Anime vs. Hollywood

[Warrik]

As someone who is new to anime, is it me is the quality of story and character development much greater in anime than in most modern cinema?

Im coming to notice that plots seem to generaly be deeper, with more time put into the on screen relationships and emotional development.

Is this an indication of shallow audiences on the part of the western world?

[Sean]

Americans are stupid and their minds have rotted away from reality TV. Thus, they are much more accepting of pure crap (IE, Reloaded).

Also you can do a lot more with a series than you can with any movie. 'Course, with that said, there's only a couple good American series at that. Maybe we're just "used" to crap. Shit, people actually liked Seinfeld, ffs.

[Ham n Cheese]

Well, I'm assuming you're referring to anime drama / sci fi (for the most part).

I think a lot of it has to do with different cultures. I would say a large majority of americans don't want to see 10 hours of slow paced, but important character development transcend into a great story. Then again those americans generally don't go see movies like "Lost in Translation", "Mystic River", "Memento", "Requiem for a Dream" , etc , etc. Which is why we seem to get a sequel to every piece of crap lately, it's simple and it pleases a large majority of the population, so it will be brought back over and over, until it's money++ isn't enough.


There are shallow audiences everywhere, but because we live in America we can experience it first hand. Stand by the theatre door of a good drama movie and listen to the people who come out, you'll see your shallow Vin Diesel, Blow 'Em up only movie-types for sure, and they'll most likely be bitching about how boring, or slow or retarded the movie they just saw was. I've gotten quite use to it by now, and it doesn't bother me as much as it use to it.

Anime series is really some of the best places to see character development, the Sapranos tried to tone down the violance factor and action for a season, and they got ripped for it by their fans. Even the serious dramas like, Law & Order, 24, etc don't really offer that much character development... they've all pretty much been the same people since the day the show aired. And as far as sitcoms go, they simply rewrite a character a certain way to whatever the public is reacting most posotively towards... example: Homer and Joey (from friends). They became household favorites for their dumb remarks/behavior so every year they have slowly, but surely become dumber and dumber, for our viewing pleasure.

So yes, I would say the story and character development, in a lot of situations is superiour in anime/japanese films/series compared to american. Then again, Anime sells a whole lot better (for what it is) in Japan than America and is much more widely accepted... so they're applying the same formula as we are, it's just a difference in taste and culture.

[Valishar]

I'm not really a fan of anime in general, I watch some of it, but the over-the-top fireball-earth-exploding super-transformation stuff I think is stupid.

As for anime vs. hollywood...

Depends really, most Anime is in TV series format, or on multiple OVA. That probably will account for most of the division between character development in anime and hollywood, since films have to keep the pacing going for the whole two hours but a television series can go delve deeper into character each episode. A good television series has a great amount of character development.

Then you have the medium, even with Disney cartoons you get more character development than the average action movie. You can watch something like Hellsing and have practically no character development though the entire series except for a single character, Selene. Or you can watch Witch Hunter Robin or Cowboy Bebop and see each character change and develop over the course of the seires. And since only the best animes really make the transition to over here, it's going to seem that anime is much better drama wise than american shows.

[Kaxmax]

Americans are stupid and their minds have rotted away from reality TV. Thus, they are much more accepting of pure crap (IE, Reloaded).

Or maybe some people don't get their kicks from badly drawn, badly dubbed cartoons. To label someone stupid because they don't like Anime is moronic. I personally find most Anime irritating, and incredibly cheesy. Granted, there is some that I find mildly entertaining, but for the most part I don't see the allure.

There's a guy I work with who swears up and down that Anime is better than normal movies. He even has that whole "You're an uncultured American because you can't appreciate the subtle Eastern artforms" attitude about him, holding contempt for anyone who would dare to attack his precious cartoons. But, at the end of the day, he's still just a lonely 30 year old fat guy left polishing his Dragonball-Z action figures while watching a big-eyed, busty, pre-pubescent japanese girl get fucked by a tentacle monster.

[Szlia]

Anime is a word that covers many realities. There are a lot of different styles, contents, productions levels, distribution formats in Anime. The only common denominator is a technique (animation) and an origin of production (japan). And even saying this is too limiting since you could argue that some cartoons made out of japan could qualify as Anime because they use the same easthetic than some japanese cartoons for example...

"Hollywood" also is an odd object. Not all movies produced by the californian majors offer poor escapist entertainement aimed at lobotomised sheeps as some would like to think :P Saying "Hollywood" refers more to a fantasy than to a reality, a fantasy that changes from people to people and from an era to another ("Hollywood" certainly did not mean the same thing in the 50s than it is now).

The initial psoter do rise something interesting that I will comment on when I am done adventuring :P

[Lin]

Hollywood has to pay it's stars $20 million and a portion of the profits, each car chase scene or guy jumping out of a window costs $10 million to make. Even a sitcom like friends costs probably $10 million or more per episode. Cartoon stuntmen and stars aren't unionized.

[Belefuu]

Originally posted by Kaxmax
He even has that whole "You're an uncultured American because you can't appreciate the subtle Eastern artforms" attitude about him, holding contempt for anyone who would dare to attack his precious cartoons. But, at the end of the day, he's still just a lonely 30 year old fat guy left polishing his Dragonball-Z action figures while watching a big-eyed, busty, pre-pubescent japanese girl get fucked by a tentacle monster.

If you'd just left it at a "It's silly make generalizations about American movies, I don't happen to appreciate anime but to each their own" type comment, you might hold some merit. But making statements like that just proves you every bit as idiotic as the fools that generalize all anime as good, and all non-anime as bad.

[Cybsled]

Bringing up DBZ or La Blue Girl instantly disqualifies someone's opinion ;p

It would be like me bringing up all the Rocky movies and Debby Does Dallas as typical cinema in America.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Plenty of great character driven pieces of work in America/western culture, they are called novels...

[Zanoan]

Someone mentioned Hellsing and no character development.

I must disagree here. While I am a huge fan of the Hellsing series and I'm mostly into the gore, action and vampire thing - there is some rather deep character identities within. Most noticable is how we see Seras Victoria (Police Girl) and her dealing with the new vampire life and all it's tendencies. How she doesn't wanna drink blood in the first place etc.

It also gave is some other funny stereotypes and I think Integra Wingates Hellsing is an interesting personality aswell because of her icy cold and dull being, her glaces and arrogant behavior. Shame we don't see more about Walter the Angel of Death and of course Arucard/Alucard can be discussed endlessly as we've done before.


In any way. Usually we find some good character development and emotions and how things work out with each individual character in more softer movies such as Spirited Away, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, etc.

While Hollywood movies easily can be dramatic and show some good emotions, I think the world of anime can be just as great too. I try not to let this turn into a discussion with anime vs. regular (hollywood) movies, but honestly, there is bad anime and good anime aswell as there's good movies and bad movies.


Also, I lately saw Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas. I must say, wow or holy fuck. That was a masterpiece, but it's more closely categorized as a cartoon in general and not anime. Thus making it "Hollywood'ish", so the mix between that is interesting too. It's a great cartoon-movie and not just a family/kids one. Good humor, great effects and especially the creativity (fights, battles etc.) has done greatly. But here we also have lots of character development. Sinbad versus the chick and them falling in love, his good friend the emperor's son and how their friendship goes. Oh yes.

[Demere]

seinfeld was great

[A Lizard]

Originally posted by Demere
seinfeld was great

Anyone who disagrees with this quote must be on drugs or worshiping satan.

[Lhon]

Many of the best anime have something that most american TV avoids: story arcs. When the arc is over, the series ends. American TV avoids arcs because they all hope to be hits and want open ended concepts for unlimited numbers of episodes. Also they want to run in syndication when the episodes might not run in order. Also they don't want people to give up on a series if they miss an episode and feel like they can't follow the story anymore.

You can do a lot when you don't have to hit the big red reset button at the end of each episode. 24 is a good example.

[Darkmyst]

As someone who is new to anime, is it me is the quality of story and character development much greater in anime than in most modern cinema?

Americans in general are lazy, impaitient, loathe to think and highly desirous of instant gratification. All things that make them despise character development.

To the average American these days character development is a character pulling off some cool unseen before fight move or some witty one liner or comeback.

They could care less about the hard past and deprived childhood that made a character what they are.

In other words they don't care about what makes Hannibal Lecter Hannibal Lecter. To them he is an interesting character because he "ate his liver with a nice Chianti and some Flava beans."