”Aren't these cartoons?” Wacky Questions for Anime Fans
Why in anime does everyone have more eyes? Why do they look white? Why is everyone raped by tentacles in the anime? If you've ever heard these or similar questions, chances are you are watching anime and are constantly faced with a ton of stereotypes and silly questions about anime that are asked to you. We decided to recall the most stupid and dumb questions about anime that fans are asked. Aren't anime cartoons?Answer: Technically yes, but not in the way you think This is a classic question that arose from the fact that cartoons in most of the world are considered to be children's entertainment. While after World War II cinematography was actively developing all over the world, and animation was inferior to it and was purely child's entertainment, in Japan cinema did not develop as rapidly as animation. The place that cinema occupies in Japan is occupied by anime. After the war, it was simply cheaper to create it than to make a movie. And although Japan also makes good films [the country even has golden classics like Akira Kurosawa's], anime largely dominates as a media. And yes, there is anime for children, but there is also anime for an adult audience. Likewise, the demographic coverage is much wider. Therefore, if you are not a fan of anime and see bloody scenes of violence in it - no, it is not the Japanese who have gone who draw destructive cartoons for children, but create a product for an adult audience in animation format.
In this question, I am most amused by the fact that everyone singles out Hayao Miyazaki's work as something special, despite the fact that the director calls 80% of his product cartoons for children. Why are there rapists tentacles in the anime?Answer: No, there is no constant sex and tentacles in the anime. Due to its wide demographic reach and the development of animation rather than cinema, pornography in Japan is also drawn and referred to as hentai. They have nothing in common with anime, except that both products are drawn. Putting that question the other way around, it’s like asking, “Is it true that in every movie there is some sexy bald plumber who gets paid with sex?”.
Why do anime have such long titles?Answer: All for Marketing The long names of the light novel overwhelm not only people who know little about anime, but the otaku themselves often joke about this topic. We have a lot of anime with very long titles, ranging from light "Decorate a farewell morning with flowers of promise", continuing "I, a high school student and popular novelist, was strangled by my classmate, who is younger than me and is a voice actor", and ending, save me Macaron Monster, "I have already saved this world and received its riches and power, and I live happily in a castle with a female knight and a demon queen, so heroes, except me, please do not come to another world anymore."
The fact is that this approach once became an innovative way to stand out from other competitors. In an era of overwhelming content, it is difficult for authors to distinguish their debut work from others, so to attract readers of a manga, authors often write a description of what to expect from it in the title. And after success, the title also goes into an anime adaptation. Why are anime characters like Europeans?Answer: No, they are not alike. Anime characters look Japanese to the Japanese, just as they look to us Europeans. We, non-Japanese people, ask these questions for the reason that anime characters do not look stereotypically Asian in our minds. And do not forget that Asians also perceive Europeans stereotypically. This is especially evident in the way foreigners are depicted in the anime. These are Americans - all polls are blondes who have unhealthy feelings for the flag with stripes and stars, these are the Dutch, who always wear wooden shoes, and the harsh inhabitants of USA in earflaps. Just the next time you think about why anime characters don't look like Japanese, ask yourself: what nationality in general has eyes half the size of a head? Why do anime characters shout the name of their attacks and describe their actions?Answer: to give more information In the real world, communicating your actions to the enemy is a failed strategy. But anime does not interfere. There are actually many theories, but often it all comes down to the roots of anime, when, due to the cheapening of animation, the characters often tell what they are doing in order to explain to the viewer what happened at all and not visualize the details. Again, when the phrase "How do you know ..." sounds in the films, you perfectly understand that the following information will sound for you, the viewer, to chew on the plot. There is also information that this went from old children's shows like Mazinger Z to children shouted attacks along with their favorite characters.
It also happens that shouting an attack helps build up energy, or let's be honest - it's just cool. Why do you watch anime when you can watch a movie?Answer: Why would I watch a lousy adaptation when there is a great source. Here everything again rests on stereotypes about cartoons. When anime is adapted into live action, in the eyes of many people who regard anime as child's play, the film gains weight as a serious work for adults. Any calls to look at the original in their heads sounds like: switch from adult content to children's content. I still can't understand people who love the movie "Ghost in the Shell" but they refuse to watch the original anime, which is a hundred times better.
Why is the main character constantly sitting near the window?Answer: because it is a metaphor and so is cheaper There are many visuals in anime, and this one that catches your eye is one of them. Such a character seems to be cut off from the group, this shows his inner isolation or struggle. But this one also has a simpler and less beautiful answer - it's cheaper and easier. Having placed the hero in this position, the animators only need to draw a couple of scenery and the hero himself, and not the whole class as a whole. In anime, such techniques are often used on the verge of metaphor and cost reduction. And if you still have similar questions a la "Why do anime characters have such bigger eyes?", "Why are they bleeding from their nose?", you can read about it separately here and here. The Topic of Article: ”Aren't these cartoons?” Wacky Questions for Anime Fans. |
