Research question - Why do people in the West like anime and manga?

Pyro

Pyro

Power Star
Figured that this would be the appropriate board.

So yeah, I'm doing a research project, and one of my research questions I specifically made to get other people's inputs on the subject. My presentation is just on the broad subject of Japanese anime and manga. All I need are some answers to the question. And yes, I did ask the mods.

Thanks in advance.
 
I think it's because people are interested in other cultures. Humans are naturally curious and we wonder what other countries and cultures watch/do in their spare time.

Others may just like the art style. Anime has a very distinct style and maybe it appeal to some people because they really like that style.

Then there are the people who have weird obsessions with Japanese culture. You know the type I'm talking about.
 
I don't care where something's from as long as it's good.

But at the same time, there are quite a few strange Japanese things that appeal to me because they're strange.
 
This is actually a good question I never pondered before.

The reason why I like anime and manga is because they suit my interests of fantasy. I know that not all of them are fantasy, but the ones that are, I enjoy. I guess that's about it.
 
I like anime and manga because they appeal to me, whereas most western animation and comics don't.
 
Because the West (or at least America) has a very diverse culture, and therefore it's logical that some portion of its population would enjoy anime and manga?
 
Well, the thing here is that you're grouping all of manga and anime into one big group.

Manga are just Japanese comic books, and anime are just Japanese cartoons. Sure, there are many stylistic differences from American and British works because of cultural differences, but in the end they're still just comics and cartoons. Japan just has a particularly good industry that rivals America's, I'd think.

Of course there is definitely a large audience that enjoys these two "genres" because they enjoy the cultural appeal of Japan, as they certainly have different systems from us. It's also important to remember that Japanese anime and manga appear to be a lot more explicit than they are in America.

Of course, I'm not an anime expert. I've only seen one anime.
 
New Super Mario said:
I still don't get why people hate English dubs when they aren't even Japanese.
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Simple: when you watch dubs, you're not watching the creator's intent, you're watching an interpretation of it.

And I say that as someone who watches both dubs and subs, depending on the show.

Plus you get shows like Detective Conan where the dub Americanized the character names.
 
Aiko Heiwa said:
New Super Mario said:
I still don't get why people hate English dubs when they aren't even Japanese.
Click to expand...
Simple: when you watch dubs, you're not watching the creator's intent, you're watching an interpretation of it.

And I say that as someone who watches both dubs and subs, depending on the show.

Plus you get shows like Detective Conan where the dub Americanized the character names.
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I know, but when people complain about the voices, they are obviously not going to sound the same. They're two totally different languages.
 
New Super Mario said:
I still don't get why people hate English dubs when they aren't even Japanese.
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Lots of people hate dubs because of the '4kids effect' (ie. extreme 'americanisation' and censorship)

I guess I do because of the culture interest, the style appeals to me and because I just enjoy watching it a lot of the time.
 
Phantom L said:
New Super Mario said:
I still don't get why people hate English dubs when they aren't even Japanese.
Click to expand...
Lots of people hate dubs because of the '4kids effect' (ie. extreme 'americanisation' and censorship)
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Also, to me, there are certain movies and such that just don't work dubbed.


Stuff like Grave of the Fireflies or Barefoot Gen.
 
Aiko Heiwa said:
New Super Mario said:
I still don't get why people hate English dubs when they aren't even Japanese.
Click to expand...
Simple: when you watch dubs, you're not watching the creator's intent, you're watching an interpretation of it.

And I say that as someone who watches both dubs and subs, depending on the show.

Plus you get shows like Detective Conan where the dub Americanized the character names.
Click to expand...
but sometimes dubs are approved by the creators. like with miyazaki's films

i like subs for animes but i like dubs for movies because it helps me immerse myself more
 
Elsa said:
Aiko Heiwa said:
New Super Mario said:
I still don't get why people hate English dubs when they aren't even Japanese.
Click to expand...
Simple: when you watch dubs, you're not watching the creator's intent, you're watching an interpretation of it.

And I say that as someone who watches both dubs and subs, depending on the show.

Plus you get shows like Detective Conan where the dub Americanized the character names.
Click to expand...
but sometimes dubs are approved by the creators. like with miyazaki's films

i like subs for animes but i like dubs for movies because it helps me immerse myself more
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that's kinda like me except I need the dubs or I can't immerse as well
 
Personally, I like it because it's unashamed campiness. It can get over-the-top and ridiculous, and they KNOW it, and they fully embrace it! American cartoons have a very different style, and they generally take themselves a lot more seriously.

Also, they're very good at the teenage power fantasy shows. That generally isn't done that much in American shows. Almost all the most popular anime in America are good for escapism. Pokemon, Dragonball Z, all the other shonen anime in general, and Sailor Moon for the girls.

Oh, and I just realised their merchandising is GENIUS!
 
Purple Yoshi said:
Personally, I like it because it's unashamed campiness. It can get over-the-top and ridiculous, and they KNOW it, and they fully embrace it! American cartoons have a very different style, and they generally take themselves a lot more seriously.

Also, they're very good at the teenage power fantasy shows. That generally isn't done that much in American shows. Almost all the most popular anime in America are good for escapism. Pokemon, Dragonball Z, all the other shonen anime in general, and Sailor Moon for the girls.

Oh, and I just realised their merchandising is GENIUS!
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rude

anyway idk its just another thing to watch and pass time with
its just something youre interested in and like to watch
its like asking the japanese what american cartoons they like
for example, the powerpuff girls, a western cartoon, got made into an anime in japan cause it was so popular
 
I like anime and manga because, while they may not always portray the Japanese language and culture realistically, they do so more or less naturally.
 
Minako Aino said:
Purple Yoshi said:
Personally, I like it because it's unashamed campiness. It can get over-the-top and ridiculous, and they KNOW it, and they fully embrace it! American cartoons have a very different style, and they generally take themselves a lot more seriously.

Also, they're very good at the teenage power fantasy shows. That generally isn't done that much in American shows. Almost all the most popular anime in America are good for escapism. Pokemon, Dragonball Z, all the other shonen anime in general, and Sailor Moon for the girls.

Oh, and I just realised their merchandising is GENIUS!
Click to expand...
rude
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that's what it's original purpose was. But it's not like you HAVE to be a girl to enjoy it.
 
Purple Yoshi said:
Minako Aino said:
Purple Yoshi said:
Personally, I like it because it's unashamed campiness. It can get over-the-top and ridiculous, and they KNOW it, and they fully embrace it! American cartoons have a very different style, and they generally take themselves a lot more seriously.

Also, they're very good at the teenage power fantasy shows. That generally isn't done that much in American shows. Almost all the most popular anime in America are good for escapism. Pokemon, Dragonball Z, all the other shonen anime in general, and Sailor Moon for the girls.

Oh, and I just realised their merchandising is GENIUS!
Click to expand...
rude
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure that's what it's original purpose was. But it's not like you HAVE to be a girl to enjoy it.
Click to expand...
I liked desperate housewives, so yolo.
 
Purple Yoshi said:
Personally, I like it because it's unashamed campiness. It can get over-the-top and ridiculous, and they KNOW it, and they fully embrace it! American cartoons have a very different style, and they generally take themselves a lot more seriously.
Click to expand...
Really? I find it to be the other way around. American animation is comprised mostly of shows that focus solely on comedy and don't really take themselves seriously at all, even coming to be synonymous with "cartoons" which in other senses refers exclusively to comedy. On the other hand, anime often takes itself seriously to the point of being frustrating, when even the stupidest shows built on utterly ridiculous premises refuse to lighten up. Obviously, these are gross generalizations, there are tons of anime that don't take themselves seriously at all- but I can't really say I know of many American works that do take themselves seriously.

I mean, you listed off a few big names in your post, but do you really think Pokemon, Dragonball Z, and Sailor Moon take themselves less seriously than Spongebob, Mickey Mouse, and My Little Pony? I guess just grabbing a handful of names isn't really a compelling argument, but really.
 
I think it has something to do with the common tropes. Like, there's this magical girl anime I've been watching, and in one episode, one of the girls turns into a giant robot and they have to pilot her like a giant mech. And one of the girls is a huge fangirl over it, but then she realises just because she watches giant mecha anime, doesn't mean she knows how to pilot one.

Shows like Spongebob use more slapstick and stuff, and My Little Pony is more of a traditional slice-of-life show with people replaced with ponies. And, like, horse puns. After all, most of the situations in MLP have a real-life equivalent.
 
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