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INTEREST: Milky Holmes Cast to Voice My Little Pony in Japan

Yeah, freaking Cars/Cars 2 sold more than that by like several times over and that's way younger and it's foreign anime.

Smithart Stu wrote:

But verily you must concur with the overarcing opinion that the infantile juvenilia of Western animated pictures is incapable of holding the proverbial candle to the depth of Japanese animé.

While these comments still frustrate me somewhat, I also can't help but sigh reading them. Between having recently rewatched various American animated shows I've grown up with after several years and learning more about animation general and what makes it a craft, I'm now realizing just how narrowminded this notion is that no matter what American animation does, past, present or future, somehow it's not "good enough" compared to Japanese animation. And it's due to what I honestly find to be silly reasons and examples to compare the two regions of animation and determine what makes animation appealing.

If a show doesn't have characters announce a death threat in his/her line of dialogue, show on-screen death or brutal violence, have a plot drag on for so many episodes that you forget to provide a valid reason to have the audience be emotionally compelled to watch a character accomplish something, or show borderline nudity that serves no other purpose than to arouse a crowd of one gender, than somehow you're making poorly told animated stories? These things alone hardly represent what makes animated storytelling a fascinating craft. Rather it just tells me what your personal interests in watching a TV show is. And there's nothing wrong with liking any of those above things I mentioned above if that's your thing. But animation is more than just little things like that. Animation is about what you're visually communicating to an audience. It's about how you go about bringing life to a character's movements, personality behavior and mannerisms and how you use various principles and elements in art and even music to help the audience believe there's a story being presented revolving around these characters and be compelled to see that story.

And all of that seems like nothing if you're not consciously aware and are just watching tv shows to be passively entertained. This is why it's important for anyone who's passionate about animation to be very observant, so they can understand why some of the most appreciated animated stories out there are so... well, appreciated. Not that you don't have the right to find on-screen violence, multiple-episode plots, borderline nudity, or other on-the-surface traits from one culture of animation fascinating to you personally. But if you're honestly trying to argue this is really what makes animation appealing more than anything else, no matter whatever American animation tries to do, then I feel you're missing the point.

DomonX2 wrote:

Yeah, freaking Cars/Cars 2 sold more than that by like several times over and that's way younger and it's foreign anime.

Way to miss the point. Anime isn't compared to big-budget Hollywood movies, it's compared to other Anime. And compared to other Anime, Cowboy Bebop did very well.

Chagen46 wrote:

Oh god. We've found the next TitanXL. He's even got the same "My japanese children's cartoons are SO EDGY AND GRIMDARK SO MATURE" thing going on.

But verily you must concur with the overarcing opinion that the infantile juvenilia of Western animated pictures is incapable of holding the proverbial candle to the depth of Japanese animé. And no, I do not merely proclaim this of the aforementioned cartoon featuring brightly technicolored ponies. In truth, this is a iron-clad aphorism that does not contain any exceptions. Vis-à-vis the animation from Japan, the output from the Western civilizations does not compare. For surely as the solar orb arises in the Eastern sky and lowers itself over the horizon in the West, so too does the entertainment from Japan lift itself up into the atmosphere, high above the West.

- Smithart Stu

Yes the cartoon is made in Flash, but like Fosters its done very well.

He's even got the same "My japanese children's cartoons are SO EDGY AND GRIMDARK SO MATURE" thing going on.

Soundmonkey44 wrote:

Something I forgot to mention earlier I just thought would be fun to post, I was in a chat with a friend on Funimation forums, and he pointed out how Bronies, in a way are the U.S. Equivlant to Magical Girl Otaku, and you know I sort of agree, just as Precure was something made overall to market to young girls but became somewhat popular with males as well, it is kind of a nice parallel.

*words*

Smithart Stu wrote:

But verily you must concur with the overarcing opinion that the infantile juvenilia of Western animated pictures is incapable of holding the proverbial candle to the depth of Japanese animé.

While these comments still frustrate me somewhat, I also can't help but sigh reading them. Between having recently rewatched various American animated shows I've grown up with after several years and learning more about animation general and what makes it a craft, I'm now realizing just how narrowminded this notion is that no matter what American animation does, past, present or future, somehow it's not "good enough" compared to Japanese animation. And it's due to what I honestly find to be silly reasons and examples to compare the two regions of animation and determine what makes animation appealing.

If a show doesn't have characters announce a death threat in his/her line of dialogue, show on-screen death or brutal violence, have a plot drag on for so many episodes that you forget to provide a valid reason to have the audience be emotionally compelled to watch a character accomplish something, or show borderline nudity that serves no other purpose than to arouse a crowd of one gender, than somehow you're making poorly told animated stories? These things alone hardly represent what makes animated storytelling a fascinating craft. Rather it just tells me what your personal interests in watching a TV show is. And there's nothing wrong with liking any of those above things I mentioned above if that's your thing. But animation is more than just little things like that. Animation is about what you're visually communicating to an audience. It's about how you go about bringing life to a character's movements, personality behavior and mannerisms and how you use various principles and elements in art and even music to help the audience believe there's a story being presented revolving around these characters and be compelled to see that story.

And all of that seems like nothing if you're not consciously aware and are just watching tv shows to be passively entertained. This is why it's important for anyone who's passionate about animation to be very observant, so they can understand why some of the most appreciated animated stories out there are so... well, appreciated. Not that you don't have the right to find on-screen violence, multiple-episode plots, borderline nudity, or other on-the-surface traits from one culture of animation fascinating to you personally. But if you're honestly trying to argue this is really what makes animation appealing more than anything else, no matter whatever American animation tries to do, then I feel you're missing the point.

Animation is about what you're visually communicating to an audience. It's about how you go about bringing life to a character's movements, personality behavior and mannerisms and how you use various principles and elements in art and even music to help the audience believe there's a story being presented revolving around these characters and be compelled to see that story.

@ Stuart: Pre-School Show is a bit harsh, its much better then that. Also i'm not saying the shows are in the same league yes it is wrong to compare them as actual shows, just making a round about statement about actual fanbases, both liking something that was origoinally intended for young girls. Thats all.

But yes the show unlike what your saying is written so multiple age groups can enjoy it, again the writers specifically state they write something they would want to sit down and watch with their kids, near everyone on the shows staff has been in the animation field for Decades and worked on many popular Cartoon Network & even a few Nicktoons over the years, they know what they are doing. And believe it or not the characters in the show do develop over time just like in any other good story, and the show does have a sense of continuity that it builds off of, which is more then can be said for most "pre-school" shows.

Again I will say I was overzealous into comparing it to PreCure, but my overall point still stands.

NeoPhoenixTE wrote:

The Brony plague is about to cross international waters. Time to see what kind of "favorite pony" crossovers the Japanese fans will come up with.

Or it'll end up like Avatar and bomb and get cancelled before even half the episodes air.