Mugetsu Ookamiza
Suko_Elric
Mugetsu Ookamiza
furthermore there is no "anime style." anime uses multiple styles and about the only thing most anime has in common is the fact they make it fast and cheap compared to western made animation.
the whole idea that anime is better and more mature than western made cartoons comes from non-Japanese anime fans trying to make themselves look better and their attempts to prove Japanese animation is inherently better than western animation with a bunch of false assumptions and hyperbole they start taking more seriously than they should as well as presenting a few seinen anime examples as if they're the norm rather than the exception.
While I agree with the majority of what you said. The above is what I take [very slight] issue with. First off, I believe the term "anime style" refers to the basic similarities in animation styles between various shows in the genre. For example, when I say I draw "anime style" I mean that my character's eyes look a certain way as well as her proportions and/ or the expression she may have on her face. In my opinion it is easy to tell anime from Western cartoons/ animation quickly by looking at the eyes, proportions, or exaggerated expressions. From that, I get anime style.
As far as the next paragraph, I don't appreciate the generalization. Some of us don't know about any anime aimed at a particularly young audience. Most of the anime we watch IS aimed at a more mature demographic, while a lot of Western animation that we are exposed to is aimed at a younger demographic. When I say that anime tends to be for older or more mature people, I say it because that is my personal experience, not because I want it to "make myself look better".
P.S. Don't take offense. I just don't like when people make negative generalizations [especially when I am included in that generalization
sweatdrop ]
all I'm saying there is there is no singular anime style. I will admit certain demographic/genre combinations often follow stylistic stereotypes, but that still validates what I said, that there is no anime style, but rather multiple styles used in anime. even at that, can it clearly be established that all things with similar demographic/genre elements are all the same style? say, Hellsing, Madoka Magica, and Kemonozume, three seinen titles with darker themes to them?
and I was pretty much pointing out there that most anime IS for kids by Japanese standards. quite frankly, until your at the age of majority in Japan (20, IIRC) you're still pretty much considered a kid culturally. and due to cultural differences sometimes something that would be more mature here is actually for a younger Japanese audience than you'd expect. you'd be surprised how many anime fans I've seen trying to go on about how "adult" their favorite title is are saying that about a title that originated in a weekly shonen manga magazine (weekly shonen magazines tend to either aim at the younger half of the shonen demographic or the demographic as a whole, while monthly shonen magazines tend to aim at the older half of the shonen demographic).
I will admit that in North America at least there's not as much animation aimed at teens, most animation here is aimed at little kids or is "family friendly" with a small smattering of stuff aimed at adults, but it's a cultural thing on how animation demographics evolved here compared to in Japan. it's also of note there's been a growing number of animated western titles aimed at teens too, however.
but I will admit I made that statement more black and white than I intended it to be. it was mainly started by people trying to make their anime hobby seem more mature, some of them even had enough knowledge of anime that they should know better than to make the claims they spouted. then people who didn't know any better took it to be truth and it just kind of spiraled out of control. kind of like the whole thing with people claiming subs are always better than dubs, only with less initial justification for the wankery that developed.
When I said that, I was speaking from an American standpoint. Anime is marketed to an older audience HERE. I can't speak for Japan because I don't live there and have not observed their culture closely enough to make a sure generalization. The anime we get our hands on is typically more mature, in some way, shape, or form, than the cartoons that come out of America.
When I say anime style, I am referring strictly to the animation style, not the content of the show. Visual markers that someone could use to quickly tell if a show or an image is from an anime without needing to watch for an extended period of time or have audio in order to determine either voice actors (American, Japanese, or any other nationality). When I say that I draw anime style, I mean that her eyes are the same type as the majority of anime characters, her proportions might be a bit off compared to a normal sketch of a person, and she might be making some anime-esque facial expression, like
sweatdrop or
stressed .
Everything I say I back up with my own personal experience and observations in real life. (Besides, some people might not realize Pokemon or Hello Kitty are anime. I didn't realize it until I was 14, mainly because I was focusing on other things, like school. It hadn't occurred to me that these things I grew up around weren't made here, but in Japan. So what I am saying FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE AND NOTHING ELSE is that some people don't notice these things, especially with Hello Kitty. That show doesn't even use the typical anime-style eyes that I use to determine whether or not a show is anime (along with other methods, but this is usually the fastest way for me to tell.).
I hope this helps you understand more of what I'm saying.
