Forum - View topicDeceptive use of the word Anime
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Iemander
 Posts: 443 |
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Doesn't Anime mean Animation? Why does Anime then refer directly to Japanese art? Isn't that quite silly? I call all Animation films Anim myself.
Last edited by Iemander on Tue Jun 21, 2005 5:25 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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pythos
Posts: 127 Location: Denver, CO |
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Anime is the term Japanese use to refer to all animation.
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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This topic sure comes up alot.
The japanese simply use the word to refer to animation, and since japanese animation tends to be so different from our own to the point it becomes its own genre we use it to describe that genre. |
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Iemander
Posts: 443 |
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Indeed, so using it only to refer to Japanese animation, isn't that deceptive? It bothers me to an extent.
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Keonyn
Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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Only if you're in japan. It's their definition in their culture, we speak english here and use the word anime from them to refer to animation that also comes from them. Far from misleading, if anything calling it animation or cartoons would be misleading because they are both incredibly different. Now referring to it as japanese animation would be the most accurate I suppose, but nobody wants to refer to anything with a long title such as that and so it is given a nickname of sorts that is perfectly suitable.
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Iemander
Posts: 443 |
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How does japanese anim differ so much from European and US anim? I don't see much difference other than Japanese anim being much more popular.
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Ohoni
Posts: 3421 |
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I don't think it's deceptive. It's the name of an artistic genre. "Comics", for example, can relate to manga just as easilly as to American super hero books, but generally means the latter. "impressionist" can literally mean anything based on an impression, but typically refers to artwork in the style of French impressiojnist painters of the turn of the last century, depicting scenes in expressive blobs of vibrant color. "Modern" art can literally mean any art made recently, and would technically exclude most work that is generally refered to as "modern" since the earliest examples are decades old, but it's typical useage is to describe artwork that is non-literal, very cerebral artwork.
"Anime" can mean "just" animation of any form. But generally it doesn't. It's primary usage is only to refer to artwork in the style of the primary animation form arising in Japan during the late 20th century. |
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Iemander
Posts: 443 |
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I thoroughly dissagree with what you say. Not all comics involve super heroes, not all films involve hollywood, not all animes are Japanese.
Just as much, comparing historical names with pop culture titles doesn't fare well either. I highly doubt that these works of arts were referred to as "impressionist" instead of "painting", I doubt even the word "Impressionist" in their language was ever spoken. Modern is not defined by age either. Modern is referred to as evolutionairy, it's not as if tomorrow's art is going to be called Neo-modern i'm sure. The thing is, Anime does mean animation of any form as said above. |
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.Sy
Posts: 1266 |
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Anime from a Japanese point of view is all animation. However, from a Western point of view, or even any non-Japanese point of view, the term "anime" has been known to specifically mean "Japanese animation". (I don't know who first used it this way, and I'm not an expert on words.) Anime is like a sub-genre of animation, the same way manga is a sub-genre of comics. So yes, anime does mean any animation, but for most Westerners, it implies Japanese cartoons. Japanese animation also has a distinct style currently, and I say currently because in the future, we can expect to see the style of animation from different countries blend. Japanese anime is distinct for the most part, and I can easily tell it apart from things like Static Static shock, Batman, or even Avatar.
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Nagisa
Moderator
 Posts: 6128 Location: Atlanta-ish, Jawjuh |
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It's more like "anime" and "manga" are regional identifiers of a certain country's animation. To call anime a "genre" or "sub-genre" is to suggest that all anime cover a similar subject matter (like comedies, mysteries, horrors, & other genres do). But yes, for the most part you've got it. We took Japan's word for "animation" and altered it so that, to us (and pretty much anyone living outside of Japan's borders), the term is used as a quick & simple identifier for animation specifically originating in Japan. Having to say "Japanese animation" over and over again gets tiresome, y'know. |
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Iemander
Posts: 443 |
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The use is evident, however the meaning is deceptive. For us it may seem to mean japanese Animation solely but that's wrong. The term simply refers to all animation.
Hence I call it deceptive and people are badly informed on its meaning. Having to write "Japanese Animation" over and over again may take a bit more effort, but it's still correct. |
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The Frankman
 Posts: 1160 Location: Binary Culture HQ |
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I either write Japanese anime or "anime" or refer to Japanese animation. Anime is basically a French word for cartoon in my opinion that Japan (and later we took) to mean animation; however, the U.S. messed up the meaning.
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator  Posts: 11507 Location: Frisco, TX |
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I agree with your meticulous approach to this whole situation, but we (in the U.S anyway) live in a society of sometimes lazy and lethargic people. We look for quick ways to do things because a majority of us are either lazy or too careless to do every single thing the right way (or as dictated by others). While it may be a courtesy that some of us try to at least say Japanese names correctly or use proper terminology that may originate from any other foreign language, I feel as a culture, most people aren't willing to go the extra mile to keep up with these things. And because of that, it's only expected that you get oodles of misunderstandings and deceptive usages of a lot of things. The word anime does refer to animation in Japan. But for whatever reason, it was coined and used specifically to just refer to any form of Japanese animation here in the States, because like I said, a lot of us are lazy. But it's fine that you brought up the point of this "deceptional use" and I commend you for wanting to inform everyone about it. However, they say "old habits die hard." And given the replies up to now, most of the users here would prefer to stick with old habits. Sorry  .
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ActiveX
 Posts: 15 |
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I believe in a more hybrid definition of the word. Even though to the Japanese the word "anime" only refers to animation, the word has stuck to their own style. Throughout history, the ways new things get named is not usually by intention but by a word sticking to it. If you also stop and compare the differences between american "animations" and japanese "animations", you will notice the difference in genre. It is the same way when listening to music. Country, rap, and rock are all types of music. Building notes and sounds along the Musical Theory to achieve what we call "music"
mu·sic - Audio pronunciation of "music" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (myzk) n. 1. The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. But compared to each other, rap is nothing like classical. They are music, but they are their own "genre" of music. gen·re - a class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique. Japanese animation is it's own genre, that I believe we all agree on. But why call it "anime"? Why not? Counry music got its name for where it came from and the type of people that played it. We are not using the workd deceptionally, we are just adding a new definition to it. Once again, just like the word "Country". That is my opinion. Anime may not have originally been a word to describe Japanese Animation, but there is no reason to fight against it being used as such. It is so widely used to describe Japanese Animation, it is now generally excepted by anime fans everwhere as a genre name. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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Boys and girls, you are being trolled. Stop feeding the troll.
- abunai |
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