Comments on: Is Anime for kids? What is the nature of anime?

By: Demonater X

Demonater X — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 08:26:41 +0000

I would show them Pokemon.
It is one of the most adult anime ever.
Akira & Eureka 7 are shitty & borring.
Action & plot must both be paced well intermittingly so
a series doesn’t end up like the Eragon film with all
plot for an hour & hald & only 15 minutes of action.
Christopher Paolini has a tiny pennie.

By: Anime Angel

Anime Angel — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 19:13:33 +0000

ello pples I loved it I’m in scool Right now JK

By: Impz

Impz — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 15:34:36 +0000

hmmm, i guess you got the main guist of why people dont watch it. the fact is that most mainstream series that get attention are really similiar…sigh.

Oh well, i guess it’s just human nature. I will just go back to enjoying my own series. >_____>;;;;

ANIME!!!

By: Lan

Lan — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 14:37:40 +0000

All I can say is to list one of the few anime that is popular and somewhat well-known with a good dub: Cowboy Bebop. Gems like that are a pretty good introduction and it airs on Cartoon Network (still does the last time I noticed)

I’m still somewhat uncomfortable about anime: it bears the same stigma as one of my other passions, fantasy fiction. You do not know how much fantasy fiction has been derided and put down by the general populace. I find myself stymied by that as well. Obviously there are lots of duplicative unoriginal stuff just like in anime, but there are more than enough gems that it shouldn’t be put down. You have to remember that in anime, a lot of it is boring, repetetive, same-old, same-old. There just happen to be more than enough gems to make it worth the digging and time spent watching. One of the most interesting and strange things about anime (for me) is that I can watch a broad range of things without getting bored like Romance, which in practically every other form, I avoid. Those who avoid it out of mistaken impressions are missing out on a lot. And finally, I’m not sure that I would like anime to become mainstream. I feel that if anime became mainstream over here, they would make lots of repetitive American anime crap and see translating the Japanese ones as not worthwhile. I like the subtle additions that a Japanese anime can provide.

-Lan

By: Me

Me — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 06:06:30 +0000

Its really funny how a lot of people have preconceptions of stuff, heh, I personally love shattering those preconceptions here’s a few tips if you want to get people to watch anime and to shatter their preconceptions…(some are not to be taken seriously, but i actually did these)

1. recommend Elfen Lied (or any other title thats clearly not for kids) for their kid.
2. get their girlfriend interested in anime (I used DN Angel and Kodocha)
3. talk about how great a episode/movie/series is but neglect to mention its anime until AFTER they’re interested.
4. Give them anime for their birthday and insist that they watch it now.

By: alkanphel

alkanphel — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 03:21:29 +0000

It’s all about the passion- seiyuus in Japan are a real industry while in America voice-acting is at a premium. If a dubbing company doesn’t want to pay so much, they hire sub-par voice actors who can’t put any passion into the dub and it makes the dubbed anime sound like shit.

By: Impz

Impz — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:53:14 +0000

@ anamesis — wahahahahaha… I think the fact is that most people who have contact with anime (I mean free to air tv) do watch only dubs and we know how dubs are generally of a lower quality compared to the subs. There are a few exceptions to the rule but they really dont take up too much of the space from the really awful ones. You are also a lucky person to have people to talk about for anime

@ crazymchan — Me too, i got tired myself >_>;;; Whenever i explain, they give me condenscing words.

@akarashy — Ouch. Nuff said ^_^

By: anamesis

anamesis — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:27:28 +0000

i just shove random copies of pirated eva into peoples mailboxes and tell them if they understand it good for them…now go do something about if you idiots….j/k but seriously the america’s(including canada) have the most messed up dubs ever…and it gets to be pretty depressing when fansubbers(the illegal ones) do better jobs than bandai and ADV….im so glad im not surrounded by such narrow minded tards at my school….well there are a few but im not gonna get into that clusterfuck….

By: CrazyMcChan

CrazyMcChan — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 19:53:59 +0000

I have stopped bothering trying to explain to people why i like anime a lot, its a cartoon and they automatically assume childishness. So now its ‘I like anime’ and that’s it. I’m sure some times they are waiting for an explanation on why but I know that most of them won’t see beyond the fact that’s it an animation and there’s no way it can portray human feeling and emotions in a mature fashion.

By: akurashy

akurashy — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 17:37:47 +0000

The only person in the house who says it’s for kids is my little sister LOL, yes my LITTLE sister, but then again she is still in the dragon ball z loop. she thinks that every anime is the same all shounen and crap, i bet that if i show her a shoujo manga she loves it.

As for my parents, well why would they bother, they don’t care, they care more for me not playing games (yes, a bit WTF?), well just my dad sometimes and my mother when we have a argument but that’s about it (typical parents using things we most love against us)

I don’t think they would mind if i go with a career related to art & animation, except for my father since he wanted me to join him in his work but sadly I don’t like electronics. even if it was computers i wouldn’t do it

By: Ronin

Ronin — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 16:20:04 +0000

Ah, yes. One of my motivations for ever starting my own anime blog. I agree that it’s been a brain-stretching issue for me how everyone here, even if I take a small sample of the Philippine population, still equate anime with cartoons… or worse yet, porn.

I made it my mission to let them reassess their evaluation of this underrated artform and how it can be categorized in the same league as motion pictures and tv shows. God knows how the diversity of viewpoints on a very “minor” issue can have an impact on a small group of people like us, who blog about it on their respective personal spaces on the Internet.

Sigh.

By: alkanphel

alkanphel — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 11:22:41 +0000

Haha don’t talk about just schoolmates - most of my friends don’t even bother to watch any anime outside of the no-brainers ala Naruto or Bleach. Give them something like Eureka 7 and they’ll say it’s boring. Sometimes it’s just a lose-lose situation lol

By: negativzero

negativzero — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 07:35:15 +0000

lol jan…
I’m suprised really, I’ve converted people to anime watching by showing them stuff like Bleach, GITS, Howl’s Moving Castle.
I guess since they can’t see through the stereotype that anime=kids, then they are probably too narrow minded too to see that stuff like The Matrix, modern animation like Toy Story and The Incredibles, as well as some of the really crap shows on cartoon network were initially inspired by anime and the Japanese film industry.
And anyway, I do think that anime is growing outside Japan. I probably have too many friends following Aria, Ergo Proxy, Bleach, etc…
As for myself, I think the anime I do watch is testament that anime isn’t necessary just for kids. Try getting a kid to understand and grasp stuff like Akira, Eva, Ergo Proxy, Gankutsuou, Eureka Seven… etc…

By: halcyon151

halcyon151 — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 05:08:50 +0000

Most people just associate anime with american cartoons, so it’s no wonder they think it’s for kids. And plus, it doesn’t help that almost all the anime imported from Japan that plays on TV were made to target little kids.

Concerning how people just associate anything animated to be kiddish, it’s just that most people associate ‘adult’ and ’serious’ entertainment in the form of actors and cameras…some times people are too stubbon or shallow to realize that anything can carry a deep and thoughtful message.

By: Impz

Impz — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:39:36 +0000

lol, I guess the reason also that I did not include in my rant is that anime that has sophiscation usually has a problem with reaching a wide audience worldwide (I mean, how many kids will know how to watch Mushishi, Haibane, Ghost in the shell or Kino’s travels).

So that is pretty sad. I mean, i am not embarrassed i am watching anime but i do not like the misconception that anime means for kids. That is really myopic thinking. It’s almost like racism or any form of prejudice.

Soulshard, you really said everything in a simple way that I wanted to argue. Thanks so much for commenting. It is so true. I mean the biggest market per se is the american market and the way they brand it is …sigh.

To anga, pablo, ah ben, delta, I tried and suggest those anime, even somewhat getting them to watch it. Somehow, they just can’t go beyond the logic of artwork = anime = for kids.

SIGH, SO ANNOYING!!! Most of my school mates just can’t appreciate anime, it’s so hard to find anyoen to talk about it.