I would like to add that there seems to be this dominant thought around here that Anime comes with a stigma that doesn't apply to other aspects of film. Look at some of the conversations around here that center around Hollywood Blockbusters, Arthouse, 80's Action, or any number of specific directors. The list could go on and on. What people are saying is these films have fundamental characteristics that don't necessarily appeal to them. They are not being racist or unreasonable. Anime certainly has some fundamental characteristics that apply to this argument. Even the people here that love Anime, who tend to get upset with people when they dismiss Anime for general reasons, and then go on to talk about Anime in broad strokes.
The only thing Japanese animation has in general are Japanese cultural sensibilities. The only thing that American live action has in general are American cultural sensibilities.
Do you think American live action is a genre? If you don't you cannot use the word to describe anime.
When I say I don't like horror, I am generalizing. However my generalizations have proven to be true to my sensibilities. Have there been exceptions, certainly, but they are few and far between so I don't bother watching a dozen movies a year that don't appeal to me.
What do you think of horror is a genre of American live action (of course 99% of all horror films and TV you know are American live action films and TV).
There is a huge number of horror manga and substantial number of horror anime titles.
Now the anime fans will tell me that anime is not a genre. In a very real sense that is correct. However most everyone treats it that way
No they do not. In Brasil people have a bit different attitude regarding anime in comparison to the US. In Brasil anime is more well regarded by young people, unlike stuff such as Star Wars, which is regarded as something for nerdy effeminates.
Most
Americans (who are 4.5% of the world's population, not 100% as some people appear to think) think of it as a genre because they are the ones who don't know anything about it. When you don't know much about something, like thinking Indian movies are all about dancing, it looks homogeneous, when you know it in greater depth, all the differences are apparent.
In Japan, Korea, China and other asian countries, manga is called comics, anime is called animation and are regarded as such.
and that is because there are certain aspects of the medium that can be applied to most of the movies made in this style.Google anime, look for anime on your streaming site. Everyone knows what your referring to.
No there are not. If you think they all look the same that`s because you don't notice the differences because you have watched to little of it. Like Indian movies look the same for Westerners.
To say Only Yesterday and DragonBall Z are the in same genre is to admit to be blind and deaf. It's like saying The Tree of Life and Friends are in the same genre, American live action, the genre.
There are even books call How To Draw Anime.
No, there are books called how to drawn manga. The drawing style you think as "anime style" is a modern variation of early Tezuka's manga drawing style, which is the most popular style but not the only one.
You might say this is because it is a medium instead of a genre. Fine, you will get no argument from me, but this is just splitting hairs. If your an anime fan it is because there are things about the medium that appeal to you.
Of course, I like ANIMATION as a means of telling stories or making experimental films. I am not restricted, however, to western animation, which is a very small part of world animation and 90% of all animation not made for children is made in Japan.
I envy the fans of live action film and TV who can watch movies and TV made all over the world. However, I am restricted to anime and a couple of American adult comedies like South Park. Most anime fans I know watch western animation as well.
The same holds true for people who are not fans of the medium. For that matter it holds true for people who are not a fan of any other medium or genre in film. It doesn't make any of us racist or closed minded. It means we have preferences. I have not come across one person on this site who does not have preferences when it comes to film.
People have preferences, some people love black people so they have a ton of black friends, people who are not fans of blacks do not have black friends because it's not the type of people that appeals to them. That doesn't mean they are racist or close minded, it's just that it's not the type of people they like and everybody has preferences regarding people.
If you don't know animation, that only means that, you don't know. If you haven't read a single manga, that only means you don't know manga. You can say you dislike action shounen anime, you can say you dislike science fiction psychological horror seinen anime, you can say you dislike josei melodrama anime, you can say you dislike animation, you can say you dislike Japanese culture, you cannot say you dislike animation made in Japan, without either disliking Japanese culture or disliking animation.
I also think that people who say they like films but dislike Hollywood films or European films or Chinese films are close minded and prejudiced. I don't think it's actually possible for a person to not being able to enjoy stuff made in another country because of cultural differences.
I never say I like or dislike stuff based on the country they were made. I don't like anime, because there are plenty that don't interest me, I don't like Hollywood movies, for the same reason. I like what is good.