Anime Popularity

[Bourne Endeavor]

From my viewpoint, the entirety of my enjoyment I derive from anime is upon the storyline and characters involved in the series. Whilst cartoons, especially American focus primarily toward a younger audience, anime frequent provide a mature story, which may well be exceptionally intriguing. Some present chilling mystery (Higurashi), beautiful romance (Romeo x Juliet), frightening insanity (Evangelion and whilst subverted; Higurashi) and adventure which amasses a great deal of anime. Without question there exists poor anime, however what of American television? No I do not reference only to cartoons.

Personally outside a select few series (Criminal Minds, Law & Order and a few other shows I fancy) I would much prefer to sit through an arc of Bleach or complete a series such as Higurashi. To each their own, is what it amounts to.

 

[Ryuk2]

I wouldn't say that anime are great, but i like some of it. You should check out Death Note, Elfien Lied and Avatar:the last airbander (which is for childer, but can be watched by everybody, great plot and stuff).
I don't understand all the naruto/pokemon fans...bleh! And i wouldn't say that it's popular.

 

[T5seconds]

Think of it this way: Your watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants and Spongebob and a customer are in a heated argument at the local Krusty Krab when all of a sudden Spongebob pulls out a rather large revolver and blows the customer's head to peices. That's how I find it disturbing.

Snip

I am just going to say right now that your argument has swooned me and I don?t meet very many people who know there subjects, study?s them, makes valid points about them, stays calm while someone else disagrees with them... I am going to check out these (never been a big fan of anime myself....) just because this argument is so well rounded and positive I would be stupid if I came in here blindly and it would be a disrespect to someone like you good sir who actually put effort into this...

Good day...

 

[wolfy098]

I wouldn't say that anime are great, but i like some of it. You should check out Death Note, Elfien Lied and Avatar:the last airbander (which is for childer, but can be watched by everybody, great plot and stuff).
I don't understand all the naruto/pokemon fans...bleh! And i wouldn't say that it's popular.

Pokemon probably would have died without America

 

[Thaius]

Think of it this way: Your watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants and Spongebob and a customer are in a heated argument at the local Krusty Krab when all of a sudden Spongebob pulls out a rather large revolver and blows the customer's head to peices. That's how I find it disturbing.

This excerpt embodies one of the greatest flaws in modern film culture: cartoons have been dumbed down in everybody's mind. I'm not getting mad at you, I'm just noticing a misconception that plagues our entire culture.

You know why I like anime? Because it's not freaking Spongebob. Because Japan understands that just because it's animated doesn't mean it's kiddy, or stupid.

Anime has its origins back when Hollywood was getting real big. Japan was upset because it wanted to make movies too, but the economy didn't allow for the big-budget films that Hollywood was pumping out. So they animated their movies. Do you see this? Anime was film for them. The entire medium. No one said "Well I want to make a crime drama, but I guess I can't because all we can do is animation." They did what they could with what they had while we were over here animating irrelivant, mindless crap.

Edward Elric, the protagonist from Full Metal Alchemist, is no Spongebob. He is a kid with a horrific past, and dreams for the future. A complex character who holds himself responsible for all the terrible events that have plagued he and his brother. He experiences overwhelming joy, crippling fear, unrelenting pain, unending loyalty... is this not subject matter fitting for a serious drama? Why should the medium of animation hold this back from being as serious, and fittingly violent, as it is?

All I'm saying is that seeing Spongebob shooting people might be disturbing, yes. But that's because Spongebob is typical of American animated characters: he is nothing more than a stupid excuse for lame, thoughtless attempts at humor. Anime, on the other hand, is film. It is art. It is no less credible as storytelling than live-action movies. The sooner our culture can understand the potential of animated features to do so, the sooner we will stop drowning in mediocrity and stereotypes and start seeing film taken to its artistic limits.

I would recommend checking some out: maybe you could see what I'm saying and understand it all a bit better. I would recommend Death Note (psychological thriller), Full Metal Alchemist (fantasy/drama/action), and Clannad (drama/comedy/romance). These three will give you a pretty well-rounded perspective on what kinds of stories animation can tell, and how it can tell them.

While I can see what you mean, I must admit I haven't seen too many animes, and the ones I have seen have been quite rediculous, with massive swords and giant wierd creatures complete with terrible lip-syncing, so you can understand why I remain skeptical, but I will watch some of those series you suggested.

I definitely understand your skepticism: I had to get over a lot of prejudices to even try watching anime. But it's one of those things that you don't really see the beauty of until you try it. Those three series represent some of the best that I've seen in their genres, anime or not: let me know what you think of them.

Actually, there may be a middle ground for you to start out on. I first got into anime by using a bridge of sorts: an animated American show, with a little anime influence, that made the transition a bit easier. You've probably heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's a kid's show, yes, but despite some prevalent kiddiness in the first season, it's actually a very complex fantasy show. I literally can't find a thing to complain about in it: the first season is a little lacking in maturity, but it eventually grows to an incredible fantasy epic, while staying kid-friendly the whole time. The air of innocence in the show is actually something I found intoxicating about it. It actually remains my favorite show ever: I could go on forever about it (but for your sake, and the sake of avoiding evil spoilers, I won't).

Anyway, if you want to try anime, you might find the transition a bit easier if you start with Avatar. As long as you can handle a bit of kiddiness early on, but even in the first few episodes, the thematic elements, deep characters, and intricate story is obvious.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

Think of it this way: Your watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants and Spongebob and a customer are in a heated argument at the local Krusty Krab when all of a sudden Spongebob pulls out a rather large revolver and blows the customer's head to peices. That's how I find it disturbing.

This excerpt embodies one of the greatest flaws in modern film culture: cartoons have been dumbed down in everybody's mind. I'm not getting mad at you, I'm just noticing a misconception that plagues our entire culture.

You know why I like anime? Because it's not freaking Spongebob. Because Japan understands that just because it's animated doesn't mean it's kiddy, or stupid.

Anime has its origins back when Hollywood was getting real big. Japan was upset because it wanted to make movies too, but the economy didn't allow for the big-budget films that Hollywood was pumping out. So they animated their movies. Do you see this? Anime was film for them. The entire medium. No one said "Well I want to make a crime drama, but I guess I can't because all we can do is animation." They did what they could with what they had while we were over here animating irrelivant, mindless crap.

Edward Elric, the protagonist from Full Metal Alchemist, is no Spongebob. He is a kid with a horrific past, and dreams for the future. A complex character who holds himself responsible for all the terrible events that have plagued he and his brother. He experiences overwhelming joy, crippling fear, unrelenting pain, unending loyalty... is this not subject matter fitting for a serious drama? Why should the medium of animation hold this back from being as serious, and fittingly violent, as it is?

All I'm saying is that seeing Spongebob shooting people might be disturbing, yes. But that's because Spongebob is typical of American animated characters: he is nothing more than a stupid excuse for lame, thoughtless attempts at humor. Anime, on the other hand, is film. It is art. It is no less credible as storytelling than live-action movies. The sooner our culture can understand the potential of animated features to do so, the sooner we will stop drowning in mediocrity and stereotypes and start seeing film taken to its artistic limits.

I would recommend checking some out: maybe you could see what I'm saying and understand it all a bit better. I would recommend Death Note (psychological thriller), Full Metal Alchemist (fantasy/drama/action), and Clannad (drama/comedy/romance). These three will give you a pretty well-rounded perspective on what kinds of stories animation can tell, and how it can tell them.

While I can see what you mean, I must admit I haven't seen too many animes, and the ones I have seen have been quite rediculous, with massive swords and giant wierd creatures complete with terrible lip-syncing, so you can understand why I remain skeptical, but I will watch some of those series you suggested.

I definitely understand your skepticism: I had to get over a lot of prejudices to even try watching anime. But it's one of those things that you don't really see the beauty of until you try it. Those three series represent some of the best that I've seen in their genres, anime or not: let me know what you think of them.

Actually, there may be a middle ground for you to start out on. I first got into anime by using a bridge of sorts: an animated American show, with a little anime influence, that made the transition a bit easier. You've probably heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's a kid's show, yes, but despite some prevalent kiddiness in the first season, it's actually a very complex fantasy show. I literally can't find a thing to complain about in it: the first season is a little lacking in maturity, but it eventually grows to an incredible fantasy epic, while staying kid-friendly the whole time. The air of innocence in the show is actually something I found intoxicating about it. It actually remains my favorite show ever: I could go on forever about it (but for your sake, and the sake of avoiding evil spoilers, I won't).

Anyway, if you want to try anime, you might find the transition a bit easier if you start with Avatar. As long as you can handle a bit of kiddiness early on, but even in the first few episodes, the thematic elements, deep characters, and intricate story is obvious.

I actually have seen that show, I actually found it quite interesting despite, as you said it's kiddiness and innocence (despite the massive amounts of porn I've seen of it while playing CSS and seeing peoples sprays)

 

[Thaius]

Think of it this way: Your watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants and Spongebob and a customer are in a heated argument at the local Krusty Krab when all of a sudden Spongebob pulls out a rather large revolver and blows the customer's head to peices. That's how I find it disturbing.

This excerpt embodies one of the greatest flaws in modern film culture: cartoons have been dumbed down in everybody's mind. I'm not getting mad at you, I'm just noticing a misconception that plagues our entire culture.

You know why I like anime? Because it's not freaking Spongebob. Because Japan understands that just because it's animated doesn't mean it's kiddy, or stupid.

Anime has its origins back when Hollywood was getting real big. Japan was upset because it wanted to make movies too, but the economy didn't allow for the big-budget films that Hollywood was pumping out. So they animated their movies. Do you see this? Anime was film for them. The entire medium. No one said "Well I want to make a crime drama, but I guess I can't because all we can do is animation." They did what they could with what they had while we were over here animating irrelivant, mindless crap.

Edward Elric, the protagonist from Full Metal Alchemist, is no Spongebob. He is a kid with a horrific past, and dreams for the future. A complex character who holds himself responsible for all the terrible events that have plagued he and his brother. He experiences overwhelming joy, crippling fear, unrelenting pain, unending loyalty... is this not subject matter fitting for a serious drama? Why should the medium of animation hold this back from being as serious, and fittingly violent, as it is?

All I'm saying is that seeing Spongebob shooting people might be disturbing, yes. But that's because Spongebob is typical of American animated characters: he is nothing more than a stupid excuse for lame, thoughtless attempts at humor. Anime, on the other hand, is film. It is art. It is no less credible as storytelling than live-action movies. The sooner our culture can understand the potential of animated features to do so, the sooner we will stop drowning in mediocrity and stereotypes and start seeing film taken to its artistic limits.

I would recommend checking some out: maybe you could see what I'm saying and understand it all a bit better. I would recommend Death Note (psychological thriller), Full Metal Alchemist (fantasy/drama/action), and Clannad (drama/comedy/romance). These three will give you a pretty well-rounded perspective on what kinds of stories animation can tell, and how it can tell them.

While I can see what you mean, I must admit I haven't seen too many animes, and the ones I have seen have been quite rediculous, with massive swords and giant wierd creatures complete with terrible lip-syncing, so you can understand why I remain skeptical, but I will watch some of those series you suggested.

I definitely understand your skepticism: I had to get over a lot of prejudices to even try watching anime. But it's one of those things that you don't really see the beauty of until you try it. Those three series represent some of the best that I've seen in their genres, anime or not: let me know what you think of them.

Actually, there may be a middle ground for you to start out on. I first got into anime by using a bridge of sorts: an animated American show, with a little anime influence, that made the transition a bit easier. You've probably heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's a kid's show, yes, but despite some prevalent kiddiness in the first season, it's actually a very complex fantasy show. I literally can't find a thing to complain about in it: the first season is a little lacking in maturity, but it eventually grows to an incredible fantasy epic, while staying kid-friendly the whole time. The air of innocence in the show is actually something I found intoxicating about it. It actually remains my favorite show ever: I could go on forever about it (but for your sake, and the sake of avoiding evil spoilers, I won't).

Anyway, if you want to try anime, you might find the transition a bit easier if you start with Avatar. As long as you can handle a bit of kiddiness early on, but even in the first few episodes, the thematic elements, deep characters, and intricate story is obvious.

I actually have seen that show, I actually found it quite interesting despite, as you said it's kiddiness and innocence (despite the massive amounts of porn I've seen of it while playing CSS and seeing peoples sprays)

Sigh... it's truly sad how far Rule 34 spreads...

Anyway, if you can get a hold of it starting from the beginning (watching this one in order is pretty much vital, especially in the second and third season), I'd recommend that one. Japanese culture is one quite different from ours, so I found that seeing a good American animated show helped me a bit. And dang, it gets freaking epic.

As a side note: I recommend getting subtitles for anime. In some cases, including Death Note and Full Metal Alchemist, the English dubs are actually pretty good. But this isn't something you can count on (not to mention some shows, like Clannad, were never dubbed at all). I don't know how you are with subtitles, but I've found the English versions to often include mediocre and/or horrible voice acting, as well as the bad lip-synching you mentioned.

Anyway, let me know what you try and what you think: you've got me curious as to how all this will turn out.

 

[Ubermetalhed]

I see Anime as one of the best storytelling mediums out there at the moment. I don't think of Anime as a 'cartoon' as the connotations generally suggest it to be for kids.

Anime, although it is a cartoon/animation is arguably its own seperate medium, the fact there is violence and dark themes are what makes anime so more compelling than the likes of your average disney cartoon.

Also the violence in anime isn't usually just for violence sake, its usually contextual and part of the overall atmosphere and feeling in the story itself. To the OP, i think your example of cartoon slaughter is where i back up my previous point as that form of violence isn't contextual and does not keep to the plot or premise of the series, in anime the violence will be there if it makes sense and is necessary.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

Think of it this way: Your watching an episode of Spongebob Squarepants and Spongebob and a customer are in a heated argument at the local Krusty Krab when all of a sudden Spongebob pulls out a rather large revolver and blows the customer's head to peices. That's how I find it disturbing.

This excerpt embodies one of the greatest flaws in modern film culture: cartoons have been dumbed down in everybody's mind. I'm not getting mad at you, I'm just noticing a misconception that plagues our entire culture.

You know why I like anime? Because it's not freaking Spongebob. Because Japan understands that just because it's animated doesn't mean it's kiddy, or stupid.

Anime has its origins back when Hollywood was getting real big. Japan was upset because it wanted to make movies too, but the economy didn't allow for the big-budget films that Hollywood was pumping out. So they animated their movies. Do you see this? Anime was film for them. The entire medium. No one said "Well I want to make a crime drama, but I guess I can't because all we can do is animation." They did what they could with what they had while we were over here animating irrelivant, mindless crap.

Edward Elric, the protagonist from Full Metal Alchemist, is no Spongebob. He is a kid with a horrific past, and dreams for the future. A complex character who holds himself responsible for all the terrible events that have plagued he and his brother. He experiences overwhelming joy, crippling fear, unrelenting pain, unending loyalty... is this not subject matter fitting for a serious drama? Why should the medium of animation hold this back from being as serious, and fittingly violent, as it is?

All I'm saying is that seeing Spongebob shooting people might be disturbing, yes. But that's because Spongebob is typical of American animated characters: he is nothing more than a stupid excuse for lame, thoughtless attempts at humor. Anime, on the other hand, is film. It is art. It is no less credible as storytelling than live-action movies. The sooner our culture can understand the potential of animated features to do so, the sooner we will stop drowning in mediocrity and stereotypes and start seeing film taken to its artistic limits.

I would recommend checking some out: maybe you could see what I'm saying and understand it all a bit better. I would recommend Death Note (psychological thriller), Full Metal Alchemist (fantasy/drama/action), and Clannad (drama/comedy/romance). These three will give you a pretty well-rounded perspective on what kinds of stories animation can tell, and how it can tell them.

While I can see what you mean, I must admit I haven't seen too many animes, and the ones I have seen have been quite rediculous, with massive swords and giant wierd creatures complete with terrible lip-syncing, so you can understand why I remain skeptical, but I will watch some of those series you suggested.

I definitely understand your skepticism: I had to get over a lot of prejudices to even try watching anime. But it's one of those things that you don't really see the beauty of until you try it. Those three series represent some of the best that I've seen in their genres, anime or not: let me know what you think of them.

Actually, there may be a middle ground for you to start out on. I first got into anime by using a bridge of sorts: an animated American show, with a little anime influence, that made the transition a bit easier. You've probably heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's a kid's show, yes, but despite some prevalent kiddiness in the first season, it's actually a very complex fantasy show. I literally can't find a thing to complain about in it: the first season is a little lacking in maturity, but it eventually grows to an incredible fantasy epic, while staying kid-friendly the whole time. The air of innocence in the show is actually something I found intoxicating about it. It actually remains my favorite show ever: I could go on forever about it (but for your sake, and the sake of avoiding evil spoilers, I won't).

Anyway, if you want to try anime, you might find the transition a bit easier if you start with Avatar. As long as you can handle a bit of kiddiness early on, but even in the first few episodes, the thematic elements, deep characters, and intricate story is obvious.

I actually have seen that show, I actually found it quite interesting despite, as you said it's kiddiness and innocence (despite the massive amounts of porn I've seen of it while playing CSS and seeing peoples sprays)

Sigh... it's truly sad how far Rule 34 spreads...

Anyway, if you can get a hold of it starting from the beginning (watching this one in order is pretty much vital, especially in the second and third season), I'd recommend that one. Japanese culture is one quite different from ours, so I found that seeing a good American animated show helped me a bit. And dang, it gets freaking epic.

As a side note: I recommend getting subtitles for anime. In some cases, including Death Note and Full Metal Alchemist, the English dubs are actually pretty good. But this isn't something you can count on (not to mention some shows, like Clannad, were never dubbed at all). I don't know how you are with subtitles, but I've found the English versions to often include mediocre and/or horrible voice acting, as well as the bad lip-synching you mentioned.

Anyway, let me know what you try and what you think: you've got me curious as to how all this will turn out.

Ok this is starting to become a mega-wall-o-text-a-thon so maybe we should either stop or -snip-

Anyway, I will let you know once I get a chance to watch an episode of one of the three. (Clannad sounds good, mostly because it won't be depressing, I once saw an episode of Full Metal Alchemist where a whole town was killed by this wierd virus and I saw a kid die. That was depressing)

 

[Tenrin]

Anime is not a genre like comedy or horror. It is a medium, like film or videogames. Think of it that way and maybe you'll get past the 'creepy feeling' you get.

 

[Ocelano]

From my viewpoint, the entirety of my enjoyment I derive from anime is upon the storyline and characters involved in the series. Whilst cartoons, especially American focus primarily toward a younger audience, anime frequent provide a mature story, which may well be exceptionally intriguing. Some present chilling mystery (Higurashi), beautiful romance (Romeo x Juliet), frightening insanity (Evangelion and whilst subverted; Higurashi) and adventure which amasses a great deal of anime. Without question there exists poor anime, however what of American television? No I do not reference only to cartoons.

Personally outside a select few series (Criminal Minds, Law & Order and a few other shows I fancy) I would much prefer to sit through an arc of Bleach or complete a series such as Higurashi. To each their own, is what it amounts to.

Must agree with you give me a good season length anime like trigun or flcl and apart from a possible wtf factor, for example what the f did haruko want to do with that giant bird marry it or eat it, at least you get some closure unlike those darned US soap's which can follow a plot over so many years it's not gosh darned funny anymore.

Another point I would like to make is not to neglect how much america just rip's off Japanese shows not solely anime examples of course being the grudge, the ring and all their trashy sequels and is it just me or do they never manage the true thrill or suspense of the originals? I watched japanese grudge through to I think 3 and they scared the crap out of me I don't mind confessing But the american version had been so cut down and twisted to star s,m,g or whomever it was that all the suspense was gone.
...
...
Hmm.. I appear to have ranted a little off piece, I'm sorry,

 

[LeonLethality]

Spongebob and a customer are in a heated argument at the local Krusty Krab when all of a sudden Spongebob pulls out a rather large revolver and blows the customer's head to peices.

I would pay good money to see that o.o

 

[sarahvait]

Ok this is starting to become a mega-wall-o-text-a-thon so maybe we should either stop or -snip-

Anyway, I will let you know once I get a chance to watch an episode of one of the three. (Clannad sounds good, mostly because it won't be depressing, I once saw an episode of Full Metal Alchemist where a whole town was killed by this wierd virus and I saw a kid die. That was depressing)

::snort:: Oh, yeah, Clannad's not depressing or anything. Nope...

Maybe you should be more specific. I mean, are you just going to be weirded out at any anime/cartoon that features death or anything bad happening (unless it can easily be fixed with no bad effects lingering afterwards)?

 

[Casual Shinji]

I just can't shake the feeling of anime being a cartoon, which makes it rather disturbing when I see someone get stabbed or shot in the face.

It's funny you should say this now since these days anime consists mostly of romantic comedy or fan service.

There have ony been a few very voilent examples in recent years; Elfen Lied and especially Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. (If normal anime violence disturbs you, this will give you a f*cking heart attack) Most of the trully weird anime violence took place in the late 80's and early 90's with all the techno-punk and post-apocalyptic scenarios.

When we say 'anime', we usually mean shows like Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Trigun or the neverending shows like Dragon Ball, Naruto and Bleach. But Japanese animation as a whole has SO much more to offer. A lot of shows I watched as a little kid where Japanese animated like The Wizard of Oz, The Swiss Family Robinson, Maple Town, Huckleberry Finn and Candy. Those shows where some of the best kids cartoons I'd ever seen. And reason for that was that they didn't shy away from themes like illness and death or loneliness and sacrifice. They didn't patronize you like almost all the western cartoons did.

I guess what I'm trying to say is; Even if you don't care to much for the violent anime shows, those shows only make up a very small part of Japanese animation as a whole.

 

[Robert632]

a good story is a good story. no matter what the delivery system is.

 

[Xpwn3ntial]

I'm pretty sure that cartoons are frowned upon in this way because they are the second-youngest medium for these things such as porn, violence, etc., right in front of video games, which are still attacked time to time.

 

[Dooly95]

I don't understand all the naruto/pokemon fans...bleh! And i wouldn't say that it's popular.

Pokemon probably would have died without America

No, I think Pokemon would of done okay without America. Thing about Pokemon is that it's a GAME first, "anime" later.

Think about it.



Just on the people screaming bloody murder to anime being called cartoons - guys, anime is a cartoon. It's short for animation; the Japanese have just coined it to mean different meanings to what cartoons mean here.

Also, there are a lot of "anime" that would fall under what we'd classify as cartoons, so don't get all riled up whenever people equate anime = cartoons = little kids.

 

[Doug]

Now, I'm not saying anime is bad, but I just find it strange why almost every gamer I know loves anime when frankly, I find it kind of disturbing. At this point I would like to point out that I am not talking about children's cartoons such as Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon, nor am I talking about creepy japanese porn, I'm talking about M-rated stuff.

Same here - about the only piece of 'anime' I've seen that hasn't featured 4 year olds with giantitic breasts has been that "Spirited Away", which is sort of the Japanese version of Alice in wonder land in a few ways, although its its own story and tells a tale well - alittle bit to far on the childrens story side of things to be an instant recommend, but its something worth seeing at least once.

However, the rest of anime seems to be crazied on young (under 15) girls with huge breasts and brooding emo boys. Oh, and the Samauri pizza cats, but they just recycled the same animations and plot lines week after week.

 

[FallenJellyDoughnut]

Now, I'm not saying anime is bad, but I just find it strange why almost every gamer I know loves anime when frankly, I find it kind of disturbing. At this point I would like to point out that I am not talking about children's cartoons such as Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon, nor am I talking about creepy japanese porn, I'm talking about M-rated stuff.

Same here - about the only piece of 'anime' I've seen that hasn't featured 4 year olds with giantitic breasts has been that "Spirited Away", which is sort of the Japanese version of Alice in wonder land in a few ways, although its its own story and tells a tale well - alittle bit to far on the childrens story side of things to be an instant recommend, but its something worth seeing at least once.

Is the main character a little girl whose parents get turned into pigs? Coz I totally remember something like that when I was like 8.

 

[Chipperz]

I'm not a massive fan of anime, and I think it all stems from the first two I watched - Ghost in the Shell, and Urotsukidoji : Legend of the Overfiend.

Ghost in the Shell is, without a doubt, a brilliant film. It's deep, provocative and provides a great deal of insight into the human condition, at least from the minds of the writers. That didn't stop me thinking "The guys all have hoodies that turn them invisible... Why does Kusanagi have to get naked? What the fuck? (assuming this was an issue with anime, I tried manga, and was greeted with a page that actually had the words "FAN SERVICE" on it, and an upskirt shot of one of the characters...)

Urotsukidoji was... Well, the only time someone wasn't getting raped, being penetrated by tentacles or having vaguely penis-shaped tentacles spew "slime" was the menu screen.

I later tried to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion. The first 12 episodes are alright! Then... It gets all philosophical and is less about giant robots blowing up aliens. By Death and Rebirth I had no idea what was going on, even after repeated viewings, people explaining it to me and trips to wikipedia. I still haven't seen End of Evangelion, because I'd like to know what's happening before I go in.

Lastly, I tried Akira. This was alright! I was eventually put off by the guy I was watching it getting all grumpy and huffing about how "they don't make anime like this any more". If that's true, then fuck it.

So... Yeah, there are gamers out there who don't like anime - gimme Western animation with plotlines that are vaguely comprehensible to people without a degree in philosophy and ultraviolence that doesn't involve all the women randomly getting naked any day of the week!