Is Anime Healthy?

[Ratty]

And that's how Ranma 1/2 went on for soooo damn long.

I've heard nothing even really got concluded in that series, even in the manga. That the author just said "Welp I've got enough money now, I'm done!" more or less. Don't know if that's true though.

Slayers is kind of guilty of that though, and it's one of my favorite anime franchises.

 

[tiakeravelonna]

In regards to Sailor Moon...well...it depends on what you are watching. Are you watching the white-washed American version you saw on Toonami? Or are you watching the version where a young girl loses all she has (repeatedly) and fights with all she has to gain it back using the power of friendship and love, which is the original version? The original version can be a LOT darker, especially the final season (which never saw American TV). And the manga makes the anime look tame.

Is Sailor Moon fluff? Well, yeah. I'll admit that. Is it unhealthy? No. I'd consider Elfen Lied and Eva more unhealthy than Sailor Moon (yeah; that's how recent my anime knowledge goes. I tend to pick one thing and stick with it).

 

[4RT1LL3RY]

It really depends on the type of show your watching. Back when Toonami was on, long runners like Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon were long, but seemed mostly episodic. Most of the shows I watch now focus more heavily on characters themselves and how they are with others. Having Characters who aren't flat and how actually struggle and develop are something I look for. Even if they only have a single "goal" over the course of it.

Finding any shows where people are happily together is surprisingly hard. Not every show needs to be dysfunction junction. Fan service is a bane for me but I can deal with it to a certain extent. Hot-blooded protagonist and Mecha are still my guilty pleasure. Gunbuster and Diebuster are great even if I do need to deal with fan service occasionally. Watching Kill la Kill has helped immensely in building up a resistance to it. Don't feel guilty at all about the fluffiness that is incredibly close interpersonal relationships between females with sapphic tones. *Points at Sailor Moon's Haruka and Michiru, and all of Nanoha* Magical girl shows contain that quite a bit.

 

[Schwenkdawg]

As I'm sure everyone's managed to say already, it's because you're watching the wrong things and the wrong demographic. There's a bit of cultural confusion too. The Japanese tend to not be as...vocal or confrontational on average as many westerners so, while an incredibly valid point from a western perspective (I've caught myself yelling it at the screen a couple of times), getting the characters to chill out, sit down, and have a 5 minute conversation to avert everything that happened in the plot (Lookin' straight at you Eva 3.33) is unlikely to happen. Do a little research on the more "mature" genres and anime and you should be set

 

[Tiamattt]

And that's how Ranma 1/2 went on for soooo damn long.

I've heard nothing even really got concluded in that series, even in the manga. That the author just said "Welp I've got enough money now, I'm done!" more or less. Don't know if that's true though.

For the most part, yeah nothing really changes. Although to be fair story progression was never really the series' thing, in a way it's like American comics where you'll have a bunch of arcs with new characters showing up every once and a while, and older characters getting their turn in the spotlight until the arc ends and everything goes back to "normal." (Like anything's normal in that crazy place) Or perhaps a better comparison would be the Simpsons, where no matter what crazy crap happens in the story status quo remains the same. And like American comics Ranma ended in a similar fashion, you won't be reading about them anymore but they'll still be doing the same crazy stuff they do all the time.

Not that I like when a series ends like that, but I've read enough comics and seen enough shows end pretty much the same way so I'm pretty used to it.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Anime is entertainment, fictional entertainment, the only unhealthy part of that is when people don't comprehend that it is fictional.
Same applies to books, movies, TV, magazines, songs, cartoons, ... people take this fake ass celebrity shit as gospel and get a really fucking warped take on reality, it's just fucking fiction people, they fake it all for your entertainment but it does not in any way relate to us.

And I completely agree on the anime breakdown OP, I still watch some for the insane fight scenes(because there is nothing like it out there) but any attempts at characterization are hilariously bad and or sad.

 

[The Dead Singer]

You mention a lot of shonen and shojo manga, (targeted at young boys and young girls) Perhaps try some more of the adult stuff. Ghost in the shell, Baccano, Attack on Titan, cowboy bebop, Akira, (I'm including films here)heck, I haven't seen much but I think outlaw star was more adult oriented and it sounded like you liked that. Japan has a metric tonne of content pushed out all the time, and the majority of everything usually isn't always all that good. Is it so much worse than western sitcoms where ideas stagnate the same way, but pushed to the background of whatever the case is that day? (I'm thinking of House, but maybe I'm mistaken, its been a long time.) Or compared to American cartoons where nothing happens. Ever. Ever ever. Unless its anime inspired like Avatar last airbender, usually.

There is good stuff, but sometimes yeah, I agree, certain anime take too long to move on. I could talk for a loooooong while on why I think Naruto is the way it is, (I think that relationships are frowned upon in Shonen manga generally? So its something the author isn't allowed to actually let happen?) and the filler is another thing entirely since making an anime is faster than making a manga.

There is good stuff- sorry I rambled.

Attack on Titan and Bebop are Shounen/Shoujo, respectively.

I haven't read much of this thread but I do hope someone has pointed that the whole "Seinen/Shounen/etc" classification is gauged by little more than whatever magazine is selling the manga (Normally, anime-only franchises are not pigeon-holed into any of these categories. Usually). It doesn't matter almost anything what trait does a show have; If it's sold by a seinen magazine, it's a seinen. Otherwise, try to explain to me how does "K-On!" classify as a seinen (Yes, it is actually considered a Seinen) alongside something like Hellsing.

 

[gagagaga]

You mention a lot of shonen and shojo manga, (targeted at young boys and young girls) Perhaps try some more of the adult stuff. Ghost in the shell, Baccano, Attack on Titan, cowboy bebop, Akira, (I'm including films here)heck, I haven't seen much but I think outlaw star was more adult oriented and it sounded like you liked that. Japan has a metric tonne of content pushed out all the time, and the majority of everything usually isn't always all that good. Is it so much worse than western sitcoms where ideas stagnate the same way, but pushed to the background of whatever the case is that day? (I'm thinking of House, but maybe I'm mistaken, its been a long time.) Or compared to American cartoons where nothing happens. Ever. Ever ever. Unless its anime inspired like Avatar last airbender, usually.

There is good stuff, but sometimes yeah, I agree, certain anime take too long to move on. I could talk for a loooooong while on why I think Naruto is the way it is, (I think that relationships are frowned upon in Shonen manga generally? So its something the author isn't allowed to actually let happen?) and the filler is another thing entirely since making an anime is faster than making a manga.

There is good stuff- sorry I rambled.

Attack on Titan and Bebop are Shounen/Shoujo, respectively.

I haven't read much of this thread but I do hope someone has pointed that the whole "Seinen/Shounen/etc" classification is gauged by little more than whatever magazine is selling the manga (Normally, anime-only franchises are not pigeon-holed into any of these categories. Usually). It doesn't matter almost anything what trait does a show have; If it's sold by a seinen magazine, it's a seinen. Otherwise, try to explain to me how does "K-On!" classify as a seinen (Yes, it is actually considered a Seinen) alongside something like Hellsing.

I think it has to do with demographics. K-On is targeted towards adult men, so it goes in the seinen magazine. Same w/Hellsing even though they're as different as night and day. K-On even aired on the Japanese Disney channel!

Also, Bebop is definitely seinen, not shoujo.

 

[TakerFoxx]

Attack on Titan and Bebop are Shounen/Shoujo, respectively.

I haven't read much of this thread but I do hope someone has pointed that the whole "Seinen/Shounen/etc" classification is gauged by little more than whatever magazine is selling the manga (Normally, anime-only franchises are not pigeon-holed into any of these categories. Usually). It doesn't matter almost anything what trait does a show have; If it's sold by a seinen magazine, it's a seinen. Otherwise, try to explain to me how does "K-On!" classify as a seinen (Yes, it is actually considered a Seinen) alongside something like Hellsing.

I think it has to do with demographics. K-On is targeted towards adult men, so it goes in the seinen magazine. Same w/Hellsing even though they're as different as night and day. K-On even aired on the Japanese Disney channel!

Also, Bebop is definitely seinen, not shoujo.

You're both right, actually. The anime, which came first, is classified as Seinen. But since the manga adaptation was serialized in a shojo magazine, it's classified as shojo, despite there not being much difference in the content. It gets weird.

 

[sumanoskae]

You know the concept of a stereotype? Every complaint you've leveled against these specific anime can be directed towards any other medium as well.

You yourself made comparison to Twatlight, but it wouldn't make much sense to dismiss all of literature because you've read some crappy books.

Consider watching some anime outside the run of the mill Shonen and Magical Girl variety.

Some suggestions: Madoka Magicka will appeal to you if Sailor Moon makes you sick; Fate/Zero is one of the greatest stories ever told in any medium, IMHO; Code Geas is fantastic, even if it's second season drags on a bit; Death Note is to Shonen as Madoka Magicka to Magical Girl; Gankutsuou: The Count of Monet Cristo is fantastic, there is almost nothing wrong with it; Samurai X (The Rurouni Kenshin OVA's) is perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on.

Get through all that without being moved and I'll accept that you have some kind of bizarre, arbitrary aversion to specific styles of animation that prevents you from enjoying a good story.

The idea of treating Anime like it's own genre seems kind of silly; all it really means is "Cartoons from Japan". It only follows the tropes it does because people ascribe them to it; there's no reason Anime has to be different from any other kind of animation.

Honestly, being biased against all Anime strikes me as willful ignorance; unwillingness to seek out other potential entertainment when one thing doesn't work.

I had a friend once who said they didn't like movies because they only ever saw bad ones, I told him that he had nobody to blame but himself; he complained about how shallow Hollywood made it's big budget movies, but these were the only films he ever bothered to watch.

 

[Belaam]

there was an obvious easy solution: for them to sit down and TALK for 5 minutes!

I have to point out that this is true of pretty much every story ever that is largely focused on characters relationships with each other. Romantic elements from those in Romeo & Juliet on have all just needed a short, honest conversation. It's hardly a problem unique to Japan.

For me, there are a few simple tricks to finding good anime. There are exceptions to the list, but generally you'll find better anime if it meets at least 3/4 of these:

1) Something rated 18+ that is not rated that for the fan service (or at least exclusively for the fan service).

2) Not set in a school.

3) The protagonist has a non-comedic character flaw.

4) A completed story arc every few seasons or a completed story arc for a short series.

As others have said, hitting Crunchyroll and watching an episode or three of anything that sounds like it might interest you is probably a good move. You'll quickly get an idea of what is worth sticking with and what is not.

 

[Dr. Cakey]

A lot of shows have been recommended but I only want to go up. Of the shows recommended to me, what would be considered 'better' than Modaka? Gahh choices..!

There's nothing.

Uh, I don't mean that as a criticism of anime, but in terms of the "objective" (add air-quotes as necessary) parts of storytelling, Madoka is all but flawless.It's very likely you'll find things you like more...eventually...because People Like Different Things.

If you're interested in seeing more from the same writer, he wrote the novel of which the Fate/Zero anime is an adaptation. Fate/Zero's a bother because it's a prequel to Fate/stay night, and while it makes a solid attempt at being standalone, the Fate universe is...complicated. Also, as far as I'm concerned, Fate/stay night is one of the worst things ever written, although I'm more or less alone in that sentiment. Fate/Zero, however, is an excellent work. Urobuchi can feel a bit cold or detached from his characters, which might be unexpected considering how emotional and intimate Madoka is.

He's also written the anime Psycho-Pass and Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. I'd consider them weaker than Fate/Zero and Madoka, but they're still solid works at their worst. He's also doing story composition for an anime which will be airing this summer, called Aldnoah Zero.

I think it was Yu Gi Oh that made me throw in the towel and give up trying to watch anime on tv. I hated those battles. At least Pokemon battles were quick (although I hated team rocket for fuckin' shit up and slowing shit down).

How dare you good sir!

YGO is kind of great for a lot of reasons, but one thing I like about it (particularly the sequel series: GX, 5D's, Zexal, and the current series, Arc-V, since they don't have to slow themselves down to align with ongoing source material) is that it makes excellent popcorn material, since most of the show is battles, and the later series feature battles which move at a good speed.

 

[gagagaga]

A lot of shows have been recommended but I only want to go up. Of the shows recommended to me, what would be considered 'better' than Modaka? Gahh choices..!

There's nothing.

Uh, I don't mean that as a criticism of anime, but in terms of the "objective" (add air-quotes as necessary) parts of storytelling, Madoka is all but flawless.It's very likely you'll find things you like more...eventually...because People Like Different Things.

If you're interested in seeing more from the same writer, he wrote the novel of which the Fate/Zero anime is an adaptation. Fate/Zero's a bother because it's a prequel to Fate/stay night, and while it makes a solid attempt at being standalone, the Fate universe is...complicated. Also, as far as I'm concerned, Fate/stay night is one of the worst things ever written, although I'm more or less alone in that sentiment. Fate/Zero, however, is an excellent work. Urobuchi can feel a bit cold or detached from his characters, which might be unexpected considering how emotional and intimate Madoka is.

He's also written the anime Psycho-Pass and Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. I'd consider them weaker than Fate/Zero and Madoka, but they're still solid works at their worst. He's also doing story composition for an anime which will be airing this summer, called Aldnoah Zero.

Yeah, that's the thing... Madoka basically ticks every box. Great writing, great music, great direction... etc, etc. That's not to say it's the "best" anime ever made, but I'd say it's the most "perfect" I've seen. If that makes any sense.

I'd have to (partially) agree with you on Fate/Stay... it's painfully tropey. Also, the anime is shit.

Now, Vudu, one thing you need to know about Fate/Zero is that it's good, but the first episode is 45 minutes of straight exposition, and the director doesn't do non-action scenes very well. It picks up after that, and the second season is stronger than the first.

Psycho-Pass generally gets rated higher than Gargantia, and I'm inclined to agree, even if PP did turn into Gen Urobuchi's Dystopian Book Reccs at times.

 

[Lilani]

I've never been to Japan so I wouldn't know. But their entertainment bores me to tears. Over here, it's scandel that drives our love plots.

American Romance: Jon and Lilly know they like each other but Jon already has a girlfriend and Lilly has an over protective father who wouldn't let her date anyway. But then they kiss at a part and OH NO, that **** sara saw them. So she blackmails both of them in exchange for keeping her mouth shut by forcing them to do her homework and chores. But while Lilly is cleaning out sara's locker, she finds a letter from sara's doctor about a 'condition' that needs to be discussed immediately. Lilly confronts sara about it and threatens to expose sara unless she lets Jon and Lilly go free. Little does Lilly know, Sara has been using John for sexual favors and threatens to tell both Lilly and Jon's girlfriend that he slept with Sara unless Jon shuts Lilly up. So Jon bribes his older brother to 'scare' Lilly into submission but it turns into attempted rape! Jon feels horrible but can't admit he's involved to Lilly. Traumatized, Lilly has to find out who her attacker was and Jon's brother gets nervous when she starts closing in so he...!

Anime: Sakuri likes Nabayaki but is too shy to tell him...

I think you should do some research into Japanese society and culture. Yes it's different from western stories as far as plot and character development and interaction--because it's not western. Perhaps Japanese storytelling just isn't your thing, which is fine. But you seem to be in the "It's wrong because it's different" mindset, and the only way to resolve that is to learn WHY things are different. I'm not saying you should learn the difference to like anime, just so you understand why you don't like it. Just do some Googling, learn the difference between shonen and shojo, and why those two genres within manga and anime came about.

But, for a few more things to try (since you obviously haven't gotten enough recommendations in this thread ) according to what you've said you like so far, I recommend Baccano, Durarara, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan, Cowboy Bebop, and Trigun. They're all very different from what you seem to dislike about anime. Baccano, Cowboy Bebop, and Trigun really break the mold of what you typically think of as anime, Gurren Lagaan is so over the top it's just a glorious spectacle to behold, and Durarara is kind of an entertaining mix of typical and atypical anime (though if you watch it, I recommend you watch Baccano first because there's an episode in Durarara that references it). OH, and Attack on Titan. If you think anime can't be as dramatic or serious as western storytelling, then watch Attack on Titan and try telling me that again. It's a show that has the balls to create extremely powerful creatures that can kill lots of people very quickly, and then actually demonstrate this in the show by having lots of people get killed very quickly.

And if you want a romance that actually has real character development and isn't quite as insufferable as just the "Girl likes boy but is too shy to tell..." I highly recommend Toradora. I also hate many tropes that romance in anime relies upon, Toradora has a substantial amount of character development. Every character has their own arc, they make sense, they behave and react to things like real people would, and there are "scandals" of sorts. And it all has a satisfying ending, like a good romance should.

Oh, and one movie on top of the others you've been recommended to check out: Summer Wars. It's a great ride, I promise!

 

[Novus Ultimus]

Anime has a very loose connection with reality most of the time, things simply work differently there. That coupled with the cultural divide between Japan and most of the western world leads to a lot of people getting pushed away from an artform that has a lot to offer.

That said, I find the "Power of FEELINGS!" bullshit in anime and Japanese games extremely irritating and often wonder why it is so prevalent.

Still I do watch quite a bit of anime and what I have found is if you wish to avoid the cliches mentioned in the OP you can't go too wrong with Sci-Fi. So long as it's not about mecha then odds are it's not terrible. That is not to say there aren't a couple decent mecha anime out there, but they are generally uninteresting to me.

Some good Sci-Fi anime I can mention off the top of my head are Ghost in the Shell, Darker than Black, Shinsekai Yori and Psycho Pass.
There are also plenty which you might not call great but that are certainly enjoyable, like Blassreiter, Btooom!, Trigun, Code Geass, and Ergo Proxy.

 

[Lucifus]

Series:
Attack on Titan
Full Metal Alchemist - Brotherhood
Ghost in the Shell
Hellsing Ultimate
Serei no moribito
Aeon Flux
Avatar the last airbender

Films:
Vexille
Appleseed
Blood the last vampire
Heavy Metal 2000

Some are technically "not anime" but are still awesome.

 

[MammothBlade]

I grew up watching anime. I remember my favorite show being Tenchi Muyo and having an affinity for sailor moon and outlaw star. Looking at beautiful people fall in love with other beautiful people while looking at the occasional beautiful transformation and beautiful fight scene was enough for me. I cried when Nephlite died in a sailor moon for me (He was my Edward). But, as I grew up, stories went from cute to tedious and, even as a child, I wondered why it took 3 seasons for a character to admit they liked or didn't like another character. As I grew and learned more about people and emotions, anime turned immature to me. Every social problem they had (which usually boiled down a girl liking a guy but not wanting to admit it so she treats him like shit and gets mad at him when another girl hugs him or kisses him or wants to be with him)) there was an obvious easy solution: for them to sit down and TALK for 5 minutes!

Seriously, the relationships in Anime seem so unhealthy. Naruto is freakin' scary. The girls are nuts and I can't sit through it. But it's not just these love stories (which they almost always have) but the filler. Ooohhh the filler. How the good guy makes a 5 minute speech about his super duper move but then the bad guy grins, counters his super duper move and then explains how he counters it for another five minutes. So, after thinking for ten minutes and relaying all of his thoughts to the audience, the good guy calls upon another super move that he didn't use originally for some reason and, although this hurts the bad guy, he dusts himself off, congratulates the good guy on his efforts, and then whips out yet ANOTHER super duper move and explains EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS!

"Oh no! What will our hero do? Find out next episode! Sike! Try three episodes from now!"

Fight scenes drag on and on until the hero digs deep down and unlocks a god power after discovering what true friendship/love/honor/family/bravery means and blows the bad guy away...for now (dun dun duuuun!).

By high school, I was over it, but it concerns me how Anime has such an adult following when seems so empty. The relationships are never healthy and the fights are slow. I think it was Yu Gi Oh that made me throw in the towel and give up trying to watch anime on tv. I hated those battles. At least Pokemon battles were quick (although I hated team rocket for fuckin' shit up and slowing shit down). Every now and then, I see something fun like Vampire hunter D, Miyazaki's older stuff, and the cowboy B bop movie but honestly, why is Anime so popular among adults? What's it do for them/you? Why am I the only one who thinks anime and JRG's are retarded and redardING?

You're not describing the problems with anime. You're describing generic shounen. Take a look at more of the Cowboy Bebops and Madokas, and less of the Narutos.

Also, seriously look into visual novels. They're usually quite a bit more engaging and thoughtful.

 

[SAMAS]

And that's how Ranma 1/2 went on for soooo damn long.

I've heard nothing even really got concluded in that series, even in the manga. That the author just said "Welp I've got enough money now, I'm done!" more or less. Don't know if that's true though.

Yes, and no. She ended it without a direct onscreen resolution, but the rather clear direction of where it was going.

IMO, Tsunderes work better when they're allowed to develop. This is usually a problem in long-running series where a romantic resolution anywhere other than the final episode(s) is seen as a bad thing. Thus you get constant misunderstanding, short tempers, and all-around denseness long after they have ceased to be effective.

Compare/contrast the relationship between Reiji and Aila in Gundam Build Fighters. She's Tsundere (so much the soundtrack actually calls her one), he's clueless. But they don't even meet until the tenth episode of the 25-episode series, and their relationship is allowed to actually progress over the remaining fifteen episodes. There is some drama and misunderstandings, but the resolution of those actually moves their relationship forward rather than restoring a status quo.

Spoiler

The series actually ends without an onscreen resolution, but the fact that Aila crosses dimensions to be with Reiji pretty much tells you where it's gonna end.

And the fact that the series also provides other relationships (Sei/China, Rinko/Takeshi and Kirara/Fellini) to compare and contrast with also helps.

 

[TakerFoxx]

Snip

Erm, you might want to edit the OP to let people know that the problem's been resolved. Else you're going to have people explaining the difference between Shonen and Seinen and recommending Madoka and Cowboy Bebop to you every other post.

 

[Saint of M]

Ok, since it seems the problem has been solved, lets try my take on good anime to check out and why I think it.

Caviots here: most are about 25 or 26 episodes long at most with most of them being less. I will say which ones are more

Also most of them will need little to no inside no how on Japanese culutr or pop culture to understand it.


1. Samuri X OVAs: Uh, this is the first anime that made me cry. I only saw the last two (was barrowing it, someone else had the first two episodes) and I grew attached to the charecters. The artwork is beutiful, realisitic (even by Western Standards) and there are alot more quiet moments where taliking and the scene are moreimportant then the blood filled actionscenes, which are also pretty cool.

2. Mospedia: The third of the three anime that got choped togeather to make Robo Tech. So far I have only seen the sub vertion on DVD, so alot of reading, and there is one line I think Robotech did better but its pretty cool.

3. Outlaw Star: Not the most thought pravoking and mature anime, but it has those moments in it. Its a fun ride.

4. The Sky Crawlers: Once in English, then Once in Japanse. This is one of those shelf worthy ones dealing with war, entertainment and how the two mix and match.

5. Gundam Wing: This a long one, almost 50 episodes, but well worth checking out. Its what got me into anime, what started the gundam craze in the US at one point, and is still good. Dealing with concepts of war, peice, and how to acheive both or the right and wrong of both in a wartorn world.

6. Appleseed Ex Machina: Yoiu do not need to see the previous one to like it. In fact I ended up going backwards as this is a vastly superior film, great action, a great cyber punk story, and directed by John Woo. Yeah, apparently he does anime. That and I want the soundtrack.

7. Orphan Season 1: I don't know how i did this, but somehow I got her hooked on an anime about wizards and magic and dragons that might have come from the mind of a good Dungion Master and she's grade A. Mormon. That said, it is awsome, go dub, and Bloody August is a badass looking dragon.

8. Axis Power Hitalia: The episodes are about five minutes long, so you can see a whole season in a couple of hours. The show is basically about world history, namely with the first two world wars, with each country portrayed by an exaggerated caricature. Every country.