Why don't people like anime?

[Denamic]

It's such a broad term that saying that you 'dislike' anime would be a gross generalization.
Like saying you hate games because you played one that sucked once.
Most people who do say that they don't like anime don't even have any idea what it is in the first place.
Like so:

"Scrawny 90 pound anorexic 12 year-olds out-muscling trained 300 pound muscle-bound wrestlers," to name one reason I dislike anime...out of, like, seven million.

I've seen a lot of shows that I simply loathe.
But there's more to anime that shonen superpower bullshit.
Just watch Beck, Mushishi, Black Lagoon, Monster, Dennou Coil or any other actually GOOD anime.

 

[Mastercylinder]

For the record I don't hate it or not like it, I just have trouble getting into it. Granted I like some anime, but I tend to lean toward older titles (Astro-boy, Gatchaman, Robotech, Speed-Racer and Azu-Manga-Daioh) (I also LOVE Hiayo Mizaki films) and every time I see a new one I really want to watch, well I never have time to hunt it down.

I also find it kind of nerve-racking finding the "original version" and usually when I come home I wanna good laugh and sad or serious action oriented stuff just doesn't cut it.

It may not apply to me but other reasons might be that culturally it's just alien and it's easy to get the wrong idea about things . . . plus people remember totally ass importations like Pokemon and well yeah.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Because anime has niche appeal? Really, even in Japan manga and anime is considered a very different thing; you'd think it'd just be cartoons to them, but it's not, it's something quite else.

But really, I like Yahtzee's interpretation on it. "Anime isn't a genre. Anime is an art style."

 

[Warforger]

I have heard this a lot on forums and irl, but I find it hard to understand. I can see older adults not liking it because they think its a kids' cartoon, but I know teenagers who understand the subject matter and still don't like anime. Disregarding hentai, what are your reasons for not liking anime?

Oversized swords, not to mention when they're covered in bandages.... what the fuck?

huge spiky hair, people don't look like that in real life nor will they ever.

Facial expressions

Loads of cliche crap, like "with enough will power to fight for my friends and home I can defeat someone who was trained, is a veteran at what he does and knows what he's doing even though I'm straight from the most safest place ever", c'mon, doesn't happen in real life and it isn't a good message to send to kids, just like Cinderella (i.e. don't do anything, if your being oppressed just take it and a fairy god mother will come in and make everything all right).

Its a cartoon.....

Shitty character dialogue, the characters always seem pretty cut & paste along with the dialogue.

 

[Stephanos132]

Don't much like cartoons (or, indeed, much of any television) in general. As far as anime is concerned, the art style leaves me cold a lot of the time, so I draw my lines at a good few ghibli films (which my ex had to virtually tie me down to watch), say meh to all else and leave it at that.

 

[Xan Holbrook]

I've never understood it, but I don't dislike it. Fans, more than anything, irritate the shit out of me and only turn me away. I'm sure its brilliant, I've yet to fully embrace it though.

 

[Nouw]

I don't see the appeal in anime, other than cute girls with cat ears. My two cents.
Also people, he/she's asking why don't you like anime, not "U DON'T LIKE ANIME! U HERETIC MWHWHAHAHAHHA."

 

[Drakmeire]

I used to hate anime, but that's only because all I saw of it was 4kids' horrible butcherings of great shows.my friend showed me Gantz and I was hooked.
oh and if you don't give anime a shot PATTY WILL MURDER YOUR GIRAFFE!!!!!!
<youtube=Gp4iHb3QAWs>

also, you really can't hate ALL anime, that's like saying "Movies suck" or "every book ever written is awful" you can't hate an entire medium.

 

[Nouw]

I have heard this a lot on forums and irl, but I find it hard to understand. I can see older adults not liking it because they think its a kids' cartoon, but I know teenagers who understand the subject matter and still don't like anime. Disregarding hentai, what are your reasons for not liking anime?

Oversized swords, not to mention when they're covered in bandages.... what the fuck?

huge spiky hair, people don't look like that in real life nor will they ever.

Facial expressions

Loads of cliche crap, like "with enough will power to fight for my friends and home I can defeat someone who was trained, is a veteran at what he does and knows what he's doing even though I'm straight from the most safest place ever", c'mon, doesn't happen in real life and it isn't a good message to send to kids, just like Cinderella (i.e. don't do anything, if your being oppressed just take it and a fairy god mother will come in and make everything all right).

Its a cartoon.....

Shitty character dialogue, the characters always seem pretty cut & paste along with the dialogue.

I smell generalization, and people are allowed to be unrealistic but I seem where you're coming from.

 

[Drakmeire]

I have heard this a lot on forums and irl, but I find it hard to understand. I can see older adults not liking it because they think its a kids' cartoon, but I know teenagers who understand the subject matter and still don't like anime. Disregarding hentai, what are your reasons for not liking anime?

Oversized swords, not to mention when they're covered in bandages.... what the fuck?

huge spiky hair, people don't look like that in real life nor will they ever.

Facial expressions

Loads of cliche crap, like "with enough will power to fight for my friends and home I can defeat someone who was trained, is a veteran at what he does and knows what he's doing even though I'm straight from the most safest place ever", c'mon, doesn't happen in real life and it isn't a good message to send to kids, just like Cinderella (i.e. don't do anything, if your being oppressed just take it and a fairy god mother will come in and make everything all right).

Its a cartoon.....

Shitty character dialogue, the characters always seem pretty cut & paste along with the dialogue.

giant swords aren't realistic?
<youtube=Un1M7xbCCIs>
WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW!??!?!!?
and I'm under the impression that you have only watched dubbed 4kids anime, which has been heavily altered from the source material.
As a jumping off point, I suggest Fullmetal Alchemist which focuses on a fairly normal main character who has powers but had to suffer greatly to get them. It's a very mature and heartwarming tale at times.

 

[Zetablade]

I don't like anime, and it's mainly because I don't watch it. I don't go out of my way to find the mature complex stuff, my only experience with it comes from occasionally stumbling on episodes of Naruto aired on Cartoon Network, I usually watched a minute of it before changing the channel in disgust.

Probably not the best representation for decent anime, believe it.

Ha ha ha! I see what you did there!

 

[kaveradeo]

I have heard this a lot on forums and irl, but I find it hard to understand. I can see older adults not liking it because they think its a kids' cartoon, but I know teenagers who understand the subject matter and still don't like anime. Disregarding hentai, what are your reasons for not liking anime?

they racist and think america = god.

 

[Caradinist]

It's not bad, i just don't like some of the fans. They the worst sometimes.

In fact, I think i can give it a second chance.

 

[Electrogecko]

The same reason people don't like video games- they're insecure.
Most of the people on this site like anime or give each anime show a fair chance.

 

[theSovietConnection]

I don't mind some of it, in fact, it's never really been anime that's been my problem, it's the majority/most vocal of the god damn fanbase that I loathe. Oddly enough, the biggest problem I have with them is the antithesis of this thread- why don't you give Western animation a chance? It goes both ways, and I really wish that more people would give more Western animation a chance, before it is killed off by lack of interest.

 

[inkheart_artist]

Well, you're demonstrating why I dislike anime nerds. When I tell them I don't like something they like, they somehow think my opinion is mistaken or uninformed. How can so many people interested in one genre of animation not understand difference of opinion? It started as a growing disinterest but after so many shitstormy arguments that I've come to almost hate the genre entirely.

Now, there was a time when I did enjoy anime but I grew bored of it when it began to come apparent that intelligent, mature, and genuinely unique stories were the anomaly, not the norm. With many of my friends being into this stuff I see it from time to time and all I see differing from story to story seems to be setting and powers/weapon. Its always the same characters doing the same things with the same cookie cutter personalities and angst, the same childish sense of humor and sexuality. Not to mention the art style is stagnant, bland, and extremely unoriginal (I was into it while they were in this realistic stint in the 80s and 90s, now all i see is BIGGER EYES, MORE GLOSS)and what is the aversion to drawing male characters? Seriously, it seems that nowadays they just draw a bunch of female characters and throw darts to decide which ones are male.

There are a few that I have enjoyed: many Studio Ghibli films, a lot of the work of the late Satoshi Kon, Cowboy Bebop, Azumanga Daioh, and there is a small warm spot for FLCL, but like I said, these seem to be far outside of the norm. Anyway, stop bugging people that don't like your games and cartoons, its annoying and they like you less for it.

 

[yamitami]

I think the main problem isn't the anime itself but the annoying Japanophile fans who won't shut up about how anime is inherently better than the animation from any other country. They ruin it for everyone.

The main problem, I think, is that both the annoying bits of fandom and the people who hate it on principle are defining anime as a single thing when it's not. It's just animation that happened to come from Japan. I really like Fullmetal Alchemist and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, among others, but that's because I like the STORY and to a lesser extend the art style. There are plenty of anime I'm meh about and plenty I hate, because they're not all the same.

 

[yamitami]

I don't mind some of it, in fact, it's never really been anime that's been my problem, it's the majority/most vocal of the god damn fanbase that I loathe. Oddly enough, the biggest problem I have with them is the antithesis of this thread- why don't you give Western animation a chance? It goes both ways, and I really wish that more people would give more Western animation a chance, before it is killed off by lack of interest.

If American studios would stop producing badly drawn and written crap like what's all over Cartoon Network then the interest would be there on its own. In the era of Animaniacs US bred cartoons could be funny and smart and communicate on various levels. Now it's almost all the likes of Aqua Teen and the Squidbillies, which is enough to make anyone look across the ocean for relief.

 

[zidine100]

[I
Thank God someone else here agrees with me
I was getting my flame shield out

The whole "look at any other media" point there Rakakka doesnt hold mate so grats on making yourself look like an idiot
For example, I'll pick another random media form. Music...For the music choice I shall pick Megadeth

a) I wouldnt like to sleep with a member of Megadeth, nor do I post threads about it = 0
b) Last time I checked, Megadeth are just normal people and thuscould not take down something 50 times their size = 0
c)They dont all look the same either = 0
d) Im not sure how they treat women but seeing as how Dave Mustayne is married I assume he treats her properly = 0

There we go. A big fat 0 for everything there
Anime would get a point for each bloody one

while i hate to say this Megadeth is not a form of media (as you in turn are generizing all anime to have a fair comparison you must generalize all music) , they are produce media but they are not a media by themself, from what i understood from his post this was the generalization of the media itself not just specific examples, which kind of renders your post somewhat moot here.

im going to argue against some of these points (a, come on.... you can easily rule this one out if were generalizing a media form, have you seen the women you have to choose from in the music industry, and its more oppenly talked about to be quite honest, to the point where people have calenders and posters in there room and openly admit to wanting to sleep with them in general conversation) and (c, you could argue this one here with pop and emo bands looking nearly identical half the damn time and since the industry is flooded with them, well you see where this is going, but ill give you that one as all bands dont in fact look the same in general, just these genres tend to look... well you get the point, (note this is more of a rage against pop and emo bands, not really anything to do with this discussion, to reiterate, you have c)) and (d you see how women are depicted on average in music nowadays, yeh you see my point about that.)

B) If i might interject, they have the power of metal behind them... obviously they can defeat any foe. (that parts a joke), i hate to state the obvious, when do musicions fight monsters, isn't this along the lines of comparing a fps and a racing game on its shooting mechanics? or a better example comparing a tomato and a orange for its tomato content,i hate to say this but b in itself is quite unsound in comparision to the media of music. (note this isnt in defence or in favour of anime here, just saying if were generalizing to all media forms, how is this even relevant)


so that 2 out of the 4 you discussed in relation to the music industry, i removed b out of a sheer flawed comparison, which in turn still equates to a reasonable argument against anime in comparison to music.

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Because everyone thinks that it's all like Strike Witches and hentai. And everything else is Naruto.
Weeaboos don't help matters either.