So, why do you like anime?

[Robert Ewing]

I've always been apprehensive of calling myself an 'Otaku.' I think it sounds pretentious and sort of a lie... In a sort of fight the power sort of way, but I think I am now, I've watched a hell of a lot of anime, and read a hell of a lot of manga. I can draw anime quite well, and I can speak Japanese quite well.

But then that got me thinking, why do I like this genre of media so much? Well, where do I begin?

It seems to be the only thing in which it can excel in all areas. Anime has some of the funniest scenes I've ever seen, not many things can actually get me to laugh out loud, but anime pulls it off regularly. It has some of the best horror I've ever seen, but Japanese horror is famous for being... good. ;D It's romance is so deep and complex, and it covers it all, slice of life, love triangles, love squares, harem, yandere (lol). It has some of the best character development because of these things, the sense of adventure, the sense of scale. There's a hell of a lot of detail I can go into, but I'll save it.

Basically, anime does everything, everything else does, but a little bit better. So, discuss.

Why do you like anime so much?

And if you don't... why the hell not?

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

I've always been apprehensive of calling myself an 'Otaku.' I think it sounds pretentious and sort of a lie... In a sort of fight the power sort of way, but I think I am now, I've watched a hell of a lot of anime, and read a hell of a lot of manga. I can draw anime quite well, and I can speak Japanese quite well.

But then that got me thinking, why do I like this genre of media so much? Well, where do I begin?

It seems to be the only thing in which it can excel in all areas. Anime has some of the funniest scenes I've ever seen, not many things can actually get me to laugh out loud, but anime pulls it off regularly. It has some of the best horror I've ever seen, but Japanese horror is famous for being... good. ;D It's romance is so deep and complex, and it covers it all, slice of life, love triangles, love squares, harem, yandere (lol). It has some of the best character development because of these things, the sense of adventure, the sense of scale. There's a hell of a lot of detail I can go into, but I'll save it.

Basically, anime does everything, everything else does, but a little bit better. So, discuss.

Why do you like anime so much?

And if you don't... why the hell not?

I don't.

Because I don't like the art style that I see a part of most anime. I actually had this argument earlier today.

That, and I find a good part of anime fandom.... less than savory. That's my honest opinion.

 

[John Farrell]

Animation can open up whole areas of stories and not be shackled by the budget of big special effects (as much). A lot of anime have plotted beginnings and endings which makes them better for epic stories spanning the entire series with a theme or philosophy rather than an episodic series with generic morals. Finally, while anime can be silly, it does so in a non-crude, not-Family Guy kind of way, which can make it more acceptable to prudes.

 

[Loop Stricken]

Mmm.

Spoiler: Basically, this

But yeah, I like a good story; not particularly bothered as to what medium it's served in.
I have no working knowledge of Japanese, I don't intend on learning it, I'm not calling people baka gaijin-desu or owt. I just like cartoons.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

I like it for the same reason I like a lot of fiction, things happen in it that don't happen in real life.

One thing I especially like is that being from a different culture (and an open-minded younger culture, relatively) it does a lot of things that many people would consider wrong, but it is, of course, what draws me to it somewhat.

I don't like the tedium that regular people seem to get themselves in (this is from my perception) so things that operate completely outside the boundaries of what is acceptable seem pretty interesting to me.

 

[John Farrell]

I don't.

Because I don't like the art style that I see a part of most anime. I actually had this argument earlier today.

That, and I find a good part of anime fandom.... less than savory. That's my honest opinion.

While I do agree that some anime fans take it too far (cosplayers, yaoi fanatics who see every male-male interaction as subtle romance), fans should not be a reason for not liking something. Check out something for yourself and pick your own side of the love-it-or-hate-it fence. Can't really do anything about you not liking the art style. Sometimes a more innocent looking art style helps though. Devilman threw me for a loop with innocent 70's appearance and the actual content of the story.

 

[Blue Hero]

Never really been a big fan of Japanese cartoons. Don't know why. Just don't. Like Berserk though. That's pretty much the only Japanese cartoon that I like.

 

[Robert Ewing]

Yep. You have hit hardcore otaku-ism. Of course, you are entitled to your opinion, but here's mine.

Anime is often incredibly overblown with its drama and any anime labelled "horror" usually isn't actually scary. There are a lot of things about anime that can get on my ever-last nerve, and on top of that list is its incessant humor and its over-the-top melodrama.

Note that this doesn't always mean I dislike anime (gasp!). In fact, some of my favorite works ever are in anime form. Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Baccano, and Yu Yu Hakusho were all incredibly interesting to me and kept my attention from beginning to end. I liked the stories they had to tell and the characters included.

Anime is pretty much like all other mediums of entertainment. It's no better or no worse than anything else as a whole; 90% of it is shit and 10% of it is great. That's how every single medium for delivering entertainment has always worked, and that's how it will always work.

One quick thing that I'm really wary of:

...and I can speak Japanese quite well.

Did you learn Japanese from watching subbed anime or did you actually learn it in a classroom or from someone you actually know who actually speaks Japanese, or something else like that? No one has ever taught themselves to speak a language quite well without someone else to speak to. You can't really learn it well from watching some subbed anime and singing along to the J-Rock songs at the beginning and end.

I'm doubting you not because I think you aren't credible, but because anime's fandom is often full of people who feel they're Japanese in every way but physically when they don't even know the language very well. No offense meant, I'm just asking.

And, on a last note, I am not and have never considered myself an otaku. I occasionally pick up a full anime series and watch it all dubbed. Never subbed. That's about as close as I step to the Otaku line.

I learned it with the help of lessons, and a heavy reliance of Rosetta stone. Anime has only really helped me in slang, certain adjectives and 'sayings?'

 

[Rakuen]

There's a lot of things I can get in anime that I can get in other places. I can find series with strong characters, strong stories, strong humor, or what have you, in any medium. They just may not be as prevalent in some as others. For example, it's a lot easier to find a show with a plot in anime than it is to find it in Western live-action, a lot of which have reboot continuities that allow for 5 minutes of overarching plot per 45-minute episode.

I guess what sets animated shows apart for me is the stylized look. There's a lot you can do with animation that you can't do reasonably or believably in real life. The most prevalent example of this is probably combat scenes, but it can even get down to the backgrounds. As for anime in particular over other forms of animation, I just generally find the Japanese styles and aesthetics more pleasing.

 

[blaqknoise]

I can't say whether I like it or not, seeing as I've only seen two anime's. Wolf's Rain and Death Note I thought were awesome though.

 

[Ragnarok185]

I like anime because well, i don't know it's just really cool and unique type of cartoon. However many simply assume anime to be hentai which i find just sick.

 

[Thaius]

My main reason is that the west has such a stigma regarding animation; it's either for kids, or it can be stupid fun, but it certainly can't tell serious stories or evoke emotion. Some examples have started breaking down this staggeringly ignorant viewpoint, such as Pixar's films and the occasional show like Avatar: The Last Airbender, but as a whole people over here still seem to think that animation can only exist as Spongebob or Family Guy. That's mind-numbingly wrong.

Japan understands this. Due to their particular filmmaking past as a country, they do not have these woefully incorrect presumptions about the sub-medium of animation. They view it for what it is; a diverse branch of the medium of film that is capable of everything and more of which live-action film is capable. Anime can be funny, but it can also be serious, emotional, challenging, and mind-tripping. And that's what I love about it.

Heck, when Clannad is the only thing to completely break me emotionally, you know anime is capable of something.

 

[Loop Stricken]

BlahblahblahLOOK AT MY AVATAR OH GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NOW

Spoiler: Great, now I'll be stuck watching THIS again!

Also I find anime characters can get away with being far FAR more... intense, than in other media. Maybe it's the Japanese? Maybe it's 'cos it's cartoons? Who can fathom the mysteries?!

 

[Ragnarok185]

My main reason is that the west has such a stigma regarding animation; it's either for kids, or it can be stupid fun, but it certainly can't tell serious stories or evoke emotion. Some examples have started breaking down this staggeringly ignorant viewpoint, such as Pixar's films and the occasional show like Avatar: The Last Airbender, but as a whole people over here still seem to think that animation can only exist as Spongebob or Family Guy. That's mind-numbingly wrong.

Japan understands this. Due to their particular filmmaking past as a country, they do not have these woefully incorrect presumptions about the sub-medium of animation. They view it for what it is; a diverse branch of the medium of film that is capable of everything and more of which live-action film is capable. Anime can be funny, but it can also be serious, emotional, challenging, and mind-tripping. And that's what I love about it.

Heck, when Clannad is the only thing to completely break me emotionally, you know anime is capable of something.

couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Nouw]

I have no real reason for liking it. It'd be like asking me why do I like western cartoons, I just happen to enjoy it.

I'm more of a Manga person though.

 

[Gaiseric]

I like anime for the same reasons I like to read, I get to experience a world filled with things I'll never experience in real life. And the characters can be damn entertaining regardless if they are a giant sword swinging angry man with a cannon for an arm, a teenager running around the desert as a bounty hunter, or a silly cyborg with a red duster. Good times.

edit: Admittedly I don't enjoy anime as much as I used to and I haven't found a new one that I liked in sometime now. The last one I found that I liked was Desert Punk a few years ago.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

Uhh... guh... Well I... Hmmm.

You know, I actually never thought about untill now.

I think it's the action. The Fluid and Delcious action.

Also, I have never seen an anime about normal, everyday life. Everything is made exciting. The interactions between the characters and the world are always exaggerated.

I think that's what drives me to watch.

 

[Shadow flame master]

It's because watching faithful soldiers die by the hands of teenagers in giant fighting robots on Earth AND space is somewhat enjoyable. That, and also it gives a view of war that I have never thought of.

Also, it's a form of fiction that I can easily get into.

 

[Nemu]

I'm a fan of animation in general, be it anime, western-style, or Scandinavian stop-motion. lol

I was initially drawn in as a child by how different anime looked compared to contemporary cartoons I was seeing (Voltron vs Smurfs). I got REALLY into anime after going with a friend and his father to see Akira when I was a teen, loved the genre ever since. (Tho, tbh, my interests lie more in the comedies.)

I haven't had the time to devote to it like I used to, but I still collect stuff by my fave artists/writers. I've just not seen anything spectacular as of late, so I've prolly missed a lot of good series. :/