The appeal of Anime

[Wondermint13]

OMG?? How could you even ask such a thing??

Anime is great because.... because... yeh!
It's great because it's Japanese and has alot of guns and kantanas in it which is super cool!
Also if you are a gamer then you HAVE to like it! Because.. gamers like anime because of all the Japanese and demon stuff in it..!!

...yeh. I have no idea.

 

[FoOd77]

EDIT: Post didn't get eaten afterall, damn you, deceptive internets!!!

Also, I used to love Dragonball Z when I was a little kid, and I realize now how terrible it is, but its a part of my childhood damn it, I still love it, for the nostalgia. So I guess I don't hate all anime.

When you were a kid? Dude, you're still a kid! According to your profile, you're only nineteen.
I can't take you seriously when you complain that all anime sucks, since you obviously can't have experienced much of it. You especially couldn't have had the chance to try much seinen anime, which is where you'll find the more interesting storylines, themes, and characters. You would have been too young for those until just a couple of years ago, and unless you've been doing nothing but eat, sleep and watch anime since then you won't have expereinced many of them. I've been watching anime for nearly a decade longer than you've been alive and I'm still finding amazing, thought-provoking shows I'd never heard of before.

LITTLE kid, little being the key word. I must have been no older than ten when I first watched DBZ. And I honestly don't know what you want me to do, I've seen enough anime to make up my mind that I do not like it, I've given it a fair chance, and I'm not impressed. Or am I expected to throw away absurd amounts of my time watching all the anime I can find, on a desperate quest to find one I like? Why, exactly? To please people on the internet? That would be idiotic.

Look, maybe there is some kind of spectacular gem of an anime that would completely change the way I view the genre floating around somewhere, unless it falls in my lap and says "WATCH ME, I WILL COMPLETELY CHANGE THE WAY YOU VIEW THIS GENRE", I probably won't see it, and you'll just have to accept the fact the some people have different tastes, because I'm sure as hell not going to go out of the way to find it.

And I can't help but laugh at that "You would have been too young for those until just a couple years ago" comment, because it's just unheard of for a child to aquire things not meant for their age.

 

[Riddle78]

That's one helluva broad brush,OP. Although I do see the trend of angsty kids in anime,one anime I've watched breaks that mold.

Outlaw Star.

I won't spoil much,but it does break away from many ot the things you described. It's a sci-fi action series,and it has many interesting,original concepts. Like Grappler Ships.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

Why do you want someone to sway your thoughts about anime?

Boredom? And besides, many of my friends are absolutely wild about it, so I can't help feel as though I'm missing something.

It's about personal preference really. Try to ease into anime if you are trying to develop an opinion of it. I would suggest Hellsing OVA, no angsty teens in it just vampires and nazis. I would also check out either the Wolverine of Iron Man anime series.

I personally prefer it to western forms of media just because it is a little different from what is on telly.

But if you don't like it you don't like it.

 

[Rufei]

EDIT: Post didn't get eaten afterall, damn you, deceptive internets!!!

Also, I used to love Dragonball Z when I was a little kid, and I realize now how terrible it is, but its a part of my childhood damn it, I still love it, for the nostalgia. So I guess I don't hate all anime.

When you were a kid? Dude, you're still a kid! According to your profile, you're only nineteen.
I can't take you seriously when you complain that all anime sucks, since you obviously can't have experienced much of it. You especially couldn't have had the chance to try much seinen anime, which is where you'll find the more interesting storylines, themes, and characters. You would have been too young for those until just a couple of years ago, and unless you've been doing nothing but eat, sleep and watch anime since then you won't have expereinced many of them. I've been watching anime for nearly a decade longer than you've been alive and I'm still finding amazing, thought-provoking shows I'd never heard of before.

LITTLE kid, little being the key word. I must have been no older than ten when I first watched DBZ. And I honestly don't know what you want me to do, I've seen enough anime to make up my mind that I do not like it, I've given it a fair chance, and I'm not impressed. Or am I expected to throw away absurd amounts of my time watching all the anime I can find, on a desperate quest to find one I like? Why, exactly? To please people on the internet? That would be idiotic.

Look, maybe there is some kind of spectacular gem of an anime that would completely change the way I view the genre floating around somewhere, unless it falls in my lap and says "WATCH ME, I WILL COMPLETELY CHANGE THE WAY YOU VIEW THIS GENRE", I probably won't see it, and you'll just have to accept the fact the some people have different tastes, because I'm sure as hell not going to go out of the way to find it.

And I can't help but laugh at that "You would have been too young for those until just a couple years ago" comment, because it's just unheard of for a child to aquire things not meant for their age.

If you don't want to put in the effort to look at any of the classics listed, do yourself a favor and at least wiki up the noitaminA block. Here, I did it for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NoitaminA

All you really have to do is to explore the wiki pages of some of these titles. The diverse selection should tell you about what anime is actually capable of.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

Why do you want someone to sway your thoughts about anime?

Actually a pretty good question, your opinion sounds pretty basic for someone who isn't experienced in anime, but then why would you suddenly want someone to justify you watching it?

I don't want to sound like I took offense to your reply to my quote, but what do you mean?

The OP seems experienced enough in anime to have already made up his mind, but why would anyone feel the need to justify something they already like? Unless perhaps there is shame involved...

For the record, I have spent thousands of dollars on anime, been to 10 conventions, and have been an avid fan since the early 90's. I just wanted to say that to put myself in perspective for you. I am a proud fan.

I really didn't understand your post after mine. Can you explain it more if you get the chance please?

Certainly. What I meant was that I didn't quite understand the OP's intention because usually the two groups are either people who don't care about anime or people who watch them, the in-betweens are a much smaller gray area, so I was curious as to what his reason was that he seemed to want someone to justify watching anime, as otherwise he would either simply watch it or simply not. I wasn't actually referring to whether or not you watched anime, I meant the OP.

Hope that cleared that up, feel free to ask me more if it didn't.

 

[aba1]

Why yes, if you only watch a few of the more mainstream animes, you will come to some false misconceptions about the medium as a whole.

Just like all american films are about rugged, gun-toting badasses, etc, etc.

There are plenty of anime that aren't like that, you just aren't watching them.

this plus anime is mostly popular because if offers a actual constant story that most american cartoons just don't offer most of the time its the same eps every week where a problem occurs and its always fixed and back to the way things were by the end of the eps.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

I just don't see it. Aesthetically it all looks almost identical to me, the dialogue frequently seems overwrought, and poorly written, and the delivery is melodramatic at best, and cringeworthy at worst. The stories seem to never make sense to me, yet they almost always seem to feature some array of teenagers, each with their own flavor of angst. I suppose my overall attitude can be summed up with one word, namely stale. Then, perhaps I'm being close-minded. If anyone can sway my thoughts to the contrary, I would more then welcome it.

You have an opinion. Congratulations. Have you ever thought that you haven't sampled enough to draw a firm conclusion or that not everyone thinks like you?

 

[maninahat]

As a former huge anime fan, the appeal lied (notice past tense) in the aesthetics and the general covering of subject matter American animation stayed away from.

Some of my favorite works of fiction, even today, are anime, but as a whole, when scrutinized thoughtfully, anime is (mostly) terrible. Japanese storytelling in general is flawed; someone needs to tell them how real dialogue works, the meaning of the word "contrived," and how to thoughtfully use ambiguity instead of just shoehorning in meaningless symbolism (ala Evangelion).

Thank goodness I'm not the only one to notice. For a technique that is supposed to convince the world that cartoons can be for adults, anime is typically ham fisted, trite and immature.

 

[maninahat]

I just don't see it. Aesthetically it all looks almost identical to me, the dialogue frequently seems overwrought, and poorly written, and the delivery is melodramatic at best, and cringeworthy at worst. The stories seem to never make sense to me, yet they almost always seem to feature some array of teenagers, each with their own flavor of angst. I suppose my overall attitude can be summed up with one word, namely stale. Then, perhaps I'm being close-minded. If anyone can sway my thoughts to the contrary, I would more then welcome it.

You have an opinion. Congratulations. Have you ever thought that you haven't sampled enough to draw a firm conclusion or that not everyone thinks like you?

I think he was just trying to make discussion. Perhaps you could humour him and try to persuade him to see anime in another light?

 

[ClockWork]

If I'm getting anything from these responses, it's that A) I'm a bit quick to judge, for which I apologize, and B) I simply must see Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, seeing as almost everyone is suggesting it. Now, is this the 2007 version you all speak of, or an earlier one?

 

[phoensims]

Anime, unlike other types of animation, pretty much has something that everyone can relate to or like rather than be mostly kid-based and if done right, some animes have gripping storylines that draw viewers into watching it and continue to watch it, even though it may be 50+ eps. long.

 

[Voration]

I still occasionally watch anime however I do agree that it is generally flawed in terms of the voice acting and, depending on the anime, story, flow, repetitiveness etc.

However some of my favourite stories to date have come from manga/anime and will most likely always hold a special place. Of course, the quality of the stories comparing manga to books and graphic novels, books and graphic novels are superior in quality and story.

I think the difference is accessibility, I find it very easy to download and watch/read japanese stuff, while Western media has all the copyright that gets in my way. I enjoy the Japanese style of storytelling, which is often more explicit than American television. Japanese anime has stories for all ages as well, while American cartoons are considered something for children to watch. I don't enjoy Japanese anime for children anymore than American childrens cartoons, but I love watching the occasional more mature adult anime.

One anime I discovered about 2 years ago remains as one of my favourites even though it develops some major plot holes by the end of the second season -Darker than Black. It has very adult themes, but I like how in the first season each story is comleted in two episodes, giving 50 minutes to develop and conclude, much like American shows.

 

[priestswearseatbelts]

All down hill from ghost in the shell.

 

[Roofstone]

I like the way it looks, the writing, the characters and stories... So, I guess it is all the stuff you hate that I love. Animations is like juice, some prefer orange, some prefer apple. Or in this caste American or Asian.

 

[SckizoBoy]

If I'm getting anything from these responses, it's that A) I'm a bit quick to judge, for which I apologize, and B) I simply must see Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, seeing as almost everyone is suggesting it. Now, is this the 2007 version you all speak of, or an earlier one?

Mmmmm, yes, to all three... though 'quick to judge' is applicable to virtually everyone to a certain extent. Anyway, the GitS everyone's referring to are the TV series 2002-3 and 2004 (plus a sequel film 2006). They have a slightly different feel to them (2nd Gig is more plot-driven and debatably 'darker').

However, it depends purely on your tastes. It's cyberpunk, action/drama and occasionally philosophical, and it reference-drops quite a bit. If that's your thing, chances are you'll enjoy it.

If you want a recommendation list specific to certain genres, tell us what movies/TV series you watch, there's usually an anime equivalent or three (though granted, most are shit...).

 

[Triskadancer]

I am fairly bored myself, and thus, here is a short-ish list of anime I enjoyed, along with an extremely condensed summary or explanation.

EDIT: In my haste to recommend things I like, I forgot to mention something. I find it fairly silly to dismiss an entire form of media based on a few experiences. We've all seen bad movies, read horrible books and played awful games, but I rarely see people claiming all movies/books/games are worthless. Anime is just another form of media. Some is bad, some is mediocre, some is good and some is fantastic.

Princess Tutu: A fairy tale written by an author with magical talent comes to life and begins to affect a small town. The author magics a duck (yes, an animal, think Swan Lake) into his new heroine in order to move the story forward. This anime uses ballet as a central theme and all the music is classical. Note, occasionally very obviously low budget and has a lot of contrived dialogue because it's a fairy tale, but one of the best stories I've ever watched. This show does seem extremely girly- please don't dismiss it based on that alone.

Baccano!: Set in the 1930s, this is the story of a bunch of gangsters, bootleggers and general criminals (some secretly immortal thanks to alchemy, some not). Mostly deals with how each character weaves into the story and how the same event is different depending on how you see it. Fantastic music and animation, amazingly likeable characters. Note, the story is told in an extremely disjointed way, so first-time watchers will be VERY confused for several episodes. Stick with it, it's worth it. Warning: Do not watch this show if you are sensitive about blood, gore, and violence. Highly recommend the English dub since it's set in the American east coast.

Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt: Absolutely insane show about naughty angels who must fight ghosts to earn their way back into heaven. Completely, unashamedly immature, and extremely enjoyable to watch (for me anyway.) Bright, colorful art, fluid animation, awesome techno soundtrack.

Haibane Renmei: Mostly metaphorical show about a group of girls in purgatory and coming to terms with death. Worth watching even though there's no effective way to promote or explain it without spoilers.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Two young boys attempt to bring their mother back to life with alchemy. This ends horribly with both of them permanently maimed (one requires an artificial arm and leg, the other loses his entire body and ends up as a soul bound to a suit of armor). They go on a quest to find the Philosopher's Stone in order to fix their bodies and get involved with the military in order to gain access to classified information.

Azumanga Daioh: Follows a group of girls through their years at their Japanese high school. My friends' pet name for this show is "Awkward Pauses: The Anime." A slow-paced but quite hilarious comedy show. Based on a series of 4-panel comics, so don't expect any big story arcs or anything. This is just for silly laughs.

Cowboy Bebop: Three bounty hunters (one ex-gangster, one ex-cop, and one con-woman), a dog and a strange, computer-genius girl all live on a spaceship together and take on bounty jobs. Fabulous music. This show is a staple in pretty much all anime fans' collections; it hardly needs explanation.

 

[ZtH]

I like my anime, though I try to stay away from animes where nothing happen, like Inuyasha, or where fights go on for nine episodes, like DBZ. I honestly prefer light-hearted animes like Lucky Star, or Ouran High School Host Club, though I do revisit my favorite animes like Tenchi and Kenshin. I ramble though, the appeal of anime to me is just the same as the appeal of cartoons to children, I like the aestetics and occasionaly and surprised by how deep the anime can be :3

I find it funny that you say you dislike shows where nothing happens yet list off Lucky Star as one you like. Lucky Star and Ouran are two of my favorites as well, but the plot development is rather slow in both and it can be argued that there is no plot to Lucky Star.

OT: If you broaden your range of animes that you watch, you will be more likely to find something that you really like. I would say try one or two from a couple different genres if you really want to enjoy anime. You'll probably run into something you enjoy in there.

 

[ModsDeleteThisAccountPlease]

Because it's over the top, hammy, and generally, flippin cool. Code Geass is one of the few I would recommend. Strong female characters? Yes. Over the top plot? Yes. Giant Mechs? Yes. Hammy lines? Very much so.