anime

THE MEANING OF ANIME

Okay, so many people have pointed to anime as the cute, fun stuff with wild and zany characters, big boobs, and weird sex things going on. Most of my friends are not Otakus and say that they get a creeped out feeling watching cartoons doing adult things instead of little kid things (of course, these are the same people that watch the Simpsons and South Park, but hey, what're you going to do). I, on the other hand, find the anime I watch to be thought provoking. Here's some of the stuff I've seen so far:

Mainly, for one, the show all guys seem to steer clear of, aimed primarily at young teenage girls but increase in maturity as the series progresses: His and Her Circumstances (Vol. 1) . This is cuteness to the extreme. Yukino meets Arima, hates him at first, then falls desperatly in love with him. The deeper meaning behind it all is -- be true to yourself. People may think that this reads like a soap opera, but that's just because with each succeeding episode you delve deeper and deeper into the characters soul, and it gets a little Melodramatic after a while. Unfortunetally the series stops before it ends, probably because the creators realized that the characters wants and desires were becoming too mature for the audiance it was aiming for.

Next, also cute to the extreme, you got Fruits Basket, Volume 1: A Great Transformation? (Episodes 1-6) . When Toru Honda discovers the Sohma family's secrets, any viewer can laugh at it. Trust me, both my little sister and my boyfriend (generally into blood spillage) sat down and watched it together.The message for this show? Be true to yourself and help bring out the good in other people.

Both falling into the same category are Rurouni Kenshin - Legendary Swordsman, Vol. 1 and Irresponsible Captain Tylor - Collection 1 . Though one is about a wandering Samuri and the other about a complete ditz of a captain, they both carry the important message throughout the series that peace is always more important than war. As far as I can tell, these series are a great favorite with teenage guys, but are great for the girls as well. Cuteness factor? Tylor and Kenshin are adorable!!

Even the knockout (literally, for Keitaro) comedy series Love Hina, Volume 1: Moving In (Episodes 1-4)
has a message, that perserverance pays off. As Keitaro, Naru, and Mitsune study hard together, they learn that doing so eventually pays off. That's not to mention Keitaro's pursuing of Naru. This is one of the so called Harem animes, with lots of fanservice, but it's so cute and hilarious that girls will like it to. Outlaw Star (Collection 1) has a similar theme.

Even the hyperactive Steel Angel Kurumi - Angel on My Shoulder (Vol. 1) is good for a deeper meaning. Kurumi is a robot that is supposed to be the savior of the human race, but her creator has one problem -- he doesn't know how she works. When she is seperated from her master, Kurumi goes haywire, causing chaos. The message? Make sure weapons of mass destruction (ie nuclear weapons) are controllable. The effect of this series on the viewer is made stronger by the thought that the Japanese had front row seats to effects a weapon of mass destruction has on society in World War Two.

Please Teacher - Hot for Teacher (Vol. 1) , a show that many people would find weird because of the idea of a 15 year old student falling in love with a 21 year old teacher actually, he's REALLY 18) has a fantastic message. Accelerate your life. Even if things are going rough and you don't think you can go on, push forward. If you do not, you cannot acheive happiness.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/1KODMSAQOQLCS


Attack of the Otakus
What is “anime”? I asked myself this as I came across this subject as my research project. “Anime is an English name for the style of art and animation developed by (but no longer exclusively produced by) the Japanese. The word "Anime" is just the Japanese word for animation (of any kind), and it is pronounced "Annie-May"(Marc Marshall). Anime, in a simple sense, is Japanese cartoons. In a more complex and true meaning to anime, its Japanese animation that ranges from children shows to more adult themes. There is a sub-culture to this culture. That sub-culture is something called being an Otaku. Otaku is something like being a comic book nerd or a star wars nerd but not quite. This culture of people hold much love and information for this form of art, Anime.. Anime has a rich history, different meanings on the word Otaku, people that dress up as anime characters, and even people willing to answer surveys on anime!
To understand why Otakus like anime so much, you must go back in time and take a brief look at the founding father and his most famous creation. In a paragraph from The History of Anime and Manga, it says,
"Back in Japan, after World War II, a young aspiring artist named Osamu Tezuka became a cartoonist and released his first work Shintakarajima (known in English as "New Treasure Island"). As a child, Tezuka was a fanatical fan of Walt Disney's early animations. Many were impressed by Tezuka's original style. However, it was not until Tezuka released his ultimate work Tetsuwan Atomu (Astro Boy) that he achieved success; he was pronounced "the Father of Manga and Anime".(Zagzoug)."
Osamu Tezuka led the way for many other anime titles to become big and successful. One famous anime is known in the US is called Sailor Moon. It was released in the early 90’s and became very popular. “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon is a story about a klutzy, crybaby, 14 year old underachiever named Tsukino Usagi who was given some transformation items and super powers.”(Doi). One more famous one and most recent anime to hit America by storm is called Naruto. It is a story about kid that wants to be a great ninja. “In a concealed village, a young man hides within a bunch of leaves. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, a mischievous boy attending Ninja Academy.”(Kaworu S.). He is also accredited with creating one of anime’s most famous staples, characters with big, round eyes. Animeworld.com states, “…he said he was emulating Betty Boop, who was popular in Japan at the time. Other early US-produced animated characters that predate the anime style also have very large eyes (if you look, Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse have huge eyes).”(Marc Marshall). All of these things mentioned were huge successes in Japan and America.
Now that we know some famous anime titles, we will get into what Otaku truly means. In the United States, the meaning of Otaku is very different from what it means in Japan. In the US, it means a big anime fan. Urban Dictionary writes, “In America, the term is used to denote a zealous fan, usually of anime and/or manga ...otaku" tends to have a much less dire definition overseas”(Cobweb) This means that the US audience mistook the true meaning of this word. It is less brutal than what it means in Japan. If you are talking about this word in Japan, it means something completely bad. Urban dictionary has a good definition for Otaku in Japan, “Otaku is the honorific word of Taku (home). Otaku is extremely negative in meaning as it is used to refer to someone who stays at home all the time and doesn't have a life (no social life, no love life, etc)”(death_to_all). This basically means the person that is named an Otaku stays at home. It is more than that, it also means that that person stays at home and only leaves home for food or some other necessity in Japan. Also, if it is a child or teenager, than this would mean he or she would never leave their room. In the Anime world of Japan, it also means that a person is so caught up with anime related things, that that person has no life or loved one. Another way they look at it is being called a nerd with nothing better else to do than watch anime. This is an extremely negative thing to say to a Japanese person and can even cause fights if the person is not correctly educated. So if you ever see a Japanese boy or girl, do not ever call them an Otaku with a smile on your face, you can get in trouble like that.
Now you know the ins and outs of what an Otaku is, let me explain the ultimate fan’s homage to an anime character, Cosplaying. Teenspace.com puts it well by stating, “Cosplay is a term that originated in Japan but is based on the English words “Costume Play,” essentially play-acting in costumes.”( Brehm-Heeger). Anime fans actually craft costumes or buy them online of their favorite anime character and wear them to anime conventions. Anime conventions are conventions were fans from all around gather to talk about anime, buy anime merchandise, show off their costume, and just have fun. Everyone can cosplay. Young people, old people, boys and girls all dress up as characters. Some people even cross dress. For example, in Sailor Moon, they are an all girl team. It is not uncommon for a man to dress up as a sailor scout, which would mean they would wear a girl school uniform. These people proudly wear it with no shame. I personally think that fans that Cosplay are respectable because of their wanting to show off their devotion to a particular anime. I have two examples of cosplayers on page seven of this paper. There are two types of cosplayers, basic cosplay and Masquerade. According to Paula Brehm-Heeger:
"CosPlaying can be divided into two categories: basic cosplay and Masquerade. While basic cosplay only involves an attempt to look like a particular character, either in the halls of a convention or on stage, Masquerade is much more involved. When masquerading, CosPlayers attempt to act as the character would. They often have prepared skits with memorized lines, and the more advanced masqueraders can easily ad-lib their character’s personality. (What is Cosplay?)."
In conclusion, what is anime? Anime is a lot to many types of people. None are wrong or right. Anime is a subculture that has a subculture too it as well. People watch it and dress up as characters from what they watched. Anime is a fascinating hobby to take up because of the vast genres and age groups that can enjoy something that belongs to anime. Being an Otaku is being a fan. It is a subject that has many levels to explore but it all ends the same way in the end, it’s just plain fun!
http://hubpages.com/hub/An-Essay-on-Anime-and-Otakus


So. YOU want to be an otaku. But your friends shun you, eh? Well, here's a few relieving factors for you:

1)Your friends are bogus slime and they weren't your friends in the first place.
-Most people really don't have a problem with you watching anime. Everybody does it. TONS of people have seen Princess Mononoke, and they thought it was hardcore. Some have seen Akira or Ninja Scroll, and they thought it was hardcore. When Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust came out, people talked about it at my school for weeks, and trips were made to the only theater it was playing at in our area, which was all the way in San Francisco. And just wait until the Cowboy Bebop movie is theatrically released in April. People are going to flock to that, since there is a television audience for Bebop in the states thanks to Cartoon Network.

2)More people watch anime than you think.
-If you go around asking, you'll discover that every other person at your school habitually watches Cartoon Network's Toonami and Adult Swim. The majority of this programming is anime, except for Sunday nights. So people do watch it. They're just undereducated fans. Sure, some of them saw Cowboy Bebop and Mobile Suit Gundam. But none of them saw Escaflowne. None of them saw Eva (unless you live in the San Jose area and saw it subbed on PBS-KTEH), hardly anyone saw Ninja Scroll or Tenchi. If you're subtle about it, you can become a respected source for anime knowledge. No fooling. I live in one of the most shallow and ridiculously wealthy counties in the country (I'm not too fond of it, either), and so far, I'm not persecuted for watching anime. No one really even bothers to mention it, unless they have an anime problem.

3)Chicks dig the music.
-Guys. If you can find non-lyric or English versions of anime songs, you will soon discover that you've become one of the sweetest guys around. Cowboy Bebop, Bubblegum Crisis (the OVA, not Tokyo 2040), and Robotech/Macross. Most of those songs are either really good jazz tunes or love songs. And they're all really good. Also, the classical is really good. 08th MS Team, The Vision of Escaflowne, Princess Mononoke-- all good. My girlfriend plays strings, and for New Years, I burnt a CD that had straight anime strings on it. She thought it was one of the most beautiful CDs she owned (this was like our third date or so, so it was early in the relationship).

4)Carefully choose your merchandise. Avoid it, if possible.
-Okay. Models and wallscrolls are okay, if you keep them in moderation. Don't go with posters, unless they're theatrical posters or you've framed them. Wallscrolls have a certain refinement to them. Posters don't. And if you do go with the wallscrolls, try to keep it as artsy as possible. The two wallscrolls I have are Bebop ones. One is Faye sitting at the bar looking at Gren's tenor sax. The other is Spike relaxing in a bar, reading; a bottle of tequila and an overflowing ashtray on the table. A wallscroll with the Love Hina girls or the Gundam W boys in their little poses may not do the trick. Try and get something moody. As for models--this was my mistake. I'm a hardcore Gundam fan. I had models from every series on TV to date. Like the entire collection. It was ridiculous. The moral of the story is to be very selective in what merchandise you choose to buy. The downside is that if you go with the all-out merchandise, you become your worst fear-- the anime dork, which can be closely affiliated with Trekkies. So avoid tattoos of the RDF logo or a Gundam head and stuff, okay? I've seen 'em. They don't go over well with age.

5)Avoid impulse DVDs.
-Now, I know that there are some other channels that broadcast anime. Cartoon Network, Encore's Action Channel, and eventually, the Anime Network. Most of the Action Channel's broadcasts are centered around ADV Films and Manga Ent., although they've started broadcasting other anime, including those from small-time studios. Now sometimes, I know it's hard to resist buying things because they're funny. I bought Gunsmith Cats after watching one episode; I didn't bother seeing the rest. It was one of the worst purchases I've ever made. The Tenchi movies? Bad, although Tenchi Forever isn't disastrous. Dirty Pair Flash? I saw it on San Jose's PBS subbed. It was cute and funny. Once. But man, what a bad show! Avoid buying that type of anime. Since anime is expensive, the best thing to do wait on it. Tape it, if you see it on TV. It's cheaper. The moral of the story is to just be cool about it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/W2376TP69FV3