Animation What Is Your Opinion On Anime Facial Expressions?

[Cyrus Summers 34]

It just kinda go everywhere : /. Its never fluid.
I mean they raise eyebrows, their pupils are usually too big to show any emotions. But there is like no legit facial expressions. The only series that actually manages to do it right is Naruto, and even so not all like that series. I have literally never seen seen much series trying to express actual emotion. Well Hunter X Hunter 2011 is kinda good but even then it sorta struggles.

[The Wife of Hawks 16,638]

@@Cyrus Summers

As this thread currently stands, it is more of a statement than anything else. Therefore, I have altered its title to give it more proper presentation.

[Barpy 2,221]

i think its because to make animation easier

[Ruthborn 54]

Well, I disagree with your whole "they don't portray any emotion" statement.

 

My only advise is, watch more anime; there are different art styles, made by different people at different time periods, using different technologies. Saying all of anime does not portray emotion is like saying all of live action is boring; its generalising and is just begging for a Quibble Pants to pop up and throw a list of examples that they feel dispels your theory in a manner that may upset you.

[Discordian 5,987]

I heavily disagree with the idea that they can't express emotion. In fact, part of what makes cartoon characters as lovable as they are is often because their faces either aren't restricted by biology or use different kinds of cues to show emotions. If you aren't seeing the emotions you aren't looking hard enough. Emotions on animated faces are very distinct.

 

It's often easier to express emotions because of this. There's actually a whole science to it. The less realistic a face, the easier it is to convey a thought, emotion or idea. Different kinds of shapes also come into play.

[Honeysuckle 134]

they're like caricatures they're over the top and exaggerated, i love it

[cmarston1 5,741]

I am perfectly fine with them, seeing as how I am a fan of anime.

[Light of Night 331]

 

 

 

 

 

Not a whole lot of expression?

 

But in my opinion, it, a lot of times, gets the message across about how a person is feeling.  Unless of course one of their traits is that they're stoic, expressionless, or otherwise hard to faze.  Or the person is putting on a persona to make people think they feel one thing when really they feel another.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Light of Night

[Anneal 2,136]

 

 

 

 

 

Not a whole lot of expression?

 

But in my opinion, it, a lot of times, gets the message across about how a person is feeling.  Unless of course one of their traits is that they're stoic, expressionless, or otherwise hard to faze.  Or the person is putting on a persona to make people think they feel one thing when really they feel another.

 

Also, that's just one art style; every manga artist will draw their works in very different styles, just like western comics. This sheet in particular would probably be something you see in a shonen manga; shojo tend have more rounded eyes and childlike appearances (think Natsume Yuujinchou or Ouran Koukou Host Club). 

 

And each decade manga/ anime tends to have very different appearances as well. 90s anime usually has characters with narrow, flat eyes (or have slightly rounded eyes with definite sides) and sharp angled faces, like what you would see in Cowboy Bebop or Neon Genesis Evangelion. This kind of generalizes it (a bit):

 

 

 

 

 

 

But yeah, I'm rambling a bit. I watch a lot of comedy and slice of life anime and read manga of similar genres. Nichijou's and Lucky Star's art style really gets to me, though; they're both very simple and a bit chibi but surprisingly good to look at. 

[Concerned Bystander 2,760]

Japan has bad animation as well as good animation, exactly the same as every other country.  But to suggest that the entire Japanese animation industry can't draw facial expressions is a fairly ridiculous statement.  I won't go into spinning off a massive list of examples of good animation, just assume that the list consists of a great many films and series that you probably haven't seen.  On top of that, you need to bear in mind that Japan is a very different country to America (assuming that you're American, apologies if you're not) and that unless you are Japanese there are a lot of specifically Japanese cultural cues that you will be missing.

[Light of Night 331]

@,

 

That is true.  My current style kind of derives from Puella Magi and Lucky Star.  My previous style was more similar to that nineties look you have there, though I was watching a lot of Higurashi at the time.

[Anneal 2,136]

@,

 

That is true.  My current style kind of derives from Puella Magi and Lucky Star.  My previous style was more similar to that nineties look you have there, though I was watching a lot of Higurashi at the time.

I've watched some pretty gory seinen before, though it doesn't really get to me very well and at times I just find it distasteful. Some tend to overuse certain archetypes and tropes...but I do appreciate their artwork. 

 

 

Japan has bad animation as well as good animation, exactly the same as every other country.  But to suggest that the entire Japanese animation industry can't draw facial expressions is a fairly ridiculous statement.  I won't go into spinning off a massive list of examples of good animation, just assume that the list consists of a great many films and series that you probably haven't seen.  On top of that, you need to bear in mind that Japan is a very different country to America (assuming that you're American, apologies if you're not) and that unless you are Japanese there are a lot of specifically Japanese cultural cues that you will be missing.

 

Yeah, it gets a bit irritating when anime/manga/Japanese light novel fans and western animation/comic fans clash against each other. It turns into endless, maddening drama of "you can't appreciate Asian culture and content" and "you can't appreciate western work weeb". 

[Light of Night 331]

 

 

it doesn't really get to me very well and at times I just find it distasteful.

 

Eh, yeah.  It's part of the reason why I grew to dislike later versions of Corpse Party.

 

 

 

it gets a bit irritating when anime/manga/Japanese light novel fans and western animation/comic fans clash against each other.

 

Somehow, I'm not surprised. 

[cuteycindyhoney 11,685]

I have been an anime fan for years. One of the things I like about anime is the depiction of emotion through facial expression. It seems far more detailed and fluid than most western animation. I don't mean to sound harsh, but why do so many fans use Naruto as their benchmark of what defines quality in anime? Frankly, I didn't think much of it at all.

[Concerned Bystander 2,760]

 

 

I don't mean to sound harsh, but why do so many fans use Naruto as their benchmark of what defines quality in anime? Frankly, I didn't think much of it at all.

 

People will generally use either whatever is big at the time, or their own personal favourite as their benchmark for these sort of things.  Hence the reason that things like Death Note and Attack on Titan get thrown around so much.  I've always viewed Akira as my benchmark, it was after all the first film to bring anime into the mainstream in the west.  Incidentally, it also had plenty of good facial expressions going on.

[Foxy Socks 2,579]

I do think the opposite. Sometimes they can over exaggerate their expressions to show too much emotion. I don't watch it much though, (I really only watch Naruto) but I have glanced at others on occasion and kind of look annoying.

 

I am definitely not going to stereotype their style into one, as there are many. I do find when they often do the huge expressions or something like that annoying if it is used too often.

 

Though Rock Lee is still awesome despite being the best example of that.

 

http://cached.static.festy.jp/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTYvMDMvMjQvMTUvMDkvMTEvMjE5L0IzY25feTBDWUFBTHo3aC5qcGciXSxbInAiLCJ0aHVtYiIsIjYyMHgiXV0?sha=4206acdd0bb6d693

Edited August 12, 2016 by Namae

[Discordian 5,987]

Also, that's just one art style; every manga artist will draw their works in very different styles, just like western comics. This sheet in particular would probably be something you see in a shonen manga; shojo tend have more rounded eyes and childlike appearances (think Natsume Yuujinchou or Ouran Koukou Host Club). 

 

And each decade manga/ anime tends to have very different appearances as well. 90s anime usually has characters with narrow, flat eyes (or have slightly rounded eyes with definite sides) and sharp angled faces, like what you would see in Cowboy Bebop or Neon Genesis Evangelion. This kind of generalizes it (a bit):

 

 

 

 

 

 

But yeah, I'm rambling a bit. I watch a lot of comedy and slice of life anime and read manga of similar genres. Nichijou's and Lucky Star's art style really gets to me, though; they're both very simple and a bit chibi but surprisingly good to look at.

Personally I think comedy anime are the best for facial expressions. There's always a large variety of faces to be had. You can look at three different comedies and they'll all have different faces for different situations.

[cider float 2,519]

It's not like people really change their facial expressions a lot in real life or to much distortion.

 

Not sure why people have such a problem with it when nobody in real life changes their faces as much as say Spongebob does.

Edited August 12, 2016 by cider float

[Teavvi 625]

I think they make the anime show better. Lots of facial expressions can be good.

[cuteycindyhoney 11,685]

People will generally use either whatever is big at the time, or their own personal favourite as their benchmark for these sort of things.  Hence the reason that things like Death Note and Attack on Titan get thrown around so much.  I've always viewed Akira as my benchmark, it was after all the first film to bring anime into the mainstream in the west.  Incidentally, it also had plenty of good facial expressions going on.

Oddly, my benchmark isn't a good example of facial expression. "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" featured excellent animation, but by the very nature of some of the characters, (Cyborgs) was very light on expression.

[Anneal 2,136]

I have been an anime fan for years. One of the things I like about anime is the depiction of emotion through facial expression. It seems far more detailed and fluid than most western animation. I don't mean to sound harsh, but why do so many fans use Naruto as their benchmark of what defines quality in anime? Frankly, I didn't think much of it at all.

 

To be fair, long-term anime series tend to be great examples of anime art evolution. Any anime that has lasted for at least two seasons would tell you how much the art style has changed over time. Same thing goes out for anime that has more than ten volumes. 

 

Just look at this:

 

Hunter x Hunter in the manga is extremely obvious. The first few volumes look very crudely drawn, and the later ones are visibly detailed and a bit more seinen-styled. 

[Discordian 5,987]

It's particularly easy to see in manga. Looking at Negima from the first to final volume you notice little things like how the eyes got much bigger later on (which really makes the faces very shapely) and the characters look much less spindly for how much physical activity they get.

[碇 シンジン 27,379]

Depends on anime I think the use of expressions in the Monogatari series is beautiful for example but some others barely utilize them

[TBD 15,839]

I don't mind facial expressions, as long they don't do it inconvenient time or overdoing it.

[Bo-setsu 26]

Expression in anime and manga are often hyper-exaggerated, in the style that anime has (same as how Looney-toons has their own unique style of squashing and stretching proportions to make them more rubbery and cartoony). It depends on who's drawing; some facial expressions can go beyond just one default style, and an artist can portray many different types of expressions and character designs. However, some artists can get stuck drawing the same face to many different characters (Rumiko Takahashi comes to mind). It just depends on the anime you watch or the manga you read, but personally, I think that cartoony or stylized expression are far more enjoyable to read and look at. Very rarely can realistic anatomy capture me as quickly and easily as cartoons can.