Forum - View topicIs anime considered mainstream?
|
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Next |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jose Cruz
 Posts: 1773 Location: South America |
|
|||
|
I don't think we would get that much homogenizing. In videogames we have games that are very Japanese like Clannad and Fate Stay Night and Japanese games made for the global market like Metal Gear*. I would suspect a similar thing would happen if anime became mainstream in the Western hemisphere: some very Japanese stuff and some more globalized stuff mixed in, while we would have some very Westernized animated stuff made back here as well.
Hollywood is doing badly, they are being crushed by TV, internet and videogames. Movie ticket sales in the US have been declining since the 1950s and today are 25% of their peak levels. Today Hollywood essentially survives on massive special effect blockbusters because that is the only think TV shows cannot do. In terms of auteur movies they are dead meat: in the 70's they got guys like Kubrick and Scorsese, now, its just superhero special effects movies without any substance. *Still metal gear has mechas and this idol poster: http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/metalgear/images/f/f5/Paz_Vert.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150913134210 |
||||
|
||||
TarsTarkas
 Posts: 5829 Location: Virginia, United States |
|
|||
Sort of, I still think we have plenty of anime fans, that want to change anime to be more western. |
||||
|
||||
Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 9841 Location: Virginia |
|
|||
|
Jose Cruz wrote:
Oh, that is what you are talking about. People have been predicting the demise of the movie industry since TV became mainstream. Given that the process has been going on for 60+ years already, I think "further eroded" would be more accurate than "crushed". In any case this is a problem for the theatrical industry worldwide not just in the US. The majority of anime is TV based rather than movie. Even if anime did become mainstream it would likely feed the demand for cable and streaming content that already exists. Fate/Stay Night and Clannad are visual novels not games as such. A visual novel is a weird cross between novels, games and in some cases anime that has no comparable produce outside Japan. I doubt they will ever be anything but niche. TarsTarkas Wrote:
I agree, though it makes no sense to me. I got into anime specifically because it was Japanese in appearance and culture. I see no sense in changing it. Western studios do western entertainment very well. I doubt Japanese studios would do as well. |
||||
|
||||
|
TarsTarkas
Posts: 5829 Location: Virginia, United States |
|
|||
I think it has more to do with the fact the western animation caters more to the kids than to teenagers and young adults. The United States has been dumbing down animation for kids for years now. Sure they are exceptions. So they want the more mature animation, but they don't want all the cultural baggage and the non-PC stuff that comes with it. So in essence, if Western animation catered to their needs they wouldn't be watching Japanese animation for the most part. Those of us into anime for it being different than the West, our needs are met, but for the others it is a mixed bag. |
||||
|
||||
Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23771 |
|
|||
|
I'm not interested in seeing Westernized anime, but I would love to see way more non-family, non-kid Western animation that didn't deal with super-heroes. That would be cool.
|
||||
|
||||
|
Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9841 Location: Virginia |
|
|||
|
I think that (non pornagraphic) animation made for a mature audience based on western concepts and preferences would be a great idea. I used to think that The Lord of The Rings would have made a great series of animated movies. The first time I read of the Black Riders in that book I was reminded of animation which I eventually realized was Night on Bald Mountain from Fantasia.
I see no reason why it would be necessary to corrupt anime to fit the bill. To begin with most anime creators would not know what was necessary to appeal to western audiences unless they were under complete artistic control of a western studio. Western animation studios already know how to appeal to western preferences and undoubtedly have the writers and animators who could do the job. The problem is not the studios and associated creators it is the audience. Most people in the US clearly feel that animation is only for children which has two effects. First most adults will simply not go to see an animated show when they are not accompanied by children and second people get really upset when they hear of non child friendly animated features. They assume you are trying to corrupt children instead of trying to appeal to an adult audience. I've always assumed that is the attitude they would take if they became aware of anime. |
||||
|
||||
|
Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23771 |
|
|||
|
Europe is actually a pretty good source of non-child, non-family animation. The Red Turtle, although it had some input from Studio Ghibli associated people, is not an anime film and it's pretty awesome.
|
||||
|
||||
|
Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9841 Location: Virginia |
|
|||
|
@Blood-
Yes, and similar European animation had been available for a long time. This supports the idea that it is the audience in the US and the distributor's perception of the audience that is the problem. Japanese animation intended for a western audience would likely do no better. I'm sure that there are animators and people who write for animation in this country who would love to make animated features for adult audiences. They just can't get anyone to fund or distribute it. |
||||
|
||||
Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
|
|||
On such a note, have you much to say in favour of the 1978 Lord of the Rings animated film? I hear that its cultural legacy is mixed. |
||||
|
||||
|
Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9841 Location: Virginia |
|
|||
|
It was OK as a stand alone project. As an animation of The Lord of the Rings it was inadequate. It only told part of the story, the animation was less than stellar and the character designs were so-so. The climax of the fight at Helm's Deep involved poorly disguised live action. It was directed by Ralph Bakshi better know for the x rated Fritz the Cat.
If it had been a similar original story, I would have liked it. I think Tolkien deserved better. |
||||
|
||||
|
Jose Cruz
Posts: 1773 Location: South America |
|
|||
Well, I watched Wrinkles recently. It's a Spanish film about aging. Pretty good. Still Europe's adult animation output is pretty tiny and it lacks it's own sense of cultural awareness. The US also has some adult comedic animation like South Park and Futurama. In Brazil we have produced a couple of adult animated films like this: 
However, the main difference between Japan and the rest in its approach to comics and animation is that in Japan comics and animation have become a world into itself so that it exists as a medium containing all possible genres of fiction consumed by that culture. As a result the level of development of it (in all senses: art, animation, writing, inward cultural references like Oreimo) reached heights of complexity and sophistication that are at a level far beyond the rest of the world. I don't care about Japanese culture more than I do for Brazilian, American or other cultures nor do I actually care if it's "adult" or not. I like great stuff, however, and greatness is stuff like Hunter X Hunter (2012) which is, by the way, adapted from a "children's manga". Never experienced a comparable narrative in the comics and animation produced by any other country. That's because this type of long story comic is only well developed in Japan. In other countries, comics and animation lacks substantial literary qualities. |
||||
|
||||
|
AsuraTheDestructor
Posts: 466 |
|
|||
|
I don't think Anime is mainstream in the Tv market.
Internet wise, however, is a much bigger deal. Many big personalities on the internet have a love for it, and Visual Novels are practically booming on steam right now. It might not be much now, but there will be a major effect on the populairty of anime down the road, in a good way. |
||||
|
||||
|
CCTakato
Posts: 514 |
|
|||
|
Anime might not be as mainstream as Batman or Superman, but I think it''s certainly more mainstream than a lot of Western Indie comics. How many young people do you think are more likely to be aware of Attack on Titan and Sword Art Online than most of the latest Western Indie comics? Just because the press might not cover anime extensively doesn't mean that most young people aren't at least aware of anime as a phenomenon. At least it's been in my personal experience the same type of people who read mainstream fantasy and science fiction novels and movies are also the same people who might read One Piece or at least are aware of the big name movies like Ghost in the Shell and Akira.
On the subject of should anime be Westernized to appeal to mainstream audiences, as long as it's not done in a pandering way, I don't see the problem of making anime a more widespread universal appeal. You look at all the most popular anime in the U.S. and they are shows that are made with a more Western appeal like FMA, Bebop, Escaflowne, Code Geass etc. But I don't see why we can't have both Western appealing shows and more Japanese cultural themed shows at th same time. It's perfectly possible for shows like Knights of Sidonia to co-exist with shows like Showa Rakugo. The problem is not if it's Western themed or not but if it's being made to pander to fans like Dimension W and Under the Dog were. But it's just as possible to make a show heavy on Japanese cultural themes that panders to hardcore otaku as much as it is to make a show that's pandering to mainstream Western audiences and it could have just as many issues as the latter. |
||||
|
||||
|
TarsTarkas
Posts: 5829 Location: Virginia, United States |
|
|||
I have no problem with some anime made with the West in mind. But the whole reason I got into anime because it was everything the West wasn't. So this clarion call for anime to be PC'd or westernized, doesn't ring any bells for me. |
||||
|
||||
|
CCTakato
Posts: 514 |
|
|||
|
I got into anime because I like good stories and unique characters and I don't really care if it's Western-targeted or Japanese exclusive. I find Japanese culture as fascinating as much the next anime fan, but I don't understand this fetishazation of Japanese culture from some Western otaku, as though Japanese culture is so sacred and holy that they can never accept anything else. And apparently expecting higher standards from anime is now considered "PCed" or something.
|
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group