No Right Answer: Best Animation Style Ever

[Navvan]

@Dan: Elfen Lied, partly cause its good, partly cause there's non of the sweat drops and such you hate, and partly cause its short clocking in at 13 eps or so.

and

Vampire Hunter D, the first one. a good, but bloody anime flick

other wise :/ really ... the style that brought us forgettable crap like SPONGE BOB won .... -.- no matter how crappy the anime there's always an over arcing plot, (unless your FLCL or The Excel Saga*) also, Akira and DBZ suck, so it little wonder why Dan doesn't like anime ...

Spoiler: *

stay away from the excel saga, it will make you dumber. if you want a dumb, doesn't really go anywhere anime that wont hurt your head, FLCL, or magical shopping arcade abinabashi both manage funny with out being retarded

Elfen Lied?

Seriously? You mean the series with so much fan service of young characters that it borders on some very dodgy territory?

I like Elfen Lied, it was a good series, but it's hardly a suggestion for someone who hates tradional anime tropes.

I would say Elfen Lied doesn't really have much fan-service if any. It has a lot of nudity. The distinction being if there is a good reason I'm being shown this within the confines of the story they are trying to tell or if they are throwing it on-top of the story.

That said I agree that its likely not the best recommendation to get someone into anime. What it presents can often be misinterpreted.

I'd recommend the Miazaki films if you like Disney/Pixar films. Otherwise I'd recommend a movie known as

Sword of the Stranger.

Shorter than what you are going to get with a series so it won't waste your time. It has great action, great story, great character development, and so forth. Oh and no school girls, crazy government conspiracy, fan service, filler, or any of that other boring stuff a lot of anime is filled with.

 

[artanis_neravar]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Code Geass. It's a more serious anime so there are very few if not none of the visual animation jokes like the "rain drop", it was an original animations, so unlike DBZ or Naruto it's not based on a manga and as a result they didn't have to extended out episodes with fluff to try to match up with the manga. The animation is good, and it has a very well thought out story.

I love Code Geass and it's one of my favorite anime but I never really try to "convert" people with it, mostly because the character deign is by CLAMP and it really shows. I like the art personally but most of my friends just starting out with anime tend to think that the art looks bizarre and avoid it. What I would start with is either Cowboy Bebop (like he said he was going to try) or Baccano! For those less enlightened Bacanno! is an amazing anime about mobsters in the american 1920s-1930s. It centralizes around a train robbery and the crew of a Dutch ship who in the 1700s were given the secret to immortality. Also the dub of it is incredible.

Baccano! is amazing, but it is also way over the top, and you have to be dedicated to make it through. If you are already on the fence about anime Baccano!'s seemingly random story and especially the Isaac and Miria story line will probably be a turn off. Bebop will probably be a good choice, it's been awhile since I've seen it so I'm not a good judge. I did notice he said Trigun, which is probably a bad choice for him because it is a very goofy show between the serious.

Code Geaaa' animation is a very crisp and clean animation, it's not traditional like trigun or Bebop, but it is still good, and Dan seems to be more turned off by the style of animes and their over the top mood exaggerations.

 

[Richfeet]

It's a lost cause. See, Japan makes animated series. many have mature plots. animation over here is seen as for kids so, they get easily put down, except for a few films. They just can't compete at all. Second anime gets reviewed regardless of who watches it. I dont know of a website where people review cartoons every week episode by episode. Also people can write three pages about one scene in a single episode of a single anime about the deep philosophical meaning of it, making the anime sound like an art film home work assignment. When is the last time somebody wrote about the deepness of Spongbob's "Just one bite"? None at all. Sadly most japanese anime is well animated but isn't saying anything anymore. Japan needs to start making cartoons like ours for a while. Stop being so depressing, anime.

 

[JoaoJatoba]

Why people suggest old animes? Beebop? Trigun? All from the last millennium. Try Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (way better than the first release), Another (horror story), GANTZ, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. There is sooooo much more...

Anime are more like movies than cartoon, because you have tons of "american pie" comedies, but also deeper ones like Inception. The thing is you must know which is which, and that's the hard part. The themes in eastern animations are more restricted it seems (comedy, basically).

The industry of anime in japan is not at all like cartoon industry in the US. There, they are more like Hollywood..

And newbies, stay away from the series with 500 episodes. The pace is so slow. Try smaller anime, with 13 or 26 episodes.

 

[artanis_neravar]

And that's it. Apart from that, what has the Western animation stable produced of note over the last 15-20 years?

Invader Zim, Angry Beavers, Hey Arnold, Rugrats, Doug, Camp Lazlo, X-men, spiderman, etc

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Not gonna watch this one it seems. Dans nothing but a worthless troll.

If you did watch it, you would see that they both make snipes at each other, but both also have valid points.

Whats Dans argument? " ITS FROM JAPAN NOT AMERICA THEREFORE ITS BAD!!!"

Ah no. He even went on to explain that of the anime he has watched, he's been unimpressed. He says that he is willing to give other shows that he hasn't seen a shot. If he likes them, he likes them. If he doesn't, he doesn't.

Congratulations, Soviet Heavy, you won this week's secret contest. For standing up against the hate and reminding them that this is a comedy show, and for pointing out that I had a disclaimer at the end. Your prize is an extra week of life. When you are in your 80's, you can thank us!

Sweet! The I could rent Ultra Porn!

 

[artanis_neravar]

Why people suggest old animes? Beebop? Trigun? All from the last millennium. Try Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (way better than the first release), Another (horror story), GANTZ, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. There is sooooo much more...

Anime are more like movies than cartoon, because you have tons of "american pie" comedies, but also deeper ones like Inception. The thing is you must know which is which, and that's the hard part. The themes in eastern animations are more restricted it seems (comedy, basically).

The industry of anime in japan is not at all like cartoon industry in the US. There, they are more like Hollywood..

And newbies, stay away from the series with 500 episodes. The pace is so slow. Try smaller anime, with 13 or 26 episodes.

You should really include that GANTZ is NSFW, or atleast that it is a very Mature show

 

[mysecondlife]

Shin Chan is great. Some of the recent American Dubs are comedy gold.

 

[Furrama]

Why didn't Chris get a point for his last statement?

Dan, watch Kino's Journey. Have fun with your nightmares. I'd suggest Wolf's Rain but it's probably too deep/weird for you. You should have fun with Cowboy Bebop though. Everyone does.

Oh, quick plug for a favorite anime reviewer of mine. Go seek out Jesuotaku, (either on Blip or Thatguywiththeglasses). She'll give you a pretty good down-low on an anime you've been eyeing.

 

[RepeatAfterMe]

There truly can be "No Right Answer" if both parties total anime watched can be counted on hand.

 

[Starik20X6]

What I've always found interesting is the way anime has one main style it goes with. Sure you get some variation in art style but it's always got that same basic look. Western animation has a whole lot more visual variety to it. Imagine if every western cartoon looked like it was created by Matt Groening. It'd be weird. In the west, you can pretty much tell instantly what show a character comes from, even if you've only seen a tiny bit of it. You put Charlie Brown next to Adventure Time next to Batman The Animated Series next to Invader Zim, and each one is visually distinctive. You could take a whole bunch of anime's back to back and it'd probably just look like a very random story.

Not saying it's a bad thing, but I think it's interesting.

 

[kwagamon]

I thought that this debate was going to be which is better purely on the merits of the animation itself. I was severely disappointed.

For the record, I prefer western animation in terms of actual animation quality. Anime is very good, but the animation tends to be a little too jerky or spastic for me. You very rarely find one that actual has the characters move like living beings instead of just speed lines and suddenly they're in a different position (although there are a few animes that feature realistic movement), which really breaks the immersion pretty badly for me.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

And it seems that the anime defenders are lining up to express their outrage. Not that this was unexpected.

Seriously, can you not just take this show for what it is as a comedic argument series without getting offended that someone has a different opinion than you?

This is supposed to be comic? Where are the jokes? Where's the fun part?

I do not mind the fact that guy dislikes anime, I do mind he says ignorant things to other people like it was true. Making the watchers dumber.

Then don't watch it! If you don't like listening to them, then ignore it.

 

[newwiseman]

I want Dan to list some western stuff he has seen and likes and I'll show him some Anime in the same genera that will dominate it.

I will say that most anime carry themes that are very Japanese and Japan is still one of the more closed off cultures considering how far their content spreads. This does lead to scenarios that can easily confuse westerners. Most of our themes are from old fairy tales (Der Bruder Grimm) and then the ancient epics from Greece then Rome.

 

[Alakaizer]

I have to recommend Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit.

 

[DrgoFx]

I would say the English dub of anything with Johnny Bosch, those are some pretty good Animes. You're starting with Trigun, from there I'd go to Wolf's Rain which a fair amount of fans prefer the English dub of that, infact the English opening is far more popular. One I recommend skipping, especially if you don't have the time for it is Bleach. I never got into it due to the huge amount of episodes, but it is a good series. If you like games, specifically MMOs, I suggest the .hack series. Mainly .hack//Sign and .hack//ROOTS but also get into the games, they're pretty good PS2 Roleplaying games, fairly fun action too, Haseo's weapon swapping system is real fun.

 

[esperandote]

And it seems that the anime defenders are lining up to express their outrage. Not that this was unexpected.

Seriously, can you not just take this show for what it is as a comedic argument series without getting offended that someone has a different opinion than you?

This is supposed to be comic? Where are the jokes? Where's the fun part?

I do not mind the fact that guy dislikes anime, I do mind he says ignorant things to other people like it was true. Making the watchers dumber.

I don't know about a cat in paris and Chico& Rita but Rango beats Kung fu panda and Puss in Boots any day, Toy story 3 totally kicked ass, i dont know about the other contenders in 2009 and in 2008 wall-e is definetely better than bolt and kung fu panda. Now that i think of the category where i agree the most in the oscars is animated feature.

Now, if we say that not enough eastern films are nominated then that i agree to.

 

[remm2004]

Someone please restrain Dan and make him watch Madoka and Gurren Lagann (subbed). If that doesn?t change his opinion on the wide range of things that anime can accomplish, then he?s a lost cause.

 

[TheGroovyMule]

All this talk of Western animation and no mention of WB's Golden Age of Cartoons?

What of 'Pinky and the Brain', 'Freakazoid' and 'Animaniacs'?

This might just be my nostalgia talking, but particularly with the old WB cartoons, I still find them hilarious to this day. They were topical, informative (The Geography Song!), and had jokes for both the kids, and adults. There's also older Disney ones like 'TailSpin', and 'Darkwing Duck', which were fantastic in my books. Again, could be enjoyed by adults. There are a few examples of western animation that is not aimed at children or families. It's French, but the film 'Resistance' is an excellent example.

On the other hand, I've watched my fair share of anime. I think part of the issue many have with it is the cultural barrier. I started off with fairly non-Japanese anime (As in, characters, settings, and culture are decidedly -not- Asian), which I believed helped with the transition. It's gotten to the point now that most cultural aspects don't phase me. These include the points Dan mentioned such as the giant robots, over-the-top fight scenes, and the school girl thing, so it might just be an adaption one has to make.

The reason for the extremes might be due to the fact animation seems to be more so accepted as an all-ages format in Japan, then in North America. Though we have cartoons such as 'The Simpsons', most I talk to assume cartoons equals children or family friendly, particularly in the realm of film. Anime on the other hand can stretch a wide range of topics, including adult themes.

The reason is that anime is not a genre, it's an art style, just like Western animation is. But unlike Western animation, does not limit itself to one audience (children), and is not limited to one topic (comedy, romance, drama, ect), because it's simply a way of animating characters. Admittedly, some genres get milked to the point the udder is dry though (Aka, Giant robots). And perhaps it's a lower bar of entry as the ratio of 'garbage to good' seems to be worse in Japanese animation, then Western.

Final word though, there certainly is good Japanese animation, just that there is also alot of crap animation too. Western animation is very similar in that you can find alot of good animation, just there seems to be less animation in general, so there's not as much trash to sort through to find the good bits.

EDIT: Oh right, gotta recccomend something...
Anime: Last Exile, Planetes, and Baccano!
Western: Everything I mentioned above!

 

[somonels]

First NRA I've started watching and stopped almost immediately after.

Western Vs Eastern animation are not comparable by quality; also, the financial gap is so vast that East will simply win by the default for having made so much more of it.

Good thing Kyle was smart enough to not participate, that crafty... no, this was not a South Park reference, I really meant he was smart enough not to participate.