Anime/animation. Where's the line?

TheIrishGrover

Someone was on in another thread about Halo and stated that it should be in the anime forum since it's anime. (I'm not going your thread in any way cherryghost). It just got me thinking about the line between anime and animation. Where does one draw the line between what is anime and what is animation?
For example: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Written and directed by westerners and with an originally English voice casting. However the animation conventions and stylings are HEAVILY influenced by anime: OTT emotional distortions at times, the super-slowing down of action (or bizarrely dance) sequences, character designs etc.

Also The Animatrix and the Batman animated DVD that came out just previous to TDK: Written (Mostly), and directed by Japanese directors and animated by Japanese animation houses but originally English voiced, produced by a western studio and seemingly aimed at a western audience.
EDIT: The Batman one (Called Gotham Knight) was mainly written by Western writers but directed by Asian directors

Just curious as to people's thoughts: Is it anime if it is originally aimed at an Asian audience? Originally in an Asian language? From an Asian source? From Asian writers, directors or animation houses? Is it Anime if it comes from Korea? China? How about India? How about subject matter?


Just wanted to get a bit of debate going. Like Karl Hungus said in a previous thread, let's get a bit of activity going.

Cy_Revenant

anime, is a term used for Japanese animation.

They're all just cartoons, but if it's not Japanese, it's not anime.

This does not, of course, imply that something is inferior for not being anime. Everything should still be judged exclusively on it's own merits. Anyone who thinks there isn't bad anime clearly hasn't been watching enough.

gearoidof

^this

Anime was originally called japanimation,

TheIrishGrover

Thanks for the lesson. I am aware that anime is just the term used for Japanese animation

Nah, what I mean is, would you consider Anime its own genre/subset of animation in general, regardless of it's origins, based on the conventions used (story matter, stylings etc) or is it simply: If it's from Japan it's anime, if it's not from Japan it's not, even if it looks like it. Has it moved on from it's own initial narrow definition?

For example: Film Noir is a very distinctive genre within film. It originated in the US (Although, obviously, the name originated in France) but Film Noir movies come from all over the world and are not so classified because of where they come from but because of the style/tone/subject matter.

I don't think for one second that "Anime is better than western animation". That kind of blanket statement is pointless. As said, there is an awful lot of poor anime out there, just as there is a lot of poor western animation out there.

Cy_Revenant

Nah, I don't see anime as a genre at all.

The field is animation. The same genres exist here as exist in Television and Film making.

Anime is merely applied to animated works originating in Japan to subset them. The fact that there are stylistic and thematic features common across anime is completely beside the point.

As far as I see it, at any rate.

cherryghost

this conversation feels familiar.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055766018

TheIrishGrover

cherryghost wrote: »

this conversation feels familiar.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055766018

Ah, didn't see that. Cheers cherryghost

cherryghost

no worries, its not related to your thread, but some of sheds some light (and makes me look like a retard)

Cy_Revenant

Oh gawd, I've taken to repeating myself without realising. ;_;

ILoveSesshomaru

Japanese animation. and im not saying its better then western animation or anything like that but I personally think its more romantic (and better, hahaha) The only western animations that are at the same level of good animes that i know of are Metalocalypse, Morel Orel, The Venture Bros.<--fact. Family guy and american dad <my oppinion. But theres not that many animations for non little kids here u know? so maybe that why. Thats my oppinion:)

ILoveSesshomaru

but i dunno actually cuz i could never discern what animatrix was and i thought avatar was anime. So im just gonna stop thinking now:D (it hurts my head)

Ginja Ninja

Personally,any "realistic" cartoon/animation is anime IMO.

Avatar=anime
it's about the proportions of the bodies that defines it for me,along with the exaggerated emotions and HUGE eyes.

any of the above I would call anime,it may not be the standard,but it's what works for me.

ztoical

I try not to use words like anime or manga as it ends up being confusing as Anime in Japan means animation of all sorts just like manga means comics of all sort. I had a confusing time when working in Japan as I kept saying manga to mean Japanese comics and the Japanese artists I was working with said manga to mean all comics no matter where they came from. Anime also means animation in french and something like Persepolis wouldn't be what alot of people mean when they refer to something in an "anime style".

Terms like western animation is also confusing just like saying western comics...general when people say that they mean mainstream american comics and animation. People aren't familiar with terms like bande dessinée which is french for comic books and which have a very different look and style to American mainstream comics but people are happy to call work like Tintin "comics" while calling a comic like Akira "manga". I dislike people getting all nit picky about calling something anime or manga yet happy to call any comics and animation produced in western countries as one and the same. I would break animation down into hand drawn/classical, 3D/computer and stop motion [which covers not just clay but cut paper, sand, etc] regardless of were it is produced. Asian/Eastern comics and animation are just as diverse and you wouldn't use the terms manga or anime in Korea, China, India etc...just like the french with bande dessinee, they have their own words/terms for comics [manga, manhwa and manhua etc, etc] and animation but they are still animation and comics.

bell22

I think I do agree with the above post. Anime is the same with animation. However, some people tend to differentiate them, especially otaku

Karl Hungus

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

Just curious as to people's thoughts: Is it anime if it is originally aimed at an Asian audience? Originally in an Asian language? From an Asian source? From Asian writers, directors or animation houses? Is it Anime if it comes from Korea? China? How about India? How about subject matter?

Anime = animation from Japan. I wouldn't consider it anime if it comes from Korea or China or America or wherever else you could mention.

To put it another way, Scotch whiskey is made in Scotland. You can find plenty of other whiskeys from around the world that can certainly taste just like Scotch, but it's not Scotch because it's not made in Scotland. Nobody would ever say Irish Scotch or American Scotch, so why would they consider something animated in America Anime?

DingChavez

Tons of Japanese anime are animated by outsourcing or partnering with Korean companies and pretty much all American cartoons are animated in Korea. The lines are much more blurred than something like scotch.

Anime is just a Japanese term for cartoons. But in English speaking countries its used to refer to Japanese produced animation. It has nothing to do with style.

Animation producted for the Japanese market and released there = anime.