From: CONCEPCION%BABSON.BITNET@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: The Appeal of Anime
Date: 5 Nov 92 22:23:00 GMT
To: anime-l@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
Original_To:  JNET%"anime-l@vtvm1"


                             The Appeal of Anime

                        Spawn of aimless meanderings
                       No submissions beyond the wind
                  Flame if you wish, but I hope you wishn't

        As the disclaimer says, this is a proto-paper born from discussions,
some with others, others with myself.  The occasional mainstreamer would ask
one of our number, "What, pray tell, is the appeal of anime?"  Why have we
chosen this expensive and slightly esoteric hobby?  Well, we have all of our
reasons and histories, so I shan't delve into that particular region.  The
actual topic is the reason behind the evolution of anime popularity.  Unless
you have been exiled from video stores by your choice or someone else's then
you would notice the appearance of several anime translations.  Why is it
that these videos make their sudden appearance now instead of before when the
Gundam series were at their heights or in the golden age of Matsumoto? After
all the main difference between Animeigo and Antarctic is the access to high
quality translation equipment, hence, funds.  Why does it seem that Animeigo,
USR, USMC and Streamline feel that they can reach a mainstream audience now
instead of the recent decade?  Isn't it interesting that one only noticed the
appearance of the Big 4 in the last 2 years?  Of course, USR existed in the late
80s as did Streamline, aka Harmony Gold.  Why is anime considered acceptable now
when it was but a few levels above Trekkie all of six years ago?

        It seems that animation is making bounds in arenas outside of anime.
Spike & Mike's, Liquid TV, Ren & Stimpy, even Beauty & the Beast have become
acceptable forms of adult entertainment.  I was amazed and amused when I
overheard a trio of yuppies compare favorite Ren & Stimpy episodes in a classy
seafood restaurant.  Why?  Two theories:

        A) you have a pair of generations that have reached maturity after
experiencing animation saturated childhoods.  The thirtysomething/Yuppie/Baby
Boomer/Hippie/Identity Crisis generation had Rocky & Bullwinkle, Speed Racer
and Bugs.  We (the twentysomething/Generation X/MTV/cyberpunk?(maybe not)/
hyperscrewed generation) had Super Friends, GI Joe and Robotech.  As surely as
a Boomer is wont to dust off a leisure suit so are they disposed to reminisce
and recapture childhood through animation.  In a similar vein, we recapture
our childhoods of He-man, Transformers, et al. by viewing cartoons, albeit
cartoons deemed deep enough for our adult minds to appreciate, such as anime.

        B) in the double-decade of AIDS, social conventions have been altered
to extremes.  The deprivation of casual sex and intimate contact has led to
vicarious sex lives, and a search for alternative adult entertainment.
Examples include the ubersex * of movies, the interest in alt. lifestyles
such as homosexuality and bondage (ie. Madonna's new _Sex_ book), and the
modern fascination with supermodels (there have been previous supermodels,
but these were restricted to one or two per decade [ie. Twiggy in the 70s,
Paulina and Christie in the 80s].  The 90s have seen the ascension of no less
than ten "supermodels" in only two years.)  Note that these other forms of
"adult entertainment" need not be sexually oriented.  Orwell's_1984_ employed
hate sessions to release the passions of the repressed populace.  In a similar
way, the mainstream appeal of animation is the prescence of alternative adult
entertainment, allowing for the creation and fulfillment of mature fantasies
in a fashion concurrent with the lifestyles of the vicarious 90s.

             So there are my two bits + interest.  Thanks to Tara (aka LJC) and
my card playing pals for sending me on this road.  Comments and additions are
welcomed.  Flames aren't, but hey, what can I do about that?

* - Ubersex is a term taken from Details magazine that summarizes the ultra
slick, unrealistic portrayal of sex in modern movies (ex. Basic Instinct and
Zalman King movies).
                                                        Chris Concepcion
                                                Concepcion@Babson.Bitnet
                                                         Prodigy:NKCR72D
                                             A rider on the digital wind

The Face: "What do you fear most for the future?"
Colin Angus: "The thing I most welcome - the apocalypse."
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime