 3e D&D. It's almost like translating it to a US paradigm it lost all the good stuff. Not a huge fan of Exalted either. Both 3e and Exalted seem to run combat in slow motion.

 

[Deekin]

I prefere D&D's infulence on anime

 

[Masquerade]

I tend to run games which are very heavily anime-inspired, but I think anime's influence on D&D as a whole is too minimal for comment.

(PS - there was thread very similar to this one about a month ago)

 

[Sejs]

I've seen very little anime influence on D&D so I need a "there isn't any" answer

Yep, what the ooze said.

 

[Einan]

I don't like Anime. I don't understand it, I don't see why there's a big fuss over it and I don't care enough to make the effort to understand it.

That being said, if anime gets more people to D&D, cheers! It's not my cup of rum, but I'll toast its good deeds.

Einan