Conquering the wild west with Japanese Animation
Japanese animation aka Anime is a world of its own. So unique in its style you can rarely be successful at making a good real life adaptation of it. Anime such as Astro boy, Dragon ball Z, and Pokémon created global demand for the future animation industry.
Anime, is a Japanese term for animation and around the world is recognized as animation exclusively originating from Japan. Anime has a unique style that includes, over the top reactions and facial expressions, intricate character developments, and plot twists with heavy symbolism.
“There are just some expressions in anime that you wouldn’t see in real life, and it would just be kind of strange I guess,” said Anisha Romany, fourth year St Thomas University student.
Many confuse anime with cartoons. What separates Anime from children’s cartoons, is the level of depth to the story. Many plot lines carry double meaning for both, the younger generation, and a more mature audience.
“I’m gonna get sappy here, but from Fullmetal Alchemist I learned that, I guess not everything you wish for is what you want. Sometimes that’s not what you are actually looking for and it also taught me that if you really persevere you can fix mistakes that you’ve made, and that’s something I really value because lots of mistakes that I’ve made in my life that I’d like to fix,” said Shannon Nickerson a first year St Thomas University student.
She added that one of the writers for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a female, and therefore many delicate moments in the anime were handled well in terms of gender equality.
“In a cartoon it’s really more free to do what you want, but in Anime you will always have the reality aspect out of it…you just see it and you know,” said Cindy Ruest, University of New Brunswick student, majoring in Chemical engineering.
One reason why many fans don’t get tired of re watching same series is the details which they notice as they grow older. Anime uses lots of reference from the real world when building a parallel one in their drawings. Frequently Anime fans even take on adventures to seek out the exact location that was drawn in the anime.
The attention to detail in anime makes it attractive to the viewer’s eyes. These days quality art in anime stands almost equivalent to the plot execution.
“Animation is really beautiful, like I’m an artist and I like to see that kind of art portrayed, and it gets tiring when the only animation I can see from a western perspective is children’s work,” said Nickerson.
Not everything however is perfect about anime. Cultural differences like the patriarchal system in Japan can be felt in anime that frequently depicts women as weak and helpless. But as Nickerson said, this is a concern that really exists in all mediums, be it a Hollywood movie, or an anime.
Anime is now a deeply rooted part of Japanese culture, which attracts hundreds of foreign tourists to the country. Japan even has a special street in Tokyo fully dedicated to the anime culture, Akihabara.
This is about community and being a part of a culture. Conventions are another important part of it. Fans go there to wear costumes of their favorite characters, and buy merchandise themed after their favorite anime. From all over the globe they gather to share their passion and build new friendships.
Beginner level viewers are recommended to start with, Howl’s moving castle, Your name, and Shokugeki no Souma to experience the diverse world of Japanese Animation.