Poll: Is it inaccurate or offensive to call Anime "Cartoons"

[Daniel Laeben-Rosen]

Personally I say "anime" for simplification-reasons.
This "anime is always more complex"-thing is just bullshit though. I've seen western cartoons more complex than some anime and vice-versa. Also, if you look at japanese adds for... say disney, they refer to that as "Anime" too because it's... just the word they use.
It's also used in Spain. Because it's just short for "animation". It's as simple as that. So call it what you wish.

I do refer to it all as "animation" though when talking to friends on the same wavelength as myself.

 

[Pyro Paul]

Not really. Anime is short for Animation. People tend to generalize it to Japan. I think it's completely fine to call them cartoons, since that's what they are. However, I call them anime, for the sake of understanding.

This guy speaks the truth. To piggyback, the term "anime" is simply Japanese shorthand for "animeshon", Japanese phonetics for "animation". For the layman:

anime -> animeshon -> animation -> cartoon.

So it's all related really. I personally don't how more people don't understand that.

because Cartoon =/= Animation

Cartoon is a short unrefined gesture drawing.

it eventually evolved into its own type of art work and style which went hand in hand with early printing press. given that a cartoon is short and quick to produce, as well as being unrefined consisting mostly of simple line work allowed it to be worked into the simple 1 color printing presses of the time.

 

[Sajuuk-khar]

To classify something into a category you first need a definition, so let's find a commonly used one (from Merriam-Webster):

Definition of CARTOON
(...)
3: animated cartoon
(...)

Definition of ANIMATED CARTOON:
a motion picture that is made from a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects (as puppets) and that simulates movement by slight progressive changes in each frame

Ergo: anime are animated cartoons. Anime would still be a better term to describe Japanese animation though, as it is more narrowed down (cartoons from Japan).

Offensive because they are 'deep' and complex? Although there's definitely good stuff, the bulk of it (especially these days) is bad shonen (action for kids), slice of life or panty flashing/suggestive crap.

 

[Georgie L]

A book is just a blanket term for anything that contains paper with writing and pictures on it. yet there are still different kinds of books.

 

[k-mysta]

i agree with your friends.cartoons are very different from anime and you only have to watch a few thoroughly to see.sure cartoons like Spongebob,Ed Edd 'n' Eddy, Cow and Chicken are great in their own right but they are not as complex as anime.anime worlds have lots of history and divisions and a vast array of characters that you just wouldn't see in a cartoon and if you did see it,it wouldn't be as fleshed out.don't know if its offensive but when someone makes that comparison,i think they are very ignorant.this is my own personal opinion though and i'm sure other anime fans won't hold the same view.you don't have to like anime but don't simplify it.of course,if you have watched anime and still hold the same view,that's fine as you have a better formed opinion then if you have only seen one episode of any anime and came to the same conclusion.i'm not an anime fanboy and i think cartoons should probably stay the way they are rather than try to emulate anime.i hope i don't sound bitter but it really grinds my gears when people make the comparison.anyway,it's a damn shame they don't make anymore cow and chicken or new ed boys episodes.

 

[A Weakgeek]

Anime is more of a style than a genre. I think the term doesn't necessarily "mean animation" as much as it's "derived from the word animation".

Cartoons are cartoons; some cartoons are anime. All anime are drawings.

Umm actually, the style is called manga. Unless you are talking about the lack of animation in scenes that plagues many animes, that could be called a style.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

It's all animation but just like people don't call CGI things like Pixar movies cartoons so should they do for anime as well.

Cartoon, claymation, CGI, anime, all are forms of animation but just like theater and movies are distinct and referred to as such, despite both having actors, scripts, lines, special effects, costumes and whatnot. The same applies for anime and cartoon.



Also, in USA cartoon has the additional meaning of "something that kids watch". It is there that Americans may find it offensive to brand anime as cartoons, since unlike with cartoons where the majority of them are actually made for kids, anime is mostly made for all ages and frequents a pg13+ rating, making it demeaning to liken them to things like the Smurfs.

 

[Georgie L]

plus in europe cartoons never really got the label of "for kids only" due to there being some countries which did things similar to family guy way before family guy ever happened.

 

[GrimHeaper]

Offensive? If you get OFFENDED by that I think you need to take a fucking time out.

Manga is the Japanese term for comics. Anime is the Japanese term for cartoons. They often refer to them as such when using English.
Anime and Manga are just useful terms for differentiating between Western and Japanese products.

There is a massive difference between comics and manga. Authors.
Most manga's have a singular author.
Most comics never have a single author for the whole run of the series.
So, yes they are rather different. Though I wouldn't call everything with a singular author a manga though.(that would be silly)

 

[SageRuffin]

Not really. Anime is short for Animation. People tend to generalize it to Japan. I think it's completely fine to call them cartoons, since that's what they are. However, I call them anime, for the sake of understanding.

This guy speaks the truth. To piggyback, the term "anime" is simply Japanese shorthand for "animeshon", Japanese phonetics for "animation". For the layman:

anime -> animeshon -> animation -> cartoon.

So it's all related really. I personally don't how more people don't understand that.

because Cartoon =/= Animation

Cartoon is a short unrefined gesture drawing.

it eventually evolved into its own type of art work and style which went hand in hand with early printing press. given that a cartoon is short and quick to produce, as well as being unrefined consisting mostly of simple line work allowed it to be worked into the simple 1 color printing presses of the time.

Hmm... then, by that logic, it's offensive (more so inaccurate if anything, but whatever) to call what we know in this day and age as cartoons cartoons!

But wait! Check this out: what's that say about illustrations that simply happen to bear the same art style? Still cartoons in a general sense, or do they now fall under "anime"?

 

[MattyintheHatty]

Soooo... if someone get offended by calling some Japanese animation show a cartoon, just call "The Simpsons" or "The Flintstones" Anime and the Universe will balance itself out.

 

[Grey_Focks]

because Cartoon =/= Animation

Cartoon is a short unrefined gesture drawing.

it eventually evolved into its own type of art work and style which went hand in hand with early printing press. given that a cartoon is short and quick to produce, as well as being unrefined consisting mostly of simple line work allowed it to be worked into the simple 1 color printing presses of the time.

....posting the EXACT SAME ARGUMENT three times in a row doesn't make it any less wrong, you know.

Your definition of cartoon is severely out-dated. Was that true a few decades ago? Ofcourse, but the definition of words CAN change, as societies change. Cartoon USED to be used to refer to those things, and it still is, but over the years it's definition has broadened to include animations.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/animated+cartoon

OT: Yes, they are, by definition , animated cartoons. People who say otherwise are either pretentious or using outdated definitions of words.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

plus in europe cartoons never really got the label of "for kids only" due to there being some countries which did things similar to family guy way before family guy ever happened.

The thing is that, if cartoons in America are made for adults, they're ALWAYS comedy/satire/audacious. They almost NEVER have a serious story with actual god damn continuity, they're all single episodes in a never changing never evolving never aging universe that try and jam jokes or social satire in them when they're not taking refuge in the audacity and sex joke heaven.

Things like Asterix were the pinnacle of "something which was once for kids but now is smart enough that adults can enjoy too", instead of doing this, they just went for the juvenile's view on what maturity consists of over here, which is also a way anime is insulted when likened to cartoons.

 

[Romidude]

Is it offensive? Who are you going to offend, Weaboos?

 

[Jonluw]

Anime is a sub-genre of cartoons, that goes without saying. However, it is implied when saying 'cartoons' that you refer to western cartoons which very rarely handle adult subjects or have any emotional depth. Therefore many fans of anime find it offensive when anime is grouped in with western animation.

In the west, cartoons are seen as only capable of catering to children (spongebob etc.) or being light hearted comedy with perhaps some social satire (The Simpsons, South park etc.). Many fans of anime are trying to fight this view that animated material is not serious (think of it like the "games are art" conflict), and as such do not like the use of the word 'cartoon' when referring to material with emotional depth.

In other words: Anime differs greatly from people's connotations with the word 'cartoon', so while it is technically an appropriate term (moving drawings) the fans would not like to have the uninitiated think of anime as cartoons, since that would mean introducing them to the medium would be impossible, seeing how they will think of it as cartoons and never take it seriously.
It is actually rather annoying. The single most moving experience of my life was an anime, and I would so much like to let others experience it as well, but there is no way of getting them to accept it.

Edit: It may be that the definition of cartoon doesn't include all moving drawings. In that case, I am wrong. It probably comes from a linguistic misunderstanding: in my language, the word meaning 'cartoon' is 'tegneserie'; literally "a series of drawings"

Eh, I never plan on watching Anime. Partly because I feel strange watching for some reason, and partly because I may only get to watch half the series only for the producer to pull a "no export for you," down the line.

Heh. You live in the US, exports shouldn't be too much of a problem. I live in Norway. Getting a hold of anime legally here is almost impossible. Only certain dedicated stores sell anime, and even then it's very limited. I once came across a dvd with episodes 13-24 or something of Clannad. It cost nearly $50, and the rest of the episodes were not available.
I've tried to ask the people in my local store where I can order the dvd. Turns out they're out of print. The only way to get a hold of it is to buy it used over the internet, and there's no way I'm doing that. I want to support the industry, not some random person who's selling his dvds.
Like someone said in a recent thread: I've never come across an industry that makes it this hard for me to give them my money.

I don't know how manga prices are in the us, but here it's $20 per issue, and the selection is still very limited. I wanted to try out One piece the other day. Well, if I wanted to do that, I would have to start reading from issue 15 (or was it 50? Meh, doesn't matter)

In any case, there's always some way to get around exporting problems. You can for example order stuff over the internet.

Well, I'm not going to try to convince you to watch anime, but let me say that there are a lot of interesting stories you're missing out on. *coughclannadcough*

 

[Chairman Miaow]

First of all, backstory: I have a lot of friends who watch anime, some of them get angry at me when I refer Naruto and Bleach as 'cartoons' and say that I do this just because I personally dislike them. I'm told the phrase 'cartoon' is offensive because it "trivialises the depth and complexity of anime". I disagree.

Cartoons have brought us classics such as Rocco's modern life, Spongebob squarepants, Ed Edd 'n' Eddy, Cow and Chicken and many more. If anything I would consider it a compliment to be compared to such a great medium of entertainment.

So I put it to the escapist community, is there anything wrong with calling anime "cartoons"?

EDIT: Fuckin' poll being a ***** atm

I'm with your friends on this. I've yet to see a cartoon with even the depth of the simplest anime, and the word cartoon is indicative of children's entertainment, which anime is not.
Off topic: I hate cartoons.

Dead space downfall. Resident Evil Degeneration. Not the best examples I can think of but there you go.

 

[standokan]

Not THAT much, but anime has kinda become the name for japanese cartoons so it's kinda annoying.

 

[Ishadus]

Is it wrong to call humans, animals? No, it's technically what we are, however we're more specialized and such wouldn't refer to ourselves as such under normal circumstances.

All humans are animals, not all animals are humans.
All anime is cartoons, not all cartoons are anime.

Hell, we specifically refer to "Western RPGs" and "J-RPGs," but they are both RPGs. I see no difference from Western cartoons and Japanese cartoons. You just use a more specific word to specifically describe a subset category.

If people want to build altars and nerdrage/be condescending over something as trivial as vocabulary, then I would just be amused by it and move on.

 

[Jordan_17]

Wait... People are OFFENDED by someone calling Anime cartoons? That's just ridiculous, pathetic, hilarious and a few other nasty words.

 

[Something Amyss]

"Cartoon" carries a juvenile weight for a lot of people, and so you could be read as dismissive.

Personally, I call them "cartoons" because I enjoy my hobbies even when people look down on them.

It'd be like if you got butthurt every time someone called a video game a game, instead of an "interactive storytelling experience."

Anime is a kind of cartoon. Cartoons aren't all for kids.

and besides, I watch cartoons still. Usually nostalgic stuff (Reboot, Galaxy Rangers, Saber Rider, Voltron, Gargoyles), but some newer stuff (Avatar TLA is the only oen that comes to mind, but I don't have cable anymore). Same with the specific division of anime (where I guess, Voltron and Saber Rider overlap, but I think of it as Western because of the story rewrites and such). Fullmetal Alchemist, Tekkaman Blade (And I've even got a few VHS tapes of the original Tekkaman the Space Knight), Ghost in the Shell, etc.

No point in pretending they're not cartoons, though.

But hey, I consider video games toys. Maybe I'm atypical here.