Rambling Blasphemy

You know it's kinda funny... people run around like "omg how dare the American's make immitation anime."

Long lanky limbs and big eyes... Bugs Bunny had overly long limbs and large eyes, as did Tom (as in Tom and Jerry), and many other old animations. They didn't need long plots because originally they were played before movies, along with the news and what not. Cartoons started as a way to include something for everyone in the family. They didn't have plot because, well not everyone went to the movies every week. If the original cartoons had had a continuous plot, no one would like it... much like how no one just picks up a book and starts right in the middle of it. American animation was built on such. People didn't really see the need for a plot. In fact people were amazed when Disney created the first feature lenght film that was entirely animated(wasn't it Snow White?). This sort of style is the backbone, the architype, that American animation is built off of. Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles and Batman dropped these... They had plots though. The cartoons that did keep the large eyes and exagerated expressions were meant to be silly and often did not have a plot that went from show to show.

I partially want to say that Anime is a disgrace to Traditional Japanese art. The original art did not have big eyes or those overly long "barbie doll" legs. Also If you look at many character's in Anime, they look like white people... with the exception of the exagerated stereotypes.... generally the negatively veiwed people like nerds and frightening fan boys. Look at many of the series... How many main characters have hair that would be considered normal for Japenese people? BLUE HAIR... ORANGE... PINK?!? I MEAN COME ON. Sailor moon is supposed to be your ordinary Japanese school girl and yet she has bright yello hair. Out of the sailor scouts, how many have black hair? Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it seem that many supposedly Japanese characters don't really look that Japanese. I mean some of them have a skin fairer(lighter toned) than I do. That's saying something. I feel like Japan is a society that wants to be more like the west while still clinging to their traditions and culture. I think Anime reflects this. They took the large eyes, fair skin, variation of hair color, and the long thin legs and slapped on the curves of a geisha. They added a sort of flowing style to it and made it into something more than entertainment for a child. They utilized animation's potential as a story telling medium to a greater extent than Walt had ever thought to. I think that American animation didn't develope to the same extent because of how we view the medium.

By the same token, I think that people's perception is rather limited on how anime should be too, or perhaps they are too blinded by the gravity defying boobs and the long sparklely hair to notice... One example... DBZ... That is anime...made in Japan. And yet some would deny this. Bobobo bowhatever has been snubbed by some because it is too nonsensical and doesn't have a well defined plot. Sailor Moon, with the whole monster de jour thing... Each day has it's own sort of plot that contributes to a larger one... much like Batman or TMNT.
And then, there is Cromartie High School. The episodes are about ten minutes and have their own random plot that doesn't lead up to some ultimate truth or some grand battle with whoever is trying to take over the world at the moment... Yet this too is anime. It was made in Japan. It is in the style...
How is it that no one really looks the other way... it is a two way street here.



Personally I miss all of the Tex Avery cartoons... There isn't any way that anime can replace them.