We do have a great dynamic between Eren and Mikasa but I probably need more information on this topic before I know what to say. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
I want to agree that gender roles mean nothing in the grand scheme of things (as in gender doesn't affect people's rank or skills) but I feel like the main characters reciprocate some gender stereotypes. Eren is the headstrong male hero who beats all odds through willpower (as does Goku and every lead male) and Mikasa is... generic. The animators put a lot of effort into specializing other character's features and hers are undefined in comparison, as if they didn't want to ruin her ability to be appealing to everyone's idea of an ideal anime girl. It's a nice change that she is the most skilled in combat I suppose, but she's also so desperate, stupid and irrational when it comes to her LOVE for Eren. She's literally blind to everything but him and that makes her like a boring loves struck school girl. I don't think their coupling is better to explore the gender issue topic than say, Armen and Annie. There's a lot of gender involved in them too though... Why couldn't they just let Annie be a badass rouge? Why did she need to feel regret at the end and cry, because she's a woman? Would we have accepted that in a male character and not seen that as weak? This topic could be explored deeply from both sides! – Slaidey9 years ago
How many have loved an Anime only to start interacting with the wider fandom and found their love for the Anime disintegrate? In the age of the internet, people watch not only for the story, but for the ability to talk to fellow fans. When fans start endlessly shipping couples that are not going to happen and it's all they can talk about, it ruins the enjoyment.
So is this just about shipping or that fans often have a hard time communicating with one another regarding their shared beliefs of a work? Can you still like an anime even if you don't like the other people who watch it? – rj2n9 years ago
Generally anyting that might destroy a fan community. I mentioned shipping because it is more guilty of this than others. I think you can, but it might create a schism inside a single fan if e feels alienated from the rest.
– SpectreWriter9 years ago
It's true that "shipping wars" and the like do tend to tear fandoms apart; we really need to be more mature with this and just get along. – melaniek9 years ago
I find this interesting because I started watching/reading manga prior to the need to be "in" a fandom. I mean, I'm an introvert which means I enjoy reading rather than actually integrating myself to any fandom. Does the trend now mean if you like a certain thing you enter a community?
– Jill9 years ago
How do the characters in the anime Psycho Pass define an ideal society? How do they act on those definitions? Here are some more specific questions that could be explored in the article: How does the Sibyl System's utilitarian implementation of an ideal society (greatest happiness for greatest number of people) affect those living in that society? How do the anime's characters, such as Makishima, Akane, Kogami, Ginoza, Masaoka, and Shimotsuki, challenge and/or support the Sibyl System's ideology? Which characters create their own ideas of ideal societies, and how do they act on those ideas? These questions are just some directions that the article could take. The overall theme of an ideal society in Psycho Pass would make quite an interesting article and could be explored in many different ways.
If this topic is still open after I complete my current article, I will totally take this. Really, a large portion of this story is the collision of multiple ideals, like Ginoza and his father, Akane and Kogami. Granted, that's where a large portion of any drama comes from, but this show really analyzes them in conjunction with each other, and talks about the necessity of less-noble ideals to empower the noble. I don't want to claim it in case my current articles takes forever and someone else may be interested, but if no one else does, I will! – Christopher Vance9 years ago
I like this topic. It'll be great to see how each character sees the "ideal society" and especially so when you consider the cultural reference each made to the anime (Rousseau, George Orwell, or Beethoven's 9th symphony when they're killing for fun). – Justin Wu9 years ago
If only the actual anime were as good as the ideas and themes it presented (especially the second season)... what a waste :(. In any case, I don't have anything to contribute philosophically, but to whoever picks this up, I think it'd be cool to make a real world connection by seeing where the philosophies for each character came from. It'd be a lot more research, but the result would be a comprehensive article on the backside of the franchise, which would be REALLY COOL. – Austin9 years ago
It would also be interesting for whoever takes this topic to focus on how the general population is placated in the anime. There is a lot to this anime that could be explored in several articles. From the main characters, to the society as whole. – ReluctantChosenOne9 years ago
I heard Psycho Pass was inspired by Plato's Republic. It could be valuable to talk about the roots of Psycho Pass before the article delves into its true topic. I quite enjoyed Psycho Pass and Psycho Pass 2. Akane lives in a world with different values and laws than ours - so her actions are questionable or plainly ridiculous in my eyes. Remember in Psycho Pass when Akane had a chance to do something essential but squandered the opportunity because of her morals/commitment to the law? It killed me. It was an impossible scene to witness. Perhaps that is worth exploring. There a countless ways to approach this. Intriguing! – yase9 years ago
It's sort of obvious that Psycho Pass was influenced greatly by Philip Dick's Minority Report. I think this is going to be a very huge topic to discuss if you intend to write it in character POVs instead of going general, as in what the show aims to argue. – Jill9 years ago
Anime is often treated by the general population as immature and silly along with its fans. Certainly there are fans who perpetuate this image, but those types of fans exist everywhere. Many anime which carry adult themes are generally watered down (eg. Death Note is widely known to be an anime about a character who kills using a magical notebook, but the humorous aspects of the show such as L's mannerisms are so overplayed in the community that it is still perceived as somewhat immature despite the very relevant criminological and philosophical themes it explores).
What has created this image of anime as a whole as being incapable of being maturely written, and is it an accurate assessment of the majority of anime? Has this image negatively affected anime being seen as an art form?
I wholly agree that anime is perceived as immature by people who do not consider themselves fans. I've introduced anime to my partner and who has come to like some shows very much but still does not identify as an anime fan and his reasons (which I agree with) as to why he still hates many animes is chibi and filler. The idea is that it's immature because it "puts things in that don't need to be there." FMA and FMA Brotherhood are a good example of shows that insert chibi-ish animations. The shows' content is generally serious and very dark things happen and yet in the light moments the animators lets the characters chibi-out and be over animated to the point of being annoying. As for filler or arcs unrelated to the main storyline (which Bleach is notorious for!), I'd say it's more of a money-grab, but the point is that they are also a waste of time. They can argue it's for "character development" but randomly throwing a bunch of warriors into a beach day situation really isn't relevant. TL;DR: Animes are perceived as immature because of chibi insertions and filler arcs. Basically "things that don't actually need to be there." For mature audiences they really don't care to have their attention averted from the story by flashy animation and useless adventures. Has it negatively affected anime being seen as an art form? I'd say yes. – Slaidey9 years ago
I think since the anime market is geared wholly towards pre-teens to teenagers that people perceive even the most philosophically challenging anime to be immature and silly. However, as my critical thinking professor once told me, what is true of the whole is not true of the parts. It's unfair to call anime immature and silly just because a majority of it is doing it. Series such as Serial Experiments Lain, Ergo Proxy, Cowboy Bebop, Psycho Pass, and Mushishi among others all play out serious stories without the use of moe or chibis and seek to challenge the audiences' perceptions. Anime, like all other forms of entertainment mediums, can be written and taken seriously. It's only up to the creators to decide where they want to take it. – wmoo9 years ago
Largely agree with wmoo, though as unfair as it is to refer to all anime as immature and childish, when the defining characteristics of the medium are disproportionate characters and parodies of DragonBall, there's probably an issue with the medium itself as well. In my own thoughts, cultural incompatibility plays a disproportionately large role in creating a negative image of anime in the West. Everything is geared towards the gritty, the dark, the "mature" for an 18-25 year old. Even cartoons and kid's movies have easter eggs that point to suspiciously adult things, and things that are "immature" still have universal appeal. These are markedly different than the emotional foundations of the majority of anime, which markets itself, as wmoo said, to pre-teens and teenagers, which means anything unsuitable for that age bracket is less marketable, and creators have stuck to their formula with great success."Don't fix it f it ain't broke" comes to mind. A great recent example that comes to mind is the Toonami Sword Art Online ad. In Japan, the series was marketed as an adventure in a fantasy game land. In the States, it was displayed as a series that encapsulated a desperate attempt to escape a world that many gamers thought would be their ideal. Exact same content, completely different appeals. – Austin9 years ago
Most of the Anime that we are nowadays usually have "ecchi" scenes. Unlike the old anime that we used to watched are more child oriented.
Sadly, a chunk comes merely out to be "what sells?" For many anime authors, the prime market is the stereotypical, the pubescent boys who will throw money around to see these scenes. Of course, it may be oversimplifying to say this is the entire reason, or the entire audience. – Christopher Vance9 years ago
A good way of calling this would be fan service. Almost every Anime is guilty of this but the question is: How much is ok and when does it become too much? where do we draw the line? – SpectreWriter9 years ago
Gurren Lagann had too much of this, really prevented me from getting into the plot. – Tecohen09 years ago
The show Full Metal Alchemist has many themes one of which seems to be science versus religion. In some episodes religion or religious characters are involved in the plot. One of the protagonists, Edward Elric clearly does not believe in organized religion and sees it as a scam while his younger brother Alphonse is not as judgmental. Do these characters change perspective over the course of the show? Does the show have a clear stance on this issue?
Article listing common anime that make people a fan of the medium.
When I was a kid, I was engulfed in the early Pokemon craze, watching the show every morning and afternoon. Never really got into Dragonball Z or Sailor Moon. Many years later, when I was about 12 or 13, there was a used CD/VHS/DVD store that my parents and I went to every weekend.
I eventually began to talk to one of the cashiers that always worked there. He was about 10 years older than me but was impressed with my taste in film. We eventually started trading DVDs and VHSs whenever I came in and sometimes introduced me to new music which had a tremendous impact on my tastes today.
One day, the subject of anime was brought up somehow and I didn't understand how adults could be so into 'cartoons'. He assured me that anime was more developed than I thought it was (of course the only exposure I had to it was Pokemon), he started bringing in anime. Fist of the North Star, Goldenboy, Dead Leaves, Cat Soup, Samurai X, Akira, Perfect Blue, Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, and more. Surely, I was proven wrong and really liked everything I watched. I started going to other stores around the area seeking new tapes and trying to see what I can find at the local Blockbusters, all which had a small animated section. Still I was able to expand my horizons and been into anime ever since, even if I take 'breaks' from it occasionally.
The first anime series I found on my own that I really got into was Revolutionary Girl Utena. I used to go to a book store whenever my parents took me to the mall and occasionally I went to the manga section, where I randomly found Utena and started reading it. Eventually, I was able to find the series and the film, and really loved its symbolism and themes. It was like nothing I had seen before.
You could talk about how anime shows became every mainstream in America in the 90's with Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon, and how anime films got popular America in the late 80's with Akira and Princess Mononoke. – Aaron Hatch9 years ago
Classics like Akira and Cowboy Bebop certainly were big players in popularizing anime in Western culture.
In terms of gateway animes nowadays, most people lean towards introducing their non-anime friends to mainstream shounens (Naruto, One Piece) or to whatever is the most hyped at the time (SAO, AoT).
My gateway anime is dubbed Sailor Moon that I saw on tv when I was three years old. Shortly after, I got into the mainstream shounens that aired on television. People usually first get into the big name animes before branching off into other directions. – Melony9 years ago
Any Anime by Hayao Miyazaki is a good gateway. Death Note is a great gateway because it explores a topic even non-Anime watchers can enjoy, and a common gateway is one of the big three, Naruto, Bleach or One Piece. – SpectreWriter9 years ago
I joined through the 'popular three': One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach. My sister (who's three years older than me) started trough Rurouni Kenshin and InuYasha. These days people seem to start mainly through Attack on Titan. – Wolfstar969 years ago
The problem with this is that isn't really set of anime that can be said to always be a good gateway into anime, since so much depends on taste. My gateway was Deathnote, but I can guarantee that if I'd watched one of the Big Three or one of the "classics" first, I wouldn't have been hooked. That's not to say that those shows aren't good, but it is highly unlikely that I would have seen the value in them. I think whoever writes this should keep in mind two things:
1. Don't be blinded by the nostalgia value of shows like DBZ, which won't necessarily connect with an audience that doesn't have that background, and
2. Just because it's a good show doesn't mean that people with no anime experience will like it, especially if the value in the show draws upon an understanding of anime culture.
The emphasis should definitely be on accessibility of the show. Factors that can facilitate accessibility would include:
1. Conventional look - if the animation is of an unconventional or old style, it can be very distracting and off-putting to the uninitiated.
2. Length - while not necessarily a deal-breaker, it could be difficult for a person to stick with a show that is more than 50 or 60 episodes
3. Quality - there are a lot of flaws that I'm willing to tolerate in anime because I am used to anime and it's conventions; a new person to anime may not be so tolerant, so make sure that there are nothing that might jar their experience
Effectively, the anime they watch needs to be as closely aligned to the person's existing tastes as possible to allow a smooth transition. I'm sorry about how long this note is, I hope it helps. – OddballGentleman9 years ago
I feel like saying that a very similar topic titled Anime for Dummies has already been suggested and claimed by myself, and it includes Gateway Anime so I highly advise whoever takes this up to wait for that article to come out and try to do something different. And don't worry Oddball, I barely like the nostalgic like Dragonball Z or even Cowboy Bebop so nobody can blind me there. :D – SpectreWriter9 years ago
Fullmetal Alchemist is an extremely important manga and anime franchise. It was one of the primary shows to lead Adult Swim in the early 2000's and the flagship show for newer anime viewers around the same period. With the introduction of Brotherhood, a series closer to the manga, the series was re energized interest in the franchise. However, comparisons have been made between both versions of the series and which is superior. This article would seek to determine which has the better narrative.
I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I think someone already similar topic on FMA vs FMAB. Maybe try to offer a different perspective in your article – Aaron Hatch9 years ago
Perhaps on what makes this series such a gateway anime. – Joseph Manduke IV9 years ago
I wouldn't say "better" narrative. I think what makes each series great are their spins on the same concept and how they each branch off. The most interesting part is how each develop their worlds (plus the concept of balance is taken way further in the original series). Another interesting point would be that of intention. We have one series that was created as the original creator (Arakawa), and one that was not. Defining the differences based on that distinction might be neat as well. Also, not sure if someone has already done this, but either way this would make a good article. I know I've talked to friends extensively about this and a well thought out analysis would be fun to read. – Tecohen09 years ago
