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Examining Anime as a genre

post #1 of 22
8/8/06 at 5:51pm
Thread Starter 
As part of my Akira chapter for my book I'm looking at Anime as a whole. I'm going to try and dissect it as a genre etc.

I'm just not sure about this opening statement.

Quote:
It’s probably a term you’ve heard before (ANN-E-MAY), it’s certainly a term that sounds fairly ridiculous. But what does it mean?

Going for a broad definition Anime can mean any animated film which comes out of Japan (and now neighbouring countries such as Korea). The problem with this definition stems from the fact that cartoons like the Transformers are henceforth classed as anime.

Another problem lies in the fact that Anime, as it is recognised in the west at least, is not specifically about Japanese animation but is about genres within Japanese animation. As such films like Spirited Away, which share no common characteristics with traditional anime, should be classed as simple animation which comes from Japan. As such this section is going to be addressing Anime as a genre.
Thoughts?

Do you agree, disagree?
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post #2 of 22
8/8/06 at 6:13pm
is anime a genre at all? isn't it more a medium?
it could just be me, but i figured "genre" to be more about a shuffling of plot/character conventions that often share a theme.
anime is just a means (the animated media) to tell stories. no?
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post #3 of 22
8/8/06 at 7:09pm
I agree with HtP, but I've already had this debate here so I'm going to sit this one out.
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post #4 of 22
8/8/06 at 10:47pm
Is anime even a medium? It seems like it's just a style of animation (which is a medium), not really a medium unto itself. Sure, it has its own conventions, but are those conventions specific to anime (and manga) itself, or have they sprung from the Japanese culture, their historical storytelling techniques and whatnot?
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post #5 of 22
8/9/06 at 12:32am
Yeah, I can't see it as a genre either, particularly when you start peeling some of it away and saying "this one doesn't count". At that point, the question of what anime actually is becomes entirely subjective.

Science fiction, comedy, erotica, fantasy, horror; these are genres. Japanese animation covers all of them and more, and in combination. It's rather too wide a collection to summarize as a single entity. It's like analyzing black & white movies as a genre.
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post #6 of 22
8/9/06 at 3:23am
Anime is Japanese for animation. So no, it's not a genre--it's animated films and cartoons.
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post #7 of 22
8/9/06 at 5:29am
I see Madman is having the same problem I had the other night. I totally fucked up two different threads.
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post #8 of 22
8/9/06 at 5:48am
Fixed the multiple posts.
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post #9 of 22
8/9/06 at 6:48am
I’ve watched no more than a handful of Japanese animation so it’s very difficult to comment on mutual formal features, thematic structures and visual cues. Working from some of the opinions posted here I’d say that the common perception of ‘Anime’ as a genre would be laid waste in a genre studies class.

But putting the various meanings of the word aside for a minute, anime has been a commercial genre for at least a decade in Britain. I popped in to a HMV store recently and its ‘Anime’ section is almost as big as the SF shelf. It is similarly represented in many other big stores throughout Britain. I can’t prove this but I suspect the overwhelming majority of people consider the record/dvd store to be the sole arbiter of genre.

Taking into account the above, I suppose the answer to whether Anime is a genre is – yes … no … maybe.
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post #10 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:09pm
By any respectable definition of 'genre,' anime is not a genre. The stuff that makes it to America tends to fall within two or three genres, but Japanese animation encompasses a far broader range of subject matter than watching Adult Swim on Saturday night might lead you to believe.
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post #11 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:13pm
Thread Starter 
This is about western perceptions to be honest. And I think that the anime which is released over here is a genre of its own. Stuff like Studio Ghibli films are only really linked to anime because of the fact they're animated. Stuff like Neon Genesis, Ghost in the Shell, etc. all share common characteristics.
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post #12 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:13pm
Yeah, it has girl AND boy robots.
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post #13 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:20pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette
Yeah, it has girl AND boy robots.
Oh fuck....

I was going to do more about Westernised character designs and faux philosophy.
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post #14 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:21pm
And that metallic KER-TING sound effect when anything or anybody jumps into the air.
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post #15 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:21pm
Anime is not a genre, unless you are now using your own definitions of words.
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post #16 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:21pm
Dude, that KER-TING is the best part.
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post #17 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:22pm
Thread Starter 
Which is why I made this thread. As I was having serious doubts about the direction I was taking and wanted to sound my thoughts out.
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post #18 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:23pm
You have a real hard time with that.
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post #19 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:25pm
Thread Starter 
I knew I was going to regret this thread.
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post #20 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:28pm
Sort of a pattern, isn't it?
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post #21 of 22
8/9/06 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Millette
Sort of a pattern, isn't it?
Well I certainly ain't gonna win any awards for logical thinking. I should just really learn to NOT write about anime, it just brings all kinds of trouble onto myself. Same with gay cowboys.
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post #22 of 22
8/9/06 at 10:56pm
I just don't understand the desire on so many people's part to lump all Japanese animation into a single entity. People who would never think of something like grouping all British films into one category think nothing of doing the same with the entirety of anime. It makes no sense. To just flip the idea, it's pretty much the same as calling all live-action Japanese movies a genre.
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