Poll: Is it inaccurate or offensive to call Anime "Cartoons"
- Thread starter Jonesy911
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You need better friends. That's really, really stupid of them. That's the kind of immature bullshit my generation used to engage in like pretending Highlander 2 didn't exist, like the first movie was any damn good. Tell them to grow up.Jonesy911 said:
I think by definition anime means cartoons, which is why japanese people refer to American cartoons as anime and American comics as manga. That's just from my experience.
I am so very very happy that I am not alone in laughing at this...ChicagoTed said:
There are some very mature and adult-oriented cartoons from Japan but... these are not them. Mostly since they're aimed at boys aged 10-15. Japan just let's you get away with more in kids-shows if they're on in the afternoon.
I call anime cartoons, because they clearly are, no matter how pretentious or 'gritty' or whatever they get. Besides, there's nothing wrong with cartoons, its not a dirty word.
The issue here is the elitism of some anime enthusiasts who think they're chosen entertainment is too good for that label, pretentious wankery, you might say.
The issue here is the elitism of some anime enthusiasts who think they're chosen entertainment is too good for that label, pretentious wankery, you might say.
I don't find the use of the word "cartoons" offensive, when referring to Anime. Nor do i agree with OP's friends that people use it because they personally don't like Anime.
But the two words mean different thing, and it is not only confusing, but simply incorrect to refer to Anime as "cartoons".
Besides, i disagree with OP about it being a compliment to compare Anime to Spongebob squarepants, Ed Edd 'n' Eddy, Cow and Chicken (Which are easily some of the very worst/best examples of what kind of trash western cartoons are still filled with today. If u want good examples, then use Tom &Jerry, Tex Avery or Flintstones. If u want more modern cartoon examples, then use Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Phineas & Ferb, Secret Saturdays, and Ben 10). There are good western cartoons, but they are nowhere near as varied as Anime, aren't treated as anything more than "kid's shows" (with the notable and excellent exceptions of Simpsons, Family Guy, and Futurama), and the creators behind them don't even attempt to take their work to the levels of movies or other respected live-action media.
But the two words mean different thing, and it is not only confusing, but simply incorrect to refer to Anime as "cartoons".
Besides, i disagree with OP about it being a compliment to compare Anime to Spongebob squarepants, Ed Edd 'n' Eddy, Cow and Chicken (Which are easily some of the very worst/best examples of what kind of trash western cartoons are still filled with today. If u want good examples, then use Tom &Jerry, Tex Avery or Flintstones. If u want more modern cartoon examples, then use Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Phineas & Ferb, Secret Saturdays, and Ben 10). There are good western cartoons, but they are nowhere near as varied as Anime, aren't treated as anything more than "kid's shows" (with the notable and excellent exceptions of Simpsons, Family Guy, and Futurama), and the creators behind them don't even attempt to take their work to the levels of movies or other respected live-action media.
No, you really can't call anime a cartoon. Because cartoons of today are groan-worthy by comparison of a time ago when more work was done. There are animes where I would downgrade to the level of cartoons because of their quality, but I would not consider anime as a whole to be simply a cartoon. That's effectively a punishment.
Both anime and cartoons are separate mediums part of the animation industry. So there is some overlap between the two so I see where you are coming from. Also some animes are better representations of the medium than others.
For example: I wouldn't get mad if someone called something along the lines of pokemon a cartoon; Naruto, One Piece, or Bleach being called such would just get a quizzical look; however if somebody called Eureka Seven, Gurren Lagann, Gundam, or Trigun a cartoon they would have a stern explanation of how they are separate genres of animation followed by them being fastened to a couch and forced to watch said shows until they understand.
For example: I wouldn't get mad if someone called something along the lines of pokemon a cartoon; Naruto, One Piece, or Bleach being called such would just get a quizzical look; however if somebody called Eureka Seven, Gurren Lagann, Gundam, or Trigun a cartoon they would have a stern explanation of how they are separate genres of animation followed by them being fastened to a couch and forced to watch said shows until they understand.
Technically speaking, anime is just cartoons from Japan. Albeit a bit more mature and intellectual than in the State's.
Inaccurate...yeah there's an argument for that depending on how much you really give a shit (which I don't)
But offensive?
If you find that offensive, I'm lumping you in with this guy here:
Because if I had to make an assumption, chances are high that you're not Japanese, you probably haven't even been to Japan, and you are in fact a pretentious douche.
But offensive?
If you find that offensive, I'm lumping you in with this guy here:
Because if I had to make an assumption, chances are high that you're not Japanese, you probably haven't even been to Japan, and you are in fact a pretentious douche.
Well they're different genres of animation, or you could say that cartoons are like the wests anime. Either way, I don't really care what people want to call it, although would the answer be the same if the question was reversed and you asked "is it innacurate to call cartoons anime?".