Originally Posted By Aerith.(I’m french ==> poor english)
I don’t think that because some fuckin’ non-japanese said they make Anime or Manga, their productions really belong to these only-japanese categories.

In France, there are some “BD” artists (they draw comic books) who proclame themselves mangaka, but WE (”anime elitists” like the other said ^^) don’t care !! It’s just some crap which use the phenomenon (I don’t think this is an english word =__=) and make money. I understand these artists have a certain taste for this “drawing-style” / “typical �bug eyes, no nose� aesthetic” but even if their style is heavliy influenced by JAPANESE artists, at least for me, I consider that like a low-quality comic book.
Same thoughts about anime …

Sorry again for my baaaaad english.

Your english is fine, mate.
Best damned english text written by a Frenchman, I may add.

“Aerith. says:
I understand these artists have a certain taste for this “drawing-style” / “typical “bug eyes, no nose” aesthetic” but even if their style is heavliy influenced by JAPANESE artists, at least for me, I consider that like a low-quality comic book.
Same thoughts about anime …”

Soooooo, let me get this straight….
If I am not Japanese and
the art I do is concidered low quality
because I chose to be influenced by Japanese artist?
I happen to be in the United States…so does that mean I
am only allow to be inflenced by other artist from the United States?
See if this is the case, then they need to change art history classes
to only include the country that you are a citizen of.
Then I guess there would be no more art classes in the USA….
concidering many of the old great masters are not from here..
Does this include looking at art from countries, because I
may just be influenced.
I suppose, purist such as yourself, will only be happy when wallls
seperate all countries and we burn all the books.

Forgive me but I don’t want to live in your world, a world devoid of art,
where only blank walls stare back.
So, either all can play with style or nothing.
Which would you like?

To me an animation is animation, why does where it’s from matter?
if you like it, watch it, if you don’t, don’t watch it.
Really it is not hard. I do it all the time….
But I have a question of the purist:
Why are you rude about it?
When I go into a bookstore,
why not just ignore the manga form books not from Japan?
Rather than getting all snippy about it and complainning…
and if you see someone drawing in a Japan influenced style…
instead of bothering them and telling them they have no right to draw that way…
why not walk away? last I heard most artist do not force people to look at their work.

Anime is the Japanese word for animation…that’s what I figure.

sorry for the rambling that was not what you were looking for.

I think the feeling of anime is the style of story telling and how characters are portrayed. In most anime I’ve seen, with the aid of cliche and various other techniques, the directors intend audiences to empathise with the characters, and immerse themselves in the storyline quickly. I suppose that part of the reason why cosplay came to being.

Fantasy for example, instead of the Western Tolkienian epics, Japanese (anime) fantasies often portrayed characters with techniques such as comedy, cliche (e.g. mask, blond = aristocrat) that represents their personalities, etc.

Most imitation anime feels fake because it imitated the visual style, the theme, but not the storytelling ability. Anime has a distinctive story telling style… who else in the world would have such fascination in the characters development in highschools?

But I think the rest of the world is slowing learning that as well. Not just the visual art, but the story-telling is slowly seeping into other media. Firefly, for example, when I first saw it, it had a very “anime” feel to it, some might even say Whedon stole it from Cowboy Bebop among other animes.

Since I hold a profound hatred to the usual bug-eye cliche, and enjoyed a more western inspired style (Blades of the Immortal, Claymore, FMA, Blame! series, Planetes etc. they usually look less exaggerated in manga form as well)… I’m actually looking forward the western adaptation of anime story telling instead of the superficialness that’s rampant at the moment.

ohhh bug eyes, unrealistic giant puzzle sword, crazy blue hair, 50000000 psi unit, and must go save the princess from the evil Mokukuku emperor… sigh.

***

This is a quote copied from wabi-sabi’s blog (which is linked above: comment 29), but is also a reply to Pizzaguy’s comment and whomever else it may concern!

“Why should we be tied to saying, “That’s anime” and “That’s not anime” when it would make everyone’s lives easier to narrow things down a bit and say, “That’s a kid’s show” and “That’s slice of life.”"

We need to define something as anime because, for whatever reason, we’re fans and have come to appreciate anime for an apparently intangible Japanese quality. There’s a reason why I enjoy watching something like “sayonara zetsubou sensei” compared to “south park”. Both could be classed as “comedy”, but I would much rather watch “sayonara zetsubou sensei” because I’m an anime fan. Therefore, I need to define my fandom.

Anime, as I see it, defines cartoons by Japanese people. Quite clearly, in general terms, it’s a flawed definition. Looking at Hidoshi’s arguments, he is claiming something like “Avatar” and “Teen Titans” is anime, which frankly, I think is bull shit. I don’t prescribe to the idea that anime can be defined by it’s aesthetic design; if people do consider the above series anime, then, as was my original argument, “anime is dead”.

Simply classing it as “animation” seems far simpler, less concieted and dissapate the slightly xenophobic connotation that the term ‘anime/japanimation’ holds.

Fact is even 10+ years ago programs like ‘The Moomins’ and ‘Transformers’ were never comfortably placed under the term “anime”.

Anime hasn’t died, it never really existed in the first place

How about going in a different direction? Anime is animation that was primarily produced for Japanese audiences, meaning it employed the Japanese language as the main method of communicating with its audience.

Or maybe I just cracked my head open and blurted out an idiotic thought. xD

Some genres have become giants in their own right….

forgot to mention Nodame Cantabile included in the likes of Genshiken and Welcome to the NHK.

Amazing how year 2006 and year 2007 have changed the world of anime by storm.