yahoo news talks about anime

[desperado]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050219/lf_afp/afplifestyleusjapan_050219223657
wow people are taking notice of our hobby, but is this a good or a bad thing?

[Arnobius]

Personally, I think we hit the peak. Maybe it'll be mainstream for a couple more years and then it will be passe over here and distribution will shrink

[agasfas]

Personally, I think we hit the peak. Maybe it'll be mainstream for a couple more years and then it will be passe over here and distribution will shrink

For some reason I can't help but agree with ya on that point. Things tend to have a bust and boom cycle. Comes and goes.... then sometimes comes again... Something will be popular because of mainstream, then a few years later, something else will put in its place. They over explot something making it not as appealing as it used to be. Kind of like the mid 80's through early 90's martial art movies were huge... then in the late 90's and Boy bands... Err, I shiver from the thought.

Though, I've been a anime fan before the "wave" started and I expect to be one for a while longer.

[ShiroiHikari]

yeah, but things often make a comeback, and even in the lulls there are still people that like these things.

[Joshua Christopher]

I'd hate anime to get really mainstream. I gravitate to things that are little-known, or just not really mainstream. Bleah, sure, less distribution is lame, but if anime gets all mainstream, I'm taking my Giant Robo DVDs and going into seclusion. Darnit.

[Debitt]

>>; This reminds me of how I'm tempted to nuke all the smelly little 8 year olds who hang around the manga section and go "Yuugioh is so cool!" Go read Clifford or something and get out of what used to be "my" section, you little farts. x_X;

Oh yes, and "less detailed than American cartoons" my BUTT. >/

[CDLviking]

As long as American cartoon makers keep putting out the crud they have now, anime will remain popular. My only fear with anime becoming mainstream is that the translation on dubbing process might turn into a factory designed to pump out new anime as quickly as possible. I think you can tell when people really put their heart and soul into the subtitles and dubs, and when they're just going through it until their next job comes along.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

The Baltimore Sun had an article on Otakon last year

[agasfas]

Perhaps the over-production may burn out a few. Personally, anime is to the point where a new anime/series are being released very month; many of wich aren't that good. Seems to me they just throw random things together just to make some easy revenue.

Anime + US Market + fascination with japanese culture = Profit

NO matter how many they may put out, it can't take the place the few good original story lines. As long as they can produce a few of those a year, I think anime will remain in the hearts of many "old school" fans.

[ShiroiHikari]

well, the crappy anime aren't the fault of the American market. that's the Japanese creators' problem.

[Roy Mustang]

About if anime going mainstream is a good thing or a bad thing.

We have to look at the pros and cons for it.


Pros.

We are getting more anime release over here more then ever.

Anime soundtracks are being release over now and the cost of them are less then what you have to pay for imported ones.

More manga and other hard find stuff are being put out over here then ever before.

Its easy to find anime con now. I remember back in the early 90's when AWA was really the only anime con in the southeast. Now you have them pop up everywhere.

Cons.

Could grow into a fab and people that are going for the ride will get off the next bus stop when the fab starts to drop.

Too many releases are put out at one time for anime that could hurt the real people that like anime. We can look at both ways as its good to see more anime release as a pro and a con.

Start making too much anime with the same story lines, just so they can make a profit.


I think that the fab end soon and the young ones and teens will find another fab to jump on. But there will always be those true anime fans that will stick with it for a long time.


I know that I'm going be on the anime train for a long time.

Wingzero22

[Joshua Christopher]

As long as American cartoon makers keep putting out the crud they have now, anime will remain popular.

Now, this is just my opinion, but I don't think all American cartoons are crud.

[opinion] I find Samurai Jack to be brilliant.
Teen Titans is pretty mindless, but I think it's decent.
Megas XLR is also a bit mindless. One of the funnier American shows out, though. Decent.
IGPX is sort of an American anime. Though all of the animation and such was done by Production IG, it was made for Cartoon Network.
Invader Zim was so odd it was great. Contains a lot of brilliance. (Moreso than Jhonen's "other" works) [/opinion]

[Arnobius]

[quote="Kokoro Daisuke"]>>]
You can hardly go into a manga section without tripping over a bunch of kids just sitting on the floor reading, leaving me thinking "Go back to school already."

As for me, I'll stick with it so long as it stays talented and doesn't go into Pixar style animation.

[Debitt]

You can hardly go into a manga section without tripping over a bunch of kids just sitting on the floor reading, leaving me thinking "Go back to school already."

>>; exactly. I suppose it isn't so much the people reading manga as it is their age (in my area of Southern California, the kids I see look like they're between eight and eleven, with the random sprinkling of people like me, who are high school aged and a few older people.) and their MATURITY levels. Kids come up to me and ask me if I like ROOROWNEE KENSHIN and when I say "it's okay" they look at me like I'm stupid and go on about how it's the greatest thing since Dual Monsters and Pokemon (no offence to any of the afforementioned series). x_x SO annoying.

[desperado]

here is why i say it may be a bad thing...
at ohayocon this year the place was infested with yoai fangirls. with anything the more people you get the more types of people there, it always seems the people that are doing something wrong congregate and try to force it onto the ones who dont like it...
anyways i agree with anime will probably fall out in a year or two, maybe sooner with the way cons are getting....
on a side note im not liking the negative coverage anime is getting in some aspects. the yahoo news had some of it in it and look at focus on the familys article on it.
parents get the wrong idea and cause problems for there kids, my parents already didnt like anime then my mom walked in on the naruto episode with "sexy no jutsu" ............that took a lot of convincing to tell them it wasnt bad.
the thing was they had heard so much bad stuff about anime the immeadetly jumped to conclusions wheras on something else they would have beleived me.

[Kat Walker]

All I have to say is.....congratulations media, for being so....alert.....it's only been a 6-year trend.

[Heart of Sword]

It's probably bad.

I can only see a group of extremists finding out and bashing it and calling Anime fans "devil worshippers." (Yes, it's happened to many Christians...me included...I've had to explain to them that not all Anime is bad...what a pain!)

[Arnobius]

All I have to say is.....congratulations media, for being so....alert.....it's only been a 6-year trend.

Less, when you consider that it didn't *really* take off until the DVD revolution. Before that, it was quite possible to buy every anime release each week. They noticed Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away and Metropolis and Tokyo Godfathers, and they noted the trend of anime on TV. I think that only now that mainstreamers are noticing it. So I give it 1 1/2 to 2 years of being noticed before it becomes out of date and it's back to the hard core fans (not to be confused with fans of hardcore ) who buys it.

It's probably bad.

I can only see a group of extremists finding out and bashing it and calling Anime fans "devil worshippers." (Yes, it's happened to many Christians...me included...I've had to explain to them that not all Anime is bad...what a pain!)

Been there, though not so much devil worshippers as it was accusations that I was watching pornography. Unfortunately, the choices in the 90's for distribution tended to be the ultraviolent porn ones, or else marketing a title with nudity and putting a "for ages 13 and Up" label on it, helped give a bad reputation. On the other hand, given the trend to market for TV, it may go back to the old "cartoons are for kids".

[Roy Mustang]

i agree with anime will probably fall out in a year or two, maybe sooner with the way cons are getting....

I really didn't understand that part. I just want to know what you mean by "maybe sooner with the way cons are getting.


Wingzero22

[Fsiphskilm]

I think anything

[SereneDolphin]

I do like the fact that it is popular to the extent that I have easier access to things anime. I'm able to watch a few shows, and read some Fruits Basket manga.

I feel though, that the article was a bad thing for anime fans. First of all, it adds more attention to all the hype that it's getting, making it seem like another teen-crazed fad. Second of all, the description of anime included having nudity and character death, which (being sarcastic) that's something the parents are REALLY going to like. I fear that anime is going to be banned from people who don't understand it at all.

[Arnobius]

I do like the fact that it is popular to the extent that I have easier access to things anime. I'm able to watch a few shows, and read some Fruits Basket manga.

I feel though, that the article was a bad thing for anime fans. First of all, it adds more attention to all the hype that it's getting, making it seem like another teen-crazed fad. Second of all, the description of anime included having nudity and character death, which (being sarcastic) that's something the parents are REALLY going to like. I fear that anime is going to be banned from people who don't understand it at all.

[Fsiphskilm]

exactly, just like

[Arnobius]

Hmm, when the quote gets shown, but the response disappears, something is odd with the software.

[ShiroiHikari]

guys...you all are so negative. can't you just take advantage of the boom and enjoy your favorite series easier than ever before? I remember when manga cost SIXTEEN DOLLARS A PIECE. and there were very few titles to choose from. now we have hundreds of titles and much more affordable prices. I, for one, am thankful!

[desperado]

yes things may go down but the overal quality of certain events is ruined due to some of the "people" it draws in, and these people give the rest of us bad names.

[Ashley]

yes things may go down but the overal quality of certain events is ruined due to some of the "people" it draws in, and these people give the rest of us bad names.

I hate to single you out, but where is the love of Christ in that? I mean, shouldn't we be rejoicing in the fact it's easier than ever to relate to others about our hobby, and in that we can build up friendships and more easily share the gospel? That's something to rejoice about!

Agreed, sometimes there are some real messed up people out there but guess what--they're there in every field. And they need Jesus just as much as we do. I don't mind having to explain myself and educate someone on what anime/manga really is because they've seen a bad example and stereotyped it/people that like it, if it means I have a chance to talk to others about Christ because of it and that, like Shi-Hi said, it means more titles are available for cheaper.

And if you think I'm putting out hypocritical airs, no I am not always the boldest person about sharing the gospel, but in my honors english class the other day I saw a girl with a cowboy bebop shirt. We got to talking, and it turns out she really REALLY needs some prayer. Into wicca and all sorts of things like that. She's not a hardcore otaku; she's barely gotten into it and even then only because it's become "mainstream". Had I never seen any anime, if she hadn't gotten into it, we would never have talked and I'd never be praying for her often; she's not exactly my "type". Amazing how God chooses to work.

Again, not picking on anyone and sorry for the soapbox, but I felt like sharing what was on my heart.

[kaji]

Oh yes, and "less detailed than American cartoons" my BUTT. >/

Well, actualy that is a very definate distinction between Western and Japanese animation. I do think is statement this statement was made in referance to character designs (Though primarily noted in Comic books, and not your Disney movies.) But I suppose the statement would have been better worded 'realistic detail', such as 'normal' proportional facial features, and heavely defined muscles.

It will be interesting to see if the youth who enjoy their pokemon and such now, will continue to follow anime as they grow older, and perhaps then enjoy those stories taylored to their age group. I wonder if we will ever break the consensus that cartoons are for kids.

I like the comment at the end... Nordic Yodelling, thats great.

-kaji

[Fsiphskilm]

well,

[Debitt]

But I suppose the statement would have been better worded 'realistic detail', such as 'normal' proportional facial features, and heavely defined muscles.

Ah. >__> I hope that's what they meant. And if it wasn't, well, they must not know that anime has less frames per second because each frame has more detail and work put into it. =o=/