COP 3 Triangluation of Theories

It seems that anime often has an extremely polar following, with anime fans believing Japanese animation is superior to animation from other countries usually with very limited argument other than “its better”. This differs to those who are vocal about their dislike for anime, often having a very wide range of reasons behind them. These include disliking tropes in anime, such as the main character screaming their final attack, only for the fight to somehow take a dramatic turn, either this final attacks does no damage and the audience has to witness the main character saying an overused like such as “it can’t be…” with a dramatic gasp. On the other end of the scale, the attack is so powerful that it has ridiculously destructive properties. Further arguments can be made against the sexualisation of women, often with very little written character but a lot of animation. particular effort is put into character design and animation so that characters breasts are both shapely and bounce as much as possible for the titillation of the viewer. It is understandable them that tropes like these could cause annoyance, however it seems that the focus is less around genuine dislike for anime and more a distain for anime fans themselves, evidence by the numerous internet memes stating that “Anime is trash” that are regularly posted anywhere anyone claims to be a fan of anime. It is important to note however that anime does often excel when it comes to narrative, with works such as Ghost In The Shell and Paprika Clearly influencing films like The Matrix and Inception respectively. It is also important to note that these original works are both animated whereas the western counterparts are both live action. This is likely because the Japanese animation industry is not only more widespread but also much cheaper than animation in the west, using scenes of much more limited animation when more animation is unnecessary, such as when characters are talking. Or using other techniques to save on the amount of animation, such as the use of close ups and slow zooms to make anime feel more dynamic with next to no actual animation in that scene. This leads back to the previous question however, why do anime fans feel that anime is superior to other forms of animation. Perhaps the issue is with the fans themselves, as there is a similar attitude to those who are large fans in Japan. These people who sit at home all day and watch anime all day are know as Otaku, and are often criticized for not contributing to society. The fact that this is prevalent in a society where anime is much more wide spread implies that there is a link between the two. Furthermore, anime’s main demographic is teenagers, and many anime tropes can be seen to have more of a resonance with teenagers, for example the over the top nature with epic adventures and epic fight scenes may seem over the top to a more adult audience, but to adolescents who still retain an element of wonder from childhood, this would come across as slightly more tasteful and entertaining. Furthermore the sexual nature would appeal to the newfound sexuality that begins to develop in puberty. It may be said then that perhaps anime fans are those that wish to retain an element of adolescence, while maintaining the want for no responsibilities as evidenced by the Otaku culture of being a shut in.