Forum - View topicAnime-- as stated by the American Heritage Dictionary
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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor
 Posts: 3904 Location: CO |
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Jonathan and I were messing around on the Internet the other day, and he came across something interesting. Dictionary.com has the following definition for "anime," as taken from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Ed.:
an·i·me: A style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and sex. This plays beautifully right into discussions the board's had before on the stereotypes surrounding anime and is somewhat amusing. Any comments? |
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MelancholyDevil
 Posts: 311 Location: Louisiana |
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I wonder if Urbandictionary.com has a definition for anime? I think I'll go check that out right now.
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MelancholyDevil
Posts: 311 Location: Louisiana |
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DAMN! 94 definitions for anime, if you got some time to kill, go ahead and read some of 'em.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=anime |
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Vigilante024
 Posts: 578 Location: back. but not really. |
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thats kinda odd...dictionary.com used to list the Merriam Webster def. for anime, but doesn't anymore...
Main Entry: an·i·me Pronunciation: 'a-n&-"mA, 'ä-nE- Function: noun Etymology: Japanese, animation, short for animEshiyon, from English Date: 1988 : a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes I believe, but am not certain, that Merriam Webster was the first online dictionary to list anime, other than the term which is a plant... |
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Samurai CDZ
 Posts: 776 Location: Manhattan, KS |
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Most dictionary's (I looked at 10 or so online) only define it as a type of resin. Other use the same definition as above. All but one, refer to them as being characterized as having sex or nudity.
I wonder if that is under the definition of movies since they're basically the same, right? Most movies have some sort of reference (at least) to sex or nudity. I haven't checked it out, but if it is then I would say it is a fair definition. If it isn't, well... |
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betterjuice
 Posts: 19 Location: Santa Monica, CA |
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Those funny dictionary authors. Whoever submitted that definition is truly not an otaku. They take Anime in a really simple defintion.
I like Encarta's Dictionary definition..there are 2 seperate versions anime and animé... here and here This discussion is interesting! -betterjuice Last edited by betterjuice on Wed Sep 03, 2003 4:32 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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cookie
Former ANN Editor in Chief
 Posts: 2460 Location: Do not contact me for support. |
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Given anime's entries, UrbanDictionary.com apparently is a terrible, terrible place to find out information about new words. :p
Stephanie M.'s definition (a short way down) is the best attempt as far as I can tell... But it gets sidetracked in an attempt to explain the social differences between Japan and the US and turns it into a "censorship" issue rather than a basic differing mentality and philosophy on life, largely due to the traditional puritanical values of the US versus the traditional buddhist/shinto values of Japan. (Whether anyone practices those values anymore is more or less irrelevant, as the society as a whole has been sculpted by those values already...) I like the definition from Encarta: Japanese animation: a Japanese style of animated cartoon that uses strongly outlined images, often in high detail, with simplified treatment of motion and depth, and that is known for complex futuristic stories sometimes with mature themes and typically with many characters. Better than Dictionary.com's definition. It says exactly what it is -- japanese animation -- with a summary of what, exactly, makes it technically different from non-anime... it certainly is simplified motion; the technical difference in animation is apparent if you look for it... Provided you're aware of what was computer-animated and what wasn't, anyway. Comparing Akira to Little Mermaid might seem farfetched, but if you can ignore the storyline, you should be able to see the differences in HOW characters were animated. |
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4558 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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I like the simple, all-encompassing "Japanese cartoons" because, well, if you start going into all the styles, genres, and tones that anime includes... it would be so long, it would be an encyclopedia entry rather than a quick definition.
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Tiresias
Posts: 353 Location: Illinois, USA |
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I don't like the definition of "Japanese cartoons" due to the word cartoons. Let's face it, if you're a child you can watch cartoons, but if you're an adult you're some kind of weirdo if you watch cartoons. If you're an adult and watch animation on the other hand, it's OK. "Cartoon" just seems to have a slightly negative connotation attatched to it when it applies to adults. |
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MelancholyDevil
Posts: 311 Location: Louisiana |
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I unfortunly have to agree, half the definitions are bias rants on a topic. For instance, I went on the definition for Eminem (you know, the rapper), and, well, just go to the link and read the first few if you really want to know. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=eminem |
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Tenchi
Posts: 4558 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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I use the word "cartoon" to specify all hand-drawn animation regardless of tone, content, style, genre, age of intended audience, or country of origin, and my Oxford Dictionary of Current English agrees with me in that regard.
Anyhow, I love the word "cartoon" and don't see anything negative about it... the people that do substitute the word "animation", I know, but it's really a tad too broad, including pretty much any sort of manipulated images, from CGI to claymation to sand animation. |
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Emerje
 Posts: 7432 Location: Maine |
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So by that it would be OK to call Pokemon a "japanese cartoon" but Ninja Scroll a "japanese animation"? So then Tenchi's def. isn't really wrong, it's just half wrong? Emerje |
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Tiresias
Posts: 353 Location: Illinois, USA |
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No, I wasn't saying he's wrong, just that I personally prefer the word animation instead of cartoon, whether it's referring you Pokemon or Metropolis. In the past when people would ask what I usually watch and I'd tell them anime, they'd look at me funny and say "What's that?". I used to tell them Japanese cartoons, but got a bunch of people basically telling me I was being childish for spending time watching kids shows when I didn't even have kids, even though at the time I was watching things like Hellsing and Evangelion. So I started saying I was watching Japanese animation, and suddenly you'd think I was watching something that belonged on PBS. It's just that it seems like if you're an adult and are talking about watching anime, whether for a child or an adult, if you call it a cartoon you're a freak for watching it.
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Delthayre
 Posts: 414 Location: One of the good United States |
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I'm starting to think there's a trend towards "cartoon" becoming an almost derogatory term. Relatively analogous occurences with other words have happened before.
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king_micah
 Posts: 994 Location: OSU |
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The thing about Cartoon is that the word is shaped by the 50's. It goes back to HUAC and the controlled it had over the mail. HUAC denied pulp fiction and other adult (in any way) fiction publications the ability to use the mail. It killed American mature comics and subsequncally adult animation. For thirty years all that was known in this country was kids animation called Cartoons, which became a word linked to kid focused animation. Anime needs to shake two sterotypes to make it, one is Cartoon, the other is Hentai. People can often only see pokemon or La Blue Girl. The use of new words is needed to provide a fresh start. That is why I like the defination of Japanese animation aimed often at wide markets.
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