Forum - View topicsymbolism in anime
|
|
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
BoygetsfireD
 Posts: 475 Location: earth |
|
|||
|
Now, this may be just because I don't watch all that much in the way of western tv/film (I pretty much only watch anime), but is it just me, or is there generally more symbolism in anime than western tv/film?
|
||||
|
||||
huh?
 Posts: 130 Location: playing trumpet w/ jesus |
|
|||
|
you find symbolism in whatever you look for symbolism in. most entertainment in my opinion has some underlying theme that they are trying to convey with symbols; sometimes these symbols are more blatant than other times.
|
||||
|
||||
shadow_guyver
 Posts: 307 Location: Tokyo, Japan |
|
|||
|
I agree with huh?, on this first part at least. If you are looking for symbols, you're going to find them.
On the other hand, I think symbolism is far less common. Of course, I tend to require symbolism to be intended by the creator in order for it to be real symbolism. Otherwise people are just making stuff up right? Anyway, symbolism does seem to be a bit more common in anime than in western tv, at least to me. Film I'm not sure, as I mostly just go to see action flicks. I chalk it up to differences in storytelling styles. |
||||
|
||||
|
abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
|
|||
|
It is not true to say that symbolism is less prevalent in Western film & television than in anime. Symbolism may be less visible, because it is viewed by someone within the culture. If you are steeped in a culture, many of its underlying symbolic threads become invisible to you, because they are taken for granted -- they "blend into the background noise". I am certain that, to a Japanese viewer, Western cinema and television appears just as loaded with symbols as theirs do to us.
Another explanation may be that the symbolistic forms of expression used in anime are more blatant (and therefore more visible), because anime (like Western cartoons) is a medium that makes use of exaggeration and repetitive visual metaphors. Short answer: No, I don't think that anime is notably more symbol-laden than the corresponding Western forms. - abunai |
||||
|
||||
DKL
 Posts: 1960 Location: California, USA |
|
|||
This really makes sense, since I find it generally very easy to pull out symbolic stuff out of anime... It's just more... "out there" and the staff *or whoever* just makes it easier to spot for the viewer *most of the time*... this doesn't necessarily mean that western/live-action/whatever uses less of the thing... maybe it's just that we don't see it I certainly don't... >_> But just because I can't see it doesn't mean it's not there ... Yeah, I'll go with that answer |
||||
|
||||
|
Tetsujin
Posts: 216 |
|
|||
|
Symbolism is wherever we find it. We find symbolism in works where even the author himself/herself had absolutely no intention in using it. We get out of it what we put into it. It's that way in literature, it's that way in film, and it's that way in animation.
|
||||
|
||||
|
shirokiryuu
Posts: 714 Location: Northern California (SF Bay Area) |
|
|||
|
I agree with abunai... since anime has no restrictions of imagination (things that can't be filmed or effectively computer generated can be animated) and symbolism is just plain easier to see.
|
||||
|
||||
suna_suna
 Posts: 550 Location: Ohio |
|
|||
|
Symbolism exists every where if you look for it, but it is far less frequent in western movies these days and is almost non-existant, if not completely, in cartoons. Anime does have the symbols and underlying themes that "classic" movies have. Good new movies probably have them too.
|
||||
|
||||
Fui
 Posts: 339 |
|
|||
|
I think all decent animes have a good amount of symbolism or motifs that are recurring, but sometimes it's way too excessive in my opinion. Sometimes I watch an anime and they just try way too hard to make it complex (the last two episodes of Evangelion come to mind) and it somewhat detracts from the overall experience. I think it's pretty commonplace for animes to make the characters "complex" and often times I wonder if you're even supposed to understand what they're saying and what their reasoning is. Some people might think they "understand" what they're trying to say but sometimes I can't help thinking it's just a bunch of b.s. and the producers themselves are just rambling about random things for the sake of being confusing. Nobody wants to admit that he can't understand something "deep," after all. "Bah you're just stupid and don't understand!" I can hear people saying already, as they pretend to understand everything.
Basically, yes I think anime has more but I think some of it is unnecessary. |
||||
|
||||
patch
 Posts: 677 Location: New York, NY |
|
|||
It's just you. You said it yourself, so let me ask you. You have stated that you pretty much only watch anime so how could I have a solid opinion about symbolism in western television and film? |
||||
|
||||
Efan
 Posts: 340 |
|
|||
Pretty much only, is kinda like saying "I watch a little of one but more of the other in this case, therefore he does watch both, just one more then the other. I love symbolism myself, and I always look for it in whatever i watch/read, so i usually find it in everything. Most of the time you can inturprate stuff for what it origionaly not ment to mean, for instance in the thread about Evanglion, i stated my opinion on what i thought was the symbolism behind Pen Pen, it's probly not what the writer intsended, but it's what I saw in him. Sybolism is what you make it. |
||||
|
||||
2Real
 Posts: 249 |
|
|||
|
I think that we can all agree on one thing. Every person has a different outlook on this world, and with thier unique outlooks creates differnt ways of inturpiting things.
Basicly, im saying wut a few others have already said, its all on the viewer. |
||||
|
||||
camelot187757
 Posts: 426 Location: The Nacirema Dream (17 and counting Asuka) |
|
|||
|
Apparently there's even symbolism in spoiler[Shinji beatin his dick to Asuka]... in the EoE movie
|
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group