An Extensive History of Anime 235
Ninja Master Gara writes "While it is a bit dated, Right Stuf has a fascinating set of in depth history of anime in Japan and the west and follows the development of both cultures, including landmark series from the 60s, the 70s, the 80s and beyond, the origins of today's major anime release companies, and commentary on various aspects of the industry and culture. While it is labelled an 'Introduction to Anime', it serves as a much more interesting look back for long time anime fans. Right Stuf also has a great timeline of important releases."
I'll go one step better (Score:2, Funny)
Hey! (Score:3, Funny)
A Simplified History of Anime (Score:5, Funny)
2) Slightly pumpkinish characters
3) Quite pumpkinish characters
4) Very pumpkinish characters
5) Talking pumpkin heads
Re:A Simplified History of Anime (Score:3, Insightful)
Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson airplane, which cleared the way for Jefferson starship. The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft.
As far as I could tell, the whole story was really a promotional tool to sell some of their back-catalog items. Shows you can catch on cable, like Cowboy Bebop or Sailor Moon, were given a passing mention, but OVA's which are neither older nor more important to anime history are mentioned as shows you absolutely must see, you culturally illiterate philistines!!! Oh, surprise surprise, the site where this story appears sells those very same videos.
The "infomercial" started out as half-hour ads disguised as talk shows, but they are creeping into every part of society lately. Last night my local Public Television station showed a "documentary" about the history behind an expensive lodge in Glacier National Park, a grotesque and obvious pimping for a vacation destination. ABC did them one better two years ago, by airing a prime-time "special" during sweeps week, featuring Britney Spears at Disneyworld, which not only promoted the attractions at Disneyworld and the new Britney Spears album for an hour, but was also did pretty good in the ratings, helping ABC sell adds. (For those of you who don't know, ABC and Britney's record label are both owned by Disney, making this a massive cross-promotional tool.)
I'm not calling for regulation or alarm or anything. I'm just saying that everybody needs to keep their radars up for this kind of shit a little more, because it's everywhere these days.
Why is anime so great? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:2)
Ugh. Let me ask you something, if anime is only a cartoon, why would it have such a following?
Perhaps a refphrasing of your question is in order?
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1, Insightful)
That is, is there something inherent about cartoons that precludes them having a massive following?
Anyway, it beats watching little ball bearings bounce around behind a sheet of glass all day.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:2)
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:2)
That'd be a good answer to my comment if I had said "anime is good".
All I said was that he had plenty of evidence already that it wasn't 'just a cartooon'. That's why I suggested he rephrase his question, sounds more like a troll than a question.
Maybe for the same reason cartoons do? (Score:1)
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1)
Hey, Squarebob Spongepants is just a cartoon "and a LOUSY one at that, imho" and it has a strong following.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:3, Funny)
But then again, so did Spice Girls
[Ducks and runs for cover]
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:3, Insightful)
I've watched Anime that's supposed to be good (Princess Mononoke or whatever it's called). I saw Akira in the theater. I've tried and tried to "get" anime.
I still don't see the point."Schoolgirl-raping tentacles" really AREN'T my idea of anime, but as a genre of storytelling, it has singularly failed to move me in any way. I've been more emotionally/intellectually/sexually stimulated by the advertising copy on the back of a box of breakfast cereal than I have by anything with big eyes, poor dubbing or sleep (snot?) bubbles.
Can an enthusiast PLEASE explain why this form is in any way comparable to more mainstream types of entertainment?
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:2, Funny)
apparently you weren't stoned enough...
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:5, Insightful)
I personally didn't like Princess Mononoke or find Akira very interesting. If I were to introduce someone to anime, I'd do it through Cowboy Bebop. It's original, it's gritty, it's funny, and it looks and sounds gorgeous.
Go rent (or just buy) the first DVD of Cowboy Bebop, and watch the whole disk. It'll really open your eyes to what story telling can really be.
AND NEVER WATCH A DUB. Japanese productions like Cowboy Bebop are done by the best directors and the best voice actors in the country. When they bring it over here, it's released by a much smaller company for a niche market. They get low-talent, no-name actors and directors who try to Americanize the production, or try to put they're own creative skills into it (these are different than what the Japanese director intended, and these American directors are no-names for a reason).
dub acting (Score:2)
Generally a dub from original language is going to be substandard to the original anyway. Try playing the French or Spanish track on a movie that was originally done in English. I've done it several times with many movies and they just aren't the same.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:3, Interesting)
That is preciesly why I watch it, it's not really compariable to mainstream. Nor is anime trying to be western/american mainstream (anime is mainstream in japan, so I am assuming this is written from a more western point of view), that niche is already filled well and the Japanese will most likely not fill the western mainstream niche well anyway.
I don't watch Anime for "big eyes, poor dubbing or sleep (snot?) bubbles", I watch it becuase I find the stories incredibly entertaining, different, and humorous. I enjoy a look at the different culture shown in the shows.
This is like saying "little shop of horrors" or "the rocky horror picture show" are worthless. Both are liked well (though I personally can not stand either one) because they are not mainstream stories. They still have merit if you like that type of story.
So you don't like anime, don't watch it. I don't mean that in a smart ass way, I greatly dislike most mainstream media, it's too commercial, so I don't watch it. Like any genre some will not "get" it, you don't have too - it is perfectly acceptable to simply not like that style of story telling (as I have never seen a musical that I like - I can not stand to watch one - many love them). I personally have been more emotionally/intellectually/sexually stimulated by the advertising copy on the back of a box of breakfast cereal than I have by most things in mainstream media.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1)
That's a bit misleading. I don't know if you weren't trying to imply that anime is less commercialized, but if you were -- you're wrong.
I suppose you have somewhat of a skewed perspective because anime is indeed a niche market in America, but if anything, the Japanese anime market is MORE commericalized than Hollywood is. Granted, we have formulaic cookie cutter movies with the cute new actor the girls swoon over making a few millions in the box office when decent, albeit low budget and more experimental movies like Memento all but bomb in the box office.
But it's much the same in Japan. Anime is a business, first and foremost. If I had to make a guess, as to which animation studio has been the most successful animation studio in the last few years (aside from Sunrise, probably).. judging by "the fansub scene," it wouldn't be the ones who brought us Boogiepop Phantom or Neon Genesis Evangelion (or more recently, His & Her Circumstances and Mahoromatic.. and, gag.. Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai)..it would be the ones who brought us such formula anime such as Vandread, Full Metal Panic and RORI Grade (er, excuse me, Kiddy Grade, rather) -- where the only thing bigger than the obvious lack of imagination is the set of knockers the main female character is totin'.
Let me just say this -- it's a sad day in Japan when Chii wins NewType magazine's award for 2002 female character of 2002 [animewaves.net] -- a robot with no personality and amounts to not much more than a fuckdoll fantasy for the fanboys. And people into anime wonder why the "all anime=pr0n" stereotype still exists.. sigh.
And formulaic cookie cutter anime isn't where it ends -- if you thought the commercialization is bad here, where you can buy action figures for your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle or Transformer.. Just take a look at places like Robert's Anime Corner [animecornerstore.com] or CDJapan [cdjapan.co.jp] and you'll easily probably be able to find pretty much any nick, nack or merchandise based on your favorite series. Not that I'm particularly complaining about that part, though -- being able to own the score for my favorite show is a godsend.. even if with shipping I end up paying about 3x more than you probably would for "overpriced" domestic CDs.
Now, don't get me wrong, as much as I seem to be flaming it, it's only my shameful nature and common sense that I don't go out roaming the streets proclaiming myself an otaku in my spare time. Anime (as could cartoons, if people could get past the mentality that their maturity is somehow threatened if they watch something WITHOUT REAL PEOPLE!) is a great medium for expression and, like you say -- does really hold more potential than live action does, if power is given to the right person. IMHO, of course.
Basically, I appreciate your appreciation for anime, but don't put it on a pedistol it doesn't belong on.
Aside from that, I pretty much agree with you -- if you don't like anime, nobody's forcing you to watch it. I don't bother asking teenie boppers why I should like N'Sync.. why should anime be any different?
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1)
It's just scary.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1)
Plus if I don't live there much of the commercialization goes right over my head (for instance, I watch some souju (or however it is spelled) anime, I mentally understand it's deseigned for young females but it is so different from what I associate with young females I don't really associate it there).
I also do not notice stuff such as product placement. Thye may do it but I can't reconize the writing. I also don't see the dramatic pause to show the "coke" symbol or the weird closeup just to get the At&t symbol. I still see those occasionally but they seem much more demure.
And lastly thier is no equivilent of stuff like Vandread ot Love Hina. It is easier to find "alternate" titles in anime. This to me is part of the commercialization. The complete unwillingness to "go out an a limb" so to speak. It is possible to find some western obscure stuff that does, but the parent poster explicitly said mainstream.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:3, Insightful)
You do realise that 'Spirited Away' had the highest box-office take of any movie in Japanese cinema history, and when broadcast on Japanese television a couple of weeks ago, had the highest rating for any movie broadcast on TV?
It is mainstream, just not in your country.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:2)
In an attempt to be more helpful than in my last post, here's Dictionary.com's definition of the word 'anime':
"A style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and sex."
Basically, it's a type of cartoon, so you're half right. As for it being 'just a cartoon', I'd disagree. Though I myself am not a huge anime fan, it's easy to see its appeal. It's a lot more dramatic. It's also a lot more adult-oriented and rather imaginitive.
I'm surprised we don't have more serious cartoons over here. Anybody ever see the animated Spawn series on HBO? That was damn cool.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:3, Funny)
Someone just watched Dirty Pair didn't they?
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:2)
"A style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and sex."
Man. That's got to be the stupidest, most ignorant "definition" of anything that I've read in a long time.
Remind me never to use Dictionary.com for anything important.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1, Insightful)
There's computers (think fruity toys, like iMacs), and then there's computers (Mmm. Big Iron)..
To put it another way, there's, say, DragonBall Z, all those fruity shows about Super Power Magical Ultra Girl !! where the (insert eyeroll) 'heroine's' adventures consist of saving the world while deciding like, which guy to totally go out with!
Yeah. Those are just cartoons. Hell, I'll do you one better - they don't qualify as cartoons, even, they're utter garbage.
On the other hand you have, say, Evangelion.
Watch Evangelion with subtitles on (They change dialogue far too greatly in the dubbed versions), and pay attention. It may be animated. It certainly isn't a 'cartoon'.
Anyhoo, cartoons are, by definition, light and humorous and such. As it were, plenty of what people term 'anime' falls into that category.
The 'good stuff' doesn't.
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1)
The difference is actually enormous. Cartoons are a genre. American animated features are another genre. Anime is a catch-all term for Japanese Animation, but in the end it's only a style of animation, and Animation is a medium.
'toons are always the same slapstick comedy. Disney movies and their ilk are always the same too (in fact, it's pretty much always the same story, with the ame characters) - adventure, drama and comedy put together, aimed at kid but with enough for their parents to enjoy.
There's a whole bunch of style in Anime. Drama, action, adventure, comedy, western, science-fiction, space opera - you name it, you can animate it instead of filming it live action. The difference between animation and live action is akin to the difference between black and white and color, or silent film and talkies.
Japanese Anime are not the only worthy animated features, either - The Flight Of Dragons [amazon.com]
is a cult classic. Le Roi et l'Oiseau [diplomatie.fr] is a wonderful work of art. The Japanese have the difference of churning up animation industrially, and most of it is drawn the same way (which is more of a turn-off than anything, to me anyway), and so for some that makes it a discernible genre. It's not. Even apparently similar Anime such as Sailor Moon and Fushigi Yuugi are world apart. You can't possibly compare anime on the ground that they're anime - you'd have an easier time comparing the Rurouni Kenshin OVA (Samurai X in the US I believe) to a live-action Samurai movie than to, say, Cowboy Bebop.So, please, don't lump Anime with cartoons. It's not even similar
Re:Why is anime so great? (Score:1)
Good deals (Score:2, Informative)
Pardon me, but (Score:5, Funny)
TO anyone reading the above (Score:1, Offtopic)
I can make Anime (Score:1, Funny)
Wow (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re:I can make Anime (Score:1)
I Believe that would be called "Nick Toons", not anime.
Most important though.. (Score:1)
Re:Most important though.. (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Most important though.. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Most important though.. (Score:1)
For early examples, Hokusai's "Pearl Diver and Two Octopuses" dates from the late 18th Century, and is probably the most famous ukiyo-e depicting bestality.
Before I start reading.. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Before I start reading.. (Score:2)
Flamebait? Aww bummer. I was hoping somebody'd see the humor in my comment, not take it as a generalization about anime.
I'm surprised there is no cartoon network mention (Score:4, Insightful)
Everybody I know think's it's absolutely amazing
and has gotten some, or at least stays up to watch
the show. What some people don't get about anime
is, it's a great way to put a great idea in front
of people for a lot less money than making a live
action dealio. You get that huge screen feel with
paper and ink. I saw a copy of the non-import
japanese version of the Cowboy Bebop movie go for
500 bucks on eBay a while ago.
Re:I'm surprised there is no cartoon network menti (Score:1)
Hmm... at first I read that as:
1. Watch anime
2. ???
3. Get laid!
Funny you should mention that... (Score:3, Interesting)
"Hey baby, why don't you come over and watch some
bebop with me"
works a lot better than the old monteray jack
chicken quesadilla gambit taco bell seems to think
you should try based on their recent commercial.
Be warned... (Score:3, Offtopic)
So I'll offer a plug of my own. I like AnimeNation [animenation.com]...they have a great news section [animenation.net] and a Q&A column "Ask John [animenation.net]."
Re:Be warned... (Score:2)
That said, I don't follow your logic...If anime sales increase, then more anime will be offered by distributors and we won't have problems with limited releases...geez.
Wasn't Bambi an orphan? (Score:1)
Regarding
"This, as Uncle Walt had taught us, was a medium for children, and children could not be trusted with an advanced concept such as death."
Re:Wasn't Bambi an orphan? (Score:1)
News... its anything but (Score:1)
...as if 99% of what is posted as 'news' here isnt...
the problem (Score:4, Interesting)
with 50++ NEW anime series a year, and a dozen new
movies and OVAs, who can either afford the time or
money to watch it all. Too bad, cause half of it is
usually better than most stuff on (american) cable
tv and hollywood.
why anime is so good? Well, for me, half the fun is
to admire the animation. Granted, anime is often
choppy and no that full of motion, but even simple
drawings can amaze me, in that I think it is fantastic
that we humans can draw that well. Other thing is that
if you watch something barely decent over a period of
8-9 hours, you'll end up loving it whether it's mediocre
or not, as it really grows on you in the end (also because
in anime, there's usually a storyline). Actually, anime
are often remarkable for their storyline, IMO, and that
only seems logical. Let's face it, there's often very little
ot none motion in a typical tv anime, so the only thing that's left is a good story and good characters. So I always like to say anime is a storytelling medium.
Other aspects of anime I like is the cultural difference. Japan is far less americanized than most modern countries I know of, and has an unique mixture of old and new that makes it all that more interesting. I also like the language.. don't understand much =D, but the language often sounds sort of poetic to me. And that's not only something I'm imagining I think, as I already speak 3 different languages fluently (although they're all indo-european languages, so what would I know =D).
Re:the problem (Score:2)
"I mean, with 50++ NEW anime series a year, and a dozen new movies and OVAs, who can either afford the time or money to watch it all."
Do you have the same complaint about video games, television, movies or food, for that matter? What makes you think you must consume every last bit to enjoy a bite?
Anime Online (Score:1)
Re:Anime Online (Score:1)
Fansubs are quite often becoming less helpful to anime companies and more a hindrance, as they DO tend to displace the legitimate releases.
And don't forget that the Anime industry is much, much smaller than the US movie industry, so piracy is all the more damaging.
Re:Anime Online (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Anime Online (Score:1)
What would be interesting (Score:2)
a couple of movies I'd recommend (Score:4, Informative)
Movies:
- jin roh (2000/2001-something)
For anyone looking for something dark and moody. The drawing
style is realistic (no oversized eyes/breasts here), and the animation quality is really brilliant (studio IG know their stuff). The storyline is a little hard to follow sometimes because of the many different factions involved each with their own motives, but in the end, it's all very poetic and well executed. Also watch out for the soundtrack, by Mizoguchi Hajime; especially the theme melody is one of the best I've ever heard in any movie.
- sen to chihiro no kamikakushi / spirited away (2002/2003)
watching this at a cinema is truly a fabulous experience as it's like being swept away by thousands and thousands of brilliantly drawn paintings.. the visual qualities, at a cinema, are extraordinarily beautiful. Hisaishi Jo provides a great score, as usual, and all in all this is another masterpiece from the legendary writer-director-drawer Miyazaki Hayao. Probably gonna win oscar, too.
Re:a couple of movies I'd recommend (Score:1)
What's an OVA? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What's an OVA? (Score:4, Informative)
Original Video Animation. This refers to an anime (usually a mini-series) that goes straight to video. There isn't the stigma attached to it as with American direct to video releases, and most of it is somewhere between theatrical releases and TV anime, as far as the animation is concerned.
Re:What's an OVA? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:What's an OVA? (Score:1)
does anyone remember tranzor-z? (Score:2)
Re:does anyone remember tranzor-z? (Score:1)
And if you're thinking about moderating me down, no, I'm not lying, joking or trolling.
Re:does anyone remember tranzor-z? (Score:1)
Yes, actually. It aired on a local UHF station many years ago and I'm still a sucker for cheezy hero robot shows.
Two things made anime mainstream (Score:3, Informative)
The first is the rapid acceptance of the DVD format. Unlike previous home video playback formats, DVD's allow you to have multiple-language soundtracks and multiple language caption/subtitling tracks on a single disc. In one fell swoop, the entire debate of subtitled versus dubbed anime has been rendered moot.
The second is the success of Bandai Entertainment in bringing over a good number of anime titles created by Bandai Visual and Sunrise (Bandai I believe owns Sunrise) to the US market. This really opened the floodgates for lots of anime titles to finally be sold in US-legal editions.
Re:Two things made anime mainstream (Score:1)
This is less common now that Bones, a studio made of the crew behind Escaflowne, Angelic Layer, and Cowboy Bebop (among other shows), has started to produce many of the more popular shows of the past couple years (RahXephon, Witch Hunter Robin, and now Wolf's Rain).
Anime was HUGE in the USA before DVD was around. (Score:2)
However, DVD did make it MUCH more accessable. I own them all on DVD now, and there is just so much. The medium is a godsend for stuff like this. But to be fair, it was very very popular on VHS long before DVD was even out.
Not only Bandai (Score:1)
New Trends in Today's Anime (Score:4, Informative)
Forget about seeing nudity any more except for a few exceptions. The Japanese are getting closer and closer everyday to adopting the Puritain view on nudity, i.e. that it's bad and abnormal. However, fan service (underware shots, provocative poses) is still rampant, especially in anime targeted toward women (trying to get male viewers).
Along with the new censoring of nudity, there comes the censoring of violence. I recently watched a series called Noir, a action-spy type series, where people shot guns and got shot, but there was no blood. Anything "gruesome" was off camera and or only shown in the shadows. This make the anime feel very fake. However, the censoring of violence isn't as bad yet as it is for nudity. There are some great exceptions out there, like Cowboy Bebop, Naruto, and Hellsing.
One bad trend, particularily irritating to me, is the overuse of the cliché dweeb who can't handle women, yet is surrounded by them. He'll bleed from the nose, can't say anything with confudence, be in constant fear of reprisal, and perhaps in the end, if he's lucky, get a solitary kiss. This is Japan's version of the hopless moron who's married to a hot wife on US's sitcom TV. They all need to die.
However, all is not bad in anime land. When Slam Dunk came out back in the day, it started what I call the sports anime craze. Now there's anime about soccer (Whisle), boxing (Hajime no Ippo), tennis (The Prince of Tennis), and even the board game Go (Hikaru no Go). This type of anime is great for buidling up suspense, and it'll get you addicted like a crack addict. The art of creating cliff-hangers that make you foam at the mouth has been perfected by the Japanese.
Finally, the other great trend I'm noticing is anime adapted from literature rather from manga. Two anime of this type that I can think off the top of my head are Juuni Kokki and Crest of the Stars. You won't find any other anime that can compete with the plot and character development. Let's hope Japanese anime studios don't adopt Hollywoods attitudes towards book to movie production.
Re:New Trends in Today's Anime (Score:3, Insightful)
While many shows do not feature nudity, taking a "puritanical" bent would not allow fanservice shows like Mouse or Lime-iro Senkitan to be made (rampant fanservice and lightly ecchi humor abound). Stranger yet, Lime-iro Senkitan is a non-H anime based of an H-game that was released in december. So if the anime isn't enough for your *ahem* perverted mind, you can go grab the game (and the show is strangely funny).
And what you describe (tenchi-complex) is a definite cliché, but it's one that's been shown to work well. Of course, you can always ignore them and enjoy shows like "Someday's Dreamers" and "Juuni Kokki" with the rest of us!
And to make me happy, Media Blasters licensed Juuni Kokki recently so we'll be able to get it on DVD soon enough.
Re:New Trends in Today's Anime (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:New Trends in Today's Anime (Score:4, Insightful)
Along with the new censoring of nudity, there comes the censoring of violence. I recently watched a series called Noir, a action-spy type series, where people shot guns and got shot, but there was no blood. Anything "gruesome" was off camera and or only shown in the shadows. This make the anime feel very fake.
The lack of blood in Noir doesn't seem to me to be a censorship issue, but one of artistic decision. This has been talked about somewhat extensively on some of the Noir forums. I can't find a link to the whole discussion, but I did found a quote from it: "...that wonderful unique trademark of Noir: only the those who have humanity bleed. No one else."
The vast majority of the deaths are the bad guys. The handful of innocents (the less-guilty if you prefer) who die do bleed. Most notably the Bouquet family in the repeated flashbacks, but in the instances when Kirika or Mireille are injured they *do* bleed. Not excessively; getting nicked with a knife/bullet isn't a very bloody thing, and even a fatal knife/bullet wound doesn't bleed all that much, much less a non-fatal hit.
Re:New Trends in Today's Anime (Score:2)
The good thing about anime is that although there is alot of formula stuff there is still more originality and ability to experiment than on American TV. One recent example would be Saikano (aka She, the ultimate weapon, aka Saishuheike Kanojo), about the end of the human race amoung other things. And consider Arjuna, something that pro-environmentalist would never be allowed on American TV.
Re:New Trends in Today's Anime (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:New Trends in Today's Anime (Score:2, Insightful)
Actually, they're probably just getting closer to the AMERICAN view of nudity--that it's crude and not "artistic." Heck, they might just be getting back to their own view of nudity--that it's not something that people do. (Honestly, last I heard Jappanese culture--as opposed to art--wasn't any more immodest than the American culture that set up their current government.)
And anyway, it is hard to be artistic when your work can be used as porn.
Strongbad on Japanese Cartoons (Score:4, Funny)
~Berj
My views on anime (Score:2, Redundant)
Japanese cartoon [homestarrunner.com]
'Nuff said.
the main timeline is outdated (Score:1)
And the answer it fails to provide is that that's
a definitive no, because it doesn't cover the last
decade! History has already shown it is far from
over.. anime survived the bad bad economy, and
is more popular than EVER.
Remember the timeline the article provides is
BEFORE the time of cowboy bebop (one of the
most popular anime series in the west ever). It's
before the time of record-breaking princess mononoke
(extreme commercial success).. and it's before the
time of spirited away (even more extreme commercial
success, and quite possible this year's winner for
the best animation oscar, which again would provide
the japanese anime industry another boost).
I just noticed all this when I finally read the
darn thing =p It mentions the impact of movies
such as naushika and akira.. well, it is far from
over, as princess mononoke and spirited away have
shown (bigger succeses than naushika and akira
even!!).
Oh yeah.. one of the last things it mentions is
that there is some good stuff on the horizon,
like escaflowne.. and indeed, escaflowne turned
out to turn out pretty big as well, although
cowboy bebop took the throne later on. Both
escaflowne and cowboy bebop also produced two
good movies.. and there were other good movies
as well, including but not limited to jin roh
and metropolis.
Furthermore, there are still lots of good series
coming out. Studio bones is worth a mentioning..
both witch hunter robin and wolfs rain might
turn out to be big hits (and rahxephon is doing
well). There's a really good new ghost in the shell
series running, done by IG. And a year ago we had
the brilliantly funny azumanga daioh, also sure to
be a huge hit. Actually, there seems to be at least
a dozen great new series each year, and that trend
is not failing any time soon I reckon.. (no I'm not
going to bother to mention all of them.. I'm looking
at lists of what has been out each of the previous
years, and there are LOTS of goodies to pick out).
so for anyone seriously thinking anime is dead..
far from it =) It's bigger than in a long time,
and even my sister and my neighbour has seen an anime
now!!!! (that warrants many exclamation marks=D)
of course, there are problems on the horizon as well..
like people downloading way too much licensed anime
from the net.
I'll be discussing anime with Netflix on monday... (Score:1)
An obvious suggestion is that there are big gaps in their offerings to anime fans. They don't carry series like Crest of the Stars and FLCL or oldies like Otaku no Video. (I go to Nikaku Animart, the anime rental place in the San Jose Japantown neighborhood for stuff like that.)
Another obvious suggestion is that they aren't following new releases closely enough. Stuff like Banner of the Stars, Chobits,
I might be dreaming on this one but I'm going to try to discuss the lag time between releases in Japan and releases in the US with them. It seems silly to me that the Cowboy Bebop movie (movie not the series) was out in Japan several years ago but only recently came to the US. My suggestion is going to be that they deal directly with the Japanese companies themselves and not wait for the US distributors to license and dub the titles. AFAIK the majority of fans don't need the dubbing anyway and prefer subtitles. I'm wondering if they'd be interested in hearing that many Americans (yeah europeans, asians, and middle easterners too) are watching series like Chobits, Wolfs Rain, etc within days or weeks of airing in Japan, and with subtitles too. I may bring my chinese Hoshi no Koe dvd in as a prop. I don't think that one is out in the US yet, it wasn't last fall when I bought it. It looks to me like there is a tremendous demand for recent anime here that isn't being *commercially* fullfilled. =:)
I hope they don't laugh too hard when I suggest they do something about it.
Anyway, anybody have any other suggestions for Netflix on how to improve services to anime fans ?
Series you'd like to see, etc ?
Re:I'll be discussing anime with Netflix on monday (Score:1)
I hope they don't laugh too hard when I suggest they do something about it.
This is an unavoidable problem due to licensing agreements, production time tables, and market forces.
The Bebop movie quite possibly could have been over here a while ago, but fierce bidding likely held it up and in the end, Sony (who helped fund part of it) got it. Then it had to be translated, dubbed, and now it will be released in theaters.
Another problem with what you state is that yes, in fact, the FAR MAJORITY of anime fans in the US (whose market may be larger than that of Japan's in a few years) do watch and want stuff DUBBED. Therefore it is infeasable for Netflix to bypass the US companies, since they'd lose out on rentals to the majority of their audience with the lack of a dub.
The only reason many people are watching stuff like Chobits and Wolf's Rain so quickly is because fansubbers obey no laws and do what is essentially an illegal act (Copyright Violation) in the translation and distribution. The japanese companies simply chose not to prosecute (the US companies however, will).
As well, your chinese Hoshi no Koe is likely a bootleg, which was made with no compensation to the creator. Considering the guy worked on his own (that is, by himself for two years on a blue Apple G3 Tower) for the better part of two years to animate the entire damn thing, that's an insult. And ADV recently picked it up for a US release this year.
Make no mistake, releases of shows are coming sooner after their Japanese release these days than they were before, and there is a LOT more out there. They have to be careful though, the market is not gigantic like that of Hollywood's and it could easily be flooded.
Re:I'll be discussing anime with Netflix on monday (Score:1)
For example, Ghost in the Shell (the movie, not the new series) still costs 7800 yen here in Japan - while Right Stuf has the same thing for $US25! Evangelion, too - not only is it dub/subbed, but some of the animation was redone to use English instead of Japanese, and yet the DVD box costs less than one-third of the Japanese original (which you can't even buy any more).
Oh my (Score:1)
1990s: A whole lotta nothing going on. Uh huh. The obviously slept through 1992 [tcp.com].
Could buy and sell Evangelion six times before corn flakes. It also deserves mention in the U.S. licensing portion of the article, since it was one of three shows that formed the basis for the current [icv2.com]
success of anime in general.
Oh, and it did about ten figures in merchandising too.
Re:Oh my (Score:1)
Who cares if it did ten figures in merchandising? I'm sure My Little Pony did great back in the 80's, but how many people would honestly consider that to be innovative, influential, interesting, or historically worth noting? Answer? Nobody except for a select few who obviously missed the whole goddamned point.
Re:Oh my (Score:1)
LOL
I'm sure My Little Pony did great back in the 80's, but how many people would honestly consider that to be innovative, influential, interesting, or historically worth noting?
Does My Little Pony have 100 million fans worldwide? Are there 400,000 My Little Pony web pages? Was My Little Pony ever #1 on Amazon.com?
No.
That's the point.
Re:Oh my (Score:1)
That said, i'm sure that My Little Pony had quite a large following back in it's day, though i'd bet that most people don't give a crap anymore. I'd expect the same to happen to something like Sailor Moon.
Don't mistake sales figures for quality, innovation, or historical impact. People will buy anything if they're exposed to it long enough.
Christ, people even bought the Pet Rock and the Chia Pet.
Anime for a better tommorow (Score:2)
Tezuka's Simba (Score:1)
The Tezuka estate should retroactively sue Disney. I'm sure there's room in the DMCA to fit something like that . . .
Book recommendations? (Score:1)
I find the topic of the history of anime to be fascinating, and I want to learn more about it. Can anyone recommend a book that might cover this topic?
hmm (Score:2)
What's slightly dated stuff doing making slashdot's main page?! I'm outraged; it's supposed to be VERY dated before you people post it!
Old news (Score:1)
It's still a good history, don't get me wrong. But it's probably about three years out of date.
This just in... (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, you might as well say "All Sci-Fi movies suck!" just because of the incredible crapitude of Battlefield Earth.
Re:This just in... (Score:2)
Re:This just in... (Score:4, Interesting)
Why is The Jerry Springer Show so popular? Why is "Marry a Fake Millionaire" so popular? It's because the distributors decide that they can make the most money by appealing to the lowest common denominator.
Fortunately, shows like Evangelion and movies like Spirited Away come along and prove to the media Powers That Be that the "unwashed masses" actually have some appreciation for quality works.
BTW - anime fans, brace yourselves for lots of lame posts about tentacle rape and pedophilia. Articles on this topic seem to bring out lots of trolls.
Re: Anime sucks! (Asian Pride) (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Yawn. (Score:5, Informative)
It's sad that the people who aren't into anime always post in the anime threads about how they don't like anime; just filter it out guys.
Cartoon Biography, not such a bad idea (Score:4, Interesting)
I'd like to see anime biographies, myself. My life story should be told the way it should have gone down - with ninjas, giant robots and pink haired bisexual schoolgirls.
As the production costs for cartoons continue to go down, and as the aggragate disposable income of the human race continues to rise (assuming it isn't squandered in senseless war, of course) I think you'll see real expansion of the medium. I'd like to see more educational/historical work, along the lines of the Cartoon History of the Universe and it's ilk, in animated form.
I'm a firm believer that educational material should be "targeted" at adults. Nothing then stops children from watching it. This is why the Cartoon History of the Universe is good (was good when I was a kid,) and all this supposedly-history-teaching crap they show on TV recently has been such crap (Hysteria, I think it is called, is sub-dreadful.)
It's not an inherent limitation of the form. TV is plenty childish without extra effort put in to dumb it down.
Re:Cartoon Biography, not such a bad idea (Score:2)
Re:Ugh, I can sum Anime history into two sentences (Score:1, Insightful)
Someone hit this guy over the head with a clue stick or at least mod him down, eh?
Re:Ugh, I can sum Anime history into two sentences (Score:2)
Re:Ugh, I can sum Anime history into two sentences (Score:1, Flamebait)
The Japanese want to shove tenticles into it.
3. Somebody set up us the bomb
Re:Uh, this article is old. (Score:1)