Forum - View topicWhy do you watch anime?
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OtakuSeeker
 Posts: 12 |
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Sorry if all this questioning is getting annoying, but a little curiousity never hurt anyone.
So why do you all watch anime? Why anime as opposed to other activities or hobbies? Not to say you can't do other things as well while being an anime fan, but what makes you choose to watch an episode of your favorite anime over doing something else? (For all those who didn't see my other topic: I'm a college student currently writing a paper on anime fandom as a subculture in America. If you do not want your words being used in any way in my research, please just say so and I will respect your wishes and personal opinions. That being said, please don't be afraid to respond, I promise I am not here to judge anyone or anything of that sort. Thanks everyone!) |
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ChronoBall X
 Posts: 389 |
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mmmmmm......why I watch Anime,well,glad you asked,I always wanted to get this off my chess,because I'm just bored today
anyway the reason I love to watch anime for these reasons above 1. Anime is something unique from japan with it's unique style of artwork,cute characters,drawlings,texture,J-pop,Dance Dance Revolution-style music,Interesting unique styles of plots,character development and many styles of genre to choose from such as Shonen fighter,Magical girl,Shoujo,Horror,Sci-fi,Slice of Life,Drama,fantasy,Historical,Sports and Kodomo with all kinds of different wonderdul shows such as Gundam, Ultimate Muscle, Rurouni Kenshin, DBZ, Sailor Moon, YuYu Hakusho, Bleach, Onepiece. and so on and so on,because shows like these from japan were something special to us americans,something that showed lots of potential different than most american cartoons that we ever watched in our childhood years wheather it would be Garfield and friends or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle,because unlike most american cartoons(with a few exceptions like Avatar or Justice League) which were random and barely had any story to them, Anime is something which shows alot of impact realistic drama,even some childrens anime have alot of impact drama like Mahou no Magical Star Emi, Creamy Mami, or Minky Momo 2. To me,Anime is something that you can't help but stare at the cute or Detailed unique artwork like Bishounen or Bishoujo and many anime can take classical Genre's to a whole new level by adding some unique elements in there,wheather your watching a cool Fantasy Anime mixed with magic and elements like Elemental Gelade, A Ninja anime mixed with super powers like Naruto or a Pirate anime with more crazy fun super powers with fun adventures on different islands or continents like Onepiece 3. Also,Anime also gives me unique hobby on which I like to do with it and take it to a whole new level wheather it would be Fanfiction. AMVs. Sprite Comics and Fandubs 4. also, anime can take you to a whole new world to find unique video games with Anime-style artwork,to tell you guys the truth,I first discovered my first few sets of anime-style art with video games with games like Mugen Senshi Valis, Legend of the mystical Ninja, Kendo Rage, but yeah,watching anime gives me more interests to find unique old school Super Nes,PCE Engine or Genesis games which unique interesting anime world to take me to a whole new level. 
5.Also,when I watch Anime, I also like to see good looking Anime girls with interesting powers that can kick serious butt wheather it's a Shounen Fighter or a Magical Girl anime,because anime at times can get boring with Male characters kicking butt all the time,I wanna see a fair shair of moments where the females get they're moment in the spotlight,which they're worth doing tribute AMV's on, wheather it would be Rossette Christpher from Chrono Crusade, Cisqua from Elemental Gelade. Nami from Onepiece, Sakura Haruno from Naruto, Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura or Ichigo Momomiya from Tokyo Mew Mew |
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KyuuA4
 Posts: 1361 Location: America, where anime and manga can be made |
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With the exception of sports, history/science channels, or the news -- TV programs involving real people aren't very entertaining. That includes movies -- of which -- the last time I've ever been to the theater -- was for Batman Returns... probably 3-4 years ago.
As far as fiction is concerned, I prefer it to be animated. |
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ikillchicken
 Posts: 7272 Location: Vancouver |
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Well, Anime is only one of my interests.
I enjoy it as well as live action film and TV. I like it this way as between the three, most genres and subject matters I enjoy are covered. Some are better suited to american cinema, some to american TV, and finally, the large gaps that are unsuited to live action. |
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Cephus
 Posts: 139 Location: Redlands, CA |
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I watch anime for the same reason I do anything, it's entertaining and fun to watch. If it isn't, I don't watch it.
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greedo
 Posts: 17 Location: CT |
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1. American prime time really isn't all that interesting. You can't really say that American TV sucks in general, because I'm sure the majority of Japanese TV (non-anime programming) sucks as well.
2. I like anime for the extreme variety it gives me. Compare and contrast 08th MS to Lucky Star. It isn't going to look pertty. 3.The anime sub-culture is something that I'm proud to be a part of, even though I'm not a fan of the majority of personalities in that sub-culture. I tend to associate myself with the older fans who now have a family. |
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arkady
Posts: 74 |
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I should hope not, since I have a job and many hobbies, all of which occupy more of my time than watching anime. In fact, I wouldn't call anime a "hobby" at all -- more like an area of interest, like fantasy novels and swing music. But to address the original question of "why do you watch anime," my answer would be "because I like it." Not all of it, of course, since it has its share of crap. But the best anime has a flair and imagination that I seldom find in any other form of popular entertainment. And I'd agree with ChronoBall that the uniquely Japanese orientation of much anime lends it a slightly-off-center feel to a Western viewer that tends to make it inherently just different enough from European/American norms to add to its interest. At SIGGRAPH in, I think, 2005, George Lucas was the keynote speaker, and when I heard him say "I'd like to get into anime," my first thought was "Sorry, George, but even though you might duplicate some of the artistic style passably well, you'll never duplicate the Japanese mindset that's part of what makes anime so interesting to me." Working in the digital arts field, I also appreciate seeing superior artwork -- Seirei no Moribito being a prime example -- but what's really important to me is the quality of the writing. Again, anime suffers from its quota of juvenile garbage, but at its best -- Asatte no Houkou to name one, or Haibane Renmei to name another -- it rises head and shoulders over just about anything available from either Western animated movies or even Western live-action films. Then there are the historical dramas like Bakumatsu, that tell me more effectively than history books (the ones written by Western authors, at least) something about the historical background of another, interesting, culture, in a way that only people who are part of that culture can express. Even the everyday "slice-of-life" stories tell me a great deal about the Japanese outlook on life and the world, and I enjoy that. Other people may have other reasons for enjoying anime, but those are mine.
Irrelevant. Regardless of what Japanese television may or may not be like, American TV does suck in general. Badly. |
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Leuconoe
 Posts: 83 |
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Most obviously I suppose I watch anime because I enjoy doing so.
Why do I enjoy doing so? Well, it can't be to do with the TV quality in my own country (I'm British) since I grew up in a house without a TV and still don't own one to this day. I think I enjoy anime because, as other posters here have mentioned, the fact that it comes from a different culture (and one which sometimes feels quite alien to me) gives it an extra edge of fascination. There's also the interest in seeing what different animators do with stylisation and the various technical challenges they face. I'm engaged full-time in the study of my own country/culture's older literature, and I suppose it tickles my sense of inappropriateness to be well-versed in out-of-date culture from my own country and also well-versed in a small slice of modern culture from a very different country. While lacking knowledge of the cultural inheritance that stands behind anime, or the current trends within my own culture. Plus, anime covers many genres, some of which are hard to find in other artforms/media. Where else do you suggest I go to get my mecha fix, after all? |
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haruhikenpachi
 Posts: 7 |
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HAHA! No wonder you call yourself "Otakuseeker"
I personally wouldnt consider myself an anime fanatic, but at the same time I post on this forum! What irony! Well, (in hopes of helping your collegiate research) the reason I watch anime goes back to when I was a wee chap. Obviously as kids we are exposed to cartoons as a delightful form of entertainment: certain things cannot be captured live-action as they could animated. I know that many adaptations of Disney films have found success on stage and in other form of cinema, but they cant match Baloo the bear dancing to the swing music of the monkies while he tries to save Mogwli. I say Disney because thats what my parents exposed to me at an early age. Anyway. What I find appealing about anime is pretty much the same thing. In a sense, to me, anime is the progression from the cartoon medium as a candy coated fantasy realm for kids to an adult medium with deeper themes (not to mention sequences which absolutely CANNOT be captured live-action.) My love for the animated has matured with me from the Disney cartoons which I used to watch and love to the Cowboy BeBop which I love and enjoy now. Maybe its a bit of nostalgia on my part, but I truly enjoy and respect the medium. Also, for those of us who want to put more input into your research: what sort of class are you writing this research for? Psychology? Sociology? There are many ways you can approach a reason for someone to watch anime |
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quikbeam1
 Posts: 150 Location: Behind you |
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I would say i watch anime simply because i enjoy it. i have always liked romantic comedies and science fiction. i also like how unlike many american shows, they have different aspects to them. for example, eventhough Full Metal Panic has a lot of comedy, some drama and quite a bit of action. but most american shows only focus on one thing at a time. they are either a comedy, or a drama or a thriller.
I also like how many of the shows dont end with a happy ending. If you take Sola for example, the show has a very good ending, but it really is not that happy of an ending, its happy to a certain extent but its also somewhat depressing. Characters have character flaws, in Anime, generally no one is perfect, but they overcome their problems and become better themselves. Even with romantic comedies, characters that everyone sees as perfect has their own problems that come to light as the show moves on. And most importantly an Anime show usually ends. and its not played until everyone hates the show and gets tired of watching the same thing for 8 consecutive seasons. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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I watch an anime program for the same reason I'd watch any other show or movie, because the storyline is interesting, and I'm looking to be entertained.
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jetz
 Posts: 2148 Location: Manila, Philippines |
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Can't find the 2 other threads with the same topic, so I'll just give my short answer.
Because anime makes me happy. With all the stress and fatigue I get from school and other problems, I probably won't make it without anime. Anime helps me make it through the day. |
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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I like animation in general. Have since I was little... I suppose it's like, if I want to watch real people do things, I will do outside and watch actual real people. There's very little live-action TV I can actually sit through as a result- generally fantasy/sci-fi stuff with lots of special effects, or the occasional cop/hospital drama. In other words, things that are either impossible in real life, or impossible for average-Joe me to be a part of. Visual media is escapism for me, a chance to see something I would normally never see.
Animation is the ultimate form of that- no matter how mundane the story, if it's animated it automatically gains a fantastic quality- simply because 2-D drawings cannot wander around among us in real life. When I was little, whatever cartoon was on TV was fine- it was all geared for kids, so I could pick and choose what I liked. Thing is, as I got older, less and less appealed to me. Then I stumbled into anime, and found what I wanted... animation that went beyond the standard Saturday morning kiddie fare. That's why most of watch these days is anime. |
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Truered
 Posts: 515 Location: Uni |
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I like the escapism and the crazy stuff often only found in anime/manga. I've fallen for the drawing style. I hate the fact most animation is now CGI, to me there's nothing more beautiful then a lavish hand-drawn forest landscape (see P. Mononoke)
Also it has an addictive side to it. I had lost interest in gaming, and can't sit down and watch movies frequently. I fell in love with Ghibli films and well now I'm kind of..."obssesive". It's become something I really like. |
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sophie07c
 Posts: 4 Location: Liverpool England |
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Well, it is one of my main hobbies at the moment. I just love! I feel happy watching anime, i love the art work, the diverse and wacky characters that you encounter, the colour, the jokes, the way you are always surprised at what happens next, the new unique worlds you see... Yeah, anime is just so much more creative and awe inspiring then any other cartoons. (not that i even refer to anime as cartoons, it seems to be too demeaning!) My relaxation time is me often crashing down on the sofa, after a dull day at school and being glued to the screen watching anime.
My parents think its a faze, im not certain bout that lol!
Anyway why do I choose it above my other hobbies?... eerrr... may sound sad but there's something so uplifting about anime (well the types of anime I watch) it sort of gives me an extra boost to carry on the day, unlike playing pc games n such... Oh yeah, i completely agree wid Truered, its strangely and utterly addictive! |
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