What do you love about Japanese Anime?

With the decline of Hollywood movies and shows (for multiple reasons), I find myself getting drawn more to Japanese anime than anything. It seems like the last bastion for proper storytelling, character development and deeper themes. I always thought anime was divided into two categories: one for kids, and one for "tentacle p0rn", but after watching a couple shows I was blown away by how great these shows are (and they are for adults and I haven't encountered any "tentacle p0rn").

During the initial lockdowns, I somehow ended up watching Cowboy Bebop (love the music btw), Neon Genesis (wtf was this?) and Full Metal Alchemist, all these shows sucked me in and I couldn't believe how sophisticated the story-telling was. I definitely see myself watching more anime in the future, and less Hollywood.  


Have you guys ever watched anime?

What are some of your favorites? 


 

Actually Dragon Ball Z used to be awesome when growing up - other than that - nothing else. 

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

I remember this specific scene in deathnote where that one chick yells out something about Mr. Pervert in this anime girly voice. My neighbors walked by at just that moment. I wonder what their thoughts were.

 

I think anime can get away with more unique plots and story lines. Also I feel animation as a whole is a more expressive medium than most tv shows, which are just delivery vehicles for advertising.Favorite anime: Hunter x Hunter and overlord.

 
Controversial

"Within the next generation I believe that the world's rulers will discover that infant conditioning and narco-hypnosis are more efficient, as instruments of government, than clubs and prisons, and that the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging and kicking them into obedience." - Aldous Huxley

Man I used to like anime too, but let's look at it with clear eyes. These are basically children's cartoons that are now being watched by older and older "men," and a society can't survive without strong men. Most Japanese men are virgins because of this shit, and now they're spreading this poisonous culture. Just watch cartoons all day, don't play sports, don't be manly, don't achieve things, just watch cartoons and go on netflix binges. Anime is simply cancerous. MS me if this offends you

 

I don't think cartoons are any different than what Netflix or Hollywood produces... it's all passive entertainment (you can say the same for watching the NFL or MLB). I agree there is a healthy limit to how much time you spend watching this stuff, but I don't think anime is why men in Japan aren't getting laid.. that is a whole different can of worms. 

 

I totally agree with you, Hollywood, Netflix, and major sports are all part of this endeavor to entertain the masses to death. However, I singled out anime because it seems like it's particularly targeted towards the youth, which makes it that much more troubling when adult populations are becoming anime enthusiasts.

 

I think you're 100% right, I lose a little respect for people if they're into anime. Aldous Huxley also had some interesting things to say about vaccines and how they would impact people's predispositions towards God / Higher Power. 

 

I don't think it's fair to say anime is children's cartoons. Anime may be akin to cartoons, but not all cartoons are for children. You have things like Rick & Morty and Southland Park within the cartoon world as well. Similar things exist within the anime genre. Unless you have a similar issue with adults watching Rick & Morty, I think your statement is a bit overly generalized.

Anime also commonly stem from manga, which is the Japanese equivalent of comics. Are comics entirely geared towards children? Things like Marvel and superheroes have been around for decades and the movies have been absolutely crushing the box office. Yes, one is hand-drawn and the other one is acted out by real people, but the underlying themes are from similar material (and mind you I have seen manga that is much darker than Marvel).

Given anime is from a foreign culture, I think limited exposure to it in the west leads people to have inaccurate perceptions that it is only for kids. Hopefully some of the parallels I've alluded to above takes the point across.

 
Most Helpful

Been watching anime for almost 10 years. Its popularity is on a whole other level compared to all that time ago. More and more people are picking it up - I guess thanks in part to Netflix and Amazon Prime's quest for content. Heck Crunchyroll is now a $1bn company at least and tbh I think their TAM is way bigger than that number gives credit for. Anime is still very much in the "consume illegally" phase of its life. 

Anyway business talk aside, I'm attracted to anime because it's just so different to other media. Even compared to Western cartoons, it's just in a different league. The production (animation, art etc.), storytelling and music in the top shows blows live-action or western cartoon TV out of the water oftentimes. Some of my favourites are HxH, Hyouka, and FMAB. The movie Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) is absolutely incredible too.

I think a lot of people still hate on it because they may try one show and it isn't very good (Netflix is notorious for putting shit anime on their platform), then convince themselves that the entire media format is the same quality. This is equivalent to watching Pretty Little Liars and convincing yourself this is all of TV. There are also residual biases towards it like hentai and the whole childlike aspect of animation.

 

Agree with this.

There’s also a well-established pipeline of Manga -> Anime that continues to deliver incredible source material which gets transformed into a more immersive experience. 

Not being restricted to live action / VFX allows for even more agency in terms of where a story or world can go. Some genres like “Isekai” or “Mecha” would likely not be possible / would be done very poorly in a live action format. 

 

Yeah just because something is diverse doesn't automatically make it good

Anime gives no fucks about diversity yet it's great. Tbh pretty much all of Asia doesn't give much of a crap about 'diversity' and has almost all of the structurally rising countries (including 3 of the top 5 highest GDP countries) in the world today

 

I've posted this before when it came up recently, and I absolutely hate this take on current media. Sure, Disney is taking over the mainstream media and everything is just superheros or reboots, but there is so much to be found in independent cinema these days you just need to be on the lookout for it. A few movies from my watchlist that all came out in the last 5 years, some are definitely more niche than others and my taste generally runs to the dramatic, but still there is plenty out there: Nine Days, The Green Knight, Pig, No Sudden Move, Uncut Gems, Zola, Prospect, Boys State (documentary), I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Borg vs. McEnroe, Velvet Buzzsaw, Lady Macbeth, Foxtrot, Palm Springs, High Flying Bird, Les Miserables (2019, not the Victor Hugo story), A Hidden Life, Knives Out, Apollo 11 (doc), The Peanut Butter Falcon, Sound of Metal, The Art of Self Defense, Booksmart, Ingrid Goes West, Free Solo (doc), Cold War, The Favourite, Widows, Mid90s, and on and on. Not to mention contemporary international and the entire back catalogue of cinema (there are old movies out there that are more interesting or engaging than most stuff being put out today), there is plenty out there of high quality media to watch if you want to, you don't have to solely rely on what the Mouse is pumping out.

And as far as television goes there is still great TV/miniseries being made, a few from the last couple of years: Atlanta, Barry, Fleabag, Succession, Normal People, Undone, The Crown, plus all the prestige TV like Mad Men, The Sopranos, The Wire, Halt and Catch Fire, and The Leftovers. All of those are great storytelling, fascinating characters and plenty of deeper themes. Ignoring the quality output just because Netflix is jizzing out the same mediocre crap doesn't mean American media is in decline, you're just not looking in the right places. 

 

ive literally never heard of any of these other than the sopranos and I believe the crown. I watched a few episodes of the sopranos at the start of lockdown and as soon as I googled that he doesnt bang the psychologist I turned that shit off. 

 

I mean, some of those TV shows are a bit obscure, but I can't imagine you haven't even heard of Mad Men or The Wire, they're regularly touted as some of the best television ever made. Have you heard of Breaking Bad, Ozark, Queens Gambit, Game of Thrones, or House of Cards? Also, based on your profile pic, are you UK based? That could explain a lot. 

 

I've only seen the well-known ones which are generally recognized as classics (Death Note, Attack on Titan, Full Metal Alchemist, etc).  To someone raised in the West, they are just so striking because of:

1. Originality.  The storylines resemble nothing you see in Western media.  A game of cat and mouse between a cunning detective and a brilliant teenager who can kill people by writing their names down on a piece of paper?  Not something you see very often- but it works.

2.  Relatability.  A common theme of these shows is that the main characters are young people becoming adults and taking on some kind of responsibility or pursuing goals while coming to terms with their own flaws and past trauma.  Sounds an awful lot like life.  

3.  Unpredictability.  Before Game of Thrones made it cool to kill off main characters, Western products were usually pretty predictable.  Good guys struggle but win in the end.  Anime has seemed less willing to cater to the audience.  Even Pokemon, a show for kids, had the main character repeatedly choke in tournaments and lose.  It's the shocks and disappointments you remember,

 

with western media becoming more and more woke by the day in the most ridiculous of settings where its simply signaling for the sake of signaling rather than reflecting historical accuracy ive found myself starting to check out a few animes having long derided and mocked them

started of with Attack on Titan which i absolutely loved, now finishing off Tokyo Ghoul (which gets flack for deviation from source material but i like the concept) and have Death Note and Ghost in the Shell next on my list. if anyone else has some recommendations for dubbed shows would love to hear them. Heard Vinland Saga is great but cant find dubbed version. looking ideally for anything with dystopia, revolution, war kind of themes. ideally no massive mechs type shows 

edit: think i managed to find Vinland Saga dubbed so thats something to look forward to

 

how come? because the dubbing isnt always the same as intended meaning in subs? or for the authentic audio experience?

part of the reason i insist on dubbed is because i usually watch tv / movies when im in the gym or on a long walk to somewhere or just working. cant concentrate on sub titles. granted no doubt missing out my not fully concentrating on dubbed either but sadly dont have time for dedicated tv watching. 

cowboy bebpop looks interesting. do you recommend fullmetal alchamist too or just brotherhood? 

edit: have you seen Steins Gate, Kiseijuu , Psycho-Pass, Neon Gensis Evangelion, and Code Geass? all look very interesting

 

Do yourself a favor and watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Not only does it suck you in, it gets you motivated to get absolutely fucking yolked. Among others that I loved were Naruto (need to start Boruto), Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Bleach, Eye shield 21, Code Geass, Cowboy Bebop (though I'd argue it's more art than show because of how well it was done and how short it is). I used to binge anime in HS but picked it up again because so much of what Hollywood produces now is focused on pushing a political agenda or building a franchise to create an army of consoomers. Anime isn't free from consumerism either, but it's not pushed on you like it is in the US.

There's a ton of great shows, but I'd also say don't feel discouraged if you can't get into a popular one. I couldn't get into Attack on Titan for example. Just wasn't for me.

 

I’m really into anime with a deeper meaning or with some form of psychological bend to it. 

Stuff like: Tokyo Ghoul, 86 (holy shit), Tokyo Revengers (again, holy shit), To Your Eternity (holy shitballs), Terror in Resonance, Millionaire Detective: Balance Unlimited, Akudama Drive, Babylon, Beastars, Death Note, Death Parade, New Fruits Basket (more of a chick flick but damn, the characters are so well written), Psycho-Pass, Parasyte, Jujutsu Kaisen (hands down one of the best shonen shows in a while), Monogatari Series, ID:Invaded, Future Diary, Noragami, Blue Exorcist, Re:Creators, A Lull in the Sea, Violet Evergarden (you will cry), Vivy: Fluorite Eye’a Song, Promise Neverland, Moriarty The Patriot, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Your Lie in April (you will cry), Re:LIFE and Re:Zero

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the slice of life or moe moe shit from time to time but those shows above are just top class. You’ll be hooked into the quality of the art, the story and the characters from the get go. I’ve kind of stopped watching mainstream anime like AoT or FMA or Naruto / Boruto because the story just gets drawn out far too long. 

 

Animation, storytelling and believe it or not, the fact that the episodes are 20 mins long. I don’t have the time to sit down for 1 hour+ just to get through a single episode. But otherwise yeah, until I started watching it I also had the same “if you watch anime ur a virgin” opinion but it’s becoming much more popular and it seems to be more normalized/accepted especially among the younger generations.

 

My friends and I were really into the Naruto anime in middle school, and the PS3 game was a lot of fun. The bone guy absolutely killed it

Quant (ˈkwänt) n: An expert, someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing.
 

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