I've recently been looking up stuff like this, and most of what I found is that "Internet people" primarily prefer Japanese animation over what's produced in the west. A lot of people even go as far as saying "anime" and "cartoons" are two completely different things.

Here's an actual college paper written by an actual person for college explaining why anime is better than cartoons.

What is your opinion on the matter?

I like how he talks about how complex Death Note is, and doesn't seem to realise that the outline he gives boils down to 'Hero Saves the Day'.

Also, Transformers was Japanese. What a fucking idiot.

It takes time to get used to Anime if you've only seen western animation. There's allot of moments that just seem completely random and nonsensical (like those meme moments).

I've been going through a fair share of anime and manga for the past year and I'm finally starting to appreciate those moments. Let's take this odd scenario for example, specifically the first minute and half.



....riiiight... So two kids enter a class room, find themselves on a rooftop where this girl is groveling at their feet and this guy is standing on top of the staircase housing, laughing at them.

For some reason, this makes sense to me. I've seen similar moments happen before in other manga and anime and I've become used to it. I can laugh at this while others who'd watch this scene with me have a hard time figuring out what the hell is going on.

Maybe I should stop watching this stuff while I still have the chance.

Custard Trout
I like how he talks about how complex Death Note is, and doesn't seem to realise that the outline he gives boils down to 'Hero Saves the Day'. Also, Transformers was Japanese. What a fucking idiot.

Death Note doesn't really have a "hero", or at least by the end of it. The original Transformers was a co-production between America and Japan. Although Code Lyoko was French. (Maybe if he was talking about Western instead of just American, he'd have a point.)

Weeaboo it may sound, I prefer the Japanese stuff overall. I like plots. What mature cartoon series aren't crude comedies? None, that's what.

Also, a lot of anime sucks (Sturgeon's Law) but since they produce so much more than America, their 10% is larger (and usually better) than America's 10%.

This topic might get more mileage in the Media section, but let's give it a shot here first.

I take issue with the idea that anime is not "cartoons". In Japan, if you were to show a Japanese person footage of Chowder, The Simpsons, or Darkwing Duck, they would call it "anime" because it's "animation". It's just the filthy little otaku that like to place anime on a pedestal to separate it from all the western animation they hate so much.

I couldn't believe the linked college paper was actually for college... it seems so much like an uninformed anime fan trying to perpetuate the idea that western animation is worthless. Naturally he ignored the best western animation has to offer.

I loved Death Note. But Death Note alone is not evidence of automatic superiority. Neither is Ben Ten nor Tom & Jerry evidence that Western animation is inferior.

I won't make a judgment on which is better, but I will say that the guy who wrote the paper sounds grossly uneducated, like he sat down to a few hours of Cartoon Network before making flagrant generalizations about the whole industry.

Mr Lostman
Death Note doesn't really have a "hero", or at least by the end of it.

'L' acts in the capacity of a hero. At least, from what I've seen, which admittedly isn't much. A hero that does questionable things is still a hero.

Mr Lostman
I like plots. What mature cartoon series aren't crude comedies? None, that's what.

You're not looking hard enough. And by that, I mean you aren't looking beyond the crap that they put on TV.

I'm surprised he's using a cartoon series from the 40's as an example of western animation. Tom and Jerry is ancient stuff.

Might as well compare the Flintstones to full metal alchemist.

When did eastern animation start to become popular for that matter?

Mr Lostman
Death Note doesn't really have a "hero", or at least by the end of it.

The roles are a bit reversed in Death Note, what with the Villain being the Protagonist while the Hero is the Antagonist but it's not like that's never been done before.

The first half of the story is fantastic in my opinion. However...
.... once L dies and he's replaced with Near...
.... the story degrades too much into a "I know, that you know, that I know, that you know, etc" scenario that makes the whole thing rather annoying. If they had ended the story with the moment that I mentioned in the spoiler, I would have hallmarked it as the greatest story in the universe. But the final ending was good, none the less.

I've got to be honest: I've never been a big fan of anime. I've always had more of an interest in western comics and animation. I just could never get into that eastern stuff because, to my eyes, a lot of it that I have seen is very, very similar, plus the fact that, because of cultural differences, I cannot identify with much of the plot or characters featured in the average manga/anime. That's just me, though. I'm sure there is some really good stuff in that field, but it's just not for me.

Hawk
I take issue with the idea that anime is not "cartoons". In Japan, if you were to show a Japanese person footage of Chowder, The Simpsons, or Darkwing Duck, they would call it "anime" because it's "animation". It's just the filthy little otaku that like to place anime on a pedestal to separate it from all the western animation they hate so much.

I agree with you entirely. Plus, isn't 'anime' basically Japanese for cartoon?

I remember when I used to be a 'filthy little otaku'. I'm so glad I got out of that phase. Now I much prefer western comics/shows over anime. After watching as much anime as I did, it all just turned into the same, big-eyed amorphous blob with multicoloured hair.

Plus, Venture Brothers and Thief and the Cobbler beat any anime any day IMHO.

When did eastern animation start to become popular for that matter?

In the East, in the 20's. Here, in the 60's.

While there are always exceptions to the rule, generally animation is still regarded as a children's medium in the US. Animated adult films usually do pretty poorly, are seldom nominated, and have never won Oscars. Adult-oriented TV shows do tend to be more about comedic shock value and less about plot. The number of dramatic, adult-oriented cartoon series coming from the West can likely be counted on one hand and very few people pay attention to animated shorts unless they preceed a Pixar movie.

Anime in Japan carries some of the same stigmas. A lot of people think that it is something you grow out of once you leave home and get a job. Of course that isn't always the case and there is, and has been ever since the Tetsuwan Atom, a large enough subculture of older fans to support an industry of creating comics and animation for adults.

This is actually starting to become the case here in the US, as well, and it is largely due to the popularity of anime and the big boom of Eastern and co-op projects in the 80's. There are independent companies and large companies alike who have been testing the waters with teen and adult-oriented animation, mostly in the direct-to-video market. Still, a number of those projects also make their way to TV.

In all honesty, there is no agument here. There is no quantifiable way of saying one is better than the other. Differences are cultural differences and there are no absolutes. Not all anime is one thing and not all cartoons are another. I prefer to take the approach of keeping an open mind, watching whatever I can find regardless of the country of origin. I find there is a lot more to enjoy out there if you don't discriminate based on who made what.

I always thought the whole east versus west animation argument was crazy. From an animator stand point, it's all just 2d animation. From a technical standpoint, the only difference is that most anime are animated on 3's and american stuff is on 2's. [en.wikipedia.org]

Plus nowadays with all the outsourcing and cross pollination, it's all like the same thing. Transformers Animated for example might be an "american show", but the animation is done by a japanese anime studio.

I think it's because in America Animation is still mainly classed as a children's medium despite the fact that they never really used to be. In Japan it can cover a wide variety of age ranges from toddlers all the way up to adulthood. And as a result it appeals to more people.

I find it pretty funny that no matter which side of the globe you say has better animatied movies and series, there's a high chance that NEITHER country ever animates the show/film 100%. A lot of American productions are sent to France, South Korea or Japan to do some of the work. And in Japan a lot of work also gets sent to South Korea. There's companies in there that will most likely be working on animation segments for both countries around the same time.

And then there's the fact that japanese animation was INSPIRED by western animation.

That guy that wrote that article is CLEARLY not doing the research, There's way more to western animation than just hero saves the day or random insanity.

He needs to watch more western stuff instead of just sitting watching anime. Just because a lot of American productions are usually for kids, doesn't mean they don't have good strong storylines or character development.

An American Tail sure as hell wasn't random insanity or hero saves the day. It was about a poor little mouse that gets lost when his family is on a boat to America where they want to live so they can get away from Cats. And he is out trying to find them while discovering that the myths that there are no cats in America and the Streets are paved with Cheese are false.
And if you look deeper, it's a metaphor for what immigrants had to go through in the United States around the same time and still do to an extent. Thinking America is a better place than where they're from while it still has problems of it's own.
All you have to do is replace cats with the mafia and cheese with gold.

too bad for him death note sucks. he might have been able to argue something there, if he hadn't invalidated his point with an flawed example.

anime's boring now anyways. "crap goes on in a japanese high school!" is pretty much the basis of everything.

I don't think the whole "american animation is for kids" argument holds much weight nowadays with the recent push towards "adult animation". And I'm not talking about Adult Swim, I'm talking about the recent direct to dvd (almost ova like) movies like Hulk vs. Wolverine and the recent DC animated movies. I guess you could argue that it's pretty much limited to superhero movies right now, but I think it will at least open the door for new stuff eventually. Not to mention that those movies are fucking awesome! I would hate to think of somebody missing out on how hardcore that Wonder Woman animated movie was just because they "don't like superheroes" or assume that it's just for kids.

isukun
In all honesty, there is no agument here. There is no quantifiable way of saying one is better than the other. Differences are cultural differences and there are no absolutes. Not all anime is one thing and not all cartoons are another. I prefer to take the approach of keeping an open mind, watching whatever I can find regardless of the country of origin. I find there is a lot more to enjoy out there if you don't discriminate based on who made what.

Full heartily agree with that statement.

elektro
I just could never get into that eastern stuff because, to my eyes, a lot of it that I have seen is very, very similar,

Eh? How are they more similar to each other then western stuff? Let's take a short tally of different shows with a brief synopsis.

Neon Genesis Evangelion:
An interesting take on the christian apocalypse. Creatures called angels appear on our world, causing what has been called the second impact (first, being the meteor that killed the dinosaurs), which devastates Earth. 14 years later the angels return signaling the coming of the third impact. In order to combat this threat, humanity has created mecha units that are capable of combating them.
Actually, they're not mechas but clones of the first angels designed to respond to pilots that can attune to them. Only children born after the second impact can attune to them though which is the reason behind the young age of the pilots.

Dragonball:
Group of adventurers led by an adventurous boy with superhuman strength chase after mythical dragonballs that are supposed to be able to grant wishes. As the show progresses it becomes more and more nonsensical since the creators are constantly upping the stakes against the protagonist.

Pokemon:
A world where people catch poketmonsters and duel with them. Nuff said since it's probably the most popular anime ever aired in the west.

Great Teacher Onizuka:
A low life decides he wants to be a teacher, once he hears that allot of middle aged teachers are getting allot of action from teen high school girls. Story is mostly about his crazy antics, teaching his students and the numerous attempts to have him fired.

The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya:
A high school student gets to know this wacky girl that wishes that the world could be more interesting. Well, turns out that she has the powers to reshape the universe around her, only that she doesn't know she has them. An alien, a timetraveler and an esper (person with psionic abilities) team up with the student with the goal of keeping this girl entertained so that she doesn't accidentally destroy the world while bored.

Full Metal Alchemist:
Two brothers that live in a world where Alchemy works, attempt to revive their deceased mother with catastrophic results. One brother lost an arm and a leg while the other lost his entire body (his soul now resides in a suit of armor). Now they aim to become the greatest alchemists so that they can return their bodies to normal.

I'm having a rather hard time spotting the similarities there.

elektro
plus the fact that, because of cultural differences, I cannot identify with much of the plot or characters featured in the average manga/anime.

I was the same. I was scratching my head in my confusion as I was trying to understand the logic in some of those shows. It comes with time and it has helped me understand the Japanese mentality a whole lot better.

The reason why Japanese animation also serves like a philosophy class sometimes is because Asian cultures (Chinese, Filipino, Korean, etc.) tend to have closer and deeper ties that bind one another.

Doesn't matter what the relationship.

Friend and family ties are much stronger. During graduation, it is common to see alot of crying even among men because they are sad that they won't be sharing the same classroom with the same people they've grown attached to for more than 10 years.

Parents generally don't pressure their children into leaving the house just because they're 19. Usually you can stay with your parents as long as you are not married! Divorce and broken families are generally frowned upon by the neighbors so its an embarrassment to be in a family that doesn't have a mom and a dad.

Even in relation to the state its the same. Politicians that the people like tend to be compared to a "mother" or a "father". Ever wonder why the North Korean propaganda posters show the Kims surrounded by smiling happy children?

Also, the relationship between the police and the people is better because there seems to be an emotional connection between the police and the people. That's why when I lived in Manila, Philippines I couldn't understand why Westerners hated their police so much. I heard the song "Fuk da police" and it put a big question mark in my head because as far as I'm concerned, why would you hate the police if all they do is just hang out and chill and do nothing (unless you commit any crime that hurts your neighbor)? Frankly, I think that police in the Philippines are ANGELS compared to police in America -- and that is taking into consideration that its well known that the Filipino police deal drugs and run prostitution rings. At least they don't bully you.

While in the West... for the most part, people don't even know their neighbor and have broken families.

That is why that reflects in the kind of comics / cartoons that they produce. I ALWAYS notice a higher level of emotion and/or intellect when it comes to Asian movies. It keeps you thinking. It gets you emotionally riled up. Or at least hypnotized by the fight scenes and all that.

That compensates for their lack of funds and lack of technology to produce the high tech hollywood effects.

I also think that the Asian cultures have a more advanced understanding of how the human mind works. Take note that the Chinese and North Koreans already had a good knowledge of mind-control long before the CIA's MK-ULTRA.

Well, thats my 2 cents on this topic. :)

I'm starting to dislike the word "anime". It's a very... confusing term as so many styles have anime slapped on them as well as the fact that anime shows aren't really anime unless they come from japan. Because we all know stuff like Avatar is ripping off their awesomeness *sarcasm*

As for the shows - most of them are samey, overrated crap! Now that I think about it I have watched very few anime that I've truly enjoyed (like Wolf's Rain and Spirited Away). Somehow the video games they make tend to be in much higher quality story wise. I'm probably more of an anime fan in the way that I like the way it looks and enjoy drawing it rather than anything else.

da_kasha
As for the shows - most of them are samey, overrated crap!

most people have confused "anime" for meaning "good". they have terrible shows as much as we do, but at first they were putting their best foot forward, so to speak. now we've entered the era where they've finally figured out how to use marketing to sell it so they're simply porting over the garbage with a boatload of merchandising- a good business strategy, as most of the product has been designed and produced already, so they just need to print out a couple slightly altered runs of it for more profit.

Actually, even early on there was garbage that got through that was pushed on the market with advertising. Anyone remember Genocyber, MD Geist, Dangaioh, Black Magic M-66, Lensman, Neo Tokyo, Lily C.A.T., Burn Up!, Devil Hunter Yohko, to name a few. On TV you had Speed Racer, 8th Man, Battle of the Planets, Voltron, and a number of older anime shows which may have seemed cool when you were a kid, but really can't be rewatched without killing any sense of nostalgia you may have had for them. Hell, many of them were just as bad if not worse in their original Japanese renditions. Gatchaman is still one of the most reprehensible shows I've ever seen (of course I still love watching it, but it's only because of how incredibly awful it was).

Things really haven't changed much in that respect. There was garbage back then, there is garbage now. There's always been garbage coming from both sides of the globe and for the most part in equivalent quantities and there has always been some legitimate gems, as well. The only difference these days is we're willing to pay more for them. Rather than buying up the bad with the good to fill out libraries on a limited budget, distributors today just buy up everything and let the consumer sort it out.

da_kasha
As for the shows - most of them are samey, overrated crap!

Again comes that claim.

I though my list of vastly different concepts was a pretty clear indication that this is not the case.

Yes. I agree that there's allot of shows that seem to involve kids in high schools.

Yes. Ever since Pokemon made it big, tons of shows have surfaced, featuring dueling of some sort (digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Beyblade).

You know what that is called? Ripping off a successful genre. Someone made a concept that sold out for lots and lots and others wanted a piece of the cash cow. This happens here in the west as well.

As for the hating the word anime, you can simply call it eastern animation instead.

Custard Trout

Mr Lostman
I like plots. What mature cartoon series aren't crude comedies? None, that's what.

You're not looking hard enough. And by that, I mean you aren't looking beyond the crap that they put on TV.

I looked on Kids WB or whatever. Kiddy shorts, superheroes, anime ripoffs, and the other half of it being anime. Same with CN's morning & Friday block. Adult Swim & SciFi have action shows, but's its all foreign devil stuff apparently. Nickelodeon has Spongebob and Penguins, and that's it really. Fox & Comedy Central have a few crude comedies, most of which go off the air. Some of those marvel and DC things coming out (way too much time in between releases) are entirely disposable. The pickings are rather slim here. Where is America's 'Paranoia Agent'?

If I can't catch mature series on TV (something beyond a generic 90 minute action movie plot with no depth), where am I going to catch them? Actually, I can't think of hardly any good cartoon movies either. They're all CGI animals and made of fail. I could get behind European stuff like Persepolis (I like artsy films), but they don't do that well in the US and generally stay over there.

isukun

Anime in Japan carries some of the same stigmas. A lot of people think that it is something you grow out of once you leave home and get a job. Of course that isn't always the case and there is, and has been ever since the Tetsuwan Atom, a large enough subculture of older fans to support an industry of creating comics and animation for adults.

This is actually starting to become the case here in the US, as well, and it is largely due to the popularity of anime and the big boom of Eastern and co-op projects in the 80's. There are independent companies and large companies alike who have been testing the waters with teen and adult-oriented animation, mostly in the direct-to-video market. Still, a number of those projects also make their way to TV.

What films/projects would be examples of this?

Mr Lostman

Custard Trout

Mr Lostman
I like plots. What mature cartoon series aren't crude comedies? None, that's what.

You're not looking hard enough. And by that, I mean you aren't looking beyond the crap that they put on TV.

I looked on Kids WB or whatever. Kiddy shorts, superheroes, anime ripoffs, and the other half of it being anime. Same with CN's morning & Friday block. Adult Swim & SciFi have action shows, but's its all foreign devil stuff apparently. Nickelodeon has Spongebob and Penguins, and that's it really. Fox & Comedy Central have a few crude comedies, most of which go off the air. Some of those marvel and DC things coming out (way too much time in between releases) are entirely disposable. The pickings are rather slim here. Where is America's 'Paranoia Agent'?

If I can't catch mature series on TV (something beyond a generic 90 minute action movie plot with no depth), where am I going to catch them? Actually, I can't think of hardly any good cartoon movies either. They're all CGI animals and made of fail. I could get behind European stuff like Persepolis (I like artsy films), but they don't do that well in the US and generally stay over there.

agree 100% I like like goodstorytelling and the mainstream CG films all focus on rather identical themes in order to appeal to the masses.


Since the war in iraq and now afghanistan once again have picked up steam, its time for the government to start funding war-propaganda films again.

Product Placement

da_kasha
As for the shows - most of them are samey, overrated crap!

Again comes that claim.
I though my list of vastly different concepts was a pretty clear indication that this is not the case.

a) I didn’t quite mean the series themselves were samey, I agree there are wide varieties of in anime, but more like the episodes IN the anime are samey. I’ll randomly take one of your examples, FMA. Watching it (dub version) I’ve notice a lot of it relies on Ed shouting the like of “You bastards! What are you doing to my brother?!” or “Give me back my brother!” and “He’s only a little kid!”. Too many times, it’s over used, it’s samey and a lot of other anime seem to like copy-pasting their episodes. Not too long ago I was watching Shonen Onmyoji and a lot of their episodes relied on “Nooooooo! MASAHIRO! It deyngerouse!”

b) And it’s not just them copy pasting their own episodes, there are way too many anime stereotypes. Sometimes it seems like a pick n’ mix; you get a variety of cliché anime characters, grab some cliché plot devices and some cliché gags and, hey presto! you have an anime.

And in case you think I can’t back up this claim here’s a few (since there’s too many to list):

*Characters:
> Squeaky cute girl.
> Serious long, black haired girl/boy (usually with a katana)
> Stupid/goofy/arrogant wannabe hero guy
> Mysterious bishi.

*Plots:
> There are a bunch of evil guys and you have to fight through them all to get to your goal (bleach, yu-gi-oh, Dragonball, D.Gray-man…)
> Harem … do I need to say more?

*Gags
> Guy accidentally bumps into/puts hand on girl’s boobs - so overused it hurts.
> Guy accidentally runs into girl naked/half-naked.
> Screaming “Yeeek! Hentaaaaaaaaai!”
> Failing at things everybody succeeds at.


I think I said it before, but maybe I didn’t make it clear enough, this seems to be mainly a problem with anime. Their manga and videogames somehow have more maturity to them.

Product Placement
As for the hating the word anime, you can simply call it eastern animation instead.

I didn’t say I hated the word anime, I said I didn’t like it. It’s incredibly vague and covers too much. Over there it’s just what they call cartoons but over here cartoons and anime are different things entirely. Where’s the barrier? Before it was easy since it was pretty much “that big-eyed stuff that comes out of japan” but now half the time the eyes aren’t big and awesome things like Avatar don’t come from japan.


Edit: I've just noticed that there's already a thread on anime clichés.

hmm. I've always consider the stuff pixar makes to be cartoons. To me Pixar films are the western hero, Miyazaki films the eastern one. They break off a bit from each of their catagories since I believe their story telling to be beyond the styles they kinda represent. They're just fantastic.


Animes to me follow these 3 plot lines. Much like cartoons (though cartoons often don't use the turnabout as much as a day to day senerio (ex: king of the hill))

-super fighting plot: there is always an enemy, you either train to fight or fight, there is an assumed end goal that you may never see(bleach, naruto, dragonball)
-crazy wacky: Anime has pently of random stuff, as much as western cartoons, I don't know why that guy would even think different(supermilkchan, FLCL, bobobo bobobobo(?))
-the turnabout: Applies to even deathnote. Story's hero and antihero(not always villian) are at odds- hero truimphs over antihero(sometimes antihero survive sometimes not) when suddenly true antihero/villian shows up somehow related to previous antihero or hero so not to confuse viewers as much. The 2 fight, the good guy (or lesser evil) wins- good guy not always hero. Life continues.


Paranioa Agent was a great anime- the turnabout was more interesting (man vs self), and the whole show functioned on random but connected characters phycological trama within there own lives, certain things easyly related to. I've not noticed western cartoons trying to make their aduidences use deep thinking or that many horror cartoons either. Western cartooning tends to be on the light side.

manga/comics are, a different matter, and I'm staying outa that one.

What films/projects would be examples of this?

As other people have mentioned, the Marvel and DC direct to video lines are one example. Not to mention your various direct-to-video movie-inspired animations like those based on the Matrix, Watchmen, Riddick, and so forth, most of which try to take a good deal of influence from anime if they don't directly involve prominent anime directors.

There have occasionally been animated films hitting theaters from Western studios as well which target adult audiences. Final Fantasy the Spirits Within was a hybrid project, made by a studio based in Hawaii and targeting a predominantly American audience (hence why it didn't appeal to many series fans). Movies like Beowolf and a Scanner Darkly certainly weren't aimed at kids, either. And as someone who works in animation, I've been personally involved with one adult feature in production and know of at least two others also still in production. All three are shooting for theatrical releases, although I'm a little doubtful about one of them.

You're actually both right.

I would argue that that's not the case. While later Transformers series were taken over by the Japanese, the original was written, directed, and produced by Americans. It was animated in Japan, but that doesn't make a series Japanese by nature. We don't consider shows like the Venture Brothers or the Simpsons to be Korean simply because they are animated overseas.

Also, Thundercats was animated by a studio that split off of the studio that became Studio Ghibli. Nobody who worked on Thundercats went on to work on Ghibli films.

my opinion is that College Kid needs to learn how to write.

There are quite a few reasons why Anime, or Japanese animation, is simply better then American Cartoons. A prime example would be their plots.

Animation is singular, therefore why is it "their plots"? GUHH. (and why is almost every noun capitalized?)

Anyway, on topic: anime TV series are often geared towards older audiences, allowing for deeper themes and the exploration of ethical or current issues. However, this also often results in the exploitation/objectification of either gender.
It seems to me that there are more anime series being produced than American series. We have a few stalwart brands, while many new animes come out every season.

I personally prefer anime, but I love me some Flapjack, and anything classic Disney (from Snow White to Mulan) is THEBEST in my opinion. It depends on the small team of writers and animators, not the country it's from.



As far as animation itself, Anime looks far more realistic.



??

Animation is singular, therefore why is it "their plots"?

Actually, it's only singular in the respect that it refers to one group. I would have worded it a bit differently, but it's not grammatically incorrect. I'm not going to read the article, since it sounds like your typical weeaboo inanity from what people have been saying here,but from the example posted, the only words that probably shouldn't be capitalized are "anime" and "cartoons".

Anyway, on topic: anime TV series are often geared towards older audiences, allowing for deeper themes and the exploration of ethical or current issues. However, this also often results in the exploitation/objectification of either gender.
It seems to me that there are more anime series being produced than American series. We have a few stalwart brands, while many new animes come out every season.

Americans get a false impression of what anime is and who it targets. Most just assume what hits the fansub boards and the shelves at Best Buy is representative of what the Japanese get all the time. Truth of the matter is, though, that a lot of anime does target children, but those series are often considered too tame or simplistic for the American market where anime has been stereotyped to be "adult". Rather than bring over the kid safe materials for TV in the US, many distributors look for what's popular among the fan communities, disregarding that most kids don't post in forums about their favorite shows. There is also some discrepency on what is considered adult in the two countries.

Adult shows in Japan, much like in the US, tend to get restricted to cable networks and are often censored for broadcast (and then uncensored once it hits DVD, just like shows here as of late, don't think the versions you get are necessarily representative of what's aired). Also, in respect to quantity, shows tend to have much shorter runs in Japan than here. An average season runs about 12 episodes these days and most anime series aren't intended to run indefinitely. Most are based on manga or popular light novels and have a planned ending from the start. This means that you're going to get more individual stories featuring original characters (although not always original plots). It makes it look like there is far more out there than there actually is.

Whereas in the US, we tend to prefer longevity and familiarity. Series last longer and audiences relate more with established casts of characters who return season after season. I don't think there is necessarily more animation coming out of Japan, just more series. We tend to get attached to ideas, while the Japanese tend to focus more on who provides them (following writers, directors, and studios more than the concepts, themselves). This is primarily in the adult programming, though. Kids shows tend to last longer in Japan, often going several seasons and having more episodic plots. It may make it seem like there are less of them, but it's really just that those shows run longer, so they don't need as many original concepts.

??

I would have to agree with the aticle on that one. Comparatively, American animation does tend to focus on a wider range of character concepts, many of which are not very true to life. How often do you see anime that doesn't focus on human or human-like characters, though? And how often are those characters as stylized as in many of the American shows? Apart from your occasional SD moment, as you've provided here, anime characters do tend to be more true to life in proportion. American animation has a tendency not to switch between their more expressive and more realistic formats when emphasizing emotion.

Kristen Gudsnuk
my opinion is that College Kid needs to learn how to write.

Agreed. I also would agree with daiconV that the idea that one is somehow against the other is pretty ridiculous. Although it's true that American animation does tend to fall back on cheap gags for easy laughs the same can be said for anime. Of course, anime uses another set of stock gags from another culture so not everyone catches them. What's really annoying is that this guy is writing a paper on anime vs. western animation and I didn't find one mention of Batman the Animated Series, Futurama or Satoshi Kon's films, he really went all fanboy over Deathnote.

Damn isukun, why do you always have to contradict everything that everyone says all the time?!?

If you're wrong, you're wrong and I'll correct you. Learn from it. It's not the first time I've pointed out this particular fact, anyway, and quite frankly it's not an issue of interpretation here. Wikipedia is frequently wrong about the obscure stuff, that's the problem with relying on a source of information that is largely based on hearsay and internet articles. Tokuma chose Topcraft to make Nausicaa since the staff were already familiar with Takahata and Miyazaki from the time they spent working there. When Nausicaa was complete, the movie did better than expected and Tokuma funded the creation of Studio Ghibli. The new studio brought over a large portion of the staff from Topcraft, which caused Topcraft to decline financially. PAC bought them out to take over the contracts with Rankin-Bass. All PAC got was licensing and a name. All the higher ups at the studio went their separate ways with the bulk of the animators sticking with Miyazaki and Takahata.

Thundercats was animated by a totally different team of animators. You can tell just by looking at it. It looks mothing like previous Rankin-Bass, Topcraft, or Ghibli works. Unfortunately, anime information on Wikipedia tends to be created by anime fans and they don't always know what they're talking about. They love to make connections where there aren't necessarily any connections to make, especially where Miyazaki is concerned.

Your avatar fits your attitude quite well.

If I didn't think it fit, I wouldn't have drawn it that way. I tend to be argumentative online, it's where I vent. Besides, I kind of figure the whole point of the debate forum is to contradict people, is it not?

I do. (shrug) I must not be part of your "We" collective.

Well, then, I'd just have to say you know very little about the animation process and you like to spit on the actual creators of a series. Sure I take some pride in my work, but the last series I worked on I certainly didn't consider "my series" just because I animated parts of it, neither did any other animator who worked on it. The animation team has very little creative control. They are there as labor, not as artists. At least as far as TV is concerned, features are a little different.