Funny this is my first real post, and it’s about anime. No, I’m not obsessed at all
And this is all my opinion, so take it or leave it, I don’t think I’m an expert at all :twocents:
But seriously, I am one of the brainwashed, I guess. I’ve been into this stuff for a while, thanks to some friends in high school/college. I guess this was when the big anime invasion was gearing up, right before it exploded and became really, really popular at the end of the 90’s, beginning of the 2000’s. Never have been able to stop watching it.
But anyway, yeah, a lot of anime can be escapist (I’m a huge escapist, so that speaks to that, I guess). I agree that there are a lot more (and I mean a lot, a lot) terrible anime shows than gems out there, especially after the boom and the rush to make as much money as possible, but they are out there.
Lukie pretty much has a lot of the popular anime shows pegged. Like Mako said, those elements are more common in the shonen (boys) anime. Although the cute/adorable characters are kind of everywhere. There’s usually at least one that can be described as such if the rest isn’t present. But the anime shows that are less popular (or less marketed), such as the slice-of-life genre, can avoid all of those. Of course, most of the American audience that aren’t anime-obsessed wouldn’t go for these as much. Azumanga Daioh is a good one if you like weird comedy, but I don’t think any of those are beginner anime (lots of cultural stuff/jokes newcomers might not get or find funny), but maybe that’s just me.
But really, I think there is an anime for everyone, although some people might have to dig, heh :detective: They do cover all sorts of areas, from action, to drama, to romance, to comedy, and can go from kiddie, to very adult themes. The thing about the Japanese culture is that animation/cartoons aren’t seen as just a kids medium there. Some of them can get really complex. And the story telling in many of them is really good.
In America, with some exceptions, generally only comedy shows like Simpsons or Family Guy are made for adults. The rest is mostly kids shows. Anime is made for a wider audience than American animation. Same with gender. American animation/cartoons generally are aimed more towards males, with a few exceptions for the girl-geared Saturday morning cartoons. There is more of a balance with Anime/Manga, although most of the popular stuff that ends up here is shonen.
But, in the end, even after all of that, it boils down to preference. Anime just clicks with some, and some won’t go near it. Same with any kind of book/movie/tv show. I’m obsessed, but that doesn’t mean everyone will be. Although if anyone is interested, I can give some recommendations, but this isn’t the time nor the place, since no one asked.
On that note, later.