What Defines an Anime?

Enzan Chaud · Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 1:26 am Post subject: What Defines an Anime?

What do you really look for when you see an anime? Do you look for something casual? Something magical? Does a good anime make us see things around us differently? These are questions I sometimes ask myself when looking at anime.

I think that a good anime is one that transends time and space to give a meaningful message, with a well thought story that makes you see the world in a different light. Sometimes taking the shields we put around ourselves daily to open up a bit more to everyone else, having more consern for the small things in our lives...something taken for granted.

Yeah...Comedy is okay. But if you think about it, aren't things that heppen in real life funnier than what you get out of an anime. Well...except for mindless quote fodder...but that's something else.

Well..anyways, give your opinions. I think my post may be a little...incomplete due to the fact that after I watched FMA today I needed to think a bit. Then I felt I needed to write this here ASAP so I wouldn't forget it and...it's late...but well...
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Pitchums · Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 8:10 am Post subject:

railracer express · Soul Unison Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 771

I always thought anime was like cartoon but with lots of more dramatic themes
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Pitchums · Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 10:10 am Post subject:

Viewtiful Starman · Puzzle Game Addict Age: 37 Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 708

Doesn't even need to have a deeper plot,
there's plenty of anime (like Vampiyan Kids, The Law of Ueki and Azumanga Daioh for example) that either don't have a plot, barely have a plot or just have a basic one.
Over here it just needs to be animation from Japan, while in Japan it's any animation period.

Horoko · Net Savior Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 164

Anime doesn't have to have some deep philosophical plot to be good. Plenty of anime are great despite that. Also, comedy is a big role in anime since if it was all serious, it would just be pretty monotone...one sided, showing the characters don't have a lighter side. I mean, look at the old animes; Tetsujin 28, Jungle Emperor, Doreamon, those animes had little to none of the stuff in animes today and they were great shows.

RollEXE · Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 12:13 am Post subject:

Well, I really think most anime have a storyline that involves heaps of epsodes that you have to show in thta oreder. Comedy. Naruto is a huge crackup! Then Inuyasha gives you slighty more mature scences like yucky monsters and slshing blood and guts etc. It really depends. Sometimes you think anime has a mysterious power binding, making you crazy about it.
[spoil:3108b386a1]Like me. Guilty. As in thinking Rockman EXE has a power trying to make me a enternal fan! Or is it just my imagination? :/[/spoil:3108b386a1]

Starone · Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 11:37 am Post subject:

Someone said something on a forum I came across that is relevant to alot of your comments:

"Why do anime fans always think something has to be deep and meaningful to be good? It's so annoying"

Yeah, it dosen't have to be deep all the time but it helps.

anime21 · Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 12:58 pm Post subject:

I thought it was just japanese animation. ^^;; j/k

I see anime as a way for people to learn about the outside. It is also a way I can see morals through, something taht has spurs of interesting things and are enjoyable, something that no one forces me into. I think that it is entertainment with hidden objectives. They are for people to enjoy as well as indirectly teaching people, like in Doraemon, or advertising, like umm (place an anime that advertises), or both like plenty of anime out there. I think it helps the isolated people to reach out a bit more, learn new things and enjoy the show and for mangaka and animators to make money. I have nothing else to say except that it is a profitable thing for the seller and the buyer alike, the buyer gets entertainment and the seller makes a living off of it as well as gain fans.
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Dal_Sengo · Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 3:34 pm Post subject:

For me, it's 3 things:

1) PLOT, PLOT, PLOT. If it does not have a solid story, it seems mediocre to me

2) Quality. The animations have to be good enough to keep my interest.

3) Characters. The characters usually consists of the protagonists, villans, and side characters.

That's basically what I look for :/
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Aethos · Net Battler Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 66

Plot and characters most definately. Although there are a few other things that relate to different genre's that I might prefer as well.

Although I don't agree with the attitude that "an anime needs to have senseless violance or a dark angsty atmosphere to be cool" Come on there's better stuff out there than Cowboy Bebop and DBZ.