Forum - View topicHow do you feel about American anime?
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SecretAgent94
 Posts: 204 |
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Okay, I guess that was a bit exaggerating, What I mean is what's your opinion of Western cartoons and animation being influenced by anime? I am talking about shows like Teen Titans, Avatar the Last Airbender, etc....
Oh alright, my bad Key, sorry! I think it's a good thing that Western cartoons are emulating some parts of anime. I think it will help original anime become more accepted/ mainstream; some people feel it's an insult to anime, but I think that's being too critical. Last edited by SecretAgent94 on Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 19162 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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It is customary, when asking for opinions, to express one's own opinion on the issue. The OP must be revised to include this or the thread will have to be locked for not meeting forum standards.
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spazirae
Posts: 1 |
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I honestly don't really enjoy American anime. I use to think I hated what I thought was anime based on what I have watched on t.v. here in America. Now that I have had the chance to see Japanese anime I truly and absolutely enjoy it very much. I appreciate it a lot more than I do American anime.
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EireformContinent
 Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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Meanwhile for the rest the origin of the show is the last thing they check before watching. Honestly for me interesting shows can be made even on a moon. I've never thought about animation dividing it for "western and "eastern"- it would be a bit strange while my favourite childhood cartoons were co-operation projects. Early animes were influenced by Disney, but nobody call this "insult". Is it good that USA animation takes something from anime? Yes, because mix of cultures can produce really interesting things, especially if it takes the best from everything. It can revive old ideas, give something new and fresh. |
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OtakuExile
 Posts: 202 Location: Neo Vegas |
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"Anime" is the term we use for Japanese cartoons. When you say American anime, that's would be a bastard child that calls nowhere home.
Or Maybe spike T.V.  The few that have been made here were successful. Afro Samurai, Halo and Batman. They have all been mediocre. They were for Americans though, and American audiences don't cherish much. And when we do, it's not for very long.
I'm talking mainstream, not what we're into. Our niche crowd loves the shit out of it. I personally enjoy it. It's a great opportunity to get anime back in the limelight. But it's difficult when America regards cartoons as nothing more than children's entertainment. When you talk about Cartoon Network and their temporary use of anime, it was used to get fans in the door. They got you in the door and then replaced everything with in-house cartoons. If you think that wasn't the plan, you were born yesterday. These Kids don't read subtitles so they were supposedly no threat. 
I see the new T.V.s have computer apps. This seems like it will be a major factor when people ditch regular cable/satellite programming for online programming of their choice. It's exciting really. Anyway, American anime, It won't last and it never does. Last edited by OtakuExile on Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Chagen46
 Posts: 4377 |
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The answers to this question are very important to me personally, because of my goals in life to make my own Indie animation company, but I want to know if it's even a good idea.
I think that orgin of a work does not matter. What matters is whether or not the work was good in it's own right. There's nothing preventing an indie American animation company from making "anime". It probably would have a few differences due to the culture, of course--looking at series, Full Auto, while it looks like an anime, it's obvious that it's something you'd expect an American, not Japanese person, to make. |
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OtakuExile
Posts: 202 Location: Neo Vegas |
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Why you would want to make an "Anime" style anything is beyond me. You should make your Animation "your own", and not needlessly try to copy Japanese idioms and expressions.
People will compare you simply to Avatar and probably The Boondocks. They are obviously influenced by anime.
Do something original so we can say they're copying Chagen46's style. |
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Chagen46
Posts: 4377 |
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Exile, I was never really planning to completely copy the anime style. I'm not intending to do things like try to be Japanese and fail, because I, obviously, am not Japanese.
My works would have some stylistic similarities with anime, but also use their own unique style, generally with their themes and their subject matter (Full Auto's depressing and annihilated future, Technomage's ludicrously surreal humor...) so that you would look at them and say "This was made by an American". |
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TitanXL
 Posts: 4036 |
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I don't really care where a show is from, so long as it's good, but I find most American attempts 'anime' are poor or lackluster - for one reason or another.
Teen Titans just copied the art style and the chibi gags, rather than trying to give the show an expansive story, plot, character depth, and so forth; so I hated Teen Titans. (Iron Man: Armored Adventures does a much better job applying the plot/character anime aspect to a superhero show) Boondocks is the same: it's essentially a BET show but with anime art; it doesn't appeal to me at all. Avatar the Last Airbender was a bit better: it actually realized "Hey, maybe people like anime because it tends to have more of a focused plot and depth to its characters" and it tried to have a story and flesh out it's characters, though the end result wasn't the best and had a lot of problems (censorship, writing, pacing, etc) Overall, people and companies can try to mimic it, but I think our American animation industry just flat out doesn't allow for those types of shows to be made. Everything is getting to the point of cartoons need to look as cheap and inexpensive as possible, if it's not just done in Adobe Flash to begin with. Censorship is another big thing, it's completely asinine the people in Avatar weren't allowed to throw a punch -- in a show about war. So many things about war were glossed over or ignored in that show it was painful. Will the industry change? Maybe, in some future decade, but America is far too limited right now. European animation will reach that point before America does. |
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bravetailor
Posts: 817 |
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A lot of them are actually decent shows in and of themselves, but latching onto the aesthetics of anime purely for marketing purposes is something I have a fairly low opinion of. I don't mind being inspired by anime (the Wachowski brothers did this well, at least for Matrix 1), but it's quite obvious that shows aping the aesthetic style of anime has a large marketing element to it.
I do have mixed opinions about how well-regarded Avatar is by the mainstream while a lot of the anime it is inspired by gets shafted by the same people. |
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rinmackie
 Posts: 1040 Location: in a van! down by the river! |
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While I'm not against the idea of American anime, I'll agree that most attempts have been lackluster or mediocre, at best. I think Avatar, the Last Airbender comes the closest, but the censorship issues have kept if from being truly great. For me, the biggest stumbling block to overcome is that whole "animation is just for kids" (or stupid adult comedies) attitude. Hopefully, someday that barrier will be overcome but I don't see it happening anytime soon.
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batou37
 Posts: 455 |
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My opinion is only based on a small sampling of American animation, but to my eyes it seems quite polar. Besides Afro Samurai which I did enjoy to some extent, most seems either childish with a "yeah go team we can do it, we'll all be friends and work together; lets do whats right and be fair to everyone!" or its college humor like ATHF, Perfect Hair Forever, 12 oz Mouse, etc... There really doesn't seem to be a middle ground (I guess you could label it similar to seinen) which deals with adult ideas like betrayal, revenge, loss, realistic relationships, etc... Again the could be more out there I haven't seen, Air Bender being a good example. I've heard that many are fans but the one ep I watched seemed like the story and characters could hold some promise but the execution and story was so watered down as if they were afraid to make it realistic (well realistic in a sense of fighting, death, and other aspects) because it would impair sales due to parents not letting their kids watch it, which I'm sure is the reason.
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EireformContinent
Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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You think that "Avatar" should be "realistic" like "Elfen Lied"? Actually it is more realistic than lots of anime on another ground- the psychology and character development. I'm glad that it didn't need the bucked of red paint to cover lack of idea.
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bravetailor
Posts: 817 |
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Well, Afro Samurai, even though it's a bit of a joint production, is probably still more "Japanese anime" since much of the storyboard, animation and design work is done in Japan. Contrast that to Teen Titans or Avatar which are clearly storyboarded and designed in North America.
There are plenty of anime that have more than halfway decent psychology and character development. I know anime fans tend to gripe a lot but there's a 40+ year history when it comes to anime with literally thousands of TV shows to choose from during that span. The odds are very good that at least 100 of the 3000 or so anime ever made are very, very, good shows by any criteria. Avatar doesn't "out-anime anime" by a longshot. It's a good show. But let's not get carried away here. It's not "special". It's just good for what it does. |
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EireformContinent
Posts: 977 Location: Łódź/Poland (The Promised Land) |
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That doesn't change the fact that Avatar caught my attention in aspect where lots of anime was lying and dying. I don't say taht's a genial production that will change your life forever, but a very good entertainment show.
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