New poll; anime as cartoons?

Paul

Paul

Ghost of Animes
Administrator
It's new poll time and this week, we're asking you if you see anime as cartoons. Many fans are torn by the technical definition of the word "cartoon" and the meaning it often implies (especially in the US and Europe), so be sure to vote (and if you have the time, make your opinions known on <a href="http://forums.animeuknews.net/">our forums</a> too).

Our last poll had asked if you felt there were too many anime DVDs being released in the UK. 92 votes were eventually collected and 4.35% felt there were indeed too many anime DVDs flooding UK shop sheleves. On the other hand, 42.39% thought there weren't enough by far while the majority (53.26%) decided there is just about the perfect amount.
 
Whilst it's certainly true that a lot of anime doesn't fit the definition of a cartoon, it's worth noting that even fewer anime shows actually fit the definition of an anime. I don't object to using the word "cartoon" to describe anime because it tend to be used (at least by me) to just mean "animation" rather than anything else.

Besides, a lot of what I watch is pretty cartoony anyway. I don't think of cartoons as being a bad thing.
 
Yup, anime is animation there for i think of it as a cartoon, just because I think of it as a cartoon doesnt make me enjoy it any less.
 
True, technically anime=cartoon, I usually just think of it as a subset of cartoons (that is, when I do give it thought, most of the time I'm just content to watch what I like and leave it at that.)
 
i know it sounds Bill Clinton-esque but it sdepends on your definition of 'cartoon'. that word means to me 'comical' animation that's intended for children, eg. the old Warner Bros or Disney shorts such as Tom and Jerry and Mickey Mouse. in that sense, stuff like Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh!, but the manic vibe of Excel Saga and Abenobashi gives them a cartoony image even though the humour is aimed more at adults. serious anime (the majority of the stuff i own) comes across as intelligent entertainment rather than a mere cartoon. oddly, i never think of Ghibli films as cartoons despite their family-friendly nature simply because they are works of art.
 
Concrete badger said:
oddly, i never think of Ghibli films as cartoons despite their family-friendly nature simply because they are works of art.
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I don't see why a cartoon can't be a work of art. Then again there's always a great deal of trouble in defining what counts as art and what doesn't. It hardly helps that I'm none too fond of most of what's generally considered to be artistic anyway ... but that's beside the point.

But really, why do you say "mere" cartoon? Why is a cartoon such a bad thing?
 
I can't believe you guys, you label anime as cartoons simply because its animated?? Well, what about Wallice and Grommit? That is animation, but of a different kind and certinly wouldnt be classed as a cartoon. The same goes for CG animations like Toy Story, Shrek and the such like. Just because they are animated dosent mean they are cartoons, it is a different art form altogether, and so is anime.
Cartoons are aimed at children, no? People think of anime as cartoons, so they alow their children to watch them, then find out that it is not suitable for them, and then complain. And thus the bad rep for anime happens. Granted there are anime specifically aimed at children, but because of the rep, people wont give anime a chance.
And THAT is why i hate anime being labled as cartoons.

Rant over.
 
Well i just don't know, i thought anime was cartoons but when i really think about it i don't know. Anime is most defiantly animation but what i was doing was thinking that animation also equals chartoon but i'm not sure it does. Really i don't have an answer, i guess i will see what other people put forward about this and then try and make up my mind
 
Guyver said:
I can't believe you guys, you label anime as cartoons simply because its animated??
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Well, no. But it is a particular kind of animation. It's hand drawn animation, for which I use the word "cartoon". (Well, it continues to look hand drawn, irrespective of how far technology may change the actual process.)

Guyver said:
Cartoons are aimed at children, no?
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Er ... no. To take an obvious example, political cartoons are definitely aimed squarely at adults. Besides I'm saying that anime are cartoons, and some of those are are certainly for adults.

Guyver said:
People think of anime as cartoons, so they alow their children to watch them, then find out that it is not suitable for them, and then complain.
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I hardly think the root cause for people letting their children watch inappropriate material (whatever one might mean by that) is the word used to describe it. Irresponsible parents will let their kids watch films and play games as well, so I don't think the word "cartoon" is to blame.
 
Sorry to use the same quote:

Cartoons are aimed at children, no?
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No not nescerally, a few examples are:
Family Guy
Ren & Stimpy
Futurama
Aqua Teen hunger Force
Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law
South Park

The list goes on...
 
I also feel the word cartoon is inappropriate when used to describe anime. In my head, regardless of definition, "cartoon" immediately conjures up images of Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry.

Like-wise, I feel when someone uses "cartoon" to describe anime, they are dumbing it down to be something intended for children. A lot of it depends on our personal experiences with the word, but since anime has only been a notable force in the Western world for a few decades, I assume it's a word that can mean different things to multiple generations. A fun little quirk of the English language.
 
I prefer to make a distinction between anime and cartoons , while im certainly not going to lose any sleep over others calling anime cartoons , I feel there is a difference.
I rarely ever have enjoyed any non Japanese animated shows, with a few exceptions like Disney movies , earliar episodes of the Simpsons. When I was younger I didnt enjoy animated things much either.

However , since getting into anime itself , I love it , a great deal. I associate anime with deep plots , likable charecters , adult themes ... basically everything I felt was missing from shows ive seen that are made in the US. I also find the general style and look of anime far more enjoyable to watch than American cartoons , which is why I like to make distinctions between the two.
 
If someone asks me 'what is anime?' Id say it is a unique feature of animation from Japan. A cartoon is not the way to properly sum up anime, it's just so much more then a cartoon.
 
I think the insistence of modern anime fandom to cling to a label that distinguishes Japanese animation from Western animation, either American, British, French, German or any other, is one of the major hurdles the artform has when it comes to breaking into the mainstream.

People still see anime as violent pornography, even when it's not, and to get rid of that stigma, we need to lose the distinguishing label.

"Anime" is seen as a genre name, when in reality there's every type of story you could want somewhere in anime. The problem with the perception of anime as a "genre" is that there's then an assumption that it's all the same - and when the ambassador for anime in the UK is Urotsukidoji, that's a bad thing.
 
aniki said:
People still see anime as violent pornography, even when it's not, and to get rid of that stigma, we need to lose the distinguishing label.
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Thats what most people believe if I say I like anime, there like wow a girl who likes porn! :evil: Why are people so...misinformed.
 
These last few posts were what i was trying to say, but couldnt think of how to say it at the time.
People really need to see that anime is not, as Aniki put it, a genre of animation but more of an art style. And untill people realise this, anime will, in this country at least, be seen as violent pornographical cartoons, which quite frankly really pisses me off. Man people are ignorant.
 
aniki said:
People still see anime as violent pornography, even when it's not, and to get rid of that stigma, we need to lose the distinguishing label.
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As evidenced by the dictionary definition. I'd rather watch cartoons than violent sci-fi pornography.
 
Colin said:
Well, no. But it is a particular kind of animation. It's hand drawn animation, for which I use the word "cartoon". (Well, it continues to look hand drawn, irrespective of how far technology may change the actual process.)
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This was the way I was thinking of it too; in principle there's no reason why western 'cartoons' (defined as the animation type rahter than the content) could not encompass many genres as well, however they've principally been used for children's shows and comedy which is now what we associate them with.

Anyway, this Beginner's Guide to anime summarises what's been said here quite nicely.
 
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