What Makes It Anime?

[REL38]

Link to original post: [drupal=1848]What Makes It Anime?[/drupal]



I got into this arguement just the other day with a friend regarding Anime.

The basis of the arguement was "Is this Anime?". He's a BIG Kingdom Hearts fanboy and argues that said video game falls into the category of Anime. I admitted that it does to some extent, but it just sparked more tension. He started to say Megaman (the battle network crap) and Yugioh were Anime. I told him the art-style was Anime, but the content wasn't because it's more for American audiences. Kind of like how Pokemon started. Pokemon was a hit all over the USA, but it was seen more so as a cartoon.

I said that shows like Neon Genesis Evengelion, Bleach, Fruits Basket, Lucky Star, School Rumble, Rurouni Kenshin, Dragon Ball, Rozen Maiden, Ranma 1/2, Death Note and such were good examples of what an Anime is. An Anime has to follow certain guidelines to really be considered a true Anime.

I'm having trouble conveying to him my point. I need some help here. What do you guys believe makes Anime . . . Anime?

EDIT:

What I meant was: What type of content does an Anime need to be considered a traditional Anime?

Ex. the Anime, Love Hina is a romantic comedy. It has certain elements to it that makes it a traditional romantic-comedy Anime. i.e. guy walking in on girl bathing, nose bleeds, all girls eventually falling for the dork who's become more of a man somehow.

 

[Barge]

A Japanese style/genre of animation.
So basically all cartoons/movies made in japan that are animated are considered anime =/

I dont know if video games fall under that category, though.

 

[SyOn]

Japanese animation.

 

[SuSa]

Yugiho is an anime, have you never seen the ***. version? They changed quite a bit on it's release to America to make it "more friendly for teh kids" (I really do think it was targeted at Japanese teens since I saw a bit of the content....) but Japan has less restrictions on what they can air for kids (IIRC).

I would also say that Megaman is also indeed an anima.

For your argument, I'm suprised you listed Dragon Ball as an anime because I'd but Yugioh over that as an Anime anyday.

For your "true anime isn't targeted at American Audiences" I'm going to have to shut you down on that.

If it's played on American TV (eg: You don't need to find the episodes online to watch them) or if it has an English Dub even, that should be making it "not anime" for you.

That's my opinion on this matter. Although I wasn't that clear I feel.

EDIT:

@Barge
Not necessarily. It's the style of the animation. Japanese can make things in other styles but I think most of their things are in the anime style.

 

[Barge]

@Barge
Not necessarily. It's the style of the animation. Japanese can make things in other styles but I think most of their things are in the anime style.

I get what your saying, but it still would be considered a Japanese animation, right? Making it an anime.

 

[ndayday]

Well, as far as the Pokemon and Yugioh go, I think they're a very diluted anime. I know Pokemon at least has its roots in Japan; the show there would be like watching a...well, anime. However, so much stuff is cut/butchered to fit Americans, it seems just like a cartoon. This may also go back to your childhood--I seriously saw no difference between the Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab, or Pokemon, they were all cartoons to me.

But really when you get down to it, anime is just the Japanese art style for cartoons, really...I guess my final response is that the shows/video game listed are anime, but just really diluted...I guess?

 

[SuSa]

I get what your saying, but it still would be considered a Japanese animation, right? Making it an anime.

A Japanese style/genre of animation

It's Japanese Animation, but it is the style that makes it anime.


@ND3 in Yugioh they actually had to change a seen when Bakura? and Tristan? (lol remembering from when I was 8-10 hopefully ftw?) wanted to follow the brown haired girl (okay, can't remember her name) up a wall that they had to climb with a rope.

The problem was that she was wearing a skirt.

In the American version they didn't make a big deal about it and the climbing seen as Tristan and Bakura climbing after her - but with blindfolds.

I don't remember how the Japanese one played out, but they made a huge deal about the whole skirt thing.

So you can say it's "softened" for America (which is a point I brought up).

 

[TimeWarpedBrawler]

Any form of japanese animation, recently with high detail due to computer technology.

 

[cutter]

wanted to follow the brown haired girl (okay, can't remember her name) up a wall that they had to climb with a rope.

Her name is Tea (Tay-uh).

 

[finalark]

In my book, anime is just any animation from Japan. Anime stylization in games is just going off of the stereotypes such as pointy hair, stereotypical personalities, ect.

Her name is Tea (Tay-uh).

Anzu.

 

[Firus]

Pokemon and Yu-gi-Oh! are most certainly Anime. They're less mature (at least the American version of Yu-gi-Oh!), but that doesn't make them any less Anime, nor does the audience.

For example, video games. Super Metroid and Brain Age clearly are not aimed at the same audience. Yet, it's pretty clear that both are video games.
That only changes when you put in something like Wii Music, which completely redefines the concept of a game. Like if the animation style changed for Anime, it wouldn't be Anime anymore.

Anzu.

Anzu is the Japanese name.

 

[jigglyppuff8]

NVM this, I suck at reading...

 

[SkylerOcon]

People are still confused about this? Anime is animation from Japan. It certainly has it's own style, which is commonly emulated, but if it's not animated and not from Japan, it's not Anime.

 

[REL38]

I guess I didn't word my question correctly because people are thinking I'm talking about the animation.

What I meant was: What type of content does an Anime need to be considered a traditional Anime?

Ex. the Anime, Love Hina is a romantic comedy. It has certain elements to it that makes it a traditional romantic-comedy Anime. i.e. guy walking in on girl bathing, nose bleeds, all girls eventually falling for the dork who's become more of a man somehow.

 

[finalark]

Ex. the Anime, Love Hina is a ****ing anime. It has certain elements to it that makes it a traditional romantic-comedy Anime. i.e. guy walking in on girl bathing, nose bleeds, all girls eventually falling for the dork who's become more of a man somehow.

Sorry, but I'm sure that a series about a bunch of girls trying to get into the pants of a normal looking guy is neither romantic nor comedic.

****ing anime: an anime that's more about showing off girl's bodies over anything else.

EDIT: Okay, on topic. For something to be a TRUE anime, it must have all one hundred of these things:

http://www.cs.utah.edu/~duongsaa/more_htm/jk_100animeRules.htm

Spoiler

I'M JOKING

 

[Grunt]

the content has nothing to do with it.
anime is a style of Japanese animation, simple as that.

 

[Darkslash]

*Slash is now living in the past where anime used to look like American Comic Books. Such animie's include Gundam and Macross. Actually Darkslash thinks any Gundam made by series creator "kill-em all" Tomino actually manage to avoid the "anime" approach. *

 

[Spelt]

spiky hair, overly complex story lines and main characters nobody likes...?
that about does it.

 

[:mad:]

If I don't like it, and it's an animated series, it's probably anime.

 

[Mardyke]

I think the quuestion REL38 is looking for is "If it's an anime style, does that make it an anime video game or just a video game?"
In which case, I'd personally say it would still be a video game, much the same way that Halo's art style doesn't make it a blockbuster movie, or how Punch Out!!'s style doesn't make it a cartoon.

 

[The_Blue_Bomber]

Megaman (the battle network crap)

But as others have said anything that is Japanese animation is considered Anime.

 

[hat!]

Edit: nvm finalark beat me.
what he said.

 

[finalark]

Here is a list of rules that generally applies to anime http://www.cs.utah.edu/~duongsaa/more_htm/jk_100animeRules.htm

Okay, on topic. For something to be a TRUE anime, it must have all one hundred of these things:

http://www.cs.utah.edu/~duongsaa/more_htm/jk_100animeRules.htm

Spoiler

I'M JOKING

I beat you to the punch, yesterday.

 

[:034:]

What I meant was: What type of content does an Anime need to be considered a traditional Anime?

It needs to be animation. "Anime" is simply the japanese word for 'animation', so cartoon and anime are the same thing. For something to literally be anime, it just has to be animated. Same story with manga, that just means "comics" in Japanese. A Superman comic is just as much of a manga as a volume of One Piece.

When we say something is "anime", we usually mean that it uses the art style frequently shown in japanese made animation, or it's simply cartoons from Japan.

 

[ebhz.Ash.4rm]

It needs to be animation. "Anime" is simply the japanese word for 'animation', so cartoon and anime are the same thing. For something to literally be anime, it just has to be animated. Same story with manga, that just means "comics" in Japanese. A Superman comic is just as much of a manga as a volume of One Piece.

When we say something is "anime", we usually mean that it uses the art style frequently shown in japanese made animation, or it's simply cartoons from Japan.

Manga may translate to comics in Japanese but in the West it is generally used to reference Japanese comics, sometimes Chinese and Korean too. Same for anime, it may just mean animation but in the west it's used to reference Japanese animation specifically. As for content it's normally Japanese culture which is referenced to highly in Japanese animation, such as people sneezing when someone talks about them, perversion around girls and strong stereotypes normally based on age or sex, these tend to go through all Japanese products including games and dramas. They also have very quirky genres in animation and games like eroge, shmups and Katamari Damacy.

 

[Elder Sister]

"Henshin a Go-Go Baby!"simple as that

animes for girls
either:magical girl/boy
or:theres a girl who always laughs and smiles but deep inside her heart she is grieving
then theres that super handsome and popular boy who falls in love with her...
->conflict->happy ending

anime for boys
either: super talented guy saves the world(son goku), wins world football tournament(c.tsubasa), solves any criminal cases(conan), bakes awesome breadXD(azuma-kazuma,yakitate!!japan)->super talented guy has a rival->conflict->not much romance->different endings, not necessarily happy ending
or: guy whos weak at a game, gets bettern better(yugioh, megaman, bedaman, beyblade, and all that stupid...)

btw im livin in europe so theres no children adapted/softened version of anything here^^
im so lucky