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Confused. A cartoon is the same isn't it?


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x_Hisoka_x



Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 260
Location: Formerly: Anime_Newcomer
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:13 pm Reply with quote
I'm confused. Why is anime frowned upon but shows like Family Guy and the Simpsons are A-Ok? Here's 2 examples.

Scenario 1: Yesterday, I was watching The Simpsons and my sister walked by without a word. She even tuned in for a couple minutes. Then, when I was watching Naruto, she turns, looks at me, and says, "Jeez, aren't you a little old for cartoons?" (me being 16) and I just shrugged it off since I get that a lot from her.

Scenario 2: I was at my friends house and we were watching Family Guy. All was good and I flipped the station to check out some Fullmetal Alchemist while the commercial was on and my friend says, "I can't stand that shit man," and he got up and left to go play World of Warcraft.

This leaves me confused because animation is animation, regardless if one type comes from Japan. Why is anime looked at as childish and shitty while, I'll say American cartoons, are laughed at and cherished by millions of people. What's the difference? Why is there such a hatred and dislike towards anime compared to Family Guy or Futurama?
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frentymon
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Joined: 27 Nov 2005
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:18 pm Reply with quote
Someone summed it up pretty nicely in the G4 thread in the Talkback section.

Fiction Alchemist wrote:
I think that there are five reasons why people don't like anime, and I'm in the mood to type it here (forgive me, I know none of this is "original thought"). There is a point; wait for it.

1: The predictable "watch one episode of DBZ or Pokemon and decide that it's stupid".

2: It could actually be too challenging for some of those who watch a typical American comedy. Now, I watch shows like Family Guy and the occasional Simpsons myself, and so I can tell you that there isn't a RULE here, certainly NOT.

3: Simple xenophobia.

4: Those who see others making a big deal out of it, and so decide that it MUST suck, even if they saw some before and liked it. This is not a theory, because I've seen several people admit to this.

5: There are of course people who... just don't like it. These people are usually quiet about it, though. They don't care about anime and don't care if people like it or not. The ignorant tend to yell the loudest, of course.


Of course, a lot of people are convinced that most anime is hentai and consists of tentacle rape.
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MonkeyFunk



Joined: 24 Sep 2005
Posts: 93
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:28 pm Reply with quote
I dunno, it's pretty weird.

Even more baffling is the contempt for non-Japanese animation shown by anime fans. Surely they of all people should know better...?
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selenta
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Joined: 19 Apr 2006
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Location: Seattle, WA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:41 pm Reply with quote
I will personally attest to rules 3 and 4 being by FAR the most common. They like family guy because it looks like the cartoons they grew up with, they don't like AzuDai because it came from a foreign country and (to a lesser extent usually) it is a different style of presentation than the person is used to.

I have met SOOoooo many people who hate anime... why? Because it's SOOoooo common here in Seattle. With something like 1/4 of the population here being asian, you can imagine how much of it there is around. People hate things that become popular before said person started to like them, this may change if they decide to give the show a chance, but is relatively unlikely. I for one fell into this trap with Harry Potter, I loved the movie, but more for the world than the story. I couldn't stand the thought of reading the books as they sounded REALLY boring to me (and I read a LOT), so when I read the first book, I was bored out of my mind and hated it. It was another 2-3 years before I went back and reread it, and (having moved on from my Potter hating) found it was quite enjoyable (if not the masterpiece it was made out to be).
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Iria51



Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 138
Location: San Antonio, Tx
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 4:49 pm Reply with quote
frentymon wrote:
Someone summed it up pretty nicely in the G4 thread in the Talkback section.

Fiction Alchemist wrote:
I think that there are five reasons why people don't like anime, and I'm in the mood to type it here (forgive me, I know none of this is "original thought"). There is a point; wait for it.

1: The predictable "watch one episode of DBZ or Pokemon and decide that it's stupid".

2: It could actually be too challenging for some of those who watch a typical American comedy. Now, I watch shows like Family Guy and the occasional Simpsons myself, and so I can tell you that there isn't a RULE here, certainly NOT.

3: Simple xenophobia.

4: Those who see others making a big deal out of it, and so decide that it MUST suck, even if they saw some before and liked it. This is not a theory, because I've seen several people admit to this.

5: There are of course people who... just don't like it. These people are usually quiet about it, though. They don't care about anime and don't care if people like it or not. The ignorant tend to yell the loudest, of course.


Of course, a lot of people are convinced that most anime is hentai and consists of tentacle rape.


I think that pretty much sums up the main reasons. A lot of people whom I've talked with already have this pre-conceived notion of what anime is, and they don't really feel like expending any effort towards seeing for themselves. Also, for a while there anime was the cool, new thing out there. Now that it's been around for a little while, the novelty has worn off and some people have gotten tired of it.
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The Frankman



Joined: 19 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 5:15 pm Reply with quote
MonkeyFunk wrote:
I dunno, it's pretty weird.

Even more baffling is the contempt for non-Japanese animation shown by anime fans. Surely they of all people should know better...?

QFT.

Cartoons = Japanese animation = animation, PERIOD.
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DuelLadyS



Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 1705
Location: WA state
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:09 pm Reply with quote
I think a great many people are afraid of the anime fan stigma. There's no stereotype that fans of The Simpsons/Family Guy are pale-faced perpetually single males, living in their mom's basement, downloading Meg/Brian pornfiction. The people who make the biggest fuss are the people afraid of this branding and being socially outcast as a result.

It's really a shame, becuase I firmly believe if these people open up, they'd find an anime they like. Not nessecarily any more, but at least one. Wink
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naruto fan 09812



Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 499
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 6:13 pm Reply with quote
Personally,I like anime better then American cartoons because theirs are more geared toward storyline rather then laughter. Americans usally want to laugh when they watch cartoons and they just do not understand anime

Last edited by naruto fan 09812 on Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:28 pm; edited 1 time in total
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the Rancorous



Joined: 08 Feb 2006
Posts: 2248
Location: Sac, Ca USA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:01 pm Reply with quote
naruto fan 09812 wrote:
Personally,I like anime better then American cartoons because theirs are more geared toward storyline rather then laughter. Americans usally want to laugh when then watch cartoons and they just do not understand anime


just to back this up, I was watching Vandread on TV when my sister was visiting and she said that she couldn't get into anime because when she watches cartoons, she wants to laugh.

Now, ofcourse there is an endless amount of comedy in anime, Vandread (forementioned) had me cracking up in multiple parts, but it also had quite a lot of serious and/or intense drama that is not apparent in american animated shows (I can only think of 1 scene in Futurama and 1 scene in Family guy that got serious, though Family Guy immediately busted it up with "Hey, who wants to see a dead body?"). So actually, its mainly common expectation of animation that Americans grew up with.

And yes, I agree that many of the haters (for lack of a better term) would like it if they gave it a good chance. I mean, besides the animation part, there's not much difference between enjoying say, Firefly from Outlaw Star.

BUT, to each their own.
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jaybug39



Joined: 16 Mar 2006
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Location: Oregon, Is it FOOTBALL yet?
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:05 pm Reply with quote
While the Simpson's may have a moral to the story, does the Family Guy, or is it used as an excuse to behave badly? And gee, why would Americans want to behave correctly? It is much more fashionable to be a pig, and make everyone else wallow in your slop, isn't it?

Sometimes I feel that certain anime are too depressing, have too much a defeatist attitude. But it beats being a slob is ok lesson by miles in my book. I like the "do your best", "I won't run away again" and all the other little morals that engender hope I find in most anime, which you just don't get from american cartoons, in general.
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The Frankman



Joined: 19 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:13 pm Reply with quote
jaybug39 wrote:
While the Simpson's may have a moral to the story, does the Family Guy, or is it used as an excuse to behave badly? And gee, why would Americans want to behave correctly? It is much more fashionable to be a pig, and make everyone else wallow in your slop, isn't it?

Sometimes I feel that certain anime are too depressing, have too much a defeatist attitude. But it beats being a slob is ok lesson by miles in my book. I like the "do your best", "I won't run away again" and all the other little morals that engender hope I find in most anime, which you just don't get from american cartoons, in general.

Watership Down, Secret of NIMH, Charlotte's Webb, Hey Arnold!, Batman: TAS, and a number of American animations want to have a word with you. NOW.
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LydiaDianne



Joined: 28 Jan 2006
Posts: 5634
Location: Southern California
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:17 pm Reply with quote
The Frankman wrote:
jaybug39 wrote:
While the Simpson's may have a moral to the story, does the Family Guy, or is it used as an excuse to behave badly? And gee, why would Americans want to behave correctly? It is much more fashionable to be a pig, and make everyone else wallow in your slop, isn't it?

Sometimes I feel that certain anime are too depressing, have too much a defeatist attitude. But it beats being a slob is ok lesson by miles in my book. I like the "do your best", "I won't run away again" and all the other little morals that engender hope I find in most anime, which you just don't get from american cartoons, in general.

Watership Down, Secret of NIMH, Charlotte's Webb, Hey Arnold!, Batman: TAS, and a number of American animations want to have a word with you. NOW.


While what Frankman just listed some WONDERFUL animated movies, those are the exception rather than the norm for American animation. Like jaybug said: I'd rather watch someone trying to to their best even though they fail moreso than a too short, dirty tee-shirt wearing, beer-bellied slob or the obnoxious foul-mouth kid.


Last edited by LydiaDianne on Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:40 pm; edited 2 times in total
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The Frankman



Joined: 19 Sep 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:31 pm Reply with quote
While I realize "more upscale" American animation is harder to find nowadays, we still get the occasional example. South Park (for all his crude humor it does a wonderful job dishing morals), The Boondocks (tamed for TV but still effective), even Aqua Teen Hunger Force occasionally pokes fun at serious topics i.e. the FCC-Censorship episode. The thing most fans forget is even though it may use crude humor or poor animation, if the morals get through it's ok. Also, not every Japanese anime conversely is a thought-provoking, do-you-best series. We just see more of one side because of the different styles, cultures, and perceptions of the animators.

Last edited by The Frankman on Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
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the Rancorous



Joined: 08 Feb 2006
Posts: 2248
Location: Sac, Ca USA
PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:32 pm Reply with quote
LydiaDianne wrote:
The Frankman wrote:
jaybug39 wrote:
While the Simpson's may have a moral to the story, does the Family Guy, or is it used as an excuse to behave badly? And gee, why would Americans want to behave correctly? It is much more fashionable to be a pig, and make everyone else wallow in your slop, isn't it?

Sometimes I feel that certain anime are too depressing, have too much a defeatist attitude. But it beats being a slob is ok lesson by miles in my book. I like the "do your best", "I won't run away again" and all the other little morals that engender hope I find in most anime, which you just don't get from american cartoons, in general.

Watership Down, Secret of NIMH, Charlotte's Webb, Hey Arnold!, Batman: TAS, and a number of American animations want to have a word with you. NOW.


While what Frankman just listed some WONDERFUL animated movies, those are the exception rather than the norm for American animation. Like jaybug said: I'd rather watch someone trying to to their best even though they fail moreso than a tee-shirt, beer-bellied slob or the obnoxious foul-mouth kid.


yeah, check on the popularity of those listed peices and then compare it to the popularity of Family Guy and Simpsons among mid-teens to adult age-range I should add. I know that Charlette's Webb, Secret of Nimh, and Hey Arnold! are popular among the younger generation, in elementary school, everyone in my class was like "Charlotte's Webb and Secret of Nimh rock, man!" Now in college, they say "Family Guy and the OC!" CW and SoN are mainly geared towards kids.
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the Rancorous



Joined: 08 Feb 2006
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:37 pm Reply with quote
South Park and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, hmmm, I wouldn't call what they get accross as morals, as much as it is criticism on social issues. They point out stupidities and hypocricies and whatnot, sort of like absurdism.
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