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How do you feel about American cartoons


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How would you describe your relationship with cartoons
Love them
22%
 22%  [ 46 ]
Like them
29%
 29%  [ 59 ]
Indifferent towards them
15%
 15%  [ 32 ]
Dislike most of them (there are a few exceptions)
23%
 23%  [ 48 ]
Hate them (won't touch any of them)
7%
 7%  [ 16 ]
Total Votes : 201

Author Message
The King of Harts



Joined: 05 May 2009
Posts: 6712
Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 7:22 pm Reply with quote
In the relatively short time I've been an anime fan I've noticed there's a bit of a rivalry with American cartoons. It's not always born of hatred, but the supposed lack of diversity is actually the reason a lot of people gravitated towards anime. Some prefer anime for it's high-quality animation, which I certainly understand since, outside of Avatar, American cartoons aren't exactly visual treats. Then, of course, there is the hatred people have for cartoons for various reasons, and that seems to be one the most popular opinions I see, or it at least has the most outspoken characters. I don't get why someone would hate all American cartoons just like I don't see why someone would hate all anime, but those people exist on both sides.

But I've come here to ask the ANN forums one question: How do you feel about American (or European in some cases) cartoons?

Personally, I love both. I've been watching anime non-stop for four years and have really grown into the fandom, but I've been watching cartoons since I was four, though I'm not really in that fandom. I don't think the problem with America's output is a matter of diversity, but a matter of quantity. That's what drew me to anime: the 100+ new shows a year. As much as I love American cartoons, there's only about a dozen that's not preschool fodder worth watching. And when shows go on season breaks for months at a time, there's nothing to watch in the meantime expect reruns, which is another advantage for anime; when one show ends another immediately takes its place.

I think American cartoons just need more quantity to show it's diversity, but it's just not popular enough for it. I mean, American cartoon fandom certainly cares for and loves it and is big, but they aren't anything compared to otaku. I'm actually a prime example of that. I love Adventure Time and My Little Pony just as much most any anime, but I'm perfectly content with watching it on TV or Netflix. Meanwhile, I've pumped thousands of dollars into my anime collection. It's weird. I know anime is inherently a collector's fandom, but there's merchandise for American cartoon shows, too.

But yea, from Rugrats to Moribito or Avatar to Strike Witches, I love it all.
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kyokun703



Joined: 06 Jan 2005
Posts: 2505
Location: Orgrimmar
PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 8:44 pm Reply with quote
Love them. I usually tend towards the more actiony "boys" cartoons though, and always have. I sorta watched cartoons casually (Bugs Bunny and Smurfs and the like) until Transformers (G1) and GI Joe came out and then I became a cartoon nut and expanded out to Thundercats and Silverhawks, and the Real Ghostbusters, continued into the 90s with X-Men (which started my comic book reading) and Batman:TAS (and the entire DCAU after that), the Tick, Animaniacs (et al), and then into the 2000s with Invader Zim and Avatar:TLA, and most recently the new GI Joe cartoons (Renegades and Resolute) and Archer.

However, I never really got into the whole Simpsons/Family Guy/South Park stuff for some reason. No Spongebob either.

I did really like Gargoyles, but missed most of it. I wish Disney would release the rest of the series. Not into MLP (it's all right, but I *really* don't get the craze), and Adventure Time is extremely high up on my to-do list.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 8:48 pm Reply with quote
I guess it is a little hard to answer, I guess I am pretty indifferent to most of them, but there are a few that I quite enjoy. Shows I like include Avatar, Invader Zim, Batman Brave and the Bold, Dave the Barbarian, Spliced, and I recently got into a show called Archer. I guess the ones with some form of wit over some that have pretty bad jokes and such.

I also watch a couple shows like Ben 10 so I can talk to my younger brother about it, and I would consider a child cartoon called Almost Naked Animals a guilty pleasure of mine. I don't really see anything wrong with enjoying some child shows that are actually entertaining. I also tend to leave my tv on a ABC3, that is a children channel here in Aus.
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manicli



Joined: 16 Jun 2012
Posts: 186
Location: Toronto, Canada
PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 9:12 pm Reply with quote
I don't have anything against American cartoons. The reason I don't like them is because they tend to be aimed at younger audiences and in my opinion a bit childish. I did enjoy them as a kid though such as Teen Titans Very Happy <-- I loved that show!

Also anime has more detailed animation which always helps since I'm a sucker for high quality animation Razz
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The King of Harts



Joined: 05 May 2009
Posts: 6712
Location: Mount Crawford, Virginia
PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 9:49 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Not into MLP (it's all right, but I *really* don't get the craze).

I think the more crazed and obsessed fans are the ones that also aren't anime fans. For anime fans, it's perfectly normal for people (especially males) in there 20s+ to enjoy magical girls shows aimed at the young girl demographic, or shoujo in general. In the realm of American cartoons, though, that's weird, and I don't think they can get over the fact that they're 20 year old males that like a show aimed at little girls (even though it's also meant to appeal to older demographics at the same time).
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SereneChaos



Joined: 14 Oct 2011
Posts: 384
Location: Middle of Nowhere, USA
PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:10 pm Reply with quote
I love animation as a medium regardless of the country it comes from. I don't really watch any of the adult animation in the US because I don't like that kind of comedy, but I do like some of the kid's shows. Avatar, Young Justice, and Gravity Falls are my favorites of the ones currently airing and there are many more favorites from my childhood (like Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, W.I.T.C.H., Totally Spies, Teen Titans, and Lilo and Stitch). I only keep up with Avatar and I'm trying to catch up on Young Justice, but I'd watch an animated show over a live action show any day.
Generally, I'd say anime is more diversified (and so there's more that matches up with my tastes) but American animation is more diversified in one aspect: animation style. That's probably the aspect I love most about it. The Amazing World of Gumball may not be the greatest show, but I love to watch it just for it's unique style.
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Touma



Joined: 29 Aug 2007
Posts: 2651
Location: Colorado, USA
PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:53 pm Reply with quote
I am indifferent.
I never watch cartoons, but I have no active dislike for them. I just have no desire to watch any.
The last American cartoon that I watched was probably The Simpsons or Futurama, and that was a long time ago. I think that Futurama was in its second season. I have at least one of the later seasons on DVD but I never got around to watching it.
More recently I have seen Winx Club, from Italy. I caught some of it on TV a few years ago and bought the first DVD volume not too long ago. I did watch that and enjoyed it, but I have not bought any more yet.

I might try Avatar some time if I can find a cheap DVD set.
A few months ago I very seriously considered buying Archer on Blu-ray, but I finally decided against it. But those are the kind of cartoons that I will watch if I do get the urge to try some.
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Crispy45



Joined: 23 Sep 2012
Posts: 363
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:11 am Reply with quote
Not a fan of American cartoons. They seem stuck in either three types: kid's comedies, kids action shows which are usually about superheroes, and crude adult comedy shows. Since I dislike all those there's nothing for me to watch until they make something else, but I don't see it changing in the near future. The over reliance on ugly CG and Flash animation don't help either.
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st_owly



Joined: 20 May 2008
Posts: 5234
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:23 am Reply with quote
I don't know Western cartoons as well as anime, but I have seen some that I enjoyed, so I went with like. I really enjoy a lot of Western animated movies as well.
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 4:13 am Reply with quote
I've just stopped caring since I got into anime. There are some I remember fondly(like Gargoyles, Animaniacs or the DCAU), but most of them seem to have fallen down the memory hole. I've definitely got a larger number of movies I like(The Iron Giant and Titan AE both spring to mind).

Recently, I remember watching the pilot for Green Lantern The Animated Series, but I never did follow up on that(but that could partly be me just not liking CG very much).
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larinon



Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Posts: 992
Location: Midland, TX
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:23 pm Reply with quote
I grew up watching Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and Disney cartoons (both movies & shorts), so I've long had an appreciation for American offerings. During my high school and college years my favorites would be Animaniacs, Eek the Cat, Rocko's Modern Life, the Tick and later the Angry Beavers, among others.

Ultimately I would say that my existing interest in American animation would lead to my anime fandom, so I cannot deny the origin of my preferences. I never was much of a Simpson's/Family Guy fan and I hated King of the Hill, but nowadays I still watch things like Futurama, Venture Bros., and Robot Chicken, and I have been getting into Adventure Time as well. And almost everything Pixar makes is golden.

I voted that I like them instead of loving them because in spite of all the ones I've listed here, I see a lot of what's been produced in recent years as falling far short of my expectations for American animation. I can see how younger fans would react negatively to this poll because they don't know what American televised animation used to be like.
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Alan45
Village Elder



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
Posts: 9812
Location: Virginia
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 2:14 pm Reply with quote
larinon wrote:
Quote:
I grew up watching Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, and Disney cartoons (both movies & shorts), so I've long had an appreciation for American offerings.


Same here, though I have to add a lot of cartoon shorts that I can't identify from lesser studios that showed on TV in the 50's. As far as I know I only ever watched one made for TV cartoon series*. When I was in college, The Bullwinkle Show was popular enough that I was familiar with it but I have never seen whole episodes. The stuff that most here are discussing I have only seen in parts. So my answer is yes, but with limitations. I have nothing against the later stuff, I'm just not familiar with it.


* Crusader Rabbit
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nobahn
Subscriber



Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 5120
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:48 pm Reply with quote
At the (slight) risk of derailing this thread, I would like to pose a question. "The Simpsons" began as a short that was aired during "The Tracy Ullman Show." I have read that those shorts, along with the early seasons, presented the family -- most notably Homer -- with different personalities than they are now presented with today. Can anyone authoritatively speak to this? (i.e., was Homer's personality very different early on?)
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Keonyn
Subscriber



Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Coon Rapids, MN
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:41 pm Reply with quote
It wasn't incredibly different, but yes, there are definite notable differences between early Homer and the Homer a few seasons in and beyond. The same was true for most of The Simpsons characters, it just wasn't as obvious. However, I would say that Lisa has some pretty clear differences between her first few seasons and later. She didn't quite have the wisdom and book smarts early on that she is known for now, and most notably she didn't quite clash with the family as much or come across as substantially different.
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:43 pm Reply with quote
Man, tough decision. The ones that I like are sooo good, Avatar, Adventure Time, Venture Bros., Invader Zim, Fairly Oddparents, South Park, Reboot, lots of the 90s stuff on Boomerang (I so wish I got Boomerang). And I also like French cartoons a good bit too, Oban Star-Racers and Wakfu. And older stuff, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry are awesome. Oh and Steven Spielberg, can't forget Animaniacs.

But I feel like ones I really love are the exception rather than the rule and then I channel hop to see yet another Spongebob 8-hour marathon on Nick. I used to like Spongebob, but now it's just saturated Nickelodeon and I can't bear to look at Spongebob these days.
But ok, Spongebob aside, there's plenty of pretty bad or totally average things, like Fanboy and Chum Chum, Johnny Test, and once I decided to watch Ninjago to see what my nephew was so on about (short answer: legos, because I can't see anything gripping story or character wise). Also, I can't stand Scooby-Doo, but it's still popular today, and that confuses me.

Sure, there's plenty of terrible anime too, but a lot of it gets filtered out when it comes over here, and even then, the amount of American TV shows I own on DVD pales in comparison to my anime collection. If it's worth owning, I'm already planning to buy Korra, but I find that the average anime are at least more creative than the average US cartoon.

When it comes to movies though, I'm a bit reversed. The Iron Giant is incredible, I don't think I can name many anime movies with as much heart as that (Tokyo Godfathers maybe? Colorful perhaps?), How to Train Your Dragon, while somewhat predictable, I still loved it. Secret of Kells was a glorious hidden gem with fantastic animation. Ok, so there's plenty of schlock cheap-o CGI movies, some of them are downright terrible. But the best of the best Western animation movies are on tier with the best of the best anime movies if you ask me. They're in about equal numbers I think. And the US doesn't generally tend to make terrible 45 minute OVAs based on obscure arcade games either. Or Garzey's Wing. I don't think I can name an animated movie made by the US as bad as Garzey's Wing (someone will come along to correct me later. Also, The Last Airbender isn't animated, though it is worse than GW)

Speaking of TLA, my nephew told me something horrible last month. He likes TLA movie and doesn't like the TV show. If these are the kids cartoons have to cater too, that's not a very high bar. I count myself lucky he likes Adventure Time most days. I'm still trying to explain to him that Digimon is not a Pokemon and when I get my DVDs in, I will show him what Digimon is. Apparently, I just shouldn't have mentioned Digimon if I knew it would've confused him so much.
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