[roxanna matoorah]

I would have to at least disagree with the "vast" part. Shounen is just a target demographic where the bell curve of viewers sit. In fact almost all titles thus far listed as titles "to see what non-shounen anime look like" are in fact shounen titles.

Shounen titles can, and many are, quite good. Take for example Gunslinger Girl. You have cybernetic girls going around killing Italian mob bosses and terrorists on the outside, but the story is much deeper than that (and in fact most of it doesn't have to do with the killing, but is character development). It gets quite deep on what is you, how do you know your thoughts are yours and when it is right to disobey or do what is said. The girls a conditioned to listen to every order given and don't really know what it is to be human. I find that kind of deep-hitting stuff missing in a good many TV programs (though can be more easily found in movies).

Agreed ,

Spoiler

diffidently when one of the girls killed her handler and herself because she knew he would never care for her as much as she did for him

.
Forgot the girl's name though.
And....thread lock?

[Christine]

I would have to at least disagree with the "vast" part. Shounen is just a target demographic where the bell curve of viewers sit. In fact almost all titles thus far listed as titles "to see what non-shounen anime look like" are in fact shounen titles.

Shounen titles can, and many are, quite good. Take for example Gunslinger Girl. You have cybernetic girls going around killing Italian mob bosses and terrorists on the outside, but the story is much deeper than that (and in fact most of it doesn't have to do with the killing, but is character development). It gets quite deep on what is you, how do you know your thoughts are yours and when it is right to disobey or do what is said. The girls a conditioned to listen to every order given and don't really know what it is to be human. I find that kind of deep-hitting stuff missing in a good many TV programs (though can be more easily found in movies).

Yes, here we go, the girl assassin archetype! My sister bought me the first Gunslinger Girl graphic novel. Bleh.

Anyway! THe values and subjects explored (loyalty, etc), just don't appeal to me, because the culture I'm raised in focuses more on individualism than collectivism. Hence why we don't commit seppuku if we bring dishonor on our house. For me, it's a non-issue. You follow your own morals first, authority second. If authority tells you to murder someone, you say "screw it, I ain't doin' that! Kill me for disobeying, but I'm not going to kill an innocent puppy."

[NAtIVe GOddess]

This is a bit of an interesting thread to read. The critiscisms and comebacks of the fans.

but there is no come back to http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fat-guy-in-a-sailor-moon-costume-wtf.jpg

I am now scared of anime.

[QuinDINGDONGcey]

This is a bit of an interesting thread to read. The critiscisms and comebacks of the fans.

but there is no come back to http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fat-guy-in-a-sailor-moon-costume-wtf.jpg

I am now scared of anime.

Don't be scared of anime. Be scared of that man. :mellow:

[benjamin corsini]

I know it doesn't do that for a lot of people who watch it, but all of the anime fans I've known are like that.

That's because (normal) people who watch anime don't jump out and scream that Inu-Yasha is their bishi at you. I talk about some anime to my close friends, but we all enjoy anime. I'm not going to jump around like an idiot talking about how cool Gurren Lagann is (very cool, by the way) to someone who has never watched, let alone heard the word, anime.

Its a case of a vocal minority vs a quiet majority. Many people watch anime, but only the extremely devoted (And crazy) slather about it to other people who don't care.

In addition, you make it sound like anime is AIDS incarnate or something. Go watch the original (1995, IIRC) Ghost in the Shell film (not 2.0, which is redone with 3d animation on parts and looks HORRID compared the majesty of the original). It is a very philosophical film and definitely makes one think about our future.

Or watch some http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=WMrKaYjOhDM&v=pkWWWKKA8jY or http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=a_Z-xk6VaDs&v=57r9jjqzJJk (both films), which are both animation pariahs and fantastic stories to boot (much more like a fantasy storybook than a "WEABOO OTAKU" fest. Lots of witches, some steampunk style, wizards, magic, dragons, spirits, etc. Something you might see in an older Disney movie).

[Nitol Ahmed]

This is a bit of an interesting thread to read. The critiscisms and comebacks of the fans.

but there is no come back to http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/fat-guy-in-a-sailor-moon-costume-wtf.jpg

I am now scared of anime.

Please stop scaring the kids. Let the thread end on a good note

[rolanda h]

I've never really understood the obsession with anime and Japanese culture in general over here in the west. I've seen a few different anime shows and I just don't understand what is so brilliant about them. The art style from one show to the next is quite samey and I just don't think it looks good, and the voice acting is often absolutely shocking. The stories also tend to be absolutely ridiculous and nonsensical, but that's an issue with Japanese media in general I find.

For whatever reason, many people are easily enamoured with "foreign" things. Alluring accents, mystical remedies, etc. I suppose they like that it's new without leaving the comfort zone of their own culture. America and Japan both seem to have a modern love of "stuff," the quirky and collectible, which makes that an easy bridge. For anime in particular, in Japan animation can cover any demographic and genre for kids or advlts, while in America cartoons are still mostly for kids. Kids love to poke their noses into advlt stuff; I imagine a lot of the popularity Dragonball Z enjoyed was because it was the first cartoon many American kids had ever seen that actually had blood in it, immediately making it the coolest thing ever. So, they got hooked on it early, and some never shook off that sentiment.

[Lucky Girl]

I'm pretty much indifferent about anime, I don't like, don't hate it. :shrug: Though I did see a couple episodes of Samurai Champloo that I enjoyed (when it was on advlt Swim a long time ago), so I've been thinking of checking out the whole series. I've heard good things about it, and if I'm not mistaken it's made by the same people who wrote Cowboy Bebop and that gets a lot of love.

Not really...

Well your opinion's wrong...

.. wat

[CArlos BArrera]

That's a wrap on this one. And one was enough.