MyDoorsAreOpen
Bluelight Crew
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2003
- Messages
- 8,549
I don't understand what's so great about Japanese animation. And this is coming from somebody who's lived in Japan and studied the language, and is currently surrounded (in China) by people who adore it.
First of all, I find that the facial expressions are very stereotyped. I'm aware that Japanese animators are aiming for emotional and attitudinal verisimilitude when they draw faces, rather than photographic verisimilitude. For example, I understand that the eyes of a character we're supposed to sympathize with are disproportionally huge because kindness and openness is often communicated by easy-to-notice eyes that have a twinkle in them, even in real life.
However, there must be SOME other way to show yelling besides a giant red mouth that fills the entire face. And I'm sorry, but a halo of sweat drops and a grille of teeth that fills 2/3 of the face isn't the only way to show stress or frustration. Likewise, I don't associate anger with holding one's arms tightly at one's side and bouncing up and down with a little springy sound.
I find plot is more important to Japanese animators than artistic innovation. But even most of the plots don't hold me! Most of them are so sentimental you can smell the nacho cheese a mile away. Then in the next scene, they're gratuitously violent enough to make Mel Gibson cringe. The point of every plot seems to be that if you put your metaphorical balls to the wall ("ganbare", in Japanese), you can accomplish anything, and teamwork never fails to save the day. Oh, and the earth is a sacred treasure that we mustn't wreck, just in case you didn't know. Even Disney switches up their sermons a bit more than this. I've seen few of the deeper levels you'll find in French or Russian animation.
Don't even get me started in erotic anime. Are real live women really that scarce and really that boring?!
First of all, I find that the facial expressions are very stereotyped. I'm aware that Japanese animators are aiming for emotional and attitudinal verisimilitude when they draw faces, rather than photographic verisimilitude. For example, I understand that the eyes of a character we're supposed to sympathize with are disproportionally huge because kindness and openness is often communicated by easy-to-notice eyes that have a twinkle in them, even in real life.
However, there must be SOME other way to show yelling besides a giant red mouth that fills the entire face. And I'm sorry, but a halo of sweat drops and a grille of teeth that fills 2/3 of the face isn't the only way to show stress or frustration. Likewise, I don't associate anger with holding one's arms tightly at one's side and bouncing up and down with a little springy sound.
I find plot is more important to Japanese animators than artistic innovation. But even most of the plots don't hold me! Most of them are so sentimental you can smell the nacho cheese a mile away. Then in the next scene, they're gratuitously violent enough to make Mel Gibson cringe. The point of every plot seems to be that if you put your metaphorical balls to the wall ("ganbare", in Japanese), you can accomplish anything, and teamwork never fails to save the day. Oh, and the earth is a sacred treasure that we mustn't wreck, just in case you didn't know. Even Disney switches up their sermons a bit more than this. I've seen few of the deeper levels you'll find in French or Russian animation.
Don't even get me started in erotic anime. Are real live women really that scarce and really that boring?!
