1 post from May 2008

   Lately, my roommate's been watching a Japanese anime called Lucky Star. A few minutes ago he and another friend were watching an episode of it on our living room TV, and I sat here at the computer listening to it and cringing. And that cringing leads me to write this entry, to explain why exactly I hold some contempt for the whole anime aesthetic and the people who adore it. In discussing this issue with my friend, we came up with three things in particular that I seem to focus on: (1) narrative, (2) artwork, and (3) fandom. While I'm sure there are more elements I take issue with, these are the three things I seem to have the problem with the most.

1. Narrative - "My Life for a Decent Storyline"
   Being a writer and an avid fan and student of literature, I love books and movies that can tell good stories. Ones that can keep me immersed in a different world for hours upon end. If I feel like I'm emerging from a dream at the end, then it's been worth it to dedicate the time.
   One of my biggest gripes with a lot of anime series I've come across are that they have no real story to them, or when they do they're so cliche and boring that I don't feel like watching the other 80+ episodes. For example, series like Inuyasha and Pokemon, which just never seem to end despite every episode having the exact same formula. I mean, even the shows that my roommate loves (Lucky Star, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) don't seem to really do much in the way of plot, and simply serve as a vehicle for seemingly random events, 'cutesy'-ness, and cultural inside jokes. To me, shows like these are a real waste of time, because I don't feel invested in the characters at all, nor does there seem to be any reason to continue watching because nothing is really happening episode after episode.
   On the other hand, there are certain anime that really attract me because of their strong narratives that transcend the importance of the genre and aesthetic. Neon Genesis Evangelion is quite possibly my favorite example of this. Although it tends to be shoveled into the genre of a 'mech' or 'giant robot' show, Evangelion focuses heavily on plot, character development, and the infusion of religious and philosophical criticism. While the show doesn't necessarily rely on its anime aesthetic or cultural relevance, it's hard to imagine the show being made anywhere else in the world. It's the same with a film series like Godzilla - it just doesn't work when you try to adapt it.
   I also should mention here that, when I think about it, a lot of the American cartoons that I really love - Rocko's Modern Life, Ren & Stimpy - don't actually have stories either. They're more like sitcoms in that sense, and while they don't actually go anywhere, I still love them for some reason. Perhaps it's the cultural difference between American cartoons and Japanese anime. And here, I have to stress the need to point that YES, CULTURAL DIFFERENCE DOES MATTER (more on this in my third section on fandom).

2. Artwork - "I Know What I Like"
   This section is a little more subjective, because people will always debate on whether animation (including 3D) should start moving towards realism or not; usually this comes up in discussions of next-generation video games. When it comes to anime the artwork of a show usually falls within a range of at least three areas: from realistic to moderate to exaggerated. The first area is self-explanatory. The third area tends to evoke more of a cartoonish feel, with a reliance on extreme facial expressions, unrealistic movements and actions, and 'different' appearances. The moderate area is pretty much a blend of the two, and typically seems to be used in shows of mediocre quality.

    Personally, when it comes to anime I tend to prefer shows that have a more realistic look to them as opposed to the cartoonish style of others, mainly because the shows that use the exaggerated style of artwork are the very same ones that have no real story. The exaggeration of the artwork tends to be part of the comedy since it allows with a wide range of physical actions that you wouldn't see in more realistic shows.
   Now that's not to say I only watch shows that have a realist attitude. Hell, most American cartoons are extremely exaggerated. Many of my favorites even tend to use anthropomorphic animals as characters. It's just that for some reason I haven't found myself actually liking anime that use anything but. And as that old saying goes, "I may not know art, but I know what I like."

3. Fandom - "Or, Why I Don't Like You"
   I've always wanted to write about the fandom surrounding anime. When I was in high school I was part of that group, known by the Japanese term otaku - if you'd rather not look it up, it essentially refers to anime geeks. Anyway, there was a span of time when I'd watch anime with my friends, attempt to learn some rudimentary Japanese, and use the same stupid exaggerated actions that the characters in the shows do. By the time I was ready to graduate I'd learned to stop that crap because I started caring about my public image - which does say something about the kind of image that is produced by engaging in anime fandom. It's not like you don't see this in other realms, otherwise there wouldn't be a fan about Trekkies, Comic-Con and Wonder-Con, or the entirety of geek culture that's become more and more appealing over the past decade.
   The biggest problem I have with anime geeks is that they tend to worship a culture that, more often than not, they understand very little about. As opposed to what most would like to believe, Japanese anime does not depict a realistic view of Japanese culture or society, and it won't help you speak the language. Japan itself is a country that has a long, rich history that goes back centuries, and watching its cartoons is probably the worst way to try and grasp any notion of Japanese consciousness. What's worse is that there are hundreds of people out there who make no attempt at all to actually learn anything about Japan through academic means; I've heard stories of anime geeks who fail Japanese language classes and classes about pop culture because of their reluctance to learn anything outside of what they get from anime.
   As I've said, cultural difference does matter. For most American otaku, I feel the need to pull them aside and remind them that they're not Japanese (sure, there are a good number of actual Japanese Americans that are ethnically Japanese, and depending on the case they remain the exception). If you're a white person who's lived your entire life in sub/urban America, you can't honestly expect anyone to believe that you're in tune with Japanese culture. And you shouldn't be going by some typical Japanese name you got from a cartoon. Anime is ripe with cultural constructs that only those who have lived in the society can understand, and many more instances of cultural relativism and criticism. We as Americans experience a very different lifestyle than the Japanese, and vice versa, and it just seems weird how so many Americans are obsessed with this false image of Japan that they almost construct for themselves. To me it's a more extreme version of cultural tourism.

   While I could say the same thing about Trekkies or Star Wars fans, there's a certain cultural importance when talking about otaku. Even the Japanese seem to think we're silly people for our love of silly cartoons, catgirls, and maids. And unlike the aforementioned examples, more and more younger kids are becoming anime fans these days as it becomes heavily mainstream in American media and as an aesthetic that a number of American cartoons are attempting to cash in on as the cultural divide begins to become more and more blurry. You don't see as many kids playing with toy lightsabers and wanting to be a Jedi when they grow up. Too bad. As time goes on, anime's continuing mainstream success will only serve to devalue the aesthetic as a cultural value central to Japan. After all, why bother with authentically Japanese shows when you could use the same style of artwork, toss in some typical cliches like giant robots and people with cat ears, and skip all that subtitling crap by making everything in English. Oh, and you can forget all of those strange jokes that Americans don't understand because of their cultural specificity. Perfect!

   It's hard for me to completely express my feelings on a matter like this in a single post. Most likely I'll find something that I forgot to mention and smack myself on the head for forgetting such an important issue, but until then this post will have to suffice. Anime is a touchy subject for me, given my personal involvement with it years ago, and I'm still skeptical about the whole idea of watching it because I don't ever want to go back to being one of those people. It scares me for some reason.
   I'm pretty sure this guy would tend to agree: