Why Does People Love Manga/anime So Much

[Kaede-chan]

Wow, some of these posts have taken a nasty turn... I like anime (manga more so) because of the deeper plotlines often balanced out with wacky humor, the beautiful art, and... well... yeah! And what's so bad about Japan? There's a very low crime rate. Not everyone who watches anime in Japan is an otaku. Look at all the little kids who watch Pokemon! "Otaku" really translates as "nerd" or "geek," and means "someone obsessed with something," not "anime." It is true that to publically declare oneself an "otaku" in Japan is not the best idea, but just watching the latest episode of Fruits Basket does not make you reviled.

Also, America's got some bad problems, too. Our crime rate is shocking, the gas prices are worse here than in Japan, last I heard, and, well, when dealing with a diffrent culture, you've gotta take the good with the bad.

Ah, and animes, 'specially ones for kids, are [i]saturated[/i] with morals! Ever watched Pokemon? Lots of "Save the environment!" and "Respect friends!" and "Never give up!" in there.
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[kyonkichi]

[quote="LunaticCrow"]
If you watch anime in Japan, you're an Otaku, which is not a good thing despite what Americans on the internet tell you.
[/quote]

This is incorrect. Watching anime in japan definetly does NOT make you an otaku. Otaku is a very extreem word and is used too lightly in america. Otaku convays someone who is deep in anime and manga and japanese culture, famous for having no life but their beloved anime characters and bishies and owning every piece of fan crap on the market.
am I a nerd or does anyone else remember the PPG episode making fun of otakus? yes, there was one XD
In the usa fangirls will claim they are otakus with pride. usually they're not otakus, only fans of anime, and besides, if you were an otaku you wouldnt be bragging about it...




back to on topicness:

I love anime because of the plot and art. I love things with rich plots, especially character development. I eat up character development. I like getting to know characters and feeling involved with the story. I also love the art. Anime has great use of colours and styles to convey emotion and anime surpasses american cartoons (imo) because it's not only tv but also art
I love MANGA for the same reasons as anime, plus it inspires me to draw ^^ I love that. also reading a manga is different from reading a normal book, you get into it more. me and some friends were talking about how fun it is to watch people read manga, cause they always react very openly (facial expressions, talking etc. it's quite entertaining)

-end longass post-

[LunaticCrow]

[quote="kyonkichi"]This is incorrect.[/quote]

no u. While you may not say you're an otaku, if people knew you watched anime they would automatically brand you an otaku. Not that I'm saying getting the "Otaku" leads to Hikikomori (Densha Otoko, anyone?) lolicon unhealthy ect, But the other, nuetral party would think otherwise.
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[Squidman]

Anime/manga is superior to everything produced in America for the following reasons:


Anime has deeper storylines- Because thirteen episodes of Angel Links are WAY more involved than sixty years of Batman history!

They use colour better- OMG! Black and white manga art is WAY more colourful than full-colour western comics!

Manga fans care more about their fandoms - Trust me, American comic book fans? They're [i]totally[/i] indifferent to their fandoms. I've never heard of an American comic book/cartoon fan who ever really got emotional about the comics he follows. Same with Trekkies and Star Wars fans. They really couldn't care less.

Anime is more artistic - Seriously, Beauty and the Beast? Gargoyles? Aladdin? Beyblade and Yu-Gi-Oh make those things look like toddler doodles.

Manga looks better than Western Comics - Manga artists clearly display a far superior understanding of structure and anatomy to all Western artists. Their unsurpassed knowledge of facial structure leads them to create far more emotional expressions and the overall dynamic of the art makes the characters seem alive.

[img]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/Squids/mangavswestern.jpg[/img]
omg y do Japanese ppl draw so much better than American ppl?
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[sailorharmony2000]

[b]Character appearance[/b]: The style is unique. No matter how much was influenced from Western culture, there's still a distinct appearance/features.

-I like the eyes. Yes, there are many other character's with large eyes, but I like some of the things that happen with anime/manga eyes. For example, how the eyes look when a character is upset, in a trance, or even hopeful. The eyes also change when someone's surprised. So much goes on with the eyes in anime, where as in most Western cartoons, the [i]eyebrows[/i] are what determine the character's mood the most (aside from the mouth).

-I love the hair. Who'd have thought that one could do so much with the color and style of the hair. Disney does tend to have long, thick heads of hair on their [b]females[/b], but it's interesting to see males with long, beautiful hair. At one time, long hair on males was a thing of the past and even then, it was mostly wigs. I've always been a sucker for long hair, even on myself. Disney also doesn't seem to venture away from normal colored hair. I like seeing purple, pink, green, blue, etc. hair and it still compliment the character, unlike how strange colored hair on real people does the opposite (IMO).

[b]Clothes[/b]: In anime, there's no boundaries to the clothing styles you can create; another reason I love drawing it so much. For the longest time, superhero's outfits were somewhat limited to the 'Justice League' look: tights, capes, logos, etc. Who would have thought to take a sailor-type school uniform and heels and have the heroine kick butt in them?! I admit, some outfits are really skimpy, but others I almost wish they sold in stores (those appropriate for the real world). Even the outfits that the males wear; many I couldn't see real guys wearing due to an ego thing. I think many guys would be afraid to wear a leather, cropped jacket with fur around the top and tight pants. Either that or they wouldn't look as good in them.

[b]Settings/Creatures[/b]: Takes so much imagination in this section. Creatures and a place for them to live. It's not just planets of characters who all look human but are supposed to be alien, nor is it a planet with little green men. Anything from half animal/half human looking creatures to creatures made from rock...it's all open for the imagination.

[b]Humor[/b] is a big thing for me. I love how in both anime and manga, there are little things that get one's attention and make you laugh. It's not always a serious situation and even when the situation becomes serious, sometimes a joke or two slide in and make you smile. Some jokes might be perverted, some clean, but in the end, they're all funny as hell.

These are my main reasons; BTW, I'm not hating on Disney and other Western cartoons. I love them as well, but I was just making a point.
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[Squidman]

Disney cartoons do not make charcaters with long hair because hair is terribly difficult to animate fluidly. Even in beautifully made cartoons like Gargoyles where all the characters have long hair, in most cases it's pulled back so that it is easier to animate. the animation in most anime, fankly, is shit. The designs may be pretty, but the technical animation is akin to what Dic was cranking out in the 1980's. You'll notice in Japanese movies that don't skimp on the animation like Studio Ghibli ones the character's hair is a lot simpler than it is in say.... Slayers or DBZ. If you want long, flowy, well-animated hair, you've gotta have feature-quality animators.

Abd Disney men don't have long hair? What about John Smith? Pheobus? Tarzan? They don't have the mad crazy hair that anime artists traditionally used so that you could tell their characters apart, but they don't need it because Disney characters actually look different.



Clothing I completely disagree with you on, because you don't realize that Superhero comics =/= Western comics. Same with creatures. go read Skydoll and come back and tell me Asians are the only ones who know how to draw crazy outfits and animals.

Same with humour, it all depends on the writers. Bone? Funny as Hell. Makes me laugh way more than 90% of anime.

And anime eyes... don't even get me started on those. I think just the fact that Yu-Gi-Oh is a cartoon about a kid who has to use superpowers to frown is a testament to anime eyes.



I'm not saying "ALL JAPAN COMIC EQUAL LAME! ALL AMERICAN COMIC EQUAL WIN!" because I think 90% of American comics are pretty boring too, but at least they're boring in different styles. And I'm not saying that people who enjoy really poorly crafted Japanese cartoons/comics are bad people because I love crappy horror movies like nobody's business, I just acknowledge their faults. Nor am I saying that all anime/manga are poorly crafted, because there are some really nice ones out there that I enjoy a lot. It's when people disregard all of the achievements of Western animation and comic making to rant on about how "expressive" big jewelly unfocused eyes are or how "well animated" these cut-away cartoons with excessive pans, stills, and looped animation are that I get annoyed.
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[sailorharmony2000]

Squidman~Uh, I think you're barking up the wrong tree. Those things that I listed are things that [b]I[/b] like or find more interesting. I wasn't saying that everyone or most look for these things, nor was I looking for someone to agree or disagree. I just called out things I like; I never said they were [i]fact[/i] for others. We have our opinion about some things. Just because you think that the animation in anime is sh** doesn't mean that's fact; that's what you believe. It doesn't matter to me.

First off, when I say 'long hair' I mean past a guy's butt. Shoulder length isn't all that unusual, hell, even in real life. I've seen Tarzan, John Smith, John Rolfe, and whomever else. Not to mention for the time periods of Pocahontas and Beauty and the Beast, long hair was probably a style, so it makes sense. Tarzan is out in the jungle with no knowledge for scissors or a razor, so it makes sense for his hair to be long as well. For guys to have unusually long hair is something that I said that I like to see, regardless to how often it's used or how hard is it to animate. I kind of figured it's not easy to make move. All the more reason that I like it; it's a challenge.

Second off, as far as Superheros, I'm referring to the stereotypical ones, like those seen in the Justice League (like I mentioned); I don't mean others from various countries. Most of the ones that children in the US are exposed to are Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, etc. [b]Those[/b] are the ones that most here are familiar with, not international ones. I [b]never[/b] said [b]anything[/b] about Asians being the only ones who know how to draw wild clothing, nor did I imply that. I simply said that's one of the things I like in anime. You're putting words into my mouth. Most other cartoons that I see do not make me laugh like anime. If I laugh at anime, that's [i]me[/i]; if someone laughs at Futurama, that [i]them[/i].

I know people out there don't care for anime eyes, but I don't care; again, this is something that [i]I[/i] like.

This was my opinions were in no way a rant or disregard for anything. These are just things that either I saw in anime [b]first[/b] or I like in anime better. I think you might need to reread my last post and see how I wasn't putting down anything or saying 'this is better than that'. Just because I mention something in one place and like it doesn't mean that that's the [i]only[/i] place it exists or is even good.
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[Kitzy]

Well actually

You weren't just stating opinion, because you were comparing style points between anime/manga and Western comics/shows.

Unfortunately when I look at characters from different animes, I see mostly the same thing over and over again.

You've got girly girls who are always being saved by some bishonen - the girls are always wearing a skirt or dress of some sort.

You've got some woman with a large, blunt object or gun that uses it and yells "Hentai!".

You've got the gay man.

You've got the foreigner who is unaware of culture.

You've got the crazy kung-fu/kendo fighter.

You've either got a hideously ugly villain or a gorgeous one who you knew was a villain from the get-go because they were so 'cold' and 'distant', but they're really just some tortured soul.

You've got a robot/cyborg/etc woman who is beautiful and detached.

I've found a lot more character and character flaws in the Western/foreign comics...and I find the Western style has a lot more emphasis on movement and flow of facial and body features.

I'll do a little comparison.

When a Disney character points their finger in anger - there's a smooth motion and a bounce at the full extend, as well as a clear view that their hand is in proportion and attached to their arm.

When an anime character points their finger in anger - the arm snaps to full extent in a blur, and freezes at the end of the extend...or the whole panel shakes to give it more 'effect'. Their hand is often a whole lot bigger than their arm for emphasis.

I'm just more impressed when a person can actually make things feel realistic, even in a cartoon...it's more appealing when you can actually relate.

Not to mention the fact that the characters in more of the Western-type stories are a lot rounder (I'm talking from a story-writing perspective). They don't have flat personalities (e.g. the 'pervert' with the heart of gold). They're typically built on real personality instead of desired ones. You'll see it a lot in Disney movies, though I do hand it to Hayao Miyazaki - he builds his character personalities on real people he knows . And I love him for his smooth animation and use of style and characters.
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[sailorharmony2000]

There was a comparison between a few things, but it's when someone makes it look like I'm putting one thing up on a high horse and pushing the other in the mud. I'm not. If someone made a 'why do people love Disney so much' thread, I'd be in that one as well, posting the things that I love. I do [i]not[/i] hate on Disney, nor am I putting them down. The thread was about why people love anime, so I called out things that I like in anime that I either don't see much of in Disney or it's in Disney movies, but I don't like it as much.

What people call 'same old, same old', I like for that reason; it's easy to get into with getting too deep. There are some people who like the same old style (both on tv and in real life) and don't have a problem with it. Everyone isn't about "I want to see something different" all of the time.

I realize anime has flaws, but Disney and many others do as well; not to mention things that repeat.

-Good guy saves pretty girl; marry and live happily ever after
-Bad guy dies or severely punished 70% of the time
-Sidekicks
-Sometimes, a hidden moral lesson is included or can be concluded

These aren't bad things, but it isn't just anime that has a certain amount of repetition.

I've noted many things in Disney animation. I've only loved it since [i]way[/i] before anime became popular; I've loved other western cartoons even before Disney.

I'm one that loves Disney, Warner Brothers (Looney Toons, Animaniacs, etc.), Hannah Barbara, a few comic-based cartoons (Spiderman, X-Men), and many more. It's not always about anime, but I don't see anything wrong with liking certain things in anime more than in those other cartoons. There are things in those other cartoons that I might like more than in anime. It goes either way; just depends on what. I think people are misunderstanding what I said. I could see if I called one 'heaven' and the other 'hell', but I didn't.

I'm sorry if I worded anything in an incorrect manner, as I'm not trying to start anything. But I thank you for not biting my head off in a reply.
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[Kitzy]

Oh, alright
The way things were worded seemed like you were saying that anime artists do a better job of portraying everything
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[infurno]

I mostly like the art style.

though some animes are just plain awsome.
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[sailorharmony2000]

[quote="Kitzy"]Oh, alright
The way things were worded seemed like you were saying that anime artists do a better job of portraying everything [/quote]

Oh, goodness, no. There are actually a few anime that I really don't like (a little [i]too[/i] wacky or the characters are a little [i]too[/i] strange for me) or just can't get into. The same way that there are other forms of animation, where there's a specific show that I don't like, but don't mind the overall animation in general for the majority of the shows that fit that category.

The range of animation (companies) that I like is rather large, sort of like what I draw and the materials that I use. Can't just pick one...
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[Squidman]

Not to keep picking at you but...


[quote]-Good guy saves pretty girl; marry and live happily ever after
-Bad guy dies or severely punished 70% of the time
-Sidekicks
-Sometimes, a hidden moral lesson is included or can be concluded [/quote]
That doesn't just apply to Disney... In fact, I think you'll see a lot of it in anime too....
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[sailorharmony2000]

Squidman~Oh, I don't doubt it...it's in many types of cartoons. One of the reasons why it's so easy for me to like them. There's not much that I have to adjust to. I just mentioned those for Disney because I've heard many others say that they keep seeing the same thing in anime, as if anime is the only type of animation that can repeat certain themes. Even He Man had certain themes that repeated itself (strong, good guy defeats bad guy, who keeps coming back and causing more problems); but it was still a good show. ^^
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[Squidman]

Archetypes are something as old as storytelling itself. It's like they say, nothing can be created in a vaccuum.


My qualms with anime/manga are more with the style of the art itself, though, but I must admit it seems to be a little harder for characters to deviate from their token roles in popular anime.

Like take Sailor Moon as your whiny, volitile female lead. Give her a kid and black hair and she's Kagome, make her a housewife and she's Chichi. Dye her hair orange and chop off her boobs and she's Lina Inverse. Stick her in denim hotpants and she's Misty.

At least Pocahontas =/= Belle =/= Ariel =/= Meg. The were all the "Damsel in distress" princessy types, but character-wise they were very different. Pocahontas was strong and dignified, and did not get her prince charming in the end like most Disney heroines do; Belle was young and romantic, but she was humble and endlessly loyal to her father; Ariel was fiesty and spritely and at least a little bit spoiled, polar opposite to Belle in regards to respect for her father; Meg was jaded and cynical, and worked for the bad guy for the better part of the movie. There are paralells in the characters, but they go beyond their defined archtype into more interensting personalities.

In the big budget animated features they go so far as to write a background story for evey miscellanious background charcter. In one of our lectures, the instructors talked about how every gorilla in the movie had a bio written for them regardless of how much screen time they had or whether or not they got lines. That way when they drew them, even if they were the most insignificant part of the movie, they still had their own distinct appearances and personalities.
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[sailorharmony2000]

Yeah, now with the character personalities (and apperances), you do have a point there. I actually have a magazine that has a character in it that I thought was another character (they looked so much alike). I think they were done by two different artists...

http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/sp/200406-02/wall/image/800_miharu.jpg
http://www.maburaho.com/anime/images/chara_img_yuna.jpg
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[LOL]

I Love anime 'cause of it's beautiful charecters.
I STILL CAN'T BELIVE HOW GOOD THOSE GUYS CAN DRAW!

[LunaticCrow]

I don't really care too much about your "EAST VS WEST RAPPER ANIMU CARTOON" argument, but you speak as if all of these things are created equal.

[img]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/lunaticcrow/comparisonanime.png[/img]

I see absolutely no difference in the animation quality, and the quality of the storytelling is exactly the same! 8B

[img]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/lunaticcrow/comparisoncartoon.png[/img]

Same for this!! 8BB DANNY PHANTOM HAS THE EXACT SAME QUALITY IN ANIMATION AND WRITING AS THE ANIMANIACS. I GUARANTEE IT!

But seriously? What you guys are doing is comparing 26 episode TV series with autistic animators who don't know what consistency is to a full length hour and a half movie produced by Disney.

[img]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c296/lunaticcrow/comparisonmovie.png[/img]
Two of my favorite movies from both "Categories"- The Lion King (1994) and Kiki's Delivery Service (1989). It's a much fairer comparison animation wise, no?
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[Squidman]

[quote]you speak as if all of these things are created equal. [/quote]

[quote]I'm not saying "ALL JAPAN COMIC EQUAL LAME! ALL AMERICAN COMIC EQUAL WIN!"[/quote]




I used to try to do this argument the way it deserved to be done by comparing shows to fair counterparts, Like Disney/Ghibli or Sailor Moon/Tiny Toons, whatever. Fair things that pitted budgets or intended audience, but everyone just wanted to scream about stuff like Animatrix VS Danny Phantom so eventually I just decided "okay, whatever. Have a generic anime category VS a generic Western category"
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[Fayore]

While I'm still vaguely confused as to why people choose one over the other (it makes no sense; they're so radically different you can't really compare them on equal terms)... Uhm...

lol ya incoherency warning

Suffice to say that it's not so much "I like anime" as "I don't dislike it." I couldn't care less about what it is so much as what it portrays. Give me good characterization and a good storyline, and I'm there.