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

[D.Shaffer]

anime doesn't really bring anything of value to the table, graphically or story-wise.

I have trouble picturing anyone saying this with a straight face. Lots of anime is incredibly easy to mine for story ideas, just like any other media source. I wouldnt just file the names off but anime uses the same type of story structure many long term campaigns use. Here's an example of campaign idea pulled from an anime series.

A group of adventurers must travel to a higher plane in order to rescue a friend who has been imprisoned by an order of celestials for crimes and is soon to be executed. They must first find a way into the city the celestials occupy while making friends and enemies among the people. Along the way, they have the chance to fight several of the less powerful leaders of the celestials and discover that many of the celestials themselves are unsure why this friend is being treated so harshly, to the point that several of them can be convinced to help the heroes in their rescue attempt. Eventually, they find out that one of the celestials has fallen and is using this execution to destroy a powerful artifact that could destroy his future plans.

Are you going to say this is 'nothing of value?'

 

[NilesB]

Anime's influence on D&D is vastly overstated if it exists at all.


There is simply a substantial group of people who credit any moderately capable PC with abilities remincent of Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Herakles, Achilles, Odysseus, Cúchulainn, Beowulf, El Cid, Roland, Alexander the Great, Conan, Fafird, the Grey Mouser, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Elric etc. as coming only from anime (or occasionaly super hero comics).

And hate anime.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Shouting out the attack as you perform it, meanwhile, isn't different from shouting a Draconic word for a spell, or screaming "Unnh!" as you swing your blade -- it's a battle cry.

Right, heck, even hobbits scream "Elendil!", when they're attacking!

Additionally, I think there could be some reasoning in the media of Mangas and the anime based thereupon: They're just the Japanese equivalence to Interior Monologue, just as the Face Faults and Chibi-esque characters.

Without a novel as medium, it is pretty hard to convey some emotions. Since many drawings in mangas are stylized (big eyes and so on), it is very understandable, that they may express feelings the same ways, accompanied by some lengthy (for us sometimes cliché-laden) monologue.

And for the attacks: Well, who knows, the verbal component for Magic Missile could be elvish for "cheese-smell cannon" [/nonsense]

 

[GreatLemur]

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

Why in the name of Christ would anyone think it's necessary to offer a definition of the word "anime" to a bunch of avowed geeks on an Internet forum in 2007?

 

[JRRNeiklot]

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

I concur, and thus, I voted other.

 

[Thunderfoot]

I have trouble picturing anyone saying this with a straight face. Lots of anime is incredibly easy to mine for story ideas, just like any other media source. I wouldnt just file the names off but anime uses the same type of story structure many long term campaigns use. Here's an example of campaign idea pulled from an anime series.

A group of adventurers must travel to a higher plane in order to rescue a friend who has been imprisoned by an order of celestials for crimes and is soon to be executed. They must first find a way into the city the celestials occupy while making friends and enemies among the people. Along the way, they have the chance to fight several of the less powerful leaders of the celestials and discover that many of the celestials themselves are unsure why this friend is being treated so harshly, to the point that several of them can be convinced to help the heroes in their rescue attempt. Eventually, they find out that one of the celestials has fallen and is using this execution to destroy a powerful artifact that could destroy his future plans.

Are you going to say this is 'nothing of value?'

Yeah that same plot was done in the Bible, the Quaran, the texts of Ancient Babylonia... Anime pretty much doesn't being anything new to the table but big swords and stupid catch pharases, oh and bad animation.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Anime pretty much doesn't being anything new to the table but big swords and stupid catch pharases, oh and bad animation.

Hey, whoa there.

There are also the (nearly?) universally atrocious voices.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Oh right, I forgot. Sorry.

 

[D.Shaffer]

Yeah that same plot was done in the Bible, the Quaran, the texts of Ancient Babylonia... Anime pretty much doesn't being anything new to the table but big swords and stupid catch pharases, oh and bad animation.

As opposed to say...oh, this?

In any case, it's all a rehash of stuff that's been done throughout history.

 

[HeavenShallBurn]

It really has been fun arguing about anime, but I guess I'll actually address question of the OP now

D&D hasn't really been affected by anime. If you want to see a game affected by anime flip through some Exalted, and it's a rather good game.

It's the PLAYERS that have been affected by anime. Honestly it's not all bad, most of the problems people have are with either animation, voices, or some cultural aspect that annoys them. The ideas of anime aren't just workable to mix with D&D they can be fun, but mostly what I've inflicted involves the feel of higher level D&D.

Big weapons - check, in some cases yes though if they're not just funky looking but actually justify a size category increase I make them take the monkeygrip or oversized weapon feats.
ludicrous leaping - check, take a look at how quickly the jump skill adds up. Before too long characters can be making running leaps that look like something out a wuxia film might as well play it up since it's already part of the game.
feats of outrageous strength -check, hey Hercules, Ajax, Arthur, Gilgamesh, why should I exclude the players once they begin to reach higher levels.
unnatural toughness - check, that's what hit points are the "Ajax factor" I've never liked all this weapon damage represents multiple strikes abstracted thing. The weapon damage listed on the table is for a single strike with the weapon, it isn't luck it represents a big sharp metal thing getting jammed through your spleen. They're heroes, if the main characters of the Illiad could be peppered with arrows or hacked by twenty sword-blows and bleeding why not the players? That's what high levels are all about, take FF Advent Children and add massive gore. Okay so the fighter's been run through with a spear, now he rips it out and beats you to death with it!