Why people watch anime?

[Teemant]

Why people watch anime and act like it so cool?

I can't surf in the interent without seeing someone mention anime every 15 minutes. Especially these asian ones which seem to be like as random as random can possibly be.
What makes anime so popular if someone can explain? I simply don't understand.

[The Emerald Dragon]

Why people watch anime and act like it so cool?

I can't surf in the interent without seeing someone mention anime every 15 minutes. Especially these asian ones which seem to be like as random as random can possibly be.
What makes anime so popular if someone can explain? I simply don't understand.

It's popular for the mature content (violence, sexual nature etc) and the amount of variety involved.

Don't like one? You can find a totally different one within five minutes.

[The Neo-Hellenic Republic]

This should answer EVERYTHING.

[Marcurix]

Why people watch anime and act like it so cool?

I can't surf in the interent without seeing someone mention anime every 15 minutes. Especially these asian ones which seem to be like as random as random can possibly be.
What makes anime so popular if someone can explain? I simply don't understand.

This might belong in the Arts and Fiction Forum, though I'll be honest and say I'm not entirely sure. You could also flesh this out a little more.

But to answer your question, it's like any hobby or form of entertainment. People like the stories, the art, the characters, the worlds, its a varied fandom.

[Lucasaer]

As kid I've watched anime because I did not like the american cartoon style.
But anime is not only for children, a lot of animes have deep and interesting stories that would either look disgusting, silly or bad if it had real actors.
Psycho Pass would be disgusting as hell. Code Geass would be silly. Detective Conan already exists as tv show with actors and for my taste its just silly and bad. The Dragon Ball movies with actors did bad and SAO would just be uhm strange.

[The Emerald Dragon]

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This should answer EVERYTHING.

Meh... pretty much.

[Soviet Haaregrad]

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This should answer EVERYTHING.

You mean people watch anime because deformed cartoon girls? Why don't these people just watch rap videos on mute instead, and enjoy watching bootiful real women. If you're watching anime to appease your heart or your dick you're doing it wrong.

I always assumed it had to do more with the Japanese being willing to use cartoons as a medium for serious storytelling that goes beyond the comedic and childish way the medium is used in the west.

[Finland SSR]

Why do people watch cartoons or movies or read books?
Same answer as here.

[Prumia]

What makes anime so popular if someone can explain? I simply don't understand.

I cannot answer for everyone, but I can tell you why I watch - and greatly enjoy - anime.

I live in the United States of America and, in the last couple of years, I have begun to notice a trend in most films and television shows. On average, thirty minutes into a film - or three to five episodes into a television show - (assuming it has an actual plot), I learned I could accurately predict the ending and most - if not all - of the major plot points along the way.

To me, American cinema and television has become too predictable; with poor character development, simple stories, and an over all boring premise. Foreign cinema and television - not specifically anime - is a different case. Whether it be a French, German, (South) Korean, or Japanese, the film or show is different. Perhaps they are relying on common tropes found in those countries, but they are new to me.

Anime, however, is the same thing on an entirely different level. While there are numerous anime shows that are terrible - as with every medium - every now-and-again you can find a real gem that makes you sit up, take notice, and be amazed. Those are few and far between, mind you, but on the whole I cannot think of any genre that contains as much diversity as anime. It may not be for everyone, but for those who do enjoy it: it is something special.

Maybe that answers your question; maybe it does not.

[Comrade Commisar]

Why people watch anime and act like it so cool?

I can't surf in the interent without seeing someone mention anime every 15 minutes. Especially these asian ones which seem to be like as random as random can possibly be.
What makes anime so popular if someone can explain? I simply don't understand.

Why do some people like sports? Why do some people like television? Why do some people like to argue with other people over the internet about political and social events that are mostly outside their influence?

It's something to do, and something that alot of people just happen to do, which makes it something to talk about. It is fairly common browsing the internet because the demographic of most people who use the internet just happen to be fairly young, and who just happen to be alive in a time where anime is not (mostly) looked at as odd or weird. There is also that slight appeal of exoticness, escapism, and the lack of any comparible media aimed at the same demographic within the west, so there is that.

Anime is another hobby, and people will enjoy what they enjoy, sometimes with no immediate reason that they can say off the top of their head - as friend once said to me, "You don't have to understand why. Just understand that it is."

[Las Palmeras]

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This should answer EVERYTHING.

You mean people watch anime because deformed cartoon girls? Why don't these people just watch rap videos on mute instead, and enjoy watching bootiful real women. If you're watching anime to appease your heart or your dick you're doing it wrong.

I always assumed it had to do more with the Japanese being willing to use cartoons as a medium for serious storytelling that goes beyond the comedic and childish way the medium is used in the west.

Pretty much. I just haven't seen a western TV show that makes allusions to MJ-XII and ELF waves and disinformation in the IT world, or one about Folie à deux, or thanatology, or...the list could go on. Hell, I've seen an anime that could've been written by Wilhelm Reich. That was beyond nutty, and I really want more. It's like looking at a Bosch picture, and if I'm in the mood for something mediocre, saccharine, simplistic, childish, etc; there's a ton of options.

[Mefpan]

You mean people watch anime because deformed cartoon girls? Why don't these people just watch rap videos on mute instead, and enjoy watching bootiful real women. If you're watching anime to appease your heart or your dick you're doing it wrong.

I've yet to see a rap video where I'd consider an appearing person "adorable" and "huggable". And I shall not care much for things like sexiness, either.

I always assumed it had to do more with the Japanese being willing to use cartoons as a medium for serious storytelling that goes beyond the comedic and childish way the medium is used in the west.

Oh, yeah. "Let's do something monumentally important in this episode that will change EVERYTHING! Except that it won't be remembered in the next episode and all that follow it unless we need to make a silly joke about it a few seasons down the road."

Too...many...times.

[The New Sea Territory]

[Narland]

Why people watch anime and act like it so cool?

I can't surf in the interent without seeing someone mention anime every 15 minutes. Especially these asian ones which seem to be like as random as random can possibly be.
What makes anime so popular if someone can explain? I simply don't understand.

Anime is an art form that some find pleasing (a matter of taste). It is a communication media for ideas and concepts not found elsewhere. For some it is a hobby (I had a large collection anime ) and a subcultural identifier (clubs, friendship circle, etx), among other things.

Like many things that take on a marketting life of their own, anime in all its forms ranges from the most insipid formulaic drivel to the most inspiring. It also ranges from the most base vile and distrubing to the most laudable. Because of how much anime is produced, it is hard to consistently find quality anime unless by studio reputation (like Ghibli) or by finding a good source.

Like many things, if exposed early to good and aesthetically pleasing anime you will have a positive reaction to it. If you are exposed to the more shocking, or banal forms your reaction could vary from clawing your eyes out, or finding that watching mold grow is more interesting.

Ghibli Studios has some good selections, (like "Howl's Moving Castle")

[Soviet Haaregrad]

You mean people watch anime because deformed cartoon girls? Why don't these people just watch rap videos on mute instead, and enjoy watching bootiful real women. If you're watching anime to appease your heart or your dick you're doing it wrong.

I've yet to see a rap video where I'd consider an appearing person "adorable" and "huggable". And I shall not care much for things like sexiness, either.

You must not have seen many, or if you did they must have lacked dancers.
I'm sorry you've lived so long without the knowledge of Pinky, who is sexy, adorable and huggable all at once.
Fuck you, pay me.

I always assumed it had to do more with the Japanese being willing to use cartoons as a medium for serious storytelling that goes beyond the comedic and childish way the medium is used in the west.

Oh, yeah. "Let's do something monumentally important in this episode that will change EVERYTHING! Except that it won't be remembered in the next episode and all that follow it unless we need to make a silly joke about it a few seasons down the road."

Too...many...times.

Which, anime or American cartoons? Either way, some shows status quo is god.

[The Huskar Social Union]

A lot of reasons really, some people like the art style, some like the characters and how they interact with one another, others like the humour found in a lot of anime, others like the over the top zealous battle scenes or stories, a combination of said things or any others that people can think of.

[Las Palmeras]

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This should answer EVERYTHING.

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Where's the variety? That's so boooring! Here's some things to pretty it up:

[Madiganistan]

There's just a lot that can be done with an animated series that wouldn't work with live-action television: certain lines, scenes, and themes are delivered better by a cartoon-- Western cultures have come to realize the opportunities provided by the distinction throughout the past few decades too, but our use of animation seems almost exclusively restricted to the adult sitcom genre (The Simpsons, Family Guy, Home Movies, South Park, King of the Hill, Archer, Bob's Burgers, Adult Swim, etc.).

Anime, on the other hand, is less a genre and more a medium in and of itself; outside perception often restricts itself to thinking of explosions, big hair, and giant robots, but there's animes that cover everything from historical fiction to tragic romances that resemble Mexican telenovas more than they do "Dragonball Z."

I'm not a big fan-- largely because the Western Japanophile trope just annoys the sh!t out of me, and the behavior of a lot of people in that subculture don't do a whole lot to dispel the stereotypes about them. But there's a few series I've gotten into, not because it's anime, but because it's just good television.

[Las Palmeras]

There's just a lot that can be done with an animated series that wouldn't work with live-action television: certain lines, scenes, and themes are delivered better by a cartoon-- Western cultures have come to realize the opportunities provided by the distinction throughout the past few decades too, but our use of animation seems almost exclusively restricted to the adult sitcom genre (The Simpsons, Family Guy, Home Movies, South Park, King of the Hill, Archer, Bob's Burgers, Adult Swim, etc.).

Anime, on the other hand, is less a genre and more a medium in and of itself; outside perception often restricts itself to thinking of explosions, big hair, and giant robots, but there's animes that cover everything from historical fiction to tragic romances that resemble Mexican telenovas more than they do "Dragonball Z."

I'm not a big fan-- largely because the Western Japanophile trope just annoys the sh!t out of me, and the behavior of a lot of people in that subculture don't do a whole lot to dispel the stereotypes about them. But there's a few series I've gotten into, not because it's anime, but because it's just good television.

Hello? Is that you, Mr. McLuhan?!

Oh, and as a member of the subculture, I do have to say that I'm in the closet in my public life. Because, partly, of what you said about the stereotypes.

[Soviet Haaregrad]

There's just a lot that can be done with an animated series that wouldn't work with live-action television: certain lines, scenes, and themes are delivered better by a cartoon-- Western cultures have come to realize the opportunities provided by the distinction throughout the past few decades too, but our use of animation seems almost exclusively restricted to the adult sitcom genre (The Simpsons, Family Guy, Home Movies, South Park, King of the Hill, Archer, Bob's Burgers, Adult Swim, etc.).

Anime, on the other hand, is less a genre and more a medium in and of itself; outside perception often restricts itself to thinking of explosions, big hair, and giant robots, but there's animes that cover everything from historical fiction to tragic romances that resemble Mexican telenovas more than they do "Dragonball Z."

I'm not a big fan-- largely because the Western Japanophile trope just annoys the sh!t out of me, and the behavior of a lot of people in that subculture don't do a whole lot to dispel the stereotypes about them. But there's a few series I've gotten into, not because it's anime, but because it's just good television.

I can agree with most of this.

Also, can't discuss anime without mentioning the best anime of all time.

[Forsher]

Because Digimon is an anime.

Only slightly more seriously, why do people watch anything at all? Exactly the same reason. There is something about it that they like. Whether this is, say, plot arcs that last more than two episodes that are about things happening instead of the characters or plots that people like. Maybe it's the aesthetic appeal (look at, say, Avatar/Korra with its anime-esque visuals). Lots of different reasons.

The better question is why people watch American sitcoms.

[Soviet Haaregrad]

The better question is why people watch American sitcoms.

For their deep, immersive stories and nuanced morals.

Bazinga.

[BlueVelvet]

I don't like Anime at all.

[Blekksprutia]

Anime is a wonderful, amazing, beautiful, many-splendoured thing.

[Torisakia]

People have different interests than you? Oh boo hoo, let me play you a sad song on the world's smallest violin.

The better question is why you don't watch anime.