Is Anime really more mature than Western cartoons?

[Jabberwock xeno]

Depends on the anime.

There's crazy, nonsencial stuff like DBZ, naruto, and the like, there's serious, intellectual stuff like death note, and there's truly mature and thought provoking ones too.

 

[Gabrielbew]

I read to page 5 and didn't see anyone reply really what I think is "up" with the deal of people saying "anime is more mature than cartoons".

The fact is, none is, by default, anything. Animes, just like books, comic books, cartoons, movies, series and even plays, are just a way to tell a story. Not to be an Yathzee fanboy but I recall him, himself, mentioning something in those lines - that anime, is not, for the majority of it, a GENRE. It's just a type of media.

Being so, it's absolutly ridiculous to have people come around and say "Hey anime is about robots and boobs and fanservice and epic, slow motion ninja fights". It's not. A genre of anime might be about all of the above, but at the same time, a genre of movies include crappy made aliens and pseudo-american Steroid-pumped Space marines, does that means ALL movies have that? No. Just no.

In fact, some of my favorite anime have neither of those. Death Note has absolutly no fights, nor robots, nor much magic (Despite the death note, but that's what carry the moral questions of the story).

Rurouni Kenshin OVA are probably the best Samurai anime I've ever seem, yet it contains absolutly no over-the-top fights, no name-calling of moves, no nothing. It's brutal, dramatic and simply amazing.

So while it's 100% wrong to say "animes are more mature", it's also silly to say "animes are less mature". They're just another way to get your story out there.

However, and it's something I'd like to point out, animes are a much more respected way to publish your story in Japan than it is in the West. We, on the west, apparently don't take drawed work seriously just because it was drawed and dismiss it as a "second-rate" media, reserving the great storylines for movies, series, books and plays (and maybe games!).

In Japan, such drawed works have way more cultural relevance and being so, they often are the choosen media for really profound work (Like someone mentioned, Grave of the Fireflies). If the grave of the Fireflies autor was in the west, he'd probably never think about telling his story in a "cartoon", because of social stigma attached to "lol cartoons".

So ends up that yes, there are more animes with a serious plot and story, more than western cartoons, but that's not because this is a "serious-only" kind of media, and instead, just because people on the East accept it for what it is - just another way to express yourself, free of any attachments to what an "Anime should be".

 

[boholikeu]

As someone who lives in Japan I can tell you that this is simply not true. Adults that read manga/watch anime are just as ostracized in Japan as they are in the US (perhaps even a bit more)

I can tell you're full of it.
Japan may ostracize otaku culture, but why in the world would there be thousands of manga dedicated to adult readers that deal with drama, intrigue, romance and even a few epics if the prime demographics are children and teens? Try to explain why there would be an 18+ rating for millions of manga if their readers are suppose to be young people? And no, saying there's "sex" in it doesn't account for everything.


EDIT: I make no claim to know all about this, but I too have a friend who's been in Tokyo for over 6 years and tells me that it's not unusual to see adults buying manga. It just depends on people's tastes and of course not everyone reads manga. But still, comics just aren't looked at the same way as they are in the West.

Say what you will, but manga is a fluid medium like just like film and literature.

Japan ostracizes otaku culture, and pretty much any adult seen reading manga in public is seen as being an otaku to some extent. Yes, you are more likely to see people reading manga in public than in the west, but you are also more likely to see people reading pornography in public. That doesn't mean it's more socially accepted.

People like to imagine that Japan is some sort of animation "haven", but it's not. Yes, there is more stuff being produced here than in the West, but the proportions of childish/mature material is roughly the same.

However, and it's something I'd like to point out, animes are a much more respected way to publish your story in Japan than it is in the West. We, on the west, apparently don't take drawed work seriously just because it was drawed and dismiss it as a "second-rate" media, reserving the great storylines for movies, series, books and plays (and maybe games!).

In Japan, such drawed works have way more cultural relevance and being so, they often are the choosen media for really profound work (Like someone mentioned, Grave of the Fireflies). If the grave of the Fireflies autor was in the west, he'd probably never think about telling his story in a "cartoon", because of social stigma attached to "lol cartoons".

So ends up that yes, there are more animes with a serious plot and story, more than western cartoons, but that's not because this is a "serious-only" kind of media, and instead, just because people on the East accept it for what it is - just another way to express yourself, free of any attachments to what an "Anime should be".

Anime is considered to be a second-rate medium here in Japan, too. Aside from Gibli movies (the Japanese equivalent of Pixar), you'll see that same kind of "lol cartoons" stigma attached to animated features (actually here in Japan it's more like "ugh, cartoons").

 

[Johanthemonster666]

Japan ostracizes otaku culture, and pretty much any adult seen reading manga in public is seen as being an otaku to some extent. Yes, you are more likely to see people reading manga in public than in the west, but you are also more likely to see people reading pornography in public. That doesn't mean it's more socially accepted.

People like to imagine that Japan is some sort of animation "haven", but it's not. Yes, there is more stuff being produced here than in the West, but the proportions of childish/mature material is roughly the same.

You make it sound as if YOU think animation is a second rate medium. I'm sure you probably think paintings are second-rate art too? I'm not assuming you do, but you're making generalizations about a medium that is no different than that of any other art form (sort of like how people in the West look down on video games except the younger generations).

I realize you live in Japan and can testify to how some people feel, but I've been told that many times. I had a Japanese roomate when I attended private school in St.Louis, and he tried to make it seem like Japan was ashamed of animation and manga. He liked to put people down in the school who read manga, yet when you went in our room guess what he had posted on his wall? The movie poster to "Akira" and had several anime movies, mangas, and models hidden away in his closet. Was he an Otaku? No, he just had a moderate interest (as do I) in certain works by certain mangaka, animation directors and stories that appealed to him.

But what made him nervous was that he thought Americans thought cartoons were shameful and childish, therefore he had to act like he hated EVERYTHING animated. He thought liking anything animated or drawn in Japan made him geeky. Well, it doesn't

I'm not sure why you or conservative society looks down on manga and anime, there's nothing separating them from any other art form in my mind.

P.S: I study film and literature at my college, so forgive me for sounding like I'm judging your opinions harshly or acting as If I know more. I do not, in fact there is are a great deal of things you're right about and I understand your perspective and insights.

But I'd hope that these are honest reflections on culture and media, not just insecurity about how foreigners might look at Japan. Foreign opinions about Japan are going to be screwed if they haven't stayed there before, just as most countries idolized US entertainment and our products not too long ago. Countries like India, South Korea, Japan, China, Central-South America have had a surge of domestic media and entertainment in the past 21 or so years, so expect the West to be very interested in whatever comes from abroad.

 

[Weskerbot3000]

No both have their juvenile and mature versions, neither trumps the other.

this.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

Depends on cartoon to cartoon dude :/

 

[boholikeu]

You make it sound as if YOU think animation is a second rate medium. I'm sure you probably think paintings are second-rate art too? I'm not assuming you do, but you're making generalizations about a medium that is no different than that of any other art form (sort of like how people in the West look down on video games except the younger generations).

I realize you live in Japan and can testify to how some people feel, but I've been told that many times. I had a Japanese roomate when I attended private school in St.Louis, and he tried to make it seem like Japan was ashamed of animation and manga. He liked to put people down in the school who read manga, yet when you went in our room guess what he had posted on his wall? The movie poster to "Akira" and had several anime movies, mangas, and models hidden away in his closet. Was he an Otaku? No, he just had a moderate interest (as do I) in certain works by certain mangaka, animation directors and stories that appealed to him.

But what made him nervous was that he thought Americans thought cartoons were shameful and childish, therefore he had to act like he hated EVERYTHING animated. He thought liking anything animated or drawn in Japan made him geeky. Well, it doesn't

I'm not sure why you or conservative society looks down on manga and anime, there's nothing separating them from any other art form in my mind.

P.S: I study film and literature at my college, so forgive me for sounding like I'm judging your opinions harshly or acting as If I know more. I do not, in fact there is are a great deal of things you're right about and I understand your perspective and insights.

But I'd hope that these are honest reflections on culture and media, not just insecurity about how foreigners might look at Japan. Foreign opinions about Japan are going to be screwed if they haven't stayed there before, just as most countries idolized US entertainment and our products not too long ago. Countries like India, South Korea, Japan, China, Central-South America have had a surge of domestic media and entertainment in the past 21 or so years, so expect the West to be very interested in whatever comes from abroad.

I don't think anime is a second rate medium. I actually quite like anime. I'm just saying that your average Japanese person isn't likely to be any more "enlightened" about animation than your average Westerner. Anime/manga is still viewed as being "juvenile" over here. They do have some mature titles, yes, but for the most part they are not well known and/or they are seen as being part of "otaku" culture.

The interesting thing about your old roommate is that he probably hid his statues/posters from his Japanese friends as well. Even if you wouldn't label him an otaku, many people in Japan probably would based on those alone.

 

[BNguyen]

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.

The one thing I can't stand about anime haters is that apparently, any character who has dark hair and or experiences emotions such as anger or sadness is immediately labeled 'emo'
to them, it seems like anybody who has a shred of human-emotion in them is immediately emo