Explain Anime to an outsider

[Chrinik]

My theory is that, because it´s from japan, it feels entirely different to anything a westerner has ever experienced ever.
But, I got to say, you can´t just say "explain Anime", because there´s so much different Anime.
I, for instance, don´t like most anime because they tend to fall into cliches pretty fast and pretty HARD.
"So okay, this guy got punched by a girl for some reason, and landed on another girls chest, who saw it all happening, I can see how she would clearly accept his apology and ask if he´s okay and...oh no, she just slapped him and called him a pervert, like in a bazillion other Anime, how unpredictable this joke was, I am litterally crying as I put a gun to my head for the sheer stupidity!"

But if there is an Anime that actually tries to tell a good story rather then get a cheap laugh with sexual jokes and female-to-male voilence, then count me in.

 

[emeraldrafael]

I can only say what I was first told by one of my friends when he first introduced me to it way back when I was six.

<quote=Jake>Dude, its cartoons! From Japan!

and can only add what he said when he was 15 and we were explaining it to another friend;s little brother.

<quote=Jake>Its cartoons from a country that is mostly sexually repressed, so they have to express themselves through cartoons

SO yeah, take what you will from that.

 

[Sangreal Gothcraft]

All you need to know is that its plot usually involves Angst teenager Drama BS nobody cares about and them dressing in Horrible clothing wielding giant swords and behold she or he had power all along to defeat all evil, or for the adults Tentacle rape and Females getting rudely "exposed". Though there are a few that are pretty dam good, Cowboy bebop and Trigun are the two i guess you can go into without feeling like outsider.

 

[Vault101]

Thanks for all the descriptions! Im not sure if I would want to get into anime (though I can see the apeal of the awsome stuff) But I wanted to get a better understanding of somthing that seems so huge and yet I know practically nothing about it

 

[Zaik]

In a sentence, 99% of the time the book was better.

It's like comic books that people made TV shows about. Occasionally there's a good one, like that one Batman animated series, but the rest of the time it's worse than awful.

 

[Bags159]

Fourteen year old girls with gigantic tits and mini-skirts.

 

[MercurySteam]

is it as weird as everyone says?

If my avatar is anything to go by, not all anime is sweet and cute. There are many different types for all sorts of people.

 

[Vault101]

is it as weird as everyone says?

If my avatar is anything to go by, not all anime is sweet and cute. There are many different types for all sorts of people.

is that vampire and/or werewolf?...ouch

 

[kidigus]

Just hand him/her a copy of Akira and deny the existance of all other anime.

 

[masher]

There are genres, like any other media.
And they're Animated. Whether you like it or not is a matter of taste; however, no, it's -not- all tentacle rape and porn.

 

[MercurySteam]

is that vampire and/or werewolf?...ouch

Ah, Hellsing:

Spoiler

For the slightly less sane anime fans.

 

[Vault101]

Anime is a more cinematic approach to animation. You'll notice western animation is mostly only shown from a few points of view, most commonly the side view, which I find to be pretty bland sometimes. (not to say that the shows themselves are bad, they can be quite good)

Plus it's usually drawn WAY more detailed than any western animation.

yeah, I imagine thats because western animation is primarly targeted towards kids and mabye done cheaply as well where as anime has a large adult audience, I find stuff now is more simply drawn or more stylaised than some stuff from the 90's or even 80's (like pinky and the brain or looney tunes) compared to say fairly odd parents or invader zim or danny phantom (though I love fairly odd parents and invader zom seems cool but I never got to watch it, they are all made by the same peopel anyway?)

anyway isnt it true as well that while anime is more detailed the animation dosnt quite have the same flow as traditional bigger budget western animation?(which I feel is in decline) I imagine it depends on budget as well

anyway thats just my thourghts

 

[Macgyvercas]

I think I'll just leave this here. It can explain it better than I can.

 

[blankedboy]

so I mean dose all of it mostly conform to alot of streotypes? and conventions? is it as weird as everyone says? what is it about anime that some geeks love so much?

It depends on the genre. Shounen anime (anime made for teenage boys, the most popular are action animes like Naruto and Bleach) generally tends to meet stereotypes. If you look past that, though then you'll find way more variety than you'd expect.

Shounen-ai > Shounen.
I went there ^^

 

[Dango]

There are genres, like any other media.
And they're Animated. Whether you like it or not is a matter of taste; however, no, it's -not- all tentacle rape and porn.

That reminds me, seeing your avatar is the only reason I got into Kyouran Kazoku Nikki. Just wanted to thank you for that...

so I mean dose all of it mostly conform to alot of streotypes? and conventions? is it as weird as everyone says? what is it about anime that some geeks love so much?

It depends on the genre. Shounen anime (anime made for teenage boys, the most popular are action animes like Naruto and Bleach) generally tends to meet stereotypes. If you look past that, though then you'll find way more variety than you'd expect.

Shounen-ai > Shounen.
I went there ^^

I know, but a romance like Toradora! is also shounen, but, like shounen-ai, it's no where near as popular as an anime like Naruto or Bleach, so people don't really think of it when they think of anime stereotypes.

 

[Marik2]

SNIP

and then this comes along and screws up all comparisons.
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/18500000/Panty-Stocking-anime-18530759-500-283.gif
artstyle changes so much in the show, I don't think comparing western to eastern animation even matters at this point.

Good ol Panty and Stocking.

Maybe we should give out invites to the psg group here?

 

[Dango]

SNIP

and then this comes along and screws up all comparisons.
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/18500000/Panty-Stocking-anime-18530759-500-283.gif
artstyle changes so much in the show, I don't think comparing western to eastern animation even matters at this point.

Good ol Panty and Stocking.

Maybe we should give out invites to the psg group here?

I can't help but feel that this video alone just reinforced a bunch of anime stereotypes that the people in this thread were trying to get away from...

 

[Marik2]

SNIP

and then this comes along and screws up all comparisons.
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/18500000/Panty-Stocking-anime-18530759-500-283.gif
artstyle changes so much in the show, I don't think comparing western to eastern animation even matters at this point.

Good ol Panty and Stocking.

Maybe we should give out invites to the psg group here?

I can't help but feel that this video alone just reinforced a bunch of anime stereotypes that the people in this thread were trying to get away from...

The anime is in itself a huge parody of west and east stereotypes.

Doesnt take itself seriously at all

 

[Ragsnstitches]

It is 50% shameless high school and sci-fi stereotypes, 20% tentacle rape, 25% crap and 5% awesome beyond awesome.

In that bold exaggeration, there is an undeniable truth. I'd say its more 30% crap and 15% tentacle rape (or some derivative of it). 50% shameless stereotyping (I would also like to add clichés to that) seems pretty accurate.

EDIT: there is also some overlapping with crap and shameless stereotyping.

But alas, I still watch it for that rare 5%. Wishing... Hoping...

 

[ltbigjohn]

"it could only be better if it had tits and was on fire"