How do you feel about anime?

[Korolev]

Most of it, like most of anything, is pretty run-of-the-mill, cliched stuff that's sort of alright, but tiring after a while. But like any medium, some of it is really good or really bad. Anime is just another type of show. You might as well ask me how I feel about films in general or music in general or radio in general.

If an anime series is good, I'll watch it. If it ain't, I won't. I have to say, I don't watch much anime. Never have either. But I have nothing against it.

Well, that is to say, I used to have nothing against it. The increasingly bizarre fan service and fetishization of characters, and the ludicrous fanboy-ism/fangirl-ism of late is extremely embarrassing. Like with all things, fans ruin everything by taking it too seriously, and too far. Enjoying it is one thing. Devoting your life to it is quite another.

EDIT: It's like Star Trek - a decent Sci-fi show you could watch in the evening, was made into a freakish cultish niche show watched some extremely weird people who just take it far too seriously. The first time I saw two grown men arguing passionately about a minor discrepancy in a FICTIONAL FAKE TV SHOW, was also the time I realized that I could never admit to even somewhat liking Star Trek in public. I mean, it was ludicrous - of course some parts of the TV show don't match up or are inconsistent - IT'S FICTION! IT'S NOT REAL! IT WAS WRITTEN BY SEPARATE WRITERS!

When fans start treating a TV show or an anime series as if the characters or the universe ACTUALLY exists, is the time I start getting the hell out of there.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Don't let the world fall into chaos.

 

[AdamRBi]

It's animation... from Japan... and I love animation.
They are cartoons... from Japan... and I love cartoons.
They are the eastern equivalent to western animation, I have no reason not to love it.

 

[De-Moti]

I think anime is a pretty cool guy.

I love anime! Right now i'm watching rozen maiden. desu.

Spoiler

Spoiler: For Desu!

 

[Snor]

i hate anime... not because its a cartoon or anything but because there is this whole movement with crazy westerners shouting Japanese stuff (see above) + the characters are too feminine (i wanted to say gay but gay people are cooler and have a sense of fashion)

to bad that video games empire somehow cooperates with the anime kingdom

 

[SovietSecrets]

Some anime is pretty cool to watch, though I rarely watch it myself. I think the last bit I watched was Hellsing and that was last year.

 

[unicron44]

There is stuff that is cool like Akira, Cowboy Beebop and Afro Samurai that seem to cool to me. But there is also stuff that is just a little too weird to me.

 

[Rabarberskurk]

I don't care for most of it, but there are a few ones that I really enjoy.

For example: Gurren Lagann, Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon, Gag Manga Biyori and Trava: Fist Planet.

I hate the manga style -- Freaky giant eyes, stupid hairdos and costumes, over-exaggeration of everything, etc, etc... Since animé is basically a moving manga, that's a big eewww for me. However, if someone can point me towards one with a different art style, I might open up my mind. Might.

How about something like this?

Spoiler

Art looks ok, but...

Although only in high school, the brilliant Takuya is working as a physicist at an Alliance scientific facility sponsored by the United States' National Security Agency

...that's another thing that bugs me...I'm pretty sure no high school student works for the NSA in real life. Worst part is, most of those stories (basing myself on Final Fantasy here, that's as close to anime I got) would work perfectly well with adult characters: FF VIII would still have worked if Squall and co. were 25 (Except for Quistis, who should be at least 35 - she teaches in an elite military academy and she's 18 for fuck's sake)

SO basically, I'm looking for an anime that doesn't use the manga style and doesn't feature "angsty androgynous teenagers killing Satan", to quote Yahtzee. Does that exist?

So you're looking for something that is the animated equivalent of real life? With nothing that's even remotely unlikely to be true in it? I can't help you there. I'm sure it exists, but it's not the sort of thing I have any interest in.

Monster
Master Keaton

Those are some of the few animes that have mainly adult characters in a fairly realistic setting (and still manages to be good.)

 

[Guffe]

I have watched some and I like it but I enjoy the Manga even more which has led to the fact that I read manga instead of watching anime. I hated fillers and I got rid of those by reading.
I also think that some Anime/Manga based in Asia or Japan (I know Anime/Manga is only from there but I meant cartoons overall ^^) can teach you small fragment of that culture which is only plus.
I get annoyed by people who never watched anime or read manga before and just because it is animated they call it silly or childish because of how it looks. I often try to defend it but not going into yelling and so but normal argumentation since many of my friends have this point of view.
Basically this is my point of view.

 

[tzimize]

When I first discovered anime I was a HUGE fan. Some of the best experiences of my childhood came from Robotech, Cobra and MD Geist. I was thrilled that there was "cartoons for adults" that wasnt so afraid of violence. Cobra for example was FANTASTIC when I was about 12.

I still like some anime because it seems their creativity to come up with fantastic worlds/characters never stops. Western animation...it is a bit stale in many areas and not even close to being that creative.

That said, a lot of anime have pretty horrible storytelling skills, and after a while you can see that many of them actually follow very similar patterns. Personally I'd say that my anime fandom has more or less ended. But there are still a few series I cant put down.

1: I have to read Berserk. I started watching the anime, and was horrified at the way it ended so I had to read the manga. Will not stop until I am dead or it is finished.

2: Naruto. Naruto was not something I was very quick to love. I was even kind of "meh" about it until the battle in the water country on the bridge with Naruto/Haku. After that I was hooked 100%. It has since gotten only better and is one of my favorite shows of any kind. It is a fantastic show, and one I will not hesitate to show my children one day should I choose to have them.

There is so much to learn about friendship, empathy, family, community, loyalty and just life in general that I am humbled. While it is a bit silly at times, the story is just too good and the growth of the main character is simply awesome.

 

[mark-the-stampede]

anime? i love it, favourite animes? trigun,the boondocks, bleach, death note and i think i'll shut up now before i begin to prattle on.

 

[Caliostro]

Anime is a medium. Saying you love or hate anime is like saying you love or hate books, or movies. You're clumping together things that go the high quality levels of George Orwell's 1984, or Alan Moore's V for Vendetta, with hopeless trash like Twilight.

Anyone that says that things like Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop, Death Note or Neon Genesis Evangelion have no quality, even if not to their liking, is simply ignorant.

On the other hand saying anime has no trash is just as misguided and foolish. Things like Bey Blades, the Naruto fillers, about half of Bleach, etc... are the anime equivalent of Twilight, Modern Warfare 2, or The Transformers movies: Irredeemable trash made to milk the ignorant mouth breathing masses of their dosh.

tl;dr: Anime is a medium. Like any other medium it has high quality and no quality content, and everything in between.

 

[Sark]

My brother has copius amounts of it. I watch it when I'm bored, its accessable and often entertaining.

Two best animes I have seen are Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad and Welcome to the NHK, because unlike typical reactionface anime, they depict reasonably realistic characters who have enough personality to get you to care about them.

 

[Something Amyss]

I like anime, but you get things like this:

Dislike them, mostly because of OVER THE TOP ANIME REACTIONS!

Spoiler

And I grate my teeth.

Mostly, I love the artistic style (The above being an exception). Which can lead to a discrepancy between the art and the story, since a lot of the anime I've watched has been a mixed bag.

Still, my avatar's from Tekkaman Blade 2, and I just got done watching FMA and Claymore on Netflix (Started Clannad; not sure what I think), so I'm obviously not against it.

 

[C117]

I love some of them, mostly the gory, gritty ones (Black Lagoon, Elfen Lied, Blood+ etc.). But I can't stand stuff like Bleach, One Piece or Lucky Star. Those are way better in paperback form...

 

[Scarnix]

I find it relaxing though I never liked the word "Anime" I like to call them "Cartoons" cause it sounds less dorky.

 

[Tdc2182]

I'm not a big fan (a little to melodramatic and plays to much on the young 15 year old scene kid lead. What can I say? I'm a Western film entertainment kinda guy. Bring out the overplayed bearded masculine characters), but I do enjoy the occasional classic anime series.

I also work with a hardcore anime fan, so he recommends me a good one every once in a while. He got me in love with Ruroni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, and the one about two Samurai with a young girl that I cannot recall.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I generally don't care for it. The reasons are myriad and tend to vary depending upon the property in question so I won't sully the thread by listing them here.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

I don't mind watching anime. It really depends on the show and what the content is (No tentacles going into little girls Pl0x!).
The problem I do have with anime is that it is impossible to find on TV in the UK!

 

[Jewrean]

I like it cuz its weird

That's got to be the biggest 'fan service' I've ever seen.