movies/tv What Do You Like About Anime?

[Odyssey 5,717]

One thing that I've always wanted to try and get into is anime. I'm a massive fan of western animated cartoons, so of course anime would be my kind of thing. Except no matter how much I try, it just doesn't appeal to me... the reason I just can't get into it is because it's either way too crass, too surreal or how it never takes things seriously. Now don't get me wrong, I know not all anime is like this, and I am a fan of the Studio Ghibli films. But the fact that most anime focuses on such odd things kind of... puts me off.

 

But that being said, I still am open-minded and would love to at least be a fan of just one anime. So because of that, I want to ask you a question to you all! What do you like about anime? What is it that you find most appealing? Is it the characters or the stories you like about it? I'd love to know.

Edited July 10, 2015 by Odyssey

[Megas 27,760]

Probably just me, but I love how anime(or most things Japan in general) can be so over the top, often to the point where you think "how is this a thing?"

[Alto 437]

story is more complex than most western cartoons

you have more genres and titles to choose from ~ slice of life,action, romance comedy etc

 

not to mention the visual eye candy when they have battles and combat

 

and i watch a lot of anime that has alot of darker themes that you can just find in western cartoons

Edited July 10, 2015 by Alto

[GeekySonic 1,150]

It's hard to explain for me. I'm not that really into anime in and of itself, but I do like anime that have interesting storylines or other appealing traits that you'd expect from any other product.

 

For example, I like the older Pokemon for its humor, and I like Gundam Wing because it's a badass sci-fi war series.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,303]

It's gotten harder nowadays to find really good anime.  A lot of them explore the same themes or are seemingly riding a trend, and a lot of them are more filler than story (or more fanservice than substance).

 

But the anime I have most enjoyed usually had some combination of the following: 1. A compelling story, 2. likable and / or well-designed characters, 3. an interesting world / setting, 4. quality animation, 5. some measure of fun / a sense of humor.

 

I'd recommend the following, in particular:

1. Dragon Ball Z (does what it does well, did it before a lot of others)

2. Death Note

3. Darker Than Black

4. Outlaw Star (maybe skip the obligatory but largely pointless hot spring episode - or don't, if you look forward to those xD )

5. Trigun

6. Azumanga Daioh

7. Angel Beats

 

Granted, a couple of my favorite series were almost entirely serious: "Darker Than Black" and "Death Note."  The former was deliberate.  Slow-paced.  Action was largely kept to a minimum, not too much was revealed too fast, and you appreciated the story.  The latter was brilliantly different and brilliantly constructed; a suspenseful, intelligent cat-and-mouse game with some fundamental supernatural elements.  "Dragon Ball Z" emphasized action, but it did action well.  It also has memorable characters and Toriyama's standout art style.  "Azumanga Daioh" was a light-hearted comedy with unique (albeit not-at-all super powerful or magical) characters; it concentrated on humor and character interactions.  "Trigun" and "Outlaw Star" were fun.  Had a wild west meets outer space kind of feel to them (with "Trigun" leaning quite a bit harder in the wild west direction).  Quality animation, interesting characters, and solid action.  "Angel Beats" was surprising and poignant.  Despite the seemingly typical, goofy anime name.  I can't say too much about it other than that you should watch it.

[Discordian 6,015]

It's very visually appealing. That's probably as shallow as it sounds but many of us love the way it looks.

 

The over-the-top bullshit is kind of exactly what I like about anime. Some people say there's no good anime because it's all fanservicey, or more specifically following a pretty shallow trend...but I'd argue you're watching those anime for the wrong reasons. If you're not into the fanservice then anime like that aren't gonna appeal to you much. I loves me some fanservice so it doesn't bother me and sometimes it's the sole reason I enjoy it.

 

Other times, even when fanservice isn't taken into account, you can get some pretty wild anime. They don't bother to try to make sense. Anime humor is more out-of-nowhere than most western cartoons and that's exactly the appeal of it. Some are more successful than others, of course.

 

Also, facial expressions. A lot of anime's greatest moments, both comedic and serious, are amplified by the great range of facial expressions they have.

 

As with anyone else there's as many reasons to watch anime as there is people who watch it. Gotta find your thing and watch as many anime as possible. Learn to ignore the things you dislike or don't care about and find things you like about it.

 

And find people to talk to about what you see. Find other perspectives that could help you see anime the way we do, rather than as an outsider. (For lack of a better term)

[Troblems 5,619]

If you enjoyed the Studio Ghibli stuff, you might consider watching Mushishi, Paprika and The Girl who Leapt through Time. Particularly the last two have the same whimsical feeling to them. To be fair, if you've watched any Pokemon outside the gaming (both video and card) or manga then you've already been exposed to it.

 

As for what I enjoy, I'd probably have to say the sheer amount of what's available. I'm not big into sci-fi, and most "sci-fi" in anime is usually just space magic. There are exceptions to that, but it's a there will always be exceptions to every rule.

 

I don't care for fan service. I don't want to see a cartoon chicks boobs, and their figures are unrealistic and unappealing. I love me a good, strong female lead.

 

Aside from Pokemon, my first real anime was Fruits Basket. It's adorable, but it's a basic high school drama with some comedy thrown in. The manga got quite dark towards the end, but a lot of those elements didn't make it into the show. Another really fun high school romp is Ouran High School Host Club.

 

As for appealing to a wider audience the two big names right now are Attack on Titan (which is very gory, be warned should you consider watching it) and the first half of season one of Sword Art Online. The second half is dumb and trivializes the awesome female lead who was so built up in the first half.

 

If you enjoy the Persona games, there are two anime for 4, the original release and the Golden release. There's also Danganronpa, which is another murder mystery, albeit a lot bloodier. Also a game if you have a Vita.

 

Of course I always have to talk up my three favorites.

Black Butler - A Victorian era 12 year old baron seeks to protect the queen and seek revenge on those who killed his parents, while he is protected by a contract with a demon butler who will eat his soul once his parents are avenged. Dark humor abounds.

ToraDora! - A high school romance that has actual character development! This one hits right in the feels, and is quite funny.

B Gata H Kei: Yamada's First Time - Admittedly this one starts as pure fan service as the main character seeks 100 lays before she graduates high school. The problem with that is she's never even kissed a guy. Absolutely hilarious from beginning to end.

 

My best advice to you would be take all the names of the anime suggested in this thread, and read about them. Make notes of what interests you, and start with those.

[Shift 4,272]

Well, for me, it's just the impact it can have on a single person, or the hidden messages that it might have. And... well, i'll admit that anime is pretty hot at times. But it's really the title of anime that you watch that dictates how you feel about anime as a whole. I also like how the characters develop after time.

 

Yes, there is a lot of weird anime shit out there. God knows KYM has tainted me so much by reminding me about it. But then again... there's some great anime, and even anime video games out that that are masterpieces. I also like the general anime art style, so that helps. Except when it gets too... chibi. Ugh, I can't stand chibi. But it digress. I just... really like anime because of how well some of 'em can pull off weird shit and make me ignore it or actually like it.

 

Since other people have put lists down, I guess I will too, but just a few.

 

1. Kill la Kill - Made by the ever famous Trigger, who is a company made up by Gainax's geniuses. If you don't know who Gainax is, they're a famous anime-producing company that is well known for three things; deep messages that delve into the view of the human spirit and life's struggles in general, unbelievable angst like any other, and super hot bewb ladies. Kill la Kill is highly revered for pulling off each of these three things at the same time. Anyway. Kill la Kill is about young, 17-year-old girl Ryuko Matoi who is searching for her father's killer, wielding a red scissor blade as a memento. She's also searching for the other half, which her father's killer has. She eventually makes her way to a completely controlling, dystopian-like academy led by the domineering Satsuki Kiruyin and her student council. The academy dictates over the entire town, seperating the rich from the poor. Ryuko, who quickly comes to the conclusion that Satsuki killed her father, vows to tear down her and the student council's dictatorship. In her angst, she eventually stumbles upon a creatre known as a Kamui. Kamui are outfits that you put on (That can talk!), and eat your blood. After eating their wearers blood they transform into an INCREDIBLY skimpy outfit that grants the wearer extreme powers. Ryuko, with her Kamui, attends the academy to get revenge on Satsuki for supposedly killing her father, while tearing down the dictatorship too.

 

Yeah.

 

2. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - Made by Gainax too, considered their masterpiece. Well, this or Evangelion. Anyway, a young miner called Simon drills holes every day, expanding their underground village, but it's seriously dull work and he wants to see more of the world, but doubts it'll happen. His 'big bro', or best friend, Kamina (Y'know, the 'don't believe in yourself, believe in the me who believes in you' guy?), dreams of going to the surface and becoming a hero that the legends speak of. After a robot attack, they escape to the surface with the help a hijacked mecha head and bikini-wearing, massive rifle-donning chick called Yoko. Kamina hijacks a mecha body, and finds out that this guy called Lordgenome is sending the mechas out to drive humans underground for mysterious reasons. Kamina, Simon, and Yoko decide that's stupid and go on an epic, over-the-top mecha adventure to stop Lordgenome, with the last two episodes of the series taking up 40% of Gainax's budget.

 

3. Madoka Magica - SHAFT's take on magical girls! Madoka, Sayaka, and Hitomi are three middle schoolers who lead a rather dull and generic life. Sayaka and Hitomi are attracted to this one guy called Kyosuke, but neither are aware of the attraction at first, and Madoka is there to help them out and work out any differences. However, one day, after a night of strange dreams, Madoka meets a cat called Kyubey that is being pursued by a mysterious, emotionless lady called Homura. Kyubey says that he can make Madoka a magical girl in exchange for one wish. Magical girls fight off these things called witches, and save the population from dying, and after seeing it first hand via a magical girl called Mami, Madoka and Sayaka both want to be one. However, the girl called Homura is extremely adamant about stopping Madoka from becoming a magical girl for reasons unknown. To make matters worse, a red-headed, foul mouthed, obviously best magical girl called Kyoko steps in and starts causing trouble. I honestly suggest that everyone at least go up to episode 3-4 of this anime, it's extremely good and I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Jeremiah 1,586]

Everything.

Everything.

Everything.

The man candy.

 

story is more complex than most western cartoons

you have more genres and titles to choose from ~ slice of life,action, romance comedy etc

 

not to mention the visual eye candy when they have battles and combat

 

and i watch a lot of anime that has alot of darker themes that you can just find in western cartoons

Hell yeah! I second all of these statments! Anime is the best...while other anime not so much.

[Biggybrony 244]

I like the sharp lines and bright and bold colours. Where story and themes are concerned, anime can't do anything that can't be done in live-action. Anime is a style, not a genre. If you ask me if I like anime then I have to ask if it's action, drama, thriller, romance, comedy, etc. The fact that it's anime is second to the actual content.

[Finia 260]

You know the stupid stuff in anime. Yeah that . Thats my stuff.

[Espurr 449]

Have you tried Fairy Tail? Or Soul Eater?

 

See, Anime is just another way to watch cartoons. I watch Pokémon (Pokémon fan here) and I like Fairy Tail too (which I recommend) and lots of others. So far, I've only seen four shows that are Anime so I think it depends on what Anime you decide to start watching. I've always watched Pokémon, but I've always wanted to get into the some of the more known Anime like Fairy Tail, so I tried it and liked it. It kind of just depends. (I suppose.)

 

And if you don't like it, then you don't like it and there isn't anything you can do to change that. Good Luck!

[Cool Shades 34]

Everything is cool about them, not only do you get to learn good few words or two, but the shows are awesome. here are a few i have completed:

 

- Trigun

- DBZ

- Gundam Series

- Clannad

- Accel World

Edited July 11, 2015 by Cool Shades

[Alex Z 848]

Animation, Story, Writing and best of all, Sexy Women.

[Tao 7,925]

I think its how the plot or pace out the story but also at times when they use their highly rich folklore and history.    It was also the many styles we see that caught me off my side and also have females as main heros?   Back in the 90's we did not have many cartoons with a good strong female lead or side in which we see in anime/manga.   Along in many ways is they put in a good balance of humor to keep the story going and the drama which also if the story is long,  we got to see the main cannons well change and evolve!

[Frostgage 7,976]

I don't really differentiate from anime and western animation. I just like animated shows better in general, and cartoons (with plots) aimed at teens/adults just don't exist over here.