Signed.
Firstly, anime stands for animation. Everything that's animated is anime, and anything that isn't animated isn't anime. Bluntly put, anything that's animated = anime. However, since most people make a wild generalization that anime is strictly is from Japan, is ignoring some of my favorite classics. Some people even go off on a tangents and complain about other series and point out that they're not anime because they don't originate from Japan, while accepting other series as anime.
Cyber Weapon Z, for example, is from Hong Kong. By most Otaku, this series would be considered anime by just looking at it. It looks like it comes from Asia. They're speaking a language that isn't English/French. They also have some wild scenes with amazing bullet-time animation.
But, since Cyber Weapon isn't from Japan, it isn't anime. But some still consider it anime due to its style and location. Yet some don't. But some do, since it's from Asia. But some don't, since they point out it's not from Japan. It's only 200 miles to Hong Kong from Tokyo, though.. But it's not from Japan, and nor do the characters speak any Japanese. But.. But... Do you get the point? Stupid generalizations and definitions screw up anime and manga. It causes me to become quite angry.
Cyber Weapon, in my book, is Anime. It goes with the stylistic flow of the genre, and is related to other Anime in its base and storyline. It possesses the genre-related stereotypes, mannerisms, and idiocies. It goes with it.
Cartoon Network, Toei Animation and Aniplex (first one is American. The following two are Japanese) are currently working on an anime in Japan. It's some weird show with the name "Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z". It's being work on in Japan. It's the strangest show, though, since it is being worked on in Japan, in a Japanese studio, but it has a large basis on American television. It's completely revamped and redone to be anime-ish, though.
Since it has a concept from outside of Japan and has its art primarily done in Japan, where does this ugly duckling fit in? It isn't anime, of course. But it isn't an American cartoon. This show is completely away from any genre that's currently on TV. It doesn't fit.
Neither does Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's base on the elemental theories of Chinese/Japanese mythology, and based on Chinese marshal arts styles. The show's artwork takes heavily from both Japanese and Chinese calligraphy. The artwork, obviously, isn't American. It's obviously based on Japanese animation (note the cliche movements/swetdrops/mannerisms of the protagonists). Its colours and characters mimic the style of Japan amazingly well. Stunningly well.
It out does a lot of Anime in its development. The series has quality beyond quite a few Japnese series (Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z, anyone? Pokemon? Dragon Ball GT/Z?), and has more plot development than quite a few series as well (Dragon Ball Z. Full Metal Alchemist comes to mind, too [the anime, not the manga!].). It has the quality to be Anime. It definitely has the quality.
But it isn't Japanese.
Bluntly put- this show isn't Japanese. Neither is some other anime that's hosted on AnimeMusicVideos.org. Teen Titans, for example. IS NOT ANIME. IT IS NOT ANIME. GWAWAWAEERRRR. >< WERWEFASDFASEDWEDF. NOT ANIME! JAPANESE IT IS NOT, BAMAKAAKAS! Hm. Stupid generalizations. Teen Titans is a Cartoon Network production. American. Base heavily on the style of Japanese animation yet strongly based on American heroes/heroines. Yet AnimeMusicVideos.org has quite a few pages of videos with it. It's strange.
Most of the Chinese, Korean, Mongolian, Cambodian, Burmese, Malaysian, Thai, American, and other non-Japanese country's animation isn't Anime. By this definition/standard of "it ain't Jap, yo". It isn't from Japanese so they should not be considered Anime. If Avatar isn't allowed on the site, Teen Titans shouldn't be. Nor should that Power Puff series, or those multitude of Chinese animations. Nor that weird Samurai show from Thailand.
However, here's the clinch. A lot of anime lovers are tightly knit to the odd belief that all anime either comes from Japan or it isn't anime. In Japanese media Anime is defined as animated television It's not limited to Japan. Not at all. So the series from China, Korea, and Malaysia can be tossed onto their stations without a worry about misrepresenting the shows by using the word anime in their advertisements.
So, by Japan's definition, Superman would be anime. Weird. But it proved a point. Avatar can be, by this definition, to be anime. It's animated. The other things, like the basis of mythology on Japanes culture, are just some nice flavouring for the viewer to mentally munch on.
Thank you for reading my rant. :Heart:
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Humbra
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