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Anime. Why the hate?

Annyong

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Honestly, I don't know too much about anime, and I've only recently started to appreciate some anime. What I don't understand is, why do so many people cringe at the notion of it?

Do people not like the animation part of it? Or is it just some kind of fear of something foreign?

I wish it didn't have such a bad name, because anytime I may bring it up in conversation, people don't have pleasant reactions, which I think is a shame.

So, what are your thoughts on anime?
 

Asterion

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It's often incredibly over dramatic and hard to take seriously (because it's a cartoon -the kind of thing that children watch). There's also the issue with really badly dubbed anime, which is aimed at children with no promise of quality, they just want a quick buck and they don't think it matters if the voice actors sound like douchebags. I treat anime as a medium for entertainment, I know there are people that wont watch it simply because it's anime... but really, that's like saying you're not going to read the lord of the rings because written literature is inferior to the big screen. It's all just jokes, characters and plots (and drama and blah).
 

Annyong

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It's often incredibly over dramatic and hard to take seriously (because it's a cartoon -the kind of thing that children watch). There's also the issue with really badly dubbed anime, which is aimed at children with no promise of quality, they just want a quick buck and they don't think it matters if the voice actors sound like douchebags. I treat anime as a medium for entertainment, I know there are people that wont watch it simply because it's anime... but really, that's like saying you're not going to read the lord of the rings because written literature is inferior to the big screen. It's all just jokes, characters and plots (and drama and blah).

Hmm. I never understood the argument of it being hard to take seriously because it's animated, I guess it's just perspective. I think it's more flexible because one could potentially do anything with the animation that they imagine.

It's not limited to reality.

And I guess the other arguments you gave just depend on the show. I've seen some anime I can't stand, because it plays like a soap opera, and others that do have awful dubbing, but there are also some real gems I've discovered.
 

chasingAJ

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I think Anime has been attached to a stereotype... it's like World Of Warcraft... people have an idea what it means to be interested in those things.

Personally, I hate Anime. I would rather read a first-person narrative about life than read anything SciFi, so I'm not much of a fantasy fan to begin with. The sound effects are garish to me and make a mockery of whatever the plot is. The characters (in my experience) are drawn with sharp over-dramatic features and funky colors that bother me, I find it very difficult to relate to them. In my experience, Anime fans tend to mimic the emotions in the movies and are overly fanatic about whichever series they follow. It's a huge turnoff to find people who are so obsessed with anything that they live in an alternate mental space to include it (I'm not a fan of Harry Potter either). I also think that they are overly violent which bothers me since there is a connection between cartoons and children. People see animated movies and assume that it is child friendly... not good.

All that aside, I can appreciate the talent of the artists but I would enjoy a large framed print of their fantasy world more than a movie... perhaps because it would be up for interpretation then.
 
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Athenian200

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I don't know. To me, it's just another potentially interesting television show. Nothing turns me off about the format, and I don't get why other people feel that way. I particularly like:

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Serial Experiments Lain
Death Note
 

Clownmaster

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Comic books, Anime, World of Warcraft, Star Trek, Star Wars, Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons.
It's all the same to the close minded.

I've never played WoW, and I'm not into Star Trek, personally. But everything else on that list is an area of media that I very much enjoy witnessing and/or participating in. Labels provide stereotypes and detract from individual analysis of a person, thus it comes as quite a shock to people when they find out you're "nerdy."

Back on topic: I don't know why anime is frowned upon by some. It's probably fear of change, and their perspective is based entirely on assumptions. Rather than giving it a chance, most people would rather assume the masculine role of "men don't watch cartoons," and women don't possess testosterone, so since 80% of anime involves people beating the living hell out of each other, their portion of the fanbase is even smaller.
 

Valiant

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I simply don't like it because it makes people talk silly in crappy Japanese and dress stupid. It's not any worse than emo kids or whatever, but I don't like those, either.

If you're going to be alternative, be cool at least :D Like skinheads, punks or real metalheads. K? :steam:
 

Fluffywolf

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I'm far from an anime fan. Most anime's are just too annoying to watch for me.

There are a few I really liked though.

Favorite anime, claymore. Very mature. No weird overly dramatic responses with eyes the size of whales etc. Has really intruiging plot and character development, and very well drawn. Blood+, Hellsing (the 13 part series), Elfen Lied.. They are runner ups that I found pretty decent. But the ones like Bleach and such which are apparantly the most succesful anime out there, I dislike, a lot. :p

Most people that say they don't like anime really have no idea what they are talking about though. There are as many anime's and genre's as there are movies and tv series. I doubt there are many people into every bit of anime out there. That would be virtually impossible. But when people see some overly dramatic and lame scenes from lets say Bleach. They naturally brand all anime similar. And thus the hate. My sister was like that until I made her watch Claymore and she loved it.
 

One Day

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Most of the hate is usually due to ignorance or bandwagon jumping but that's the case with any sort of subjective matter really. Also most popular anime shows tend to have that overly cute or annoying characters/storylines which could turn people off.

I don't usually watch anime but I do enjoy the ones that give you a psychological mindfuck like Serial Experiments Lain or Paranoia Agent. Hayao Miyazaki movies are also really good.
 

MFJAGgernaut-B

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I stand by my belief that anime is no better or worse than any other style of animation. Because that's exactly what it is: an art style.

My two problems are with:

ENGLISH DUBS: Most of the anime shows that get translated into English often churn out with very obvious signs that the translators cared more about appealing to the political set than maintaining the quality of the show. My uncle once did security work for one of these English dubbing studios, and he's told of several voice actors walking out barely able to breathe after hours of throwing their voice in every direction.

FAN BASE: Actually, I don't see this as much of a problem. In fact, it's classic entertainment come to life.

What else do you call:

- watching some fat nerd crap his pants trying to go Super Saiyan on you after hearing you insult the mighty Dragonball Z?

- watching some air-headed blond girl go running up to a group of bikers, throw her hand out in front of her, and yell out some anime spell named after some Japanese village you had no clue existed until that moment?

- some chick who goes to a Halloween party dressed as Kagome from Inu Yasha...then going into a rage when she discovers she's the only person on the premises who knows what Inu Yasha is, much less "Kagome's" part in it.

- watching any of the above play out, then thinking "Aw, crap! Why didn't I record that??!" just as the show's about over.
 

Willfrey

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Stuff that gets dubbed over is just horrible to follow with all the terribly inconsistent character personalities, tired cliches, over dramatizations, confusing plots... Oh and its a cartoon. I sometimes watch Family Guy because it's a cartoon and funny, but anime to me more often than not is a confusing mess that just drags, and drags, and drags...
 

Fluffywolf

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I only ever watch anime english subbed. Never dubbed. By the way.

Dubbed and synchronisation is per definition annoying. :p
 
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I think Anime has been attached to a stereotype... it's like World Of Warcraft... people have an idea what it means to be interested in those things.

This. Anytime there is a cultish, proselytizing fan base surrounding a pop culture thing with narrow appeal, this happens.
 

Annyong

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I guess you've all just had poor experience with it. I can understand the thing about the crazy fans, that made me a bit nervous, too. I guess it can't be helped, so I'll just continue to enjoy anime in a sane way.

Oh well, life's too precious to care about what some people think of you.
:yes:
 

Atomic Fiend

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The fanbase, granted any genre can have a crazy or annoying fanbase, Anime seems to have a notoriously obsessive fanbase. It's not even that it's the entire fanbase, but it's a large enough number to give anyone the idea that they are all like that.

It isn't unusual for people to drop anime all together just because they realise how odd the fanbase is.
 

TSDesigner

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I love the opening theme songs from Lucky Star and Kao Dekai.
Anybody know of more songs like those?

But the actual Lucky Star show seems really boring.
I watched one episode.

I like good anime, but a lot of anime is silly.
But then again most works in any art form are not very good.
 

Tallulah

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Mostly, I simply do not like the style of animation. I'm not a huge animation fan, anyway, nor am I a fan of fantasy in any form. But there's just something about the way anime characters are drawn that is offputting to me. I just don't relate to it. I had a friend who was reaaaaaally into the Sailor Moon stuff for a while. I tried to understand it, but ultimately decided it just wasn't my thing. No harm, no foul. I don't have to understand the appeal of every form of entertainment in the world. There are people who enjoy The Hills. Doesn't mean I have to try and understand it.

But it's true, I'm not really a fan of stuff like WoW and other cult stuff. The obsessive fanbase can be annoying. I don't doubt that there are some good offerings within the anime genre, but I just don't feel a void in my life that needs to be filled by appreciating anime. Likewise, there are things that I enjoy that some anime fans may not see the point of or find appealing.
 

Polaris

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Somehow it's offensive to see thousands of people raving about something you're indifferent to or dislike. It's a challenge to your values on both a personal and social level, and your only defense is to exaggerate your hatred. This is why anime and other popular things usually have a large group of detractors; people who don't enjoy these things feel threatened. As far as my own tastes, I do like (some) anime, but I'm not an "otaku" who puts everything Japanese on a pedestal. To me, anime is just another form of expression. Sometimes it's annoying and tasteless; other times it's brilliant.
 

Tallulah

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Somehow it's offensive to see thousands of people raving about something you're indifferent to or dislike. It's a challenge to your values on both a personal and social level, and your only defense is to exaggerate your hatred. This is why anime and other popular things usually have a large group of detractors; people who don't enjoy these things feel threatened. As far as my own tastes, I do like (some) anime, but I'm not an "otaku" who puts everything Japanese on a pedestal. To me, anime is just another form of expression. Sometimes it's annoying and tasteless; other times it's brilliant.

Very well said. :yes:
 
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