Can Americans Make Anime?

[Nami nom noms]

Well, considering I and my bf both recently watched the entire series of Avatar on netflix (and we both loved it), yes. Yes of course.

In fact Avatar was better in many ways to the vast majority of anime.

 

[Grimh]

Yeah I pretty much agree with you fully. Not much else I can say.

Also this

 

[Scrustle]

I've often heard about the hostility some have towards calling Avatar anime, but I'm not convinced it actually exists. I've never come across it. I've never seen anyone having any problems referring to Avatar as an anime, and whenever people talk about anime in general Avatar often comes up.

 

[Eruanno]

What kind of horrible person dislikes Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra because of where it was produced? D:

 

[Scars Unseen]

Smart. Very smart. A good question of language, perception and prejudice.

The answer is certainly yes even though it may make some people uncomfortable. If anyone has a "right" to define what anime is, it's the Japanese and they have never called it "animation from Japan". Just animation in particular styles.

Can see where the lack of Japanese cultural influence might create a sort of subconscious uncanny valley effect and auto-rejection based on Western animations history of shallow, ugly, low quality rubbish created only for children. That's just a reputation problem to be endured and possibly overcome.

Why would they call it animation from japan? They're in Japan. They call it anime because that is their word for animation. It's not a special word. It's not animation of a specific style. What you are suggesting would be like them calling gohan "rice from Japan."

 

[DugMachine]

I'd put both Avatars in their own category since they're so damn good. But if you must classify I don't see why they can't be considered anime

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Yes

'Can Americans make animation influenced by traditional Japanese cartoons?' The answer is a resounding yes. Anime is a style, not bound by culture, in the same way that Third Person Omniscient Narration is a style. Even in artistic terms anime is a style of drawing like Abstract or Realistic or Absurdism, none of which are culturally specific.

For an example of why the arguments against Avatar, Samurai Jack etc are ridiculous, I present Astro Boy and Osamu Tezuka.

Osamu Tezuka, the so called 'God of Anime' was heavily influenced by Western cartoons of the time, including Walt Disney and Betty Boop, and incorporated those designs into his own works. Since he was so influenctial, many people then copied him.

So to ask 'can Americans produce anime?' is really to ask 'can Americans produce animation that was directly influenced by an American?' To which the answer is.

Yes

 

[Scars Unseen]

Yes

'Can Americans make animation influenced by traditional Japanese cartoons?' The answer is a resounding yes. Anime is a style, not bound by culture, in the same way that Third Person Omniscient Narration is a style. Even in artistic terms anime is a style of drawing like Abstract or Realistic or Absurdism, none of which are culturally specific.

For an example of why the arguments against Avatar, Samurai Jack etc are ridiculous, I present Astro Boy and Osamu Tezuka.

Osamu Tezuka, the so called 'God of Anime' was heavily influenced by Western cartoons of the time, including Walt Disney and Betty Boop, and incorporated those designs into his own works. Since he was so influenctial, many people then copied him.

So to ask 'can Americans produce anime?' is really to ask 'can Americans produce animation that was directly influenced by an American?' To which the answer is.

Yes

There are many styles of animation within Japan. Which one is the anime one?

 

[Krukmeister]

Can Americans make Anime? Yes, because 'Anime' means cartoons. It's a word the Japanese made by shortening down the English word 'Animation', because that's what the Japanese tend to do. Persocom instead of PC, Televie instead of TV or Tele.

They're all cartoons. Now the real question is, can America, or the rest of the western civilisation, make a cartoon how the Japanese make cartoons? Yes, I'm not daft, I know that's what the writer meant with the title, but to be honest, I only use the term Anime when I want to make it clear that the cartoon I'm watching is from Japanese origin.

I watch cartoons. Most of them are from Japan. Ask a Japanese person what Anime they like, and they might just name a Disney film. It's a different word with the same meaning, but a lot of people in the western do not seem to know that fact.

 

[lord.jeff]

I try to stop using the word anime, it's just been to common that people would choose anime over western animation based on origin alone, I could see why people would enjoy anime differently the cultural difference gives anime a unique flavor but when people are getting upset because something that is clearly influenced by those trends and occasionally even marked down for it, your taking the word much to far.

 

[Sis]

Champagne can only be named champagne if it originates from the Champagne area. Anime can only be named Anime if it originates from the Japan. HOWEVER, that still doesn't mean that others aren't allowed to make it. They're just not allowed to name it so.

 

[medv4380]

"Can anyone outside of Japan make Anime?" is unequivocally "No."
Actually the answer is Unequivocally YES. Most Anime isn't even made In Japan anymore. Most anime is farmed out to Korean Sweat Shops. Heck Legend of Korra is even made by a Korean Sweat Shop run by Buster Bunny himself.

 

[Nikolaz72]

"Can anyone outside of Japan make Anime?" is unequivocally "No."
Actually the answer is Unequivocally YES. Most Anime isn't even made In Japan anymore. Most anime is farmed out to Korean Sweat Shops. Heck Legend of Korra is even made by a Korean Sweat Shop run by Buster Bunny himself.

Anime is a Japaneese word for animation/cartoons.. Therefor, unless you are a Japaneese outside Japan, I really doubt you would be making anime's. It would just be, well.. Animation or Cartoons.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Champagne can only be named champagne if it originates from the Champagne area. Anime can only be named Anime if it originates from the Japan. HOWEVER, that still doesn't mean that others aren't allowed to make it. They're just not allowed to name it so.

Well to be fair, there is nothing that says that you can't call a non-Japanese animation "anime," but it's a bit silly to borrow a loan word that was derived from the word you're trying to avoid.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Anime is anything animated, what we call anime is not what they call anime. Now can we make mainstream animated series for teens and adults. Not really.

 

[WanderingFool]

Can Americans Make Anime?

I've watched Avatar and Legend of Korra


Short answer: Yes

QFT.

I liked both of them, and they both also felt very mature for being cartoons. Something you dont see to often.

 

[keideki]

Oddly enough in the groups of anime fans that I hang out with we use the qualifying term OEL (Original English Language) when we talk about animated shows made in the United States that have themes and animation styles similar to those made in Japan.

I think a bigger question we might ask is how well can a non-Japanese production team truly understand a foreign culture well enough to replicate its art forms with any sense of perfection. I am not saying that animators from other countries are not skilled, but I am saying that each culture has its own ascetics and ideals and iconography that are unique to that culture. When you watch an anime made in another country, the culture of that country will rub off on it without a doubt. Even if a dedicated team sets out to copy the culture of another nation their own ideals and such cannot help but seep into their art.

I think this is the reason most anime fans argue about what is anime and what is not anime. Personally I think it is a silly argument based wholly on semantics.

 

[Azuaron]

It wouldn't seem correct to treat the entirety of any medium from any other culture with similar prejudice. We don't generalize all of British TV or Canadian webcomics. We don't lump together all of French music or Latin American food.

Er, yes we do. I, for instance, am not a big fan of British TV. Some stands out enough to hook me (anything by Steven Moffat, some Monty Python), but everything seems just a little off, just a little awkward in its style. Every so often, there will be an American show/movie with the same kind of style (Surrogates) that I will similarly dislike.

As far as food, we definitely lump that together, and often in incorrect ways. Chinese food to mean all Asian food. Mexican food, which is often more accurately described as Tex-Mex (but then most Americans consider all Latin American food to be "Mexican").

Right or wrong, we generalize everything from a culture. And this is useful (one word: Bollywood). It tells us the general style and themes to expect. Sure, more information is often needed (British comedy, German police procedural, action anime), but in the same way all genres need additional qualifiers (action comedy, romantic comedy, dramedy).

But there's nothing explicitly preventing Americans from making a British-style comedy, just like there's nothing preventing city dwellers from writing spaghetti westerns. The importance, as you point out, is whether it's in the style, not where it was produced (although, Americans have botched a lot of "American remakes" of popular entertainment [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0onquIv89g] from elsewhere).

 

[medv4380]

"Can anyone outside of Japan make Anime?" is unequivocally "No."
Actually the answer is Unequivocally YES. Most Anime isn't even made In Japan anymore. Most anime is farmed out to Korean Sweat Shops. Heck Legend of Korra is even made by a Korean Sweat Shop run by Buster Bunny himself.

Anime is a Japaneese word for animation/cartoons.. Therefor, unless you are a Japaneese outside Japan, I really doubt you would be making anime's. It would just be, well.. Animation or Cartoons.

Incorrect.
Per a Dictionary
Anime is a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes See here [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anime?show=0&t=1343660934].

Anime is a STYLE that originated in Japan but isn't done exclusively in Japan.

If I make an Edo Style Wood Block print it is a ukiyo-e? Yes it is because it is a particular Style and as long as I follow that style then there is no problem.

American Cartoons as an mature medium died long ago and because of that have a childish tone to them. American Cartoons are themselves a Style.