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| Courtesy of zastavki.com (click here for direct link) |
What do you call an oversized in-depth colored beady eyes, pointed button nose, glossy thin lips, wild hair-do and exaggerated body proportions? No, not the typical pets from Facebook. Not the happy fish either. They're commonly hand-drawn, sometimes computer-animated. They're commonly mistaken as cartoons. Well, they're not. They're called Anime.
In the late 80's, I was fond of watching how Dr. Armstrong was abducted by the Boazanians over and over again, literally, every week! I've witnessed Richard and Erika refrained the same lines, "Richard!...Erika!!". Why did I kept on watching them even though they've featured the same episode every single week? EXACTLY! I love watching them!
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| Courtesy of avaxhome.ws |
Okay, I sensed eyebrows rising, and some are flabbergasted. As my grandma would always say, "Ang tanda-tanda mo na, nanonood ka pa din ng cartoons? At ang lalaki ng mga bungaga!", (At your age you're still watching cartoons? And their mouths are huge!). And that was the late 90's. I'm already 31 and still fond of watching them. Pretty immature you said? Well, let's tackle and take a look of an in-depth view of these so-called animes ... (not cartoons!), okay, nuff said.
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| Screenshot courtesy of animeclick.it |
For starters, anime was derived from the English term "animation" in katakana as アニメーション (animēshon, pronounced[animeːɕoɴ]). And then finally, the word emerged from the 1970's as it was abbreviated the later called anime.
Anime are particularly not for children only. Its target can be distinguish with its different genres. Josei animes are usually written by woman and are recommended more for woman ages 18+. Popular examples of these are "Honey and Clover" and "Paradise Kiss". Kodomo animes (or child) animes are more recommended for young children, they are designed for the child's short attention span and usually try to teach a child how to act around people using daily lessons. One of the most notable example is "Doraemon". Kazoku animes are animes that are intended for families. They have no real age range, but its most likely rated something like G or PG (e.g. Howl's Moving Castle). Mina animes are more of a drama. Example
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| Dragonball Z courtesy of dragonball.wikia.com |
of this is Graveyard of the Fireflies. Seinen anime is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audiences. The best definition of this is when you've watched Gantz and Akira. Mecha anime tackles robotic armors. Mecha anime is subcatagorized into two. There are Super Robots and Real Robots. Super Robot best describes machine with super power abilities and they are gigantic in size (e.g. Voltes V, Daimos). Real robot on the other hand describes robot with conventional powers and weapons explainable by science (e.g. Gundam, Full Metal Panic and Macross) Shōujo anime is written for girls ages 10+. They are usually melodramatic stories of romance, usually with a female protagonist. (e.g. Fushigi Yuugi, Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayeart and Vampire Knight). Shōunen anime is often written for boys ages 13+. They usually have high action themes, as well as have humorous plots with male protaganists. (e.g. Dragonball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, Fullmetal Alchemist). Bishoujo anime (Pretty Girl) and Bishounen anime (Pretty Boy) on the other hand are, well, focuses on the same gender genre. Let me give you a hint. They both involves a boy and a girl. Example of Bishounen is Yami no Matsuei. For Bishojo, it's Sailor Uranus of Sailormoon. Last but not the least, there's Hentai anime and Yaoi anime. Hentai is referred to sexually explicit Japanese animations (look for Urotsukidoji and the famous La Blue Girl). While Yaoi ... is... well ... a boys' love. Okay, nuff said.
Now that I've discussed their types, let's move on to their characteristics. What best describes anime? Let me give you a brief characterization of anime. Anime won't be complete without fully emphasizing their gigantic breasts! If we're talking about Mai (My oh my! Refer to the image on the left), as you can see, the image of Mai's breast was "fully emphasized"! Not only breasts. An anime won't missed out a samurai. Anime with samurais are highly popular! The way they slash and segue, truly describes art! The katana (a single-edged) and tsurugi (a double-edged sword ... pretty familiar eh? Tsurugi ... Hiten Mitsurugi Style?). Moving on, an anime won't be complete without exaggerated long hair. Whether it be black, blonde, blue or yellow, anime won't be mesmerizing without them. And of course, who would forget the sparkly eyes, the anxiety, and a punch that blows them up to kingdom come? The comedy! A good comedy always brings me rolling on the floor. The angels, demons and goddesses! The magic wands! Never miss a wand when beating up deadly enemies. Robots, cyborgs, humanoids, parasites and adroids, and then mixed with a gorgeous hot body. And speaking of an adroid with a hot body, always include pantsu. And when talkin' about supernatural elements, a good anime always involves dragons, elves, fairies and of course, vampires. (One more thing...tentacles...okay, 'nuff said.
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| Mai of King of Fighters (courtesy of crunchyroll) |
Now, let's examine the fabled two. Are cartoons and animes hops on the same track?
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| Magic Knight Rayearth with their exaggerated overflowing hair and in-depth colors (courtesy of kawapaper.com) |
When I was young, whenever I sit and watch a thirty-minute cartoon program in front of the tele, I would always feel a contentment. Then another cartoon will be telecast. After an hour or two, it would seem like I would became an idiot that will wear a smile every time Bugs Bunny makes an antic with Yosemite Sam. But with Voltes V and Daimos, they've always kept me hanging. And that was the best part. By clinging to it every week, I know that somehow it will lead to something (even after the kanji つづ was shown, I would always finish the ending credit). Could you imagine Fred Flintstone deprived from the love of his sons after being forcibly abducted and held prisoner by an alien race? Pretty nasty isn't it?
Throughout the years, cartoons and animes grew some similarities. A good example of this is Disney's Totally Spies. This anime alike, for me, misleads the genre! Another are Teen Titans and Batman Beyond. Although they were produced and pioneered by Japanese crews, they should not be mistaken as animes.
I've noticed that some anime lovers, otaku for short, are somehow discriminated. Why? Whenever I watch "The Simpsons" or "Beavis and Butthead" with my friends, they would, for some reason, watch it along with me. But when I change it to Dragonball Z, somebody will make a violent reaction. "Pare lipat mo naman 'yan! Pambata yan e!" (Dude, change the channel! That's kid's stuff!) The innuendo was pretty discriminating. DBZ's complex plot is nothing compare to the common ornamentation of Homer's wisdom! They say that animes are for geeks and nerds. Well I say they aren't. I would considerably stay awake at night while I "nose bleed" over the sophisticated lines of GITS rather than listen to Homer while he persistently nags Bart over and over again.
Same goes to JPops! Whenever Pong (an old friend of mine) and I sing Tookumade by BoA, another friend would say, "Ba't kayo kumakanta ng hapon? Hapon ba kayo?" (Why do you sing Japanese songs? Are you Japanese?). Great Jpop + Great Anime = Heavenly Song! I'm always fond of listening to opening and ending credits of a good anime. They would always complete my playlist.
Well folks, this brings us to my conclusion. Whether it be cartoons or animes, the most important matter is how you stay young at heart, in mind and body. It doesn't matter how old you are or how young you could be. Anime cuts through age barriers. They're for kids at heart. Anime molds your personality. Just remember not to succumb over it (if ever). And don't let hentai devour your mind!
And it's time for my off. Tomorrow I'll strike again. So I say adieu, until then, adios!
(I'm just baffled...where does Akane draws her Mallet? And where does Linch gets her machine guns? Just a thought)
References:
1. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sword
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoons
2. Anilistings - http://anilistings.webs.com/typesofanime.htm
Throughout the years, cartoons and animes grew some similarities. A good example of this is Disney's Totally Spies. This anime alike, for me, misleads the genre! Another are Teen Titans and Batman Beyond. Although they were produced and pioneered by Japanese crews, they should not be mistaken as animes.
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| Motoko Kusanagi of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex |
Same goes to JPops! Whenever Pong (an old friend of mine) and I sing Tookumade by BoA, another friend would say, "Ba't kayo kumakanta ng hapon? Hapon ba kayo?" (Why do you sing Japanese songs? Are you Japanese?). Great Jpop + Great Anime = Heavenly Song! I'm always fond of listening to opening and ending credits of a good anime. They would always complete my playlist.
Well folks, this brings us to my conclusion. Whether it be cartoons or animes, the most important matter is how you stay young at heart, in mind and body. It doesn't matter how old you are or how young you could be. Anime cuts through age barriers. They're for kids at heart. Anime molds your personality. Just remember not to succumb over it (if ever). And don't let hentai devour your mind!
And it's time for my off. Tomorrow I'll strike again. So I say adieu, until then, adios!
(I'm just baffled...where does Akane draws her Mallet? And where does Linch gets her machine guns? Just a thought)
References:
1. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sword
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoons
2. Anilistings - http://anilistings.webs.com/typesofanime.htm
