scotty89gould's Journal

Anime and Its Haters

Anime and Critics

Many people consider anime to be the realm of geeks. They suppose that anime is nothing more than cartoons. They don't know what they are missing.

In the same way that older Disney animations, and more recent shows like The Simpsons, have done, anime is unafraid to address real-life issues. Addressing such issues takes a number of forms, as with any true art, varying from straight-up direct approaches to more complex analogies and metaphors that require the viewer to think a bit about the deeper meaning.

Under the guise of "just a cartoon",anime permits the artist to address any number of subjects and serious issues. Does that sometimesresult in an episode so bizarre you wonder what the writers are on?

At times, yes, though this also happens with many other types of tv shows as well.

As with so many things, it's really a matter of taste and preference, but thereare some people who just like to slam anime fans in general. Two people might enjoy mystery novels or movies, but if one likes anime mystery, the other one might hold an attitude ranging from insulting to downright disdain.

Why is that I wonder? I'm still puzzled as to what is believed to be so nerdy about anime.

In my mind, anime is a form of entertainment and story-telling. A deep tapestry of thoughts and dreams to ponder. I don't really have a single genre preference, though some genres only exist in anime.

The crux of it is, I think, that some people feel they can only advance themselves by putting down other people. After all, the video game and computer world was once the realm of geeks. Now people who don'tplay games and know about computers are the weird ones. Perhaps it's just a matter of time until us anime fans are the norm.