Why do so many people like anime? - Page 4

**Grimace** · 11-11-2011, 05:15 PM

Essentially, I just think martial arts scenes in anime are way way way better than live action equivalents (almost always). People can draw the most ridiculously cool shit.

**Joseph** · 11-12-2011, 01:40 AM

I know Naruto is simplistic and even sexist, but I started watching it when I was a teenager. There was nothing good on TV so I watched the first 40 episodes or so, out of bordam. Then there was an epic battle which gave me chills. After that I continued watching the series only because I wanted to see the character from that battle fighting again. They rounded that character later on, which was fun to watch, but I saw only one other battle with that character in the whole series, which made me angry, because I watched all that crap for nothing. I found out that Shippuden exists but I don't wanna watch it because I see that the character I like has been put aside, never to be in the spot light again.
I forgot where I was trying to go with this paragraph, but since I already wrote it, I might as well post it.

Anyways, I agree that anime can show us beutiful things, but there is a lot of crap, and one needs to do a lot of digging to find the good stuff.

**beav58** · 11-12-2011, 03:28 AM

Within my social network I don't find a lot of people who like anime, although most haven't tried it either. To be honest, I am apprehensive to even bring it up most of the time, because of the stereotypes surrounding it. I dislike the awkward conversation about a subject when the most experience someone has had was Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon and Hentai. Anyway, I find it surprising that someone would say "everyone like anime." As that has not been my experience with it.

As for what I like about it, there are several reasons.

One, I enjoy the fairytale like feel to a story with more adult themes. The same reason I love comic book stories. Unfortunately, most of the fairytale like stories are made for children or with children as a major target audience. Parents dislike many adult messages in children's media, so political correct becomes a huge emphasis. Just take a look at some older animated shows verses more modern ones. There is a huge difference in story telling. Anyway, Japan doesn't have as much emphasis on censorship, so you can get a larger range of stories without sacrificing the fairytale feel to them.

Two, there is such a huge range and variety to the stories, especially in the beginning. You can find anything you want within anime. There is comedy, action, drama, horror, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, and even porn. Eventually, there is always something for anyone. Plus, with the differences between Japanese pop culture and American, you get a relatively unique story, especially when you first start out. A huge plus for those that might be sick of the same old cultural stereotypes of your home country.

Three, its a community of itself. I may not know a lot of people who like anime in person, but there is a culture all of its own within the states. There is a level of excitement when you are around other fans. Similar to the Trekkers of Star Trek.

Four, animation can do what live action cannot. You want to tell an epic story with some new innovative imagery... well, slap on several million and you have it in live action. Or, do it for a fraction of the cost with animation, where you can really push the limits of your story instead of conforming to the financial investors. You still have that in animation, but not as heavily pressured as in live action.

Finally, Five... simply put, there are just a ton of stories I have come to really enjoy. Once you get used to a few major differences, it can been just as entertaining as any other type of show. You just have to find what you are looking for and be willing to watch some bad shows in order to find the good ones. Just like it is with any other form of media. Not every show will be good, even those that are highly recommended. I just finished watching the one of the highest rated anime of all-time, and it turned out to be crap in my opinion. Its all personal preference. I just happen to feel a lot more passion for anime series than most live action American TV shows.

**MacGuffin** · 11-27-2011, 04:06 PM

I am okay with most anime but I usually end up ranting about it because there are so many blind fanboys. Pixar makes better animated movies than Miyazaki (except Cars, because Cars sucks).

When it comes to Japanese films, I vastly prefer non-animated films.

**Daria** · 11-27-2011, 04:18 PM

I loved it when I was about 5 years old. A year or two before that, I even saw Sailor Moon the first time it ever aired in North America while I was travelling in Canada at the time. I vaguely, vaguely remember watching it, but Sailor Moon was my gateway drug into anime, haha. Then in 2nd grade I moved on to Pokemon (oh dear) and after about 4th grade I started losing interest. It's really hard for me to get into anime now, unless it's a really beautiful film, like Miyazaki's Spirited Away, or it's really funny, like Azumanga Daioh, since I hold it to the same standards as I do live-action films and TV, really. But other than that, I don't see what most of the hype is about either. And I certainly don't understand how so many people get turned on by cartoon characters. But to each their own.

Actually, even though I don't particularly like most of the programming, I spend a lot of time on this streaming site,
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, that's dedicated to sort of reviving old Cartoon Network shows (mostly anime) from the late 90s/early 2000s. It's a cesspool of social retards, but it's nice reliving some of that nostalgia.

**jibrielle** · 11-27-2011, 08:41 PM

Hmm I don't love anime, I love certain animes.

The animes I do happen to love are complex and intriguing - for example:

Wolf's Rain

Haibane Renmei

Texhnolyze

Those anime are my favorite in terms of complexity. In terms of interesting plot, Cowboy Bebop is pretty good.

I would suppose being interested in anime is just like any other genre.... *shrugs*

**doublerainbows** · 11-27-2011, 08:45 PM

I love anime. The good stuff, anyway.

I gobble up Studio Ghibli stuff as soon as it's released. And I thought The Girl Who Leaped Through Time was lovely. Currently trying to work my way through Serial Experiments Lain. It tickles the part of me that likes David Lynch (who makes me feel less weird
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).

I also admit to collecting Revoltech dolls.

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I am an adult. With a serious career.

What is wrong with me?

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(and @Beav58, i'm with you: I LOVE the fairy tale aspect of anime. I am an Ne-dom and it is a window into a world I can only have in my imagination.)

**kosh** · 11-27-2011, 09:33 PM

IMO anime is about expression and freedom from conventional society.

**MacGuffin** · 11-29-2011, 04:08 AM

	Originally Posted by kosh To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	IMO anime is about expression and freedom from conventional society.

Isn't that what furries say?

**kosh** · 11-29-2011, 05:07 AM

	Originally Posted by MacGuffin To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Isn't that what furries say?

I think you missed the point because yours makes no sense.

I'll clarify just for special you, it's drawing where anything is expressly possible.

**zibber** · 11-29-2011, 07:13 AM

All I need is Hokuto no Ken. Lots of Hokuto no Ken.

**omniblade** · 11-29-2011, 08:13 PM

Hokuto no Ken!

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**Disillusioned** · 11-30-2011, 01:31 AM

	Originally Posted by kosh To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	IMO anime is about expression and freedom from conventional society.

This is what a lot of people keep saying but a lot of anime follow the same exact format (one guy living in a house with a bunch of girls, at least one of them has red hair and another has purple hair. The guy is always introverted and extremely shy, gets a bloody nose and falls backwards anytime one of the women says something sexual etc. etc. etc.) I don't see how that is freedom of expression. It's just following the same structure that has been used a million times. And it's not freedom from conventional society because anime is the norm in Japan where it comes from so it's main stream, not a unique expression of anything. A unique expression has to do with being different, telling a unique story. Uniqueness is not something that can be applied to an entire genre, but has to be assessed on work to work basis.

I have nothing against anime and there are a few that I really like but the staunch supporters of anime in this thread and others are making it seem like anime represents some unique expression of story telling when it's not unique at all. It's certainly one style but it is a very mainstream style (maybe not as much in the US but in its country of origin it is and when you start to look up the thousands of series that have been produced). I don't think there is anything essential to anime that makes it "deeper" or more "philosophical" than any other form of story telling. I judge movies and series by the quality of their plot and storyline, not simply by their country of origin or the style of art used. There are some great anime out there but the vast majority of it is shallow and completely non-unique and appeals to people who are already drawn to those types of shows. Miyazaki is an incredible story teller and certainly has uniqueness in his work, but so does Quentin Tarantino. I really don't see what specific aspect of anime (as an entire genre) is so great. I am more inclined to say that there are a few good story tellers within the anime genre as there are good storytellers in other genres.

Not intending to bash on the poster above me. Just responding in general to all the similar claims that have been made as well. And everyone, including the poster above me is free to their own opinion. This is just my opinion.

So I guess the original question still pertains, why are so many people drawn to anime? I guess that is really for each person to decide. If you like the genre I'm certainly not one to tell you you shouldn't. I guess for me there's just as many American cartoons I like that can be just as deep, action packed, clever and funny; Avatar, Roughnecks, Invader Zim, Samurai Jack, Archer etc. I rather enjoyed the X-Men Evolution series which is an American cartoon and Teen Titans... I could go on forever. Furthermore, it seems American cartoons have more differentiation between each other than Japanese anime does. I'd say each of those was more unique purely aesthetic wise.

**VF1J** · 11-30-2011, 06:40 AM

	Originally Posted by Disillusioned To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	There are some great anime out there but the vast majority of it is shallow and completely non-unique and appeals to people who are already drawn to those types of shows.

This is true. A lot of anime is junk, generally the ones that aren't really discussed much.

**SelfMadeBum** · 11-30-2011, 06:49 AM

	Originally Posted by everlost To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Honestly I've wondered the same thing. I don't like it either.

Ditto; Much of it seems really odd to me. Not to mention the not-so-latent paedophilia.

**aok** · 11-30-2011, 11:23 PM

Because its better than CSI, NCIS, ER, SVU, CIA, FBI, KGB, OMG, WTF, or any other useless but incessantly annoyance related acronym.

**The Prince** · 12-01-2011, 07:23 PM

They're desperate virgins and the shows offer plenty of fan service.

When I was a kid, I loved DBZ because of the fighting. It made me want to work out and train MMA.

Hence I do.

Last anime I watched was Code Geass, which I watched because someone said that it was very well put together show that had a lot to do with military strategy and chess; two of my favorite things.

Aside from that, I have no interest in anime.

**MacGuffin** · 12-02-2011, 10:10 PM

	Originally Posted by The Prince To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	When I was a kid, I loved DBZ because of the fighting. It made me want to work out and train MMA.

I watched three consecutive shows of DBZ and all they did was stare at each other and mutter.

Maybe they finally fought in the fourth episode. After 90 minutes though, I was done.

**SeverusSin** · 12-05-2011, 05:48 AM

	Originally Posted by Anhedonic Lake To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I love the art style. It's colourful and shinny. Some of them are very cerebral and deal with philosophy and psychology in ways that western media just won't.

I agree. Personally the art and animation style is so different from Western media and the subject matter is usually comparable with adult dramas and movies. I am also interested in Japanese culture and the Eastern cultures on the whole.

---------- Post added 12-05-2011 at 01:51 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Uriel
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Bleach has a bunch of INTJ characters:

Kurotsuchi Mayuri

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Yamamoto Genryuusai

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Aizen Sosuke

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Yes. This is why I watch Bleach. Aizen is my favourite character.

**meownayze** · 12-05-2011, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by Beric
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My list (again, based on my opinion - and I don't watch American TV) comparing anime to American TV shows.

Its unique art style

Cheaper to produce than a TV series, meaning a larger selection

a larger selection, meaning more likely to find something you like

animated, meaning a lack of restriction to what can be done with live action

more fantasy themes

less focus on being PC (including discussion of religion/spirituality)

story arcs, generally developed

more personable characters/focuses on character

due to less focus on filming, more time is spent on the story (generally)

It's not American/being unique

I happen to like slice of life, fantasy (and Sci-fi), comedy, romance, and adventure. The blood-and-guts animes (and most psychological ones) tend to turn me off somewhat.

Pretty much covered everything I was trying to think up to make a post. I don't watch that much anime, but I do love the ones I do watch. I'm curious how much is because of the cultural difference and just seems different. I do know when I was a lil meow I had such a fucking weaboo attitude just because my grandma is Okinawan so I was always more curious on Japanese things.

**Within** · 12-05-2011, 04:22 PM

	Originally Posted by Severus To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I could be remiss here, but it seems to me that a surprisingly large number of people like anime. Personally, I don't care for it. However, I would like to hear your reasons for why so many people are into anime. Have at it!

I don't judge a show or series based on the fact that it's animated or not. I just enjoy shows with depth and well thought out plot and characters. I just happen to find just that in a lot of anime.

**Heathen** · 12-05-2011, 05:18 PM

Whereas some anime may be a great way to exercise creativism, the MAJORITY of it, though my eyes, is for horny teenage boys and horny closet lesbian girls of all ages. I do not dislike it. I merely dissaprove of it in starting years for the fact the creators just can not seem to focus more on STORY than all the little girls BREASTS.

**Disillusioned** · 12-05-2011, 06:31 PM

	Originally Posted by Within To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	I don't judge a show or series based on the fact that it's animated or not. I just enjoy shows with depth and well thought out plot and characters. I just happen to find just that in a lot of anime.

Which ones? Most seem like almost the same plot and storyline to me

**Within** · 12-06-2011, 09:23 AM

	Originally Posted by Disillusioned To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	Which ones? Most seem like almost the same plot and storyline to me

Watch Ergo Proxy, and let me know what you thought about it.

**AnnaMolly** · 12-14-2011, 06:25 PM

I really dislike the image of women portrayed in Anime. Hence I don't watch it and tend to "judge" men who watch a lot of anime and find the girls portrayed there to be desirable.

11-11-2011, 05:15 PM	#76
Grimace Member [12%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 486	Essentially, I just think martial arts scenes in anime are way way way better than live action equivalents (almost always). People can draw the most ridiculously cool shit.
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11-12-2011, 01:40 AM	#77
Joseph New Member [01%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 19	I know Naruto is simplistic and even sexist, but I started watching it when I was a teenager. There was nothing good on TV so I watched the first 40 episodes or so, out of bordam. Then there was an epic battle which gave me chills. After that I continued watching the series only because I wanted to see the character from that battle fighting again. They rounded that character later on, which was fun to watch, but I saw only one other battle with that character in the whole series, which made me angry, because I watched all that crap for nothing. I found out that Shippuden exists but I don't wanna watch it because I see that the character I like has been put aside, never to be in the spot light again. I forgot where I was trying to go with this paragraph, but since I already wrote it, I might as well post it. Anyways, I agree that anime can show us beutiful things, but there is a lot of crap, and one needs to do a lot of digging to find the good stuff.
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11-12-2011, 03:28 AM	#78
beav58 Member [02%] MBTI: INxJ Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 104	Within my social network I don't find a lot of people who like anime, although most haven't tried it either. To be honest, I am apprehensive to even bring it up most of the time, because of the stereotypes surrounding it. I dislike the awkward conversation about a subject when the most experience someone has had was Dragonball Z, Sailor Moon and Hentai. Anyway, I find it surprising that someone would say "everyone like anime." As that has not been my experience with it. As for what I like about it, there are several reasons. One, I enjoy the fairytale like feel to a story with more adult themes. The same reason I love comic book stories. Unfortunately, most of the fairytale like stories are made for children or with children as a major target audience. Parents dislike many adult messages in children's media, so political correct becomes a huge emphasis. Just take a look at some older animated shows verses more modern ones. There is a huge difference in story telling. Anyway, Japan doesn't have as much emphasis on censorship, so you can get a larger range of stories without sacrificing the fairytale feel to them. Two, there is such a huge range and variety to the stories, especially in the beginning. You can find anything you want within anime. There is comedy, action, drama, horror, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, and even porn. Eventually, there is always something for anyone. Plus, with the differences between Japanese pop culture and American, you get a relatively unique story, especially when you first start out. A huge plus for those that might be sick of the same old cultural stereotypes of your home country. Three, its a community of itself. I may not know a lot of people who like anime in person, but there is a culture all of its own within the states. There is a level of excitement when you are around other fans. Similar to the Trekkers of Star Trek. Four, animation can do what live action cannot. You want to tell an epic story with some new innovative imagery... well, slap on several million and you have it in live action. Or, do it for a fraction of the cost with animation, where you can really push the limits of your story instead of conforming to the financial investors. You still have that in animation, but not as heavily pressured as in live action. Finally, Five... simply put, there are just a ton of stories I have come to really enjoy. Once you get used to a few major differences, it can been just as entertaining as any other type of show. You just have to find what you are looking for and be willing to watch some bad shows in order to find the good ones. Just like it is with any other form of media. Not every show will be good, even those that are highly recommended. I just finished watching the one of the highest rated anime of all-time, and it turned out to be crap in my opinion. Its all personal preference. I just happen to feel a lot more passion for anime series than most live action American TV shows.
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11-27-2011, 04:06 PM	#79
MacGuffin Member [41%] MBTI: INTP Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 1,667	I am okay with most anime but I usually end up ranting about it because there are so many blind fanboys. Pixar makes better animated movies than Miyazaki (except Cars, because Cars sucks). When it comes to Japanese films, I vastly prefer non-animated films.
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11-27-2011, 04:18 PM	#80
Daria New Member [01%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 62	I loved it when I was about 5 years old. A year or two before that, I even saw Sailor Moon the first time it ever aired in North America while I was travelling in Canada at the time. I vaguely, vaguely remember watching it, but Sailor Moon was my gateway drug into anime, haha. Then in 2nd grade I moved on to Pokemon (oh dear) and after about 4th grade I started losing interest. It's really hard for me to get into anime now, unless it's a really beautiful film, like Miyazaki's Spirited Away, or it's really funny, like Azumanga Daioh, since I hold it to the same standards as I do live-action films and TV, really. But other than that, I don't see what most of the hype is about either. And I certainly don't understand how so many people get turned on by cartoon characters. But to each their own. Actually, even though I don't particularly like most of the programming, I spend a lot of time on this streaming site, To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. , that's dedicated to sort of reviving old Cartoon Network shows (mostly anime) from the late 90s/early 2000s. It's a cesspool of social retards, but it's nice reliving some of that nostalgia.
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11-27-2011, 08:41 PM	#81
jibrielle New Member [01%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 46	Hmm I don't love anime, I love certain animes. The animes I do happen to love are complex and intriguing - for example: Wolf's Rain Haibane Renmei Texhnolyze Those anime are my favorite in terms of complexity. In terms of interesting plot, Cowboy Bebop is pretty good. I would suppose being interested in anime is just like any other genre.... shrugs
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11-27-2011, 08:45 PM	#82
doublerainbows New Member [01%] MBTI: ENFP Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 25	I love anime. The good stuff, anyway. I gobble up Studio Ghibli stuff as soon as it's released. And I thought The Girl Who Leaped Through Time was lovely. Currently trying to work my way through Serial Experiments Lain. It tickles the part of me that likes David Lynch (who makes me feel less weird To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. ). I also admit to collecting Revoltech dolls. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. I am an adult. With a serious career. What is wrong with me? To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. (and @Beav58, i'm with you: I LOVE the fairy tale aspect of anime. I am an Ne-dom and it is a window into a world I can only have in my imagination.)
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11-27-2011, 09:33 PM	#83
kosh Member [07%] MBTI: INTj Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 314	IMO anime is about expression and freedom from conventional society.
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11-29-2011, 07:13 AM	#86
zibber Core Member [407%] MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 16,309	All I need is Hokuto no Ken. Lots of Hokuto no Ken.
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11-29-2011, 08:13 PM	#87
omniblade Member [48%] MBTI: ENTP Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 1,929	Hokuto no Ken! To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Last edited by omniblade; 11-29-2011 at 08:13 PM. Reason: put html in by mistake
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11-30-2011, 11:23 PM	#91
aok Core Member [305%] MBTI: INTx Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 12,207	Because its better than CSI, NCIS, ER, SVU, CIA, FBI, KGB, OMG, WTF, or any other useless but incessantly annoyance related acronym.
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12-01-2011, 07:23 PM	#92
The Prince Member [29%] MBTI: XNTJ Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 1,173	They're desperate virgins and the shows offer plenty of fan service. When I was a kid, I loved DBZ because of the fighting. It made me want to work out and train MMA. Hence I do. Last anime I watched was Code Geass, which I watched because someone said that it was very well put together show that had a lot to do with military strategy and chess; two of my favorite things. Aside from that, I have no interest in anime.
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12-05-2011, 05:18 PM	#97
Heathen Banned MBTI: INTJ Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 19	Whereas some anime may be a great way to exercise creativism, the MAJORITY of it, though my eyes, is for horny teenage boys and horny closet lesbian girls of all ages. I do not dislike it. I merely dissaprove of it in starting years for the fact the creators just can not seem to focus more on STORY than all the little girls BREASTS.
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12-14-2011, 06:25 PM	#100
AnnaMolly Member [44%] MBTI: INFP Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 1,783	I really dislike the image of women portrayed in Anime. Hence I don't watch it and tend to "judge" men who watch a lot of anime and find the girls portrayed there to be desirable.
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