Why the hate for anime? (Y da hat 4 anime?)

[Desdichado]

(and yes yes; I know it's a medium, not a style).

Not trying to argue this, because I'm not entirely sure you're saying it, but that's plain preposterous. Cartoons are the medium, anime is a style of cartoon. Disney movies are another style, classic Saturday morning cartoons are another style, etc. It's absolutely not a medium, and absolutely is a style, and that's why folks don't like it. Because if it was simply a medium, it would be like saying "I don't like books, I only like movies." Sure, there are indeed people who say this, but that's not the type of comparison folks who don't like anime are making, I don't think. Certainly not in my case.

 

[Azure Trance]

Hate it? Tentacle porn got me into the damn thing.

 

[Morrus]

I don't think I'd go so far as to say that I hate it, but it certainly holds no interest for me at all. I couldn't pin down why, but I'd say that the animation style generally puts me off. Plus those lines they draw to show someone moving fast or jumping, when they could just show the background moving by fast.

I think the biggest problem is that I find the action sequences so confusing - I can't follow what's going on. And when I do figure out what's happening, it's usually too over-the-top for my tastes.

But then, I like superhero comic books and movies, both of which are over-the-top, so I guess I can't point at that without being a tad hypocritical. I can't say why I don;t like it - it just doesn't work for me.

My flatmate is very into anime, and has an enormous collection of anime DVDs. He's tried showing me various things at different times, and none of them have ever caught my interest. But then, he doesn't like Smallville, and I do - guess tastes just vary, and there's no accounting for them!

 

[Teflon Billy]

Not trying to argue this, because I'm not entirely sure you're saying it, but that's plain preposterous. Cartoons are the medium, anime is a style of cartoon. Disney movies are another style, classic Saturday morning cartoons are another style, etc. It's absolutely not a medium, and absolutely is a style, and that's why folks don't like it. Because if it was simply a medium, it would be like saying "I don't like books, I only like movies." Sure, there are indeed people who say this, but that's not the type of comparison folks who don't like anime are making, I don't think. Certainly not in my case.

I hear you Mr. Dyal. It's just every time an anime thread comes up, some apologist makes it his job to say something akin to "it's a medium! saying you don't like anime is like saying you don't like television because some sitcoms are bad. Certainly ther is bad anime, but there is a length and breadth to the medium that blah blah blah etc...."

Then I am (or in this case, you are) forced to post something akin to what you posted above.

See how easy it was for you and I just to get it all out of the way?

In short. It's cartoons.

Mostly--in my experience--it's not very good cartoons.

 

[Herpes Cineplex]

You know, I don't actually have an opinion about "anime."

I have opinions about specific shows, the same as I would for any genre of television. For example, Cowboy Bebop is extremely well done, while Trigun is a big pile of ass.

However, I'll agree with this:

I HATE anime fans/freaks.

...because honestly, the hit/miss ratio of anime is as bad or worse than conventional television. Some of the things I've had people recommend to me have just been horrible, to the point where I cannot honestly imagine why anyone would be willing to sit and watch it, let alone act like it's a great show. And the worst of the recommendations always comes from the obsessive fans, who seem to think that anything animated out of Japan is just going to be the coolest thing ever and the only topic worth discussing and "OMG you've never seen this? ^__^ kekekeke" until you want to shove them in a lake.

They're just TV shows, folks, not a religion. Most of them are crap. The few that are really good should be watched, the rest should be ignored, same as anything else on TV.

--
poor pacing, plots that would shame a soap opera, and tentacle rape <> good show
ryan


\/\/\/\/ Yeah, but I don't mean "genre" as a defense for bad shows. I'll say it again: MOST TV SHOWS SUCK. Doesn't matter if they're live-action or animated, doesn't matter if they're animated by a guy in Tokyo or a guy in Fresno. The 20:1 ratio of crap to good TV is maintained across all stylistic and national boundaries.

The difference is that you get some clowns who think "anime" is different enough or special enough that it deserves some kind of unique label. And it doesn't deserve any such thing. It's not different, and it's not special. It's just a bunch of TV shows, and only a handful of them are actually something you would care to watch.

 

[Teflon Billy]

You know, I don't actually have an opinion about "anime."

I have opinions about specific shows, the same as I would for any genre of television...

That was quick

 

[MDSnowman]

Now I consider myself a rather large anime fan, and I dislike incoherent ramblings about how horrible anime is.

First off you'll find that a lot of anime fans, myself included, always enjoyed the artform. I have been collecting anime since 1996... far before it was getting wide spread acceptance anywhere outside Japan. Finding and buying things I wanted was nearly impossible, because the market simply wasn't there.

Now with the populaity of anime series I personally dislike, Yu-gi-oh, and Pokemon chief among them, finding things I want, like the Record of Lodoss War TV series, or Berserk Manga, suddenly becomes a much more managable task.

I think that anime often gets a bad rap because people can't seem to wrap their minds around a form of media that address all other genre's of television. You'll find hardboiled action dramas, romantic comedies, melodrama, children's shows, slap stick comedy, and yes even porn. I don't like every aspect of anime, but I know where my tastes lie and I buy within the genres that appeal to me... you'll not find any episodes of Dragonball Z or Pokemon gracing my video collection.

With that in mind making the blanket statement that you hate anime comes across as ignorant. There's more to it than the stuff you can see on the WB or Reruns of Dragonball Z. If you were to open your mind just a little bit and scratch past the surface I'm sure you'd find something you would like, and I doubt you would even have to investigate obscure series to find something you like.

:\ Then again I'm not defending people who cosplay, they are people who need a little help.

 

[jgbrowning]

If anyone out there, given my above preferences, would like to recommend some more, I am all ears. How's this new "rune soldier" or whatever it is?

Try Ghost in the Shell. It's a good movie. Personally, I don't like anime for many of the same reasons.

joe b.

 

[Teflon Billy]

..I think that anime often gets a bad rap because people can't seem to wrap their minds around a form of media that address all other genre's of television. You'll find hardboiled action dramas, romantic comedies, melodrama, children's shows, slap stick comedy, and yes even porn. I don't like every aspect of anime, but I know where my tastes lie and I buy within the genres that appeal to me... you'll not find any episodes of Dragonball Z or Pokemon gracing my video collection.

With that in mind making the blanket statement that you hate anime comes across as ignorant. There's more to it than the stuff you can see on the WB or Reruns of Dragonball Z. If you were to open your mind just a little bit and scratch past the surface I'm sure you'd find something you would like, and I doubt you would even have to investigate obscure series to find something you like...

Witness, Joshua Dyal. Witness.

 

[MDSnowman]

Witness, Joshua Dyal. Witness.

Must...resist...urge.... to... flame.