What is so great about Anime?

[CJ1145]

See, this is... This is infuriating. There is literally no anime I can throw out here. I've seen quite a few, they were all really unimpressive. Death Note was just the most infuriating example. But let me ask you a question Mr. Interrogator Man. Why do you feel the need to defend Anime from me of all people? Honestly, I stated my point, I've given Anime a chance, I hardly think I'm being unfair to anime--so why do you feel the need to convince me that I must be wrong about something you're a fan of? I'm a huge fan of Action movies, my best friend them finds them positively stupid. We coexist, we talk about other things. Admittedly, I came to a thread about Anime, but I just kinda threw in my 2 cents agreeing with the OP (at least somewhat). I called you a dick, but that was kinda just riffing off someone else's joke, I assure you it wasn't really supposed to be a slight against you.

You and your friend get along fine, but isn't it fun once in a while just to butt heads, just argue your points to one another on why something's good or not? I'm not here to be a dick, I just happen to be one. Debate is always fun for me. And I hate to see people dismiss an entire genre due to a few bad experiences. I could take any genre and list a whole list of horrible, horrible entries into it but I'd never dismiss the entire genre because of them. So I get confused when people treat Japanese animation like it's a special case. It's not even my favorite genre.

So anyway. Why? Why is it important that I watch all the bestest Animes and come to the light and just see how great they are?

I just want to make sure you're really giving it a chance, getting a varied experience as opposed to watching "Shitstorm", deciding it's terrible, but to make sure it's not a one time experience you watch "Shitstorm 2: Electric Boogaloo".

 

[Whitenail]

To be honest I've never seen why people hold up most animes with a "BECAUSE IT'S ANIME KAWAII DESUNE >(^0^)> etc" argument, to me that would be like playing Superman 64 because it's a game or watching Arizona Dream because it's a film.

There are a few animes which, judged on content alone, are pretty sweet and after a while yoyu forget that you're essentially watching a cartoon from Japan and all you care about is what's happening (you like steampunk? Watch Steamboy, it's alternate history and set in London with a high-quality dub so it doesn't carry most of the negative cliches most anime shows and films do).

I can easily relate to you as the anime I've seen czn be counted on the one hand, and nothing creeps me out more than seeing people who attempt to dress like anime characters when they look far from the part for the sake of their near-unfaltering love, and when people swap out english and proper grammar just to shove in more pointless Japanese terminology and otaku smileys I work up a rage something fierce.

At the end of the day, when we account for what's unfortunately quite a minority anime's only different in art-style and the fact that it's made in Japan, all you can do is try to watch whatever might suit your interests because they're not all made to have tentacles and twelve year olds.

 

[Simskiller]

Dear Nerds, explain to me what the heck the deal with JROTC is.

A little bit of background before we collectively explore this machismo train wreck you call "Military Training."

I'm a Psychology student at the University of Florida. I have never seen JROTC training before yesterday. I like to think that I give everything I watch a fair shake. Hell, I even watched an Irani military training film once. Now, my girlfriend Kieko is a member of our school's JROTC, which meets every Friday night. Normally I don't go with her because my anime club usually meets on Fridays, but last night I was free because it was Christmas Eve (and its Winter Break), and my girlfriend invited me to have an "JROTC Christmas" with her and her squad mates who live in the area.

So I walk into the living room and there are these guys dressed up like they were going off to work and stuff. One of them runs up to me and shouts something like "Welcome sir." So I'm put off, but still determined to see what the big fuss is about. Taps starts playing and I'm treated to what my girlfriend tells me is the most popular marches.

First off we watched the goose step. I've seen German military maneuvers that made more sense than this. I guess it was about marching in step, but they were all wearing Camo? At no point did any of the march make sense or any of the characters actually learn how to fight.

After that we watched two episodes of Fox news. It was like walking into a Mexican soap opera midway through the plot. Everyone was pulling gambits and double gambits and Russian reversals.
I didn't know who was betraying whom, and I don't think those cardboard cutouts did either. Also, why is America invading Iraq? We already did that!

Finally, we watched an airsoft match. It felt like I was six years old and watching Power Rangers again. You'd think this would be a compliment. A sort of return to youth. But even at 6 I was doubtful of the strategic validity of Power Rangers. Also, the fact that every character on that show was sexually attracted to a M16 is incredibly disturbing. Is this okay in America?

Some basic research reveals that these shows are some of the most popular war games both here and in China. Why is it so popular? What is so great about these games? I'm so confused. Nothing anyone does makes any sense, the marches are all cliches, and nothing ever actually happens.
I couldn't help but notice that virtually half the people on this board of some sort of weapon as their avatar, so obviously people here love it and its popular. But for all my education I cannot possibly comprehend why people call this "training." I was hoping that maybe y'all could enlighten me. There must be something I am missing
Edited for spelling.

You good sir win the internetz. All of them.

 

[thublihnk]

See, this is... This is infuriating. There is literally no anime I can throw out here. I've seen quite a few, they were all really unimpressive. Death Note was just the most infuriating example. But let me ask you a question Mr. Interrogator Man. Why do you feel the need to defend Anime from me of all people? Honestly, I stated my point, I've given Anime a chance, I hardly think I'm being unfair to anime--so why do you feel the need to convince me that I must be wrong about something you're a fan of? I'm a huge fan of Action movies, my best friend them finds them positively stupid. We coexist, we talk about other things. Admittedly, I came to a thread about Anime, but I just kinda threw in my 2 cents agreeing with the OP (at least somewhat). I called you a dick, but that was kinda just riffing off someone else's joke, I assure you it wasn't really supposed to be a slight against you.

You and your friend get along fine, but isn't it fun once in a while just to butt heads, just argue your points to one another on why something's good or not? I'm not here to be a dick, I just happen to be one. Debate is always fun for me. And I hate to see people dismiss an entire genre due to a few bad experiences. I could take any genre and list a whole list of horrible, horrible entries into it but I'd never dismiss the entire genre because of them. So I get confused when people treat Japanese animation like it's a special case. It's not even my favorite genre.

So anyway. Why? Why is it important that I watch all the bestest Animes and come to the light and just see how great they are?

I just want to make sure you're really giving it a chance, getting a varied experience as opposed to watching "Shitstorm", deciding it's terrible, but to make sure it's not a one time experience you watch "Shitstorm 2: Electric Boogaloo".

I don't treat Anime as a special case, I treat it just like every other genre. Action movies: they're usually fun, but I know how to steer clear of the bad ones, but occasionally I'll be surprised. Rom-Coms: I've got a soft spot for them, but there's some real tripe out there, just have to learn who to follow. Anime: Not a fan, but there's a few names I respect and if something intrigues me in concept I might check it out.

And Shitstorm 2: The Squeakwel was a classic.

 

[masterjiji]

What I DON'T like about anime is that it's either a romantic drama or it's a violent one that suffers from what I call "Dragonball syndrome." Remember how intense the fights were in early Dragonball, anyone? The Goku-Raditz (sorry if I misspelled that) fight was way more enjoyable than watching Frieza and... SOMEONE float above an exploding planet and talk about how the planet was exploding in between yelling at each other and looking surprised at the other's power level.

No. I don't. Because I have NEVER SEEN WHATEVER THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT INCOHERENTLY.

Okay. Just... the fight scenes are way better near the beginning of the series. That's all I meant.

And I fucking dare some otaku ************ to quote me and "prove me wrong" by hocking up their favorite love-drama/mech-fest loogie onto my face.

This made me laugh in a good way.

I'll do it because I'm curious what you're going to do about it though...

Full Metal Panic...actually got pretty ridiculous.
Gundam 00 was...well, let's just pass over this one.
Macross Frontier...may come close to fitting the bill.
Asura Cryin...made me angry. Very angry.
Code Geass...I don't even know man.

So yeah, I guess you're more or less correct. Doesn't stop me from loving them though. Except for Asura Cryin. Dear God, Asura Cryin.

And yeah, start another thread. I'll even go along with it and try to steer you away from the ones that'll cause you to off yourself.

Do you hear that noise? The one that sounds like me walking into your room and stabbing you in the throat with a live tiger?

Yeah, I hear it too.

 

[masterjiji]

What I DON'T like about anime is that it's either a romantic drama or it's a violent one that suffers from what I call "Dragonball syndrome." Remember how intense the fights were in early Dragonball, anyone? The Goku-Raditz (sorry if I misspelled that) fight was way more enjoyable than watching Frieza and... SOMEONE float above an exploding planet and talk about how the planet was exploding in between yelling at each other and looking surprised at the other's power level.

No. I don't. Because I have NEVER SEEN WHATEVER THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT INCOHERENTLY.

Okay. Just... the fight scenes are way better near the beginning of the series. That's all I meant.

And I fucking dare some otaku ************ to quote me and "prove me wrong" by hocking up their favorite love-drama/mech-fest loogie onto my face.

Ok, not a favourite but the first that comes to mind and it is popular, where does Death Note fall in your two category system? Sure its violent at times but violence is not a focus of the show at all and ii is certainly not a romantic drama. Saying all anime is either romcom or battles is as ignorant as saying all U.S shows are sitcoms or gritty dramas.

Death Note is weird in that sense I guess. Still don't like it though, but that's probably because of who introduced me to it. He was a 250-lb. 16-year-old narutard, and I believe that's all I have to say about that. Maybe if I watched enough Death Note I'd get used to it and like it but (don't take this the wrong way) that's like being tortured for a while and then getting into BDSM or something. Sorry if I hurt some fanboy/girl/shemale's feelings, but I ain't watchin' that of my own free will.

 

[masterjiji]

Teee-hee.

Combobreaker!

That's mispelled. You forgot the four "c-"s in front of it.

 

[Bradax24]

I'm going to put in my word again because of all the ignorant comments I see.

Anime is just another way of presenting the film medium.

Animation is a form of film, and anime is a form of animation. Anime does not have to have skimpy girls, giant robots, or convoluted plots; those are attributes of a few anime series that have been focused on and projected to the larger masses. It's similar to the news focusing on a game with the player beating a police officer or when they focus on a mass murderer's collection of heavy metal. In other words, when someone criticizes anime for reasons other than the fact it s animation that comes from Japan, they are stereotyping the group.

Anime is capable of presenting complex stories (Death Note), with complex characters (Cowboy Bebop), and complex issues (Wolf's Rain). Giant robots (Gundam), convoluted plots (Code Geass), and skimpy girls (...Code Geass) are just part of a big melting pot.

I enjoy anime just for the same reason I enjoy Nolan, Eastwood, and Cohen Brothers movies; because I've been satisfied by their previous works; like Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop, and Deathnote (even if I do have to go through a couple bad seeds).

 

[masterjiji]

What I DON'T like about anime is that it's either a romantic drama or it's a violent one that suffers from what I call "Dragonball syndrome." Remember how intense the fights were in early Dragonball, anyone? The Goku-Raditz (sorry if I misspelled that) fight was way more enjoyable than watching Frieza and... SOMEONE float above an exploding planet and talk about how the planet was exploding in between yelling at each other and looking surprised at the other's power level.

No. I don't. Because I have NEVER SEEN WHATEVER THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT INCOHERENTLY.

Okay. Just... the fight scenes are way better near the beginning of the series. That's all I meant.

And I fucking dare some otaku ************ to quote me and "prove me wrong" by hocking up their favorite love-drama/mech-fest loogie onto my face.

Gundam Seed

Compare the first episode fights to the final episode fights. I don't know about you but personally, i think the final episode has one of, if not the best fight in the show.

The value of the evidence to support your counterargument is completely invalidated, with the reasoning that it's a MECH anime. I don't care if Gundam came first or whatever (I honestly don't know if that's even accurate), I still call it an abomination by principle. I'm going back to playing Pokemon now.

>:C

 

[UrbanCohort]

Teee-hee.

Combobreaker!

That's mispelled. You forgot the four "c-"s in front of it.

Critic.

 

[iamthelizardqueen88]

To be fair, watching a couple of episodes isn't enough either

true watching only like 2 episodes of a anime is essentially the same as walking into a movie halfway through watching 15 minutes of it then leaving and calling the movie crap. also (feel free to disagree) it can be considered art due to the epic story telling that most animes have now dont get me wrong not all of them have this and almost all have some cliche characters (but what doesnt now a days) but the ones that stand out (Code Geass is a good example) have complex and engaging i guess is the word cahracters that you could let yourself you become emotionally attached to. Not saying your gonna fall in love with one of them (but hey some people are into that sorta thing) but if things arent going their way you feel bad and if they die you might even shed a tear or 2 (Code Geass got quite a few from me). As for all the characters being attracted to a 12 year old girl i cant justify that. But when it comes to random comedy skits that have no relevance to the over all plot well youve just got to realize that you are watching a tv show and those are quite guilty of doing things such as that. I could probably keep this going but i have a tendency to ramble too much longer and i might give you my secret ULTRA meatloaf recipe (and you probably wont know where the transition from anime to meatloaf was at) so I'll simply end it with a "also not everyone is into anime" personally i think baseball is the worst thing ever invented yet its wildly popular (see how thats similar)

 

[Contradiction]

Here's the point...
Anime although not technically a medium takes on similar traits. Think of a video store for example you have action comedy ect. and these are the genres of film anime too has its own genre. Compare it to western television, are you willing to tell me that a d.i.y home improvement show an Attenborough documentary and a cop drama are anything alike. They are too different to judge against each other. The same can be said of anime. You tell me that K-on, Naruto, The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumia, Death Note or Arikawa under the bridge or Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt are anything alike. Plus OP mentioned that the can be grouped because of the archetypes in characters as well as the art style, by mearly looking at the shows above it is shown as completely wrong. Tell me that death note looks like lucky star and your lying to me and yourself. Tell me Luckystar looks like Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt and your blind.
Of course its impossible for anime to be a medium its of course a genre but not in the traditional sense. Its sub genres are as distinct and varied as any other medium. This variation is what makes anime so popular. There is basically (you may the exception) something out there for anyone willing to look.
And so saying "I like anime" is like saying that someone likes television. For someone to hate anime as a genre is their choice and ultimately their truth but, do you think you could look past the stigma. Its like me turning on a teli and because you didn't like the first three shows you decided to never watch again.
Btw- your troll was a success + sorry for the wall of text

 

[thublihnk]

I'm going to put in my word again because of all the ignorant comments I see.

Anime is just another way of presenting the film medium.

Animation is a form of film, and anime is a form of animation. Anime does not have to have skimpy girls, giant robots, or convoluted plots; those are attributes of a few anime series that have been focused on and projected to the larger masses. It's similar to the news focusing on a game with the player beating a police officer or when they focus on a mass murderer's collection of heavy metal. In other words, when someone criticizes anime for reasons other than the fact it s animation that comes from Japan, they are stereotyping the group.

Anime is capable of presenting complex stories (Death Note), with complex characters (Cowboy Bebop), and complex issues (Wolf's Rain). Giant robots (Gundam), convoluted plots (Code Geass), and skimpy girls (...Code Geass) are just part of a big melting pot.

I enjoy anime just for the same reason I enjoy Nolan, Eastwood, and Cohen Brothers movies; because I've been satisfied by their previous works; like Wolf's Rain, Cowboy Bebop, and Deathnote (even if I do have to go through a couple bad seeds).

2 things: Anime is not film, Film's a whole other thing. That's like saying painting is another form of photography. Just isn't true.
Also: Death Note blew and Cowboy Bebop was insanely difficult to get into. Face it, there are some people who are dissatisfied with where Anime is as an art. They're not irrational, they just don't share your tastes.

 

[Stoogie]

From the 3tb of anime i have, and out of the ones ive watched i would recommend these:
i havent got no where near all the new ones as there are too many and my net is only 100gb a month 1500/256 but anyways from what ive seen.
i have like 100 favourites but i'll just write the very very good ones that u MUST WATCH!. (Excluding Bleach and Naruto)

Azumanga Daioh (Lifestyle Comedy)
Black Lagoon
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 (sci fi)
Canaan
Chaos Head(bipolar/hikkikomori/otaku/psychological related)
Clannad
Claymore (horrorish)
Code Geass
Darker Than Black (2 seasons that i have)
Death Note (horrorish/psychological)
Devil May Cry
Durarara!!
Eden of the East
Elfen Lied (horrorish)
Ghost Hunt
Great Teacher Onizuka (comedy/lifestyle)
Hack. Sign (mmorpg related)
Hare + Guu (comedy)
Hellsing (Horrorish)
Highschool of the Dead (zombies!)
Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (2 seasons that i have, Horrorish/psychological)
Kampfer (comedy/lifestyle with a twist lol)
Kimi ni Todoke
Lucky Star (Only if u fully understand the lifestyle of an 'otaku' first ep isnt very good aswell)
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (comedy/lifestyle)
Michiko to Hatchin
Moyashimon
Musashi (lifestyle)
Muteki Kanban Musume
Neon Genesis Evangelion (sci fi/horror)
Samurai Champloo
School Rumble (comedy)
Serial Experiments Lain (horrorish/psychological)
Sola (romance)
Spice and Wolf(2 seasons that i have)
Toradora (comedy/lifestyle/romance)
Trigun (westernish)
True Tears (romance)
Vampire Knight(2 seasons that i have)
Welcome to the NHK(hikkikomori/otaku/psychological related)
Working!! (comedy)
Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei(Really confusing if u cant think fast)

 

[masterjiji]

Deathnote Update IV: A New Pope (of Murder)

I love that they just blew half their animation budget on him opening up a goddamn notebook and getting ready to write. Seriously. He opens that book with the same amount of forcefulness and gravitas that Chow Yun Fat uses to kick down doors.

You know what I love about shows that deal with crime? They always have to jack up the crime rateby like 400% and turn every purse theif into John Wayne Gasey.

Jesus Christ. Light is really slow on the uptake. If I had found that I could kill people with a fucking notebook with my living room my list would look like this:

Osama bin Ladin
Kim Jong-il
Mahmoud Ahmidinijad
Vladimir Putin
Michael Moore

Death: Lighting themselves on fireall while publically recanting their hatred of America.

Light is really bad at justice.

Can you add Barbara Streisand? Please? Oh, and My Chemical Romance, but death by hard penetration from elephants.

 

[masterjiji]

snippity snip

super snip

Spoiler: Naruto

You have no assistance here. People just have different tastes. Some people just happen to like the idea of crazy superpowered "ninjas" fighting in over the top battles. And to be fair, some characters are genuinely interesting, and a few of the plotlines are exemplary compared to the drivel that you can find in so many other shows, not just anime. Naruto's the kind of show where, even if you hate it to its core there's going to be at least one point where you have to stop and say "Okay, that's pretty well done".

Mind you, in Japan this show is directed at young audiences, no older than 16. It's the equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon, so you (and many others) may just be asking too much from it.

Spoiler: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

This show is unbelievable. In a good way. If you did see just the beach episode I apologize for having been introduced to one of the greatest anime in history in such a horrible way. Gurren Lagann is popular because it takes every dark, depressing storyline you're likely to find nowadays and utterly obliterates it, leaving this pure shining light of optimism and hot-bloodedness that nothing else can match. The universe of this show literally runs on determination and passion, so it really lends itself to the idea of highly idealistic heroes, and over-the-top action scenes that no other show would dare to try.

The characters are just so endearing you can't help but like them, the action is good, the plotline actually becomes far deeper than you expect it to, and really you can't help but watch it without getting chills in your spine from how mind-blowingly incredible it is. All this despite the fact that it is literally the equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon, and it's just remarkable.

Hang on... my otaku sensor is going off. I think someone in this thread just used the word seppuku seriously in a sentence.

 

[Konaerix]

Dear Nerds, explain to me what the heck the deal with JROTC is.

A little bit of background before we collectively explore this machismo train wreck you call "Military Training."

I'm a Psychology student at the University of Florida. I have never seen JROTC training before yesterday. I like to think that I give everything I watch a fair shake. Hell, I even watched an Irani military training film once. Now, my girlfriend Kieko is a member of our school's JROTC, which meets every Friday night. Normally I don't go with her because my anime club usually meets on Fridays, but last night I was free because it was Christmas Eve (and its Winter Break), and my girlfriend invited me to have an "JROTC Christmas" with her and her squad mates who live in the area.

So I walk into the living room and there are these guys dressed up like they were going off to work and stuff. One of them runs up to me and shouts something like "Welcome sir." So I'm put off, but still determined to see what the big fuss is about. Taps starts playing and I'm treated to what my girlfriend tells me is the most popular marches.

First off we watched the goose step. I've seen German military maneuvers that made more sense than this. I guess it was about marching in step, but they were all wearing Camo? At no point did any of the march make sense or any of the characters actually learn how to fight.

After that we watched two episodes of Fox news. It was like walking into a Mexican soap opera midway through the plot. Everyone was pulling gambits and double gambits and Russian reversals.
I didn't know who was betraying whom, and I don't think those cardboard cutouts did either. Also, why is America invading Iraq? We already did that!

Finally, we watched an airsoft match. It felt like I was six years old and watching Power Rangers again. You'd think this would be a compliment. A sort of return to youth. But even at 6 I was doubtful of the strategic validity of Power Rangers. Also, the fact that every character on that show was sexually attracted to a M16 is incredibly disturbing. Is this okay in America?

Some basic research reveals that these shows are some of the most popular war games both here and in China. Why is it so popular? What is so great about these games? I'm so confused. Nothing anyone does makes any sense, the marches are all cliches, and nothing ever actually happens.
I couldn't help but notice that virtually half the people on this board of some sort of weapon as their avatar, so obviously people here love it and its popular. But for all my education I cannot possibly comprehend why people call this "training." I was hoping that maybe y'all could enlighten me. There must be something I am missing
Edited for spelling.

You good sir win the internetz. All of them.

I second that motion!

 

[AeroZeppelinSevenfold]

Naruto is the worst thing that I have ever seen. I don't see the appeal in that show.

I don't watch much anime, but I find some of it entertaining. I really got into Fullmetal Alchemist, and Cowboy Bebop.

No wait. Watch Death Note. Death Note was good. I have friends that despise anime and found that show interesting.

Other than those, most of it doesn't hold my attention well.

edit: Spirited Away is a work of art by the way. I never expected a cartoon to make that good of a movie.