Is Anime really more mature than Western cartoons?

[scotth266]

Yes [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gantz] and no [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Star_(manga)].

It depends entirely on the series. However, anime has no real age restrictions on how mature it can be, while most cartoons aimed at teenagers and up in the west seem to have disappeared. The only exceptions are comedy series like Family Guy or ATHF, but these aren't very "mature": in fact, they're almost childish at times. Anime tends to be the only animated medium with season-based plots and actual themes. In that respect, anime certainly is a lot more mature.

EDIT: Actually, when I wrote that I entirely forgot Avatar, The Last Airbender: which is one of the best Western cartoons to come out in years. Aside from that, most western cartoons are either aimed soley at children or older folks: there's not really much room in-between.

This is probably due to the same reason as an event I refer to as The Death Of Toonami: a bunch of parental groups went nuts at Cartoon Network for broadcasting material they thought was inappropriate. What these parents failed to realize was that Toonami was supposed to be a block for TEENAGERS... a sort of stopping gap between the kiddie fare and Adult Swim. Nowadays Toonami is no more, and most Western cartoons are crap, so... yeah. Parents are the main reason the maturity of western cartoons was stunted.

 

[Glorianri]

Like several people have said before: There are mature animated shows from both the east AND the west. Saying one is more mature than the other is pure opinion. I like both.

Don't help that there are two ways to make a show mature and millions of different views on what can make something 'mature'.

 

[Tom Phoenix]

Animation is generally more mainstream in Japan then it is in Western countries. For that reason, Japanese animation tends to cover more varied age groups and themes compared to their Western counterparts. Plus, the Japanese culture in general has less taboos (or at least does not have the same taboos) as other cultures. For that reason, Japanese animations do tend to be more mature depending on which audience they are made for.

Having said that, I can understand why you would get the impression that Japanese animations are not that different. The problem is that broadcasting companies in the West generally translate animes with the children demographic in mind. For that reason, they will generally choose to translate those animes they deem acceptable enough or they will take animes with some controversial elements and censor them/cut them out.

A perfect example of such treatment is the well-known Yu-Gi-Oh!. While the original is not something that adults would enjoy either, it still contains enough mature themes to qualify for a late teenager demographic. However, 4Kids, the company responsible for dubbing the anime in English, heavily edited it and even changed entire plot points in order to make it more friendly towards young children.

If you want to see an anime that does not have anything to do with large robots or oversized swords, I would recommend Grave of the Fireflies. It is a movie about two children who lose their parents and try to survive as best as they can in Japan during World War II. It is a very touching movie (one of the few that made me cry) and it is highly praised to the point that it is compared to Schindler's List.

 

[jamesworkshop]

I don't think its fair to compare the two I mean their isn't even really a western equivilent for things like OAV's or standalone movies not based on a Tv series

 

[Kinguendo]

Mature in the sense that they ALWAYS have sexual undertones but not so much in some of the story.

I'm trying to remember the sexual undertones in Spirited Away...

You mean: Are japanese cartoons more mature than Western ones?

/Thread.

/unthread.

There is always some, very subtle maybe, but you will be watching and then for maybe 3 seconds something will happen and you will think "Well... that was inappropriate". XD

...in other words, if you really, really want to find sexual undertones, you will. Even if you have to squint a little and convince yourself.

I mean come on, even Pokemon had sexual undertones thanks to Brock... dirty bugger.

Well, duh. Brock's not an undertone. He's pretty damned obvious.

Nope, its called paying attention.

Not if you can find sexual undertones in Spirited Away, it's not.

Set in a bathhouse... all I am saying.

Because the implication that vaguely anthropomorphic (if that) spirits take baths is inherently sexual? You'd have to call Rule 34 so hard Miyazaki would start having spontaneous nightmares.

Sorry, but 10 year old girls hanging out in bathhouses does not sit well with me.

Also, why are poeple getting so offended by people not liking SOME anime programs?

I mean I like Bleach (SAJIN KOMAMURA!!!) and Naruto is okay (Shikimaru! XD) and stuff, but some of it is weird.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Ghostkai and Hannarr, try reading my comment fully before you start picking it apart.

First of all I did not say MOST Anime fans are 5-15, I said ALOT of anime fans are 5-15, and thats not just 5 year olds, that is as stated 5 .... to 15!!!

And a lot of anime fans are aged 20-35. What's your point?

And no the 5 year olds are not watching ghost in the shell (although they soon will be) they are watching stuff like Yu Gi-Oh, Naruto, Avatar you know, the stuff that apears on "NICKELODIAN" like I already said.

Stuff that's aimed at children, and thus has no requirements to be mature in any way, let alone the "blood and guts" type of "maturity."

Although Avatar does actually manage to have a mature storyline, really starting with the season 1 finale.

Hannarr who are you and what gives you the authority to make me "officialy" wrong? hmmmm?
And yes I have watched anime before in a desperate attempt to find out why everyone gave so much of a shit about this specific genre of cartoon (I never found out and still hate the damn thing) so please don't tell what I have and havn't done, or what and what not to do.

Well, if I could do it in the other thread...

But no, you're officially wrong when you post "no, anime is not mature, and neither is slipknot," and someone lists Grave of the Fireflies as the ultimate counter.

From my experience just so you know and don't start assuming things again Anime either involves as said very shallow people, people moaning about nothing, very emo like people, people who are far to happy to be sober, strange laser beam shooting monsters, lots of gore, lots of nudity, stupidlt big weapons or people taking 5 episodes to talk about a fight before it acctually happens.

I'm sorry, I had to separate this from the rest of the paragraph. It's like you went off on a stream of consciousness rant that I couldn't make sense of.

 

[WolfmanNougat]

Well, it'd also have to depend on one's definition of "mature". For me when someone says that the inclusion of gore and sex makes something mature, I have to resist the tremendous desire to take them out back and beat some sense into them with a two-by-four.

This.

Hence why I consider most Pixar films to be more mature than contemporary kids' shows, Western or Japanese. Sure there's no "adult" content, but they tend to take a serious manner and don't treat the audience like idiots, nor do they give the impression that mental retardation is an option in life (I'm looking at the likes of Spongebob and Naruto when I say that).

 

[scotth266]

A perfect example of such treatment is the well-known Yu-Gi-Oh!. While the original is not something that adults would enjoy either, it still contains enough mature themes to qualify for a late teenager demographic. However, 4Kids, the company responsible for dubbing the anime in English, heavily edited it and even changed entire plot points in order to make it more friendly towards young children.

See also: Yu-Gi-Oh the Abriged Series. [http://www.yugiohtheabridgedseries.com/episodes/]

 

[Lavi]

Yugioh is a perfect example. 4Kids was so concerned if kids learned about anything other than friendship and saaaaaaaaaaving the world. Seriously, all the script is edited. I started watching the japanese as the ultimate in the face to 4Kids, those fuckers.

 

[hannarr]

Ghostkai and Hannarr, try reading my comment fully before you start picking it apart.

First of all I did not say MOST Anime fans are 5-15, I said ALOT of anime fans are 5-15, and thats not just 5 year olds, that is as stated 5 .... to 15!!!

And Ghostkai if your going to quote something I said, please quote the whole thing not just halve of it. I said 10-13 or people who got into them at 10-13. Mabye I should have included those who are still in the mind frame of 10-13 when you thought that any song that had swears in it was cool.

And no the 5 year olds are not watching ghost in the shell (although they soon will be) they are watching stuff like Yu Gi-Oh, Naruto, Avatar you know, the stuff that apears on "NICKELODIAN" like I already said.

Hannarr who are you and what gives you the authority to make me "officialy" wrong? hmmmm?
And yes I have watched anime before in a desperate attempt to find out why everyone gave so much of a shit about this specific genre of cartoon (I never found out and still hate the damn thing) so please don't tell what I have and havn't done, or what and what not to do. From my experience just so you know and don't start assuming things again Anime either involves as said very shallow people, people moaning about nothing, very emo like people, people who are far to happy to be sober, strange laser beam shooting monsters, lots of gore, lots of nudity, stupidlt big weapons or people taking 5 episodes to talk about a fight before it acctually happens.

A lot? Most? OH NO THEY MEAN SUCH DIFFERENT THINGS! Seriously. Shut the fuck up.
I'm sorry I've never met anybody under the age of atleast 14 who listens to slipknot. You said yourself their shows are pretty violent and the mosh pits are intense. Yeah because everyone knows that 12 year olds are AWESOME MOSHERS. Okay good job on proving yourself wrong there!

I am the authority that has actually done the research, been watching anime of many many different genres in English and Japanese for years and years and years. Probably before you even hit puberty (wait, did you get there yet?).
"Anime either involves as said very shallow people, people moaning about nothing, very emo like people, people who are far to happy to be sober, strange laser beam shooting monsters, lots of gore, lots of nudity, stupidlt big weapons or people taking 5 episodes to talk about a fight before it acctually happens."
Okay so what you're saying ONCE AGAIN is that you've seen ONE GENRE of anime. GOOD FUCKING JOB!
Please PLEASE try harder next time. Do your homework before you start a flame war.

 

[Ghostkai]

*well thought out argument ninja'ing me *

Ahhh, I spent like 5 minutes typing a reply to him, ninja'ed! D'oh. I blame the fact that he didn't quote me, so I didn't get a little red (1) telling me he had.

Anyway, you said everything I wanted to. Well played sir.

 

[Ares Tyr]

I love anime, I own about four or five complete series on DVD. I gots Cowboy Bebop, I gots Samurai Champloo, Beck, Full Metal Alchemist, Ruroini Kenshin, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc.

But I swear to Zeus almighty if I see another anime fan use the 'XD' smiley again, I'm going to punch the first person I see wearing any form of anime merchandise in real life.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Sorry, I'll respond in a sec. Pardon me while I have a slightly immature interlude.

...

Mature in the sense that they ALWAYS have sexual undertones but not so much in some of the story.

I'm trying to remember the sexual undertones in Spirited Away...

You mean: Are japanese cartoons more mature than Western ones?

/Thread.

/unthread.

There is always some, very subtle maybe, but you will be watching and then for maybe 3 seconds something will happen and you will think "Well... that was inappropriate". XD

...in other words, if you really, really want to find sexual undertones, you will. Even if you have to squint a little and convince yourself.

I mean come on, even Pokemon had sexual undertones thanks to Brock... dirty bugger.

Well, duh. Brock's not an undertone. He's pretty damned obvious.

Nope, its called paying attention.

PYRAMID SLICE!

Not if you can find sexual undertones in Spirited Away, it's not.

Set in a bathhouse... all I am saying.

Because the implication that vaguely anthropomorphic (if that) spirits take baths is inherently sexual? You'd have to call Rule 34 so hard Miyazaki would start having spontaneous nightmares.

Sorry, but 10 year old girls hanging out in bathhouses does not sit well with me.

Sorry, haven't been able to do that since I left the City of Heroes forums.

Anyway, like I said, if you convince yourself they're there. Nothing in the movie is sexualized in the least, storywise or culturally; it's entirely your perception.

 

[MarsProbe]

Has anyone mentioned Monster yet? I scanned the last three pages and didn't see it mentioned.

So far, I have yet to hear of any western animated serial that can match that anime in terms of it's content.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

Well, the ones made in Japan that focus on a real story. Not animated boobies.

PS. Dubs suck and so does Naruto.

 

[nipsen]

They're not more mature, but there's just the fact that while for Kim Possible and Foster's Home have similar things in Anime (Mirumo de Pon, Doremi, etc...), but I've never seen a western counterpart for Hellsing or Berserk! People who do western cartoons do not even THINK about making those kind of cartoons.

Mm. Had to laugh a little bit when my nephew started to take off with Pokemon - and then started to talk about how the fight was more important than winning, and so on. But that's it in a nutshell, really. Even the most vapid anime tend to have some deeper themes hidden away somewhere. It's just more developed and with a broader range artistically and thematically.. Just imagine someone in the west doing "Inukami!"..? Never would've worked. Just like Aeon Flux - Peter Chung made the series for Liquid Television on MTV as a one- time deal, and then.. I don't know, went back and did more Rugrats..

 

[jamesworkshop]

Has anyone mentioned Monster yet? I scanned the last three pages and didn't see it mentioned.

So far, I have yet to hear of any western animated serial that can match that anime in terms of it's content.

Thats because western animated serials can be barely said to exist

 

[NeutralDrow]

But I swear to Zeus almighty if I see another anime fan use the 'XD' smiley again, I'm going to punch the first person I see wearing any form of anime merchandise in real life.

I don't really associate that style of emoticon with "anime fans" so much as "westerners." Personally, I prefer eastern style! ^_^

 

[Zangamarth]

Well... yeah. Anime is often dumbed down for American audiences. 4kids, for example, dumbs all their shows down, removing cigarettes, guns ets, where as the original Japanese versions are happy to include those. We have lollipops and invisible guns instead.