movies/tv Opinions on Anime

[Darker 1,351]

I like it because they put an immense effort on the animation, something I haven't seen in western animation since the late 90s and early 2000s cartoons.

 

Not a big fan of the modern anime, though.

[Koukatsu 5,898]

I enjoy Anime as well as non-animated fiction (such as Doctor Who and the like). I don't really consider it anything different than people who like to watch the news, or people who like to watch Spongebob or what have you. You like what you like.

[BMF 57]

I used to like anime of the early 2000s, 90s and 80s era.

For me it lost appeal due to the otaku influence, my general laziness and the fact that there are way too many for me to keep track.

 

Japan still rules 2d animation and will continue so for a long time.

[Sceethe 704]

I don't like it either. I don't think anyone who watches it is a pedophile but I see anime pictures of young girls and there's a lot of people who like them a tad too much. Like that "loli" crap, the hell?

 

It´s the same as the pony fandom, really.

There are always "those" sides to a community.

 

Judging a whole community by that fact(which i am not implying you are) would be more than wrong, though.

[Shift 4,271]

Some anime I like, some I don't. Normally my favorite animes (PMMM) have a character with interesting motives and psychology (Homura and Sayaka). I find characters with strange and fascinating psychology to be very interesting.

[Vox 870]

First off, I hate the way anime looks.

The spiky hair and the fact the nose is about the size of a marble.

Also the eyes are way too big.

That applies mostly to anime girls though.

Second, strong violence, sexual themes, and gory content seem to be abundant within the fandom.

Third, I can NEVER understand the f***ing storyline.

Lastly, The fanboys... do I even have to go into detail about that one?

Very well said, however there are a few exceptions one such is Hellsing Ultimate, which further elaborates on The Dracula novel, definitely worth the watch, but besides the decent few, I can totally agree with you. I know it's my completely biased opinion, but I think a lot of western animation and cartoons are held to a much higher standard especially concerning the animation, Japanese Anime's animation style is so choppy and feels really cheep, the outlandish settings, characters, and storylines as well as the ever present sexualization of female characters and intense and unnecessary gory violence is just distasteful and perverse.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

I liked anime before I even knew what it was! xD  Seriously, though: I was maybe five when I saw my first Japanese animated film.  I had no idea who was responsible for creating it; though I later learned that it was the Hayao Miyazaki film "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (the dubbed VHS release I first saw was called "Warriors of the Wind").  I more or less grew up with anime; it wasn't a fad I got into or something I was told to like.  And some anime (bigger budget films, in particular) are extraordinary feats of art and animation. 

 

Not all anime are created equal.  It seems as though the move to digital has made it easier to produce more anime more quickly, and I feel as though that's resulted in more low quality products.  And Japan's on some sort-of maid / little sister fetish kick at the moment lol.  That doesn't mean there aren't still worthwhile series being made, and lumping all anime together / disregarding the genre as a whole is...  Well, that's unfortunate, really.  Because there's probably something for everyone if you just take the time to look; even if you have to take a look back.  And anime such as Death Note, Bunny Drop, Darker Than Black, Azumanga Daioh, Dragon Ball, Angel Beats!, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Tekkon Kinkreet are all wildly different from each other in certain ways.

 

I've come to enjoy manga (oftentimes over their anime counterparts) because you get impressive art along with the product the artist / author (usually the same person) originally intended; minus the filler that anime often adds.  I enjoyed Dragon Ball Z, but - in my opinion - the manga is the better work (I put the "Z" there to help distinguish between the earlier and later chapters / episodes).  I think there's an even larger disparity between the quality of the Dragon Ball anime and manga; I love the latter and find the former unwatchable at times.

 

Oh, and anyone who thinks this isn't quality animation should head to an optometrist toot sweet:

 

And now for something completely different lol:

 

xD

Edited September 5, 2014 by PegaMister

[Twilight The Creator 298]

If it doesn't hurt anyone and no one shoves it into other's faces, I'm fine with it.

I'm more on a neutral point. However, I feel like trying it soon since half of my IRL friends like it. Can anyone recommend a really good one in English? Preferably on Netflix, Youtube, Crunchyroll or the like?

Plus, I don't REALLY mind the more persuasive side (Hentai, basically), but if it turns into 11 year old girls or boys (seriously, there's an anime about this) then... ehhhhh. Normal old of-age people are perfectly acceptable.

Edited September 5, 2014 by oranjebleus

[Odyssey 5,713]

I'm neutral to anime... I like the art style, but I don't find the stories to be all that interesting. I'm trying to find an anime I like, but most of the anime I come across seem like they're all the same thing.

 

As for the fans, I honestly don't mind them. Sure, they are some that can be a little nutty, but every fandom has their nutty fans.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

If it doesn't hurt anyone and no one shoves it into other's faces, I'm fine with it.

I'm more on a neutral point. However, I feel like trying it soon since half of my IRL friends like it. Can anyone recommend a really good one in English? Preferably on Netflix, Youtube, Crunchyroll or the like?

Plus, I don't REALLY mind the more persuasive side (Hentai, basically), but if it turns into 11 year old girls or boys (seriously, there's an anime about this) then... ehhhhh. Normal old of-age people are perfectly acceptable.

Darker Than Black can get kind of heavy and bloody, but the storytelling was exceptional.  Death Note is by no means a typical anime; more an elaborate game of cat and mouse with supernatural elements.  If you don't mind blood / gore and like action, there's Claymore (ends before the manga, though).  If you'd like your action without so much gore: Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, and Fairy Tail are mostly safe bets.  Angel Beats! will mess with your head a while then tug hard at your heartstrings.  Other stuff I might name is probably harder to find nowadays.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

I'm neutral to anime... I like the art style, but I don't find the stories to be all that interesting. I'm trying to find an anime I like, but most of the anime I come across seem like they're all the same thing.

 

As for the fans, I honestly don't mind them. Sure, they are some that can be a little nutty, but every fandom has their nutty fans.

Have you watched Death Note?  Most intelligent anime I've ever seen.  Bunny Drop is about the passing of a grandfather and the little (seeming) orphan girl left behind.  There are wacky gag-type manga like Azumanga Daioh.  xxxHoLiC is an unusual anime (CLAMP - group of female mangaka - did the manga) that involves a boy that would reallllly like to not be bothered so much by spirits and is essentially fated to meet a mysterious "witch."  There's different out there, but you have to really seek it out.  Would also recommend the film "Tekkon Kinkreet."  The art style alone kinda flies in the face of traditional anime.

[RockinRarity 1,605]

lol am I going to be the only person in the thread who has a generally positive opinion about anime?

 

I do admit that my taste is partly influenced by my love for Sailor Moon as a child. In fact I still love the show, the manga, the new anime that has come out, and I am so so so looking forward to the new English dub of the classic anime. Even though I watched the old dub as a kid, it is really terrible and I don't understand the people who think it's the best version of Sailor Moon in existence. (you can read my blog post about that if you're in the least bit interested).

 

I also grew up watching Pokemon, Dragonball Z, Yu-Gi-Oh, etc. Next to Sailor Moon, I think my favorite anime franchise is Soul Eater (but it deserves to get the ending the manga has - the manga is great from what I have read so far but the anime gives you the aural nuances that add so much richness to the experience of the show - the soundtrack is on my iPod as is probably the most eclectic soundtrack in the world, because the music on it ranges from beautiful instrumental to J-pop to ridiculously hilarious rap that makes no sense to screamo to clashing instruments and chords... I could go on).

 

I enjoy these shows because of the rich characterization and depth of story. The art style is unique and something that I appreciate although I understand if it's not everyone's cup of tea. Sailor Moon is one of the first of its kind - a show about girls who kick butt who have ranging and unique personalities and experience character development. A bit like Friendship is Magic, haha. Soul Eater not only has the elements that I mentioned in the last paragraph, but also has character depth, development, unique personality ranges among the characters, several different character types, very interesting relationships and relationship philosophies, as well as other philosophies that get introduced and you try to figure out what is truth and what isn't in their world.

 

I recently rewatched the entirety of Death Note and I like it much more now than I did when I first watched it several years ago. It is very thrilling and it makes you ask questions about ethical and moral decisions, what would you do if x scenarios, etc. The final episode is very fitting, I think. Some of the characters are pretty cool, too.

 

A newer anime that I have recently started watching, called Madoka Magika, is the dark, dark magical girl anime that I need. An image from that show is imprinted in my brain. I love it already, and I really want to watch more as soon as I get the chance.

 

Not all anime is created equal, just like not all western animation is created equal. After all, you wouldn't watch Spongebob, hate it, and then shun all other American cartoons, right? I'll admit that I probably wouldn't like the majority of anime that gets made, but I still consider myself a fan of the good stuff that I have seen. The kinky/fetishy stuff is mostly idiotic and I avoid it as best as I can, for the most part. (Soul Eater has a little bit of fanservice but it by no means encapsulates the story).

 

I know that a lot of fans of Friendship is Magic lament the fact that this show for children is unable to explore darker elements. I am not sure if I lament with them or if I think it's silly to do so, but I bring this up because anime does not really have that problem - if it wants to be dark, it can be dark without worrying about the children. Anime also doesn't have the problem of other western cartoon aimed toward adults that are simply vulgar for a laugh. Anime can be whatever the heck it wants, because it will make money. Western animators scrutinize more and are less willing to release a cartoon that is aimed towards a more mature audience that isn't simply for comedic purposes. Don't get me wrong, I like my comedy, but it's not the ONLY thing that I like. Sailor Moon made me have a taste in well-rounded shows with action, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy, and fantasy all rolled into one package.

 

Think of anime what you will. It's not going to be everyone's thing. Some anime is stupid, just like some western cartoons are stupid. There's no reason to paint anime with the same brush, so if you are willing and open-minded and have the time, invest in watching the anime that makes you think, that makes you laugh, that makes you cry, and that makes your imagination stretch.

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

Alright.

I am back.

I have watched more anime.

I can see the draw people have to it, but...

It isn't for me though.

The style, the theme, the animation.

It just doesn't draw me.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

*Everything you said.*

You pretty much said everything that needed to be said / could have been said in support of anime (and against generalizing).  Bravo.

[Steel Accord 6,658]

Well which one? That's like saying "opinions on western animation." All of them can have different tones, genres, themes, and art styles. While I would not consider myself an Otaku, I'll look into an anime if I think the concept is cool.

 

That's one I do often find I like about anime, there concepts are usually pretty solid even if the execution doesn't always work.

 

A quick list of the one's I'm fond of:

 

-Fullmetal Alchemist (the original. Brotherhood I find to be sort of "meh.")

 

-Code Geass

 

-Pokemon

 

-Digimon

 

-Cardcaptors

 

-DBZ

 

-Ruroni Kenshin

 

-Inuyasha

 

-The Big O

 

and basically anything by Hayao Miyazaki.

[RockinRarity 1,605]

Well which one? That's like saying "opinions on western animation." All of them can have different tones, genres, themes, and art styles. While I would not consider myself an Otaku, I'll look into an anime if I think the concept is cool.

 

That's one I do often find I like about anime, there concepts are usually pretty solid even if the execution doesn't always work.

 

A quick list of the one's I'm fond of:

 

-Fullmetal Alchemist (the original. Brotherhood I find to be sort of "meh.")

 

-Code Geass

 

-Pokemon

 

-Digimon

 

-Cardcaptors

 

-DBZ

 

-Ruroni Kenshin

 

-Inuyasha

 

-The Big O

 

and basically anything by Hayao Miyazaki.

 

Ooooooooooooo I totally forgot about Code Geass!!

 

Fun fact about that show, for those of you who still think that anime is meh or bad:

 

Code Geass is a mech anime. But it does what other mech animes are not known for doing, and that's, well, making it about more than just giant robots.

 

Now don't me wrong, there are other good mech animes out there and they aren't all literally just about the giant robots. It's just that Code Geass is a mech anime for people who don't care for mech animes because the story is not as surrounded by the mech as it is about, well, the characters and the stories. The mechs are just instruments for battle and elements to the story.

 

One of my favorite anime characters of all time is in that show. Euphemia. [Thinking about her fate in that show still breaks my heart.]

 

Also Code Geass has one of my favorite OPs. I was determined to nail the final part of the song and I can totally sing it. Bwa hahaha.

 

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

Anime is love, anime is life. I've been a fan of it since before I could even read. My walls are covered with anime wallscrolls, and my bookshelves are filled with manga and DVD collections. I even have some anime plushies as well. I find Anime conventions to be pretty much the most enjoyable thing in life, and anime has gotten me very interested in Japanese culture. I binge watch animes, and I cosplay characters. I listen to anime music every day. I also wish to learn Japanese one of these days. 

 

My opinion on this subject is obviously biased since I've been into anime for 15+ years now. It all started out with Digimon, Pokemon, and Yu-gi-oh when I was a little kid. I kind of stopped watching those around age 10, and picked up on Naruto instead. Naruto was a gateway anime for me, and it introduced me to Shonen manga/anime. This started a chain reaction, and peaked my interest in anime. I've been into it ever since. Hell, I just got done watching the new Black Butler episode a little while ago. Anyways, here are some of my favorite animes

 

• Psycho Pass
• Death Note
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
• Black Butler
• Hetalia
• Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood)
• Black Lagoon 
• Puella Magi Madoka Magica
• Welcome to the NHK
• Eden of the East
• Spirited Away (Best Miyazaki movie in my opinion.)

Edited September 5, 2014 by Mikami

[Away 2,077]

This is a very broad question, but as a budding otaku, I feel like giving my opinion anyways. Overall, I like anime and enjoy watching it (at leas the ones I've seen so far).

 

Yes, there are very violent and ecchi anime out there. So what? Some people just happen to enjoy watching that stuff.

[Mutemutt 772]

Yeah, I love it, I can't deny. Liked it even before I knew it was anime. You know, waking up, watching Pokemon, Digimon, Cardcaptors, Sailor Moon, DBZ, so on, so forth. I'm not even sure when I began to think, "oh, this is anime", maybe it was Outlaw Star  . I don't know, those years are such a blur.

 

Anyway, I don't want to type a huge essay on this, so I'll just say that I generally like the art styles (even when they imitate western style as "Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt" (a show of super crude/dirty humor, by the way, but very funny if you're into that stuff)) and the stories or just the humor of some shows. Naturally, not all anime is interesting, same with American cartoons (or just plain old tv series), but there are some good ones here and there (That I won't list, as promised, though I really am tempted to do so). 

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

I can say I am an anime fan, but there are many anime (popular ones at that) that I do not like. My tastes have matured with my age, I prefer very character driven, deep human stories that really make me think about humanity in philosophical ways. I used to enjoy shonen series' back in high school (I was a Naruto fan) but as I went through college, the anime(and that genre in general) began to bore me, and then I turned to the manga, and soon that bored me too.

 

I do like the variety of shows anime offers. If you want a story about anything you can think of, there is probably an anime of it. This is not so with western cartoons (especially philosophically serious anime, can't think of one western cartoon that presents that at a constant rate).

 

However, I do not like the "clones" in anime. For every Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, there are hundreds of copycat shows. Harem is just plain retarded, and there are THOUSANDS of high school romance shows...mostly comedy centric.There are a few shining gems in every common genre, but every one good show, there's hundreds of bad ones to sift through... It gets old....fast....

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I'm not into anime anymore really, it's just so different and boring now. It's not just nostalgia playing a factor, I literally don't get new anime. I grew up like everyone else in the 90s when it came to Pokemon and Toonami. Anime now just seems to sterile and friendly to me. The older anime is gritty and dark. I am actually not pleased with the big three, Naruto, Bleach and One Piece have great concepts but they were faltering in their early stages. DBZ and Yu Yu Hakusho had me from beginning to end.

[Not_active 731]

I hate it...pretty much all I can say. However, I did see some anime shows when I was younger, probably because I only watched one channel and was fine with almost any show, except for "The World of Tosh"...I will never see a second more of that disgusting crap again.

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

I watch about 160 hours hours of anime this past summer season so it's safe to say that I really enjoy it, mostly because its usually more mature and something I can take a little more seriously than shows like My Little Pony.

[ShyPie 164]

I love anime 

 

But, I didn't always 

 

To me anime for the most part, was always that weird Japanese thing that existed on the internet. I didn't have a real understanding of it for most of my young life. Which is quite strange, because when I was young I was absolutely obsessed with cartoons and would watch just about anything. Truth be told I did watch what little anime was on offer on TV when I was young (I loved Pokemon and saw the odd bit of DBZ and Sailor Moon). But because shows like that were ingrained in my mind from when I was a child I associated them as being as part of "normal" cartoons. When I got older like I said I came to see anime as weird thing that weird people on the internet liked. It was full of kids with spiky hair, 14 year old girls with massive breasts and just generally weird stuff that didn't make sense. I thought all of this without ever actually giving it a fair shot. The South Park "anime" episode (Good Times With Weapons) was pretty much what I thought anime was, this over the top ridiculous thing with a really weird animation style.

 

But eventually came the time when I was willing to give anime a shot, and it changed my life forever. At the time I just happened to have some spare points on my then XBL account so I rented a couple of movies, and decided one of them should be an anime. That anime was Ghost In The Shell. Until that point I hadn't watched anything that looked quite so beautiful. I appreciated so much the way the film was made, how it all looked, the really cool story, the philisophical musings/meanings and of course the haunting score. I actually got a bit teary eyed at one point because of how wonderfully everything came together in this scene:

 

[media]

[\media]

 

Still one of my all time favourite films. Anyway, I decided to get more into it, discovering the world of Miyazaki and Ghibli, then watching my first proper anime series: Death Note. That completely blew my mind  Suddenly I was watching anything and everything, I simply couldn't get enough anime and it's stuck with me ever since.

 

What is it I love about anime? Well, for one thing I felt that it really offered a lot of different outlooks on things. Whether those were different takes on character types, how stories evolved, moral and cultural outlooks. Just tapping into a way of thinking that I wasn't used to seeing at the time. The animation I previously thought to be weird, suddenly looked wonderful. I could appreciate it more now. I think it continues to look even better when all we see in terms of Hollywood animation is the same tired CGI style. And the differences you notice in the "directing" of the animation is very interesting too, at least for me. I feel anime likes to spend more time admiring the beauty of what it's created and fully utilising the art of animation in comparison to most Western animation, and even live action stuff.

 

Anime is something I think I'll always have with me, to some degree, at this point in my life. Obviously not all anime is good, not all anything ever is, there's varying degrees. But even then, I still feel that anime is there offering me things I know I'm not going to get anywhere else.

[Darker 1,351]

First off, I hate the way anime looks.

The spiky hair and the fact the nose is about the size of a marble.

Also the eyes are way too big.

That applies mostly to anime girls though.

Second, strong violence, sexual themes, and gory content seem to be abundant within the fandom.

Third, I can NEVER understand the f***ing storyline.

Lastly, The fanboys... do I even have to go into detail about that one?

 

1.You know, early anime and manga's styles were inspired by early Disney movies, that's why the eyes are so goddamn big.

The spiky hair is part of the design, and there isn't that much in most anime. Hell, i'm not even that much into anime and I know that.

2.Things in Japan don't work the same way as in other countries. Death Note is a brutal show, with lots of gore and violence. In Japan it's for children. Once you find some japanese commercials and the way they catch octopuses there you'll realize Japan is 20% weirder than most countries.

3.The storylines are mmostly the same nowadays. They aren't based on one story per episode, it's an entire arc/story separated in all episodes.

4.Honestly, otakus are not even half as annoying in the internet as bronies have been in their 4 years of existence.