What's the actual appeal of anime?

[AGSys]

I just don't get it. It's just like any other cartoon or 2D animated show out there (save for the gigantic eyes, pinpoint-like nose and lazily animated lip-sync) but why in the world does it have such a huge following? I've been asking around and all anime fans seems to say to me is "if you don't like, then don't watch" or "get lost hater". For some odd reason they get all defensive for me asking and start arguing lol. As you can probably tell, that doesn't really answer my question. So yeah if there are anime fans here, what's all the buzz about? And if you're not a fan, what's your take on this?

[Xpand]

I'm not a hardcore fan but I like to watch it sometimes (guilty pleasure). I think it has a lot more depth than most animated shows. Usually animated shows are kinda light hearted and joke around but anime takes stories to a whole new level of depth. The characters have complex personalities and the whole thing just drags you in. I mean just watch Akira for example and you'll get what I mean. It's usually the main example I throw at people that say anime is for kids. Plus there are those cute anime series like Nichijou which are just pure joy to watch and laugh.

[Cipher]

Not a massive anime watcher here either (although a bit more lately), but xpand explained it kind of, the stories behind them are amazing sometimes (depends what anime) and then the just pure joy ones ^_^.

Chobits was the first anime i watched a long time ago, at first just because it had a lot of funny innuendos and thought i might just like it, then just because i wanted to see what would happen in the next episode and so i got hooked :P.
After reaching the end though, it left me with a very strange feeling i didn't quite understand, still weird (made my dorm mate watch it and he went "wow o_O" as well) and no movie or other cartoon series ever gave me thatt, the story seems pretty silly at first and looks like it's just another fan service thing, but when you look deeper, there's much more to it :) (not with all though)
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan is a must see anime, it's so over the top sometimes that it gets ridiculous, but once again, if you take a look at the story behind it, boy oh boy! It's awesome, tense, emotional, brave and all kinds of things! Gets really motivating as well ^^

Dunno, think anime just manages to create a closer connection with your feelings than similar media (for me at least), you'll easier go like "aaaawwwwww" or "eeehhhh!!! noooo!!!!!" and stuff like that :)
So i do like some of them, if anyone has any recommendations, shoot! :D

Cipher

[Dirtbag]

I just enjoy everything animated, doesn't really have anything to do with it being anime specifically. I personally don't see a difference between "anime" or "cartoon" considering they are both animated motion pictures, just because they're from different countries doesn't mean ****.

Otherwise, it could just be something within these cartoons that grab someones attention. Lots of people enjoy animated motion pictures but don't like how North America generally mixes "Animated" with Children or innocence, were as Japan treats their animated motion pictures like we do our live action films and don't let ratings hold them back. Also, Japan's culture is ****ed up (thanks, America) and the things you can see and get there are beyond our social norms and throw our taboos for a loop. It could be this that causes so much teenagers to look at Anime and enjoy it, simply because it's rebellious to our social norms and generally frowned upon in our society. And yes, talking about anime publicly where I live is a one way ticket to getting your ass kicked as well you probably deserve it.

[KronicReaper]

Well I was young and Toonami was on Cartoon Network a long time ago, the only Japanese anime that was good was Dragon Ball Z and Cowboy Bebop. They was the only two shows I like when I watched when I was young and that was back in the 90's when Japanese anime was ok to watch. Now today you see the new anime like moe or hentai anime that have too much fanservice that's makes me sick because they want to bring male viewers to get boners and acting like wild dogs that their parents can't control. I'm very not happy that anime now is going this way because this is the only way to get money and viewers, but their some old anime fans like me would just change the channel and watch Law & Order or Bellator MMA not this moe or hentai anime that want young males getting boners because of fanservice? To me I don't know, its not my cup of tea at all & I'm very sorry for using the word boner on this community.

[Knux_Chaotix]

I dont mind anime. I dont watch much of it, but Im starting to see more and more thanks to the circle of friends I keep. Some of its not too bad. I dont now where the Studio Ghibli stuff lies in this, but I love all that, The Cat Returns and My Neighbour Totoro are my faves ^_^ I have a proper kids TV show as well called Panda-Z that I think it bloody fantastic. I asked my friends about this though, the reason I keep hearing is that they seem to connect with a lot of characters and story lines on a very emotional level, like it just sucks them in and they need to know how things will pan out. I can deffo see the appeal but its one of those "each to their own" things. Also, Im not male, but I love fan service ;)

[Snakenator1]

Xpand took the words right out of my mouth, I need say nothing else ;)

[possesed13]

manga is a totaly diferent animation school than american and generaly western animation!
japan is a whole diferent world in ethics, society, culture and tradition! so the animation they produce is a very big discussion!
i m a big fan of manga movies and the thing i can say is than until the last decade the scenarios and depth of characters in manga
movies where far more complex than all the others!
besides in western world we consider animation is for kids!
Manga had never that distinction! Adult manga movies was the
huge success of japan animation that today we see everywhere!
Films scenarios and action scenes are almost copied from manga movies to todays films!
In any case though is just a matter of taste...
either you like them or not... or you like some!
it depends!
:)

[ThoughtfulSystem_95]

Like Xpand said, the story of most anime is more in depth and gets you hooked on it. I'm an anime fan, too. Even though anime these days is all about fanservice overload and gaining cold hard cash, I still love anime regardless. :)

By the way, AGSys, that is an excellent question you asked there and just ignore the fans that say "get lost hater".

[Oryx Crake]

to be honest I find that asking what the deal is with anime is the same as asking what the deal is with everything else. Whats the deal with wipeout?, whats the deal with Star trek? whats the deal with lord of the rings etc. Mostly it's all about what gets your particular synapses firing the right way. For most of my generation I think the deal with anime originally was that it was telling stories in a way that we weren't used to, add to that the association it had with video games for many of us (both were more or less associated with Japan and a lot of videogames had the anime visual style) but also it stayed with you, in a different way than western cartoons, because near enough 0% of western cartoons are aimed at the 12-25 year old demographic, it's either for grown ups or kids, not so with japanese animation.

To be honest though the simple answer is that it tells stories, we're all interested in stories, whether they're from hollywood, bollywood, or tokyo. Whether they're live action, cgi, interactive, or animated. Anime just like any other medium is varied, so you're gonna like some and you're gonna hate some, but in as much as any comparison makes sense at all, asking what the deal is with anime is like asking what the deal is with hollywood movies. It all depends on taste.

[AGSys]

Oh yes, I'm aware of the fantastic stories that are in anime movies and such but I don't think I phrased the OP correctly. What I meant to ask was; why in the world do some people have such a deep obsession with it? I mean, all they talk about, all they draw, all they ever reference in a conversation for instance (broad statement, I know, but still) is some obscure anime they would have picked up on somewhere. It's a little bothersome to talk to people like that. And if you even bring up anime in the slightest tone of question, they flare up bad. It's a bit reminiscent of those hardcore "brony" fellows who delve into that My Little Pony show. I just want to know why exactly. Sure, they may all have different reasons but there has to be one common factor, right?

[Dirtbag]

I think Oryx explained that well in the post above. It's not that anime is some special formula or common factor, it just interests this generations humans on a far broader scale due to it being something new/taboo to western folk. Though the weeaboo who perk up at the slightest talk of anime and get all uppity about it I agree do need a good beat down, that's just ****ing annoying, especially when the people they're talking to don't even watch anime. Everyone can have their own interests, but keep it to yourself if no one else is interested.

[possesed13]

examination by comparison is a suggestion! what makes manga (espessialy nowdays) so popular and influence a big part of western animation and not only....
money of cource is a big fact but its not only that...

[terra-wrists]

to be honest I find that asking what the deal is with anime is the same as asking what the deal is with everything else. Whats the deal with wipeout?, whats the deal with Star trek? whats the deal with lord of the rings etc.

Totally, :)

I wanna ask "what's the deal with asking what's the deal all the time?" :D bite me, fishes!!! :D

Anime itself has so many genres and subgenres that to generalise anime into a simple paragraph would do the question no justice.

Every genre of film is mimicked in anime, and so - to ask if anime has appeal, would be like asking if hollywood has an appeal - its just too broad a question to actually be answered.

Take me for example, I'm a huge fan of world cinema and detest the cliched Hollywood films - but that's not to say Hollywood doesn't churn out a mind blowing block buster every now and then which would make the years world cinema films kinda pale in comparison... sometimes (not always).

The thing with anime is, that it provides the viewer an alternative way to take a story, in an artfully animated form. Which mimics real life but in a variety of artistically interpreted ways - each unique to the style the producers and directors wish to portray... anime also grants the production houses more freedom to experiment with ideas which would be harder to portray in live action films - and if they did, it would require HUUUUGE budgets for CGI.

the main difference for me between the mainstream and anime is that with mainstream, people are looking to fool themselves into believing Special Effects were do good, they were almost convinced of the reality - and that's a buzz for most.

With anime its the opposite. We won;t ever be convinced that what we see in anime is for real, simply because its blatantly animated - and that's exactly the reason we watch it - to escape reality.

^ a dirham, a dinar and a rupee... and my pocket is still fat :D

[TheXTR09]

If I'm the viewer of anime, I would definately say
BEWBS;)
Fanservice it's literally everywhere in anime, not even a single one escaped from the grasp of porn-ification.

[yeldar2097]

More than anything I enjoy being interested. Thought itself pleases me greatly. Luckily I find everything interesting or intriguing on many levels. Variety of thought is a blessing.

The only thing I don't like is being afraid. Horror does not induce such feelings in me, however I do find certain aspects of it interesting nor appealing since it is designed to induce those feelings.
However the choice of cast, diction, camera angle, the thought process behind the iterations of the creator's mind, those can be enjoyable to ponder.

You can thing about everything on many different levels and in many different ways, so whether it's thinking about the shaping of the pencil with which it was originally drawn, or the man in charge of the workforce felling trees to source the wood from which is was made, or the shopkeeper's thoughts upon selling a copy to a customer, it can always be of interest.

I don't know I have this with everything that passes through my head. Maybe why I don't get bored, I've never been bored in my life my head's too busy for that.
So, while not being a 'fan' of anime as such, since I haven't watched a lot of it, I enjoy it greatly. Not necessarily every aspect, or in the same way as any other individual, but many aspects nonetheless.

[KronicReaper]

I don't know people, its just I feel that anime is what it is now. Moe, moe, moe, yeah seeing animated girls in Japanese anime being not as woman like and the creators of these shows needed to be slapped because they want to degrade women and these women's get upset and cause a rage fit. I don't really know its my opinion anyway, I don't want to force it to other people on this site. That's all I like say here, nothing more.

[AGSys]

^What in the damn hell? I don't even...

Anyway thanks for all the thoughts and replies guys. Clears things up a bit.

[terra-wrists]

@Kron...

you'll find the otaku girls don't have a problem with it - they enjoy the attention. Bottom line is, there's a bloody market for it.

[KronicReaper]

I know man but in America where I live people will go nuts if they put that on TV and people will start a protest if they have that on and that might be on the American cable news netwoks to stir up an argument about Japanese anime. They done that so many times to brainwash fans because its bad. To me I don't watch that kind of anime because its not me.

[terra-wrists]

yeah me too, I dont like all that hentai rubbish (had no idea what moe was lol) ... to put this in perspective though Kron, the Japanese are possibly the most uninhibited people in the modern age. Their cinema is so diverse with films ranging from Ichi the Killer (sick film - and by that I mean puke, but the ending was just amazing) toYojimbo and 7 Samurai - so we must accept that they, as a nation, only serve to make entertainment that is in demand in their country.

Ofcourse, that demand was popularised internationally with the translations of classics such as Akira and Ninja Scroll - two animes I have in my collection.

Personally, I opt for the "slice of life" genre of anime, because it puts a genuine heart felt smile on my face.

And when I want intellectual stimulation and entertainment, I either throw on a documentary, or watch Ghost in the Shell. I got the complete collection including 2.0 all on DVD and Bluray (yeah, I love motoko kusanagi - she one bad bitch you dont wanna mess with lol)... speaking of which, anyone know about Ghost in the Shell ARISE?

I've watched BORDER 1 and BORDER 2 now, and I'm absolutely blown away with it. So far its gearing up to be the best GitS yet, and its a prelude to section9 :)

Tell me, anime freaks - you always wanted to know how it all started didn't you? ARISE rocks the house down. And the OST is just amazing.

[KronicReaper]

I don't know, its their problem friend. If they want to make money to get people to buy DVD's, Blu-Ray disk, or manga books to read or watch that hentai and moe garbage, that's their problem, not mine. I don't watch that kind of garbage because its sick and wrong. Hell I better watch grown ass men getting beat up in a caged octagon then watching anime girls doing the nasty. I don't want to be the one getting harassed, I'm just telling you people what I feel about today Japanese anime. To me its getting out of control and they are doing it to make money.

[terra-wrists]

You know KronicReaper my friend I feel the same as you. As a muslim by faith I am taught to respect women and to be a champion for their rights to protection and to hold them in a high respect as the mothers of humanity and more.

And like you I also feel frustrated at women who flaunt it whilst trying to earn my respect. It's a very difficult thing to do.

And these Hentai production companies are only making the case for true and entertaining anime to be something people like you and I find hard to like because of all that perverted Hentai crap.

That's not to say there's a market for it.

There are some sick people in this world my friend.

[Xpand]

Hentai is literally animated pr0n, I doubt its audience watches it for the story.

[possesed13]

Hentai in japan is concidered dirty manga! they know it! So must we!
the gossip says that after you read a hentai comicbook you have to wash your hands!
These jap guys are certainly from another planet!

[KronicReaper]

Here's my thing about today's Japanese anime, if you people don't like it don't watch it; change the channel. If you people like moe and hentai, that's fine with you. To me that kind of anime is not my cup of tea and its not me to watch that kind of subgenre of anime. They are so many people in this world that are obsessed and sick in the head watching that kind of Japanese anime in today sociality.

[terra-wrists]

There are also people in the world who obsess about other peoples choices, when its got nothing to do with them.... thus I wonder about this thread :D

[yeldar2097]

Likewise, hence my first post being the way it is. Not exactly relevant but I enjoyed thinking about the way I think so cheers.

[terra-wrists]

always a pleasure to read you when you've chimed in with your thoughts, bud :)

[KronicReaper]

Oh what about yaoi or yuri anime? What do you people think about that genre of anime?

[Dirtbag]

Love it. Being homosexual myself I find Yaoi hits close to home and Yuri always makes for great romance stories, they have such great depth and character development that they are without a doubt the best anime genre to exist.

[Knux_Chaotix]

I love both yuri and yaoi.

[Rapier Racer]

What like Dragonball Z? **** YEAH lol I think if you watch the show all questions will be answered. Although it is only one small part of the animie world I suppose.

[AGSys]

Holy **** I totally forgot about Pokemon and DragonBall Z. I used to watch those almost religiously way back when I was a little kid. I guess originally in the OP I meant like the "modern era", if you will, of anime that's so popular now.

[Rapier Racer]

I'm afraid I know nothing about moder era animie. A lot of modern era cartoons and such pale in comparison to what was on offer when I was younger

[Oryx Crake]

Getting back to what the substance in the OP question was intended to be: I think that what you are really trying to get at is Obsession pure and simple. The rabid anime fandom is in many respects the exact same type of fandom as the hard core trekkies or the lotr version of that. It's not so much, if you ask me, about the object of obsession so much as it is about the obsession in and of itself. You see the same phenomenon with entertainment of any type, like for example sports. Take the example of football(soccer) violence in Europe. There are people here who are so incredibly obsessed with thier favourite sport and sports team, that they are willing to damn near kill people who are not in that group.

We had an example of a supporter being litterally beaten to death in the street just this past spring for supporting the wrong team in the wrong town. Without going into the specifics of the psychology in that situatuin, mainly because I don't know anything about psychology, I feel there are many things at play there.

Number 1: Tribalism, in many ways being part of a very specialised fandom such as being a supporter of your local football club, or indeed anime fandom, makes you part of a select group, or a tribe if you will, of likeminded individuals. You are a part of something bigger, a group where you know you'll always find support for your opinions and other people who are prepared to back you up. That is a powerful thing, and I think to some degree we all have it hardwired into us that we need a group of some kind to belong to.

Number 2: Group dynamics, In many ways what the OP is describing with anime fans is the same sort of reaction that the afore mentioned football fan who beat someone to death, had to seeing a supporter of another team. I would wager a guess that it comes down to feeling as if what you're so invested in is coming under attack. It becomes incumbent on you to defend that object of your obsession. Add to that status within the group. Within any fandom or walk of life you'll find degrees of nerdery, the more knowledgeable and vehement you are within the group, theoretically the higher your status. So in effect the logical argument could be made that: The more extreme your stance towards uninitiated, the bigger your passion, and therefore the higher your status within the group.

Number 3: The need for escapism, With anime fandom, just like with any fandom, there is an element of escapism. For many people who feel misadjusted or failed in other parts of their lives, be it romance, friendship, work or school, they tend to find arenas where they can excell without having to be judged on whatever else they are or have done. This is true of football supporters and Anime fans alike. The big draw of both of these fandoms is the fact that the only real requirement to be a part of the fandom as such, is that you are interested and passionate about whatever it is your fandom embraces, it provides for a level playing field, that doesn't really exist in most parts of society. So in effect you are using the object of your obsession to escape life into the fantasy of whatever it is that you obsess over, but it is also an escape from society in that you are becoming part of a group where you aren't being judged on anything other than your passion for the shared obsession, in stark contrast to society wherein you are constantly being judged on whatever it is you have done with your life.

All this is by no means rooted in any kind of scientific writing or psychological studies, it is all just conjecture based on my own personal observations but perhaps it could shed some light on your question OP.