From: wbarnes@sura.net (Bill Barnes)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.animation
Subject: Re: Perception of Japanimation
Date: 14 Dec 92 22:58:47 GMT
Organization: SURAnet, College Park, MD, USA, NA, Earth, Milky Way

In article <n111ct@ofa123.fidonet.org> Kevin.Kline@ofa123.fidonet.org writes:
>I would like to thank you all for some more insight on Japanimation.  I think
>the problem with Japanimation is the way people perceive in terms of what is
>out here in the US.  I used to think that most Japanimation was just nothing
>but saucered-eye girls with guns and lots of blood and violence until I saw
>some Miyazaki works.

It is good that you have seen some of the errors of your ways, my son...8-]

>Alas, most other people when you bring up Japanese
>Animation think "cute saucered-eye girls with guns or being sex obects" and
>"lots of blood and gore in the animation".

Actually, I rather think the general public is more likely to associate
anime with Astro Boy or Speed Racer than the "girls with guns" genre.  The
general animation or comics fan unfamiliar with the breadth of anime might
make this mistake (based on most of the anime that gets subbed and dubbed,
I'm not surprised), but I doubt John (or Jane) Q. Public would.

But I've been wrong before...

>That in a way is unfortante and will hurt animation in general.

I still fail to see how bad anime can hurt the animation industry.  Do
bad movies hurt the film industry, bad TV shows the television industry,
bad books the publishing industry, or bad net.postings the internet news
hierarchy?

Crap comes and goes, usually without leaving a mark (sometimes it develops
a disgustingly fanatical following who refuse to let it die), the classics
stay for as long as people remember them.

>And really in the long run will do nothing to dispell
>the fact that animaiton isn't for kids.

For someone with such apparently conservative viewpoints on what
animation should and shouldn't contain - no gore or violence, no
implied (or explicit) homosexuality, no saucer-eyes with multiple light
reflections upon them, no nudity, no wimpy (read as: humanly indecisive,
not pushy arrogant schmucks) males, no macho (read as: capable of taking
care of themselves) females - I'm surprised you'd want animation that
wasn't for kids.

>A better effort must be made to get
>shows that really are more mature and aren't just for fanboys in college or
>high school.  

I'll agree to this; I'll just assume we have differing opinions on what
counts as "mature."

>I would like to know what the thinking is over at rec.arts.anime about this? 
>I know a lot of you are fans of Japanimation and I want to know if they are
>intresting in more quality Japanimation like MIyazaki and the more mature
>stuff or are they more intrested in "girls with guns" and saucered-eye
>characters with multiple highlights/eyeballs.  

Well, your first problem with the people over in r.a.anime is bound to
be the fact that a lot of them are fans of "girls with guns" anime
(Dirty Pair, Bubblegum Crisis, Project A-Ko, Gunbuster, Gall Force, etc.)
and will vehemently argue to the death that these animes are worthy of
unrelenting attention.  Also, based on your opinions on Urusei Yatsura
and Orange Road, you're bound to run aground with fans of said series, who
are many in number (although there probably are a few who would commend you
for not worshipping the ground Lum and Madoka walk upon, but...).

The trouble is, anime fans are as diverse as the anime they watch.
You've got people who like action, people who like comedy, people who
like dramas, people who like tragedy, people who like porno flicks,
etc.  There is no Universal Anime Fan archetype, nor is there a single
group which serves our needs, because we're quite divergent in our
opinions (the collapse of the C/FO can attest to that, I think).  So
looking for a unified opinion is impossible.  A majority opinion might
be easier to come up with, but not necessarily - the people who post
the most don't always represent the views of everyone else, and even a
poll isn't always the best way to find out what people want..

> If "girls with guns" is considered kids stuff in Japan even, bringing out
>here and saying it is "mature animation" won't do anygood!  

"Girls with guns" is considered kids stuff in Japan much the same way
superhero comics are considered kids stuff here in the US.  Sturgeon's
Law applies here as much as anywhere else.
-- 
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William Barnes		SURAnet Operations
wbarnes@sura.net	(301) 982-4600 voice  (301) 982-4605 fax