people like anime?

i'm a girl, i'm almost 14 years old and i love anime. one of my friends was like the one to open that door. now see were i'm from amime is a nerds thing and i have to say that is BS you know why... well the popular ppl were talking about the o.c. like the way my friends and me would talk about something like Gundam Seed or Wicth Hunter Robin. We don't say they'er o.c. nerds now do we and it was like they knew everything about the carictures and have seen almost evey epi.
so anyway some of my friends are all like "I could never find one i liked" one of my friends even sacared herself by reading on of those really wierd mangas anyhow i was all like come on there is an anime and/or manga for everyone like one of my guy friends likes transformers (NERD lol)and i'm like you would love Gundam (any of them) if you like fantsy what about Inuasha? or the evergoing .hack siers wicth the seting is a mideval rpg game... you like conspieris and guns Ghost in the shell is highly recomanded with it's complex plots and bloody seans hey if you like a short read manga is good they have huge silection a you finger tips at any book store the only thing i hate is that manga can cost anywhere fro $13 to $20 Canadien that's like $10-$18 US (i gussed) and most movies and tv shows on dvd ar like $30(can) YOU SEE THE FUSTRATION!!!! and in canada we have YTV to siply our only anime and what do the y have??? Inuyasha, Gundam seed, Full Metail Alcimest, Ghost in the shell:stand alone complex there puting on bleach and the ues to have Wicht hunter robin and .Hack//SIGN
so i like my anime not enof here too exspens it's not fare i want to vent out and as you can see this hole post was me venting (what eles is new) see i start talking about something i love and it turns in to a vent about how there isn't enof or how ppl think it's wierd
ASH

"Good artwork" is definately not the reason. Being an artist, I see plenty of different animations and know quality. Also, Japanese animation is often "stiffer" than American animation. Most US animations use about 24 frames per second while in Japanese animations, theres always scenes with a character standing still and nothing but their mouth moving.

I personally like anime myself, but not to an obsessed extent (though, in the past I was VERY obsessed with Digimon). I think the reason why it is popular is because:
1. It's different.
2. It focuses in another culture besides our own.
3. A lot of the plots are random or completely fantasy.

I have seen many anime that are just completely out there and just plain impossible. Take FuriKuri for example. Many people like watching fantasies because those things cannot happen in real life.

Concerning otaku:
Let me start off by the definition of an otaku that I was given by a Japanese woman a few weeks ago while in Japan:
"A boy that is obsessed with anime, manga, and electronics. They are very sloppy and always carry a huge backpack. They are afraid of girls and always gather at Maid Cafes."
When I was attending a Japanese highschool, I saw a series of plays. One of them was about an otaku. Let me just say, being an otaku is nothing to be proud about, it was making fun of them in every way possible.

Back on the animation topic:
When I was in Japan, I saw a whole lot of Disney. In fact, I'd state with confidence that Disney is more popular there than here. The characters are absolutely everywhere! Mostly Stitch, Marie, and Chip and Dale. Who's Marie? That super old Disney character cat from Aristocats. A lot of older Disney series are new in Japan. I bring this up because I believe the reason why anime is popular in the US is because its different. Disney is popular in Japan because its different.

Now one of the most popular flashes is Yawaraka Sensha. Retreat!!
http://anime.livedoor.com/movie?id=7c2b96541747b374
http://anime.livedoor.com/movie?id=7169591873476c97
http://anime.livedoor.com/movie?id=4786984429ddd2e9

anime is the best thing you can ever see on tv.if people did not like it then why are there adult shows like inuyasha or bleach which not to meinton are my fave tv series.Everone likes anime epecailly japan shows. japan you ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anime come from "Dessins animes" which means animated drawings in French (cartoons in US English). French and Belgian Mangas (not copies of Japanese mangas but done in Eurostyle) are extremely popular in France and have been since the end of WW II. Besides stores that sell nothing but mangas/ animes, the best bookstores in France have a whole section devoted to them. Most of these mangas and anime are for adults actually.

Sensei2 wrote:

Anime come from "Dessins animes" which means animated drawings in French (cartoons in US English).

Wikipedia and Japanese dictionaries disagree with your theory, however. It is simply an abbreviation of the English word "animation".

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

Here I will tell you exactly what you asked, so listen carefuly. Kids, teens, adults, senior citizens like anime because they just do. It is just a hobby like playing football, or stamp collecting. I hate people who say grow up. I am 19 and I had this girl say you need to grow up, and I said look I work a full time job, go to college, and pay all my own bills, and my hobby is anime and manga. So anyone can like anything at any age. We come into this world alone we die alone. So what people think does not matter. Sorry for ranting I just read some ignorant posts.

I'm a 16 year old and I enjoy anime. However. I just use it as a substitute from American television because I can practice my japanese language comprehension. (and I dont get to watch the crap thats on american tv)

I think that a lot of the posters like "Samuel Shepherd" need to understand reality a little better.

Sure. anime exists in japan but like any country it has a lot more pressing matters than media.

Also, anywhere you go, obsessive people are looked down upon.

2 years from now (when Im a senior) I plan to go to japan as an exchange student to see what the country as a whole is like. I want to see if thats the place I want to live my life.

But in till then I won't act like a retard and preach about something I don't completely know about. And I sure as hell wont convince myself that japan is a dream land like it's portrayed in manga/anime.

Ok a lot of people get embarassed when someone makes fun of your osession of anime.Why?I get made fun of all the time but honestly i'm proud to be obsessed.I'm 18 and have been watching it since i was 4.Full Metal Alchemist is my favorite anime!And right now i'm in both a roy mustang and edward elric fanclub.I'm happily obsessed.I luv bleach inuyasha FMA naruto and most any other anime.So eeryday someone comes up to me and makes fun of me or one of my fav shows.Depending on the show.If you make fun of Full Metal Alchemist,Edward Elric,or Roy Mustang to my face get ready to get your ass kicked!^_^Yeah i'm a fangirl^_^_^_^_^^_^_^_^

Full Metal Alchemist ROCKS!It's my fav anime and I've been watching it for two years.I'm in luv with Roy Mustang and Edward Elric and I'm proud of it^_^_^(fangirl)So if you luv full metal alchemist plzzz e-mail me at xxxx@yahoo.com THX!

I'm 37 years old, I am married and have two beautiful daughters. In my younger days I had more girlfriends then I care to remember and I have Tattooed profesionally for the last 13 years and ever since I was around five years old, I've been a fan of Japanese anime and animation in general.
I started out watching anime such as Kimba the white lion and Speedracer, and have progressed in complexity of the content and subject matter throughout the years and anime has progressed right along witrh me.
The biased statement that I'm a geek who has no luck with the ladies is completely erroneous and inaccurate. Ironically, it is usually the ones that are the most immature, mentally, that attempt to generalize people. ;)

I have been like anime for past few years it have some good ones and some bad ones also I'm 25 years old with a job. People like different genre from I tend watch some action shows like Naruro and Bleach some some humor shows Genshiken it basically sort of slice of life about otaku club in a Japanese college, also I watch some shoujo-ai/yuri anime like Kannazuki No Miko, Kashimashi(Not yuri per se because the main character out as a guy). Some show popular in America like foremention Naruto and Bleach and mature and thought out movies like Ghost in the Shell and Akira and everything from Satohi Kon (Especially Panoid Anget about percepiton of reality and crtiique of pop culture)

Sorry for the long post the main why I like anime

I think it's odd how when people try to prove anime is adult by saying "It has violence and sex!"

If the question is: "Why is anime popular as an art style". It pretty much comes down to aesthetics. Some people like that style. If the question is: "Why is anime popular in general". A lot of anime isn't really all that different from normal movies or books. It just happens to be animated.

I just noticed this:

"The biased statement that I'm a geek who has no luck with the ladies is completely erroneous and inaccurate. Ironically, it is usually the ones that are the most immature, mentally, that attempt to generalize people. ;)"

Lol, do you see what you did there?

I am 21 years old, student at Computer Science ... and I like to watch anime from time to time. It is just different from normal movies, and have smthing atractive in them.

I don't know many I wached only a 5 or 10 movies like anime. And some serrials anime

I like'd "Death Note" verry much

and I wachted some from "Ghost Hound" and this one comes with 5.1 sound !!! so if you have a 5.1 sound system I think you will enjoy it.

and there was "Hell Girl" ("Jigoku Shoujo") this was a nice one too

don't know for what age they are made, maybe I am far to0 old for this stuff but they are nice.

so if you know smthing that look like the 3 ones that I mentioned pls post here for me to know what to watch in the future :)

ive grown up watching anime and reading manga b/c i developed an interest in it. one day i hope to do voice work for anime.

I am a great gundam fan but cant really get to import great deal from japan. I am from malaysia.

I watch anime for with good story lines and/or nice action. Comedy is also great in an anime series (Great Teacher Onizuka is one of my favorites!). Though, in manga I need really detailed or atypical artwork as well as a good story. Right now i'm reading Berserk, Hajimeno Ippo, Homunculus, and 20th Century Boys. I'm always looking for new things to read though if anybody has any suggestions. It's hard to find manga in the U.S. if you live in a smaller city, so I usually look online for scanlators.

As an artist, I dislike anime because the animation lacks and most companies that produce anime use low-budget methods that "cheat" animating. Aside from that, the storylines are mostly fantasy with some bad comedy thrown in here or there. Some anime is entertaining for a week or two, but usually bores me afterwards.

I assume people just like seeing something new. Seeing people drawn that don't look like people or random characters or monsters is appealing to some.

And to whoever made the comment about American cartoons being unrealistic, they must have not seen much at all. As a general statement, cartoons made in the US seem to be drawn in an appealing and stylized fashion (but not overdoing it) and have steady storylines. Many Nickelodeon cartoons have realistic plots. Cartoon Network is a bit less, but nonetheless entertaining. Disney.. just reaches out to all audiences, which is why the Disney channel is produced in so many different languages and cultures.


Most colleges in the US despise artists drawing anime in their portfolios because it doesn't show skill whatsoever. When I learned that a long time ago, I tried to wipe any traces of "anime" styled features from my art altogether; and I improved greatly.



A theory...

In Japan, American cartoons are very popular, seemingly moreso than Japanese (especially Disney). In America, Japanese cartoons are on the rise. Why? People just like something different. When you grow up with something, naturally you want something new right?

I think it is true that people are interested by something different. As far as American cartoons go, they repeat a lot of the same basic story lines and ideas. When my kids watch cartoons, I see some of the same stuff from old school Warner Bros. and MGM cartoons like Bugs Bunny or Tom & Jerry. It gets boring. I like cartoons, books, movies, etc. that make you think about yourself or make you see something from another's point of view. If the point of the story is to emphasize action then I want to see action that really draws you into it and makes you think, "hey, that could happen," when you know it really couldn't. I think that part of the problem is that a lot of the people involved in making animation are not really a part of the group they are marketing toward, so instead of taking things in a new direction, they just stick with what's popular - and play it completely out. It's similar to music in the US. People get into these heated debates about what hip-hop/rap is, but it (like any art) is very multi-faceted. What happens is that people who don't really listen to rap are making the decisions about what gets aired on TV and the radio, so if it's different it doesn't get played. The result is that everybody sounds the same, and so you've got to go a little outside of the mainstream to find something that interests you.