Does Anime=Cartoons in your opinion?

I'm a huge anime fan but i disagree with some of the things said by fellow fans. Such as i REALLY don't see much of a difference between anime and cartoons granted certain animes may have cultural differences but it still seems like just a cartoon from a different place.

Some people argue cartoons are too childish and aren't as "Deep" but i look at shows like "Batman: The Animated Series" and "X-men" who are famous for having either a dark or complex storyline (seriously someone try and explain "The Phoenix" without goggling it).

Some people say their graphically underwhelming but show like "Avatar and the last Airbender", "Iron man: Armored Adventures", or "Wolverine and the X-Men" are done beautifully.

So what's your opinion on it?

1. This is Speakeasy material.

2. Technically yes. They are... Japanese cartoons.

3. From a subjective point of view, no. They are different. Too lazy to elaborate, but something along the lines of:

- Different approaches on topics,
- Different draw style
- Western series tend to be franchises or long stories, while most famous animes are short series of a couple chapters (between 10~30 most of the time).

1. This is Speakeasy material.

2. Technically yes. They are... Japanese cartoons.

3. From a subjective point of view, no. They are different. Too lazy to elaborate, but something along the lines of:

- Different approaches on topics,
- Different draw style
- Western series tend to be franchises or long stories, while most famous animes are short series of a couple chapters (between 10~30 most of the time).

that last point is rather subjective in itself; Gundam, Astro Boy, and Sailor Moon were much longer. I think rob you got popular mixed up with famous, though that isnt to say one cannot be both. Death Note's an example of such.

But yes, if anime = animation and cartoons = animation, then anime = cartoon. /end over-simplification.

Cartoons are Anime in Japan, and Anime are Cartoons in America. It's as simple as that.

America Anime has just as much of a chance of being deep as Japanese Cartoons, and Anime has just as much of a chance at being as childish as Cartoons.

A better question would be. Are Japanese animations the same as America animations?

that last point is rather subjective in itself; Gundam, Astro Boy, and Sailor Moon were much longer. I think rob you got popular mixed up with famous, though that isnt to say one cannot be both. Death Note's an example of such.

But yes, if anime = animation and cartoons = animation, then anime = cartoon. /end over-simplification.

Well, you don't see Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball in Anime must-see charts, get my point?

Cartoons are Anime in Japan, and Anime are Cartoons in America. It's as simple as that.

America Anime has just as much of a chance of being deep as Japanese Cartoons, and Anime has just as much of a chance at being as childish as Cartoons.

A better question would be. Are Japanese animations the same as America animations?

no. It's more than the aesthetic design, its how they are both made, the ways they are made, and just how much thought gets put into its production. An example: hentai can be incredibly well thought out and have a good standalone plot that minus the sex would work very well, arguably succeed on its own, and that much cannot be said of american cartoons of that nature. But its more than just that, it delves into production studios, the animators, the vocal artists behind the animated figures, and the sound and music engineers that score what is heard, each approach to animation has different methods that they use.

Well, you don't see Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball in Anime must-see charts, get my point?

Opinions. If someone *cough*SHIKAGE*cough* likes something like dragonball, then they will say that it's a good series and get into the various plot elements it employs. the matter of depth is best answered by how far one is willing to dig into the subject.




Since i brought it up; Mickey Mouse versus Astro Boy, arguably two of the most well known, as well as arguably the oldest animations of both worlds, in what ways are they similar and in what ways do they differ? this relates to the topic at hand if you see how they've become a cultural phenomenon and just how they've impacted their respective societies.

You're not asking the question you want the answer for.

Anime = Cartoon, yes, that is an absolute concrete fact based on the definition of both.

Cartoon = Childish, no, because there are many cartoons that are absolutely not intended for children, like [amazon]Heavy Metal[/amazon]

Just as a movie can be targeted at children, so can a cartoon. Cartoons may be predominantly targeted at children in the US, or may have been at one point, but that doesn't mean that all cartoons are by nature childish any more than all pants are for children just because the majority of pants are made in children's sizes.

Political cartoons, anyone?

Also, any online comic you see online is also a cartoon just laid out differently; Penny Arcade, XKCD, CTRL+ALT+DEL are all cartoons.

Penny Arcade, XKCD, CTRL+ALT+DEL are all cartoons.

I thought those were comics o.o web comics.

A comic is not a cartoon? A comic is merely a few cartoons put into frames. Anime is cartoons put into frames...

A comic is not a cartoon? A comic is merely a few cartoons put into frames. Anime is cartoons put into frames...

I guess if you look at it that way, then cartoons are definitely not childish in all forms. There are more than a handful of more mature cartoon venues. Alot of modern comics have head bashing and the lot.

(I dont read physical comics, its just from what I understand)

A comic is not a cartoon? A comic is merely a few cartoons put into frames. Anime is cartoons put into frames...

thats a rather odd way to view it i'd say. comics, cartoons, they're all animations yes? one is just static, the other is just static images that are played out in sequence to give the illusion of motion.

Anything that is drawn = cartoon. So technically, if we're talking about cartoons and anime, it would be considered as an animated cartoon.

All animes are cartoons, not all cartoons are animes.

So it's more like
Animes Cartoons.

no. It's more than the aesthetic design

That has nothing to do whether they are two halves of the same whole however. Just because it was designed differently and had different thought put into it doesn't mean it's a unique thing a part from the other half.

Western animation can be every bit as serious or as artistic as stuff from the East. Everyone just has trouble seeing it that way. But since Anime has more of that sort of thing people see it as different from Cartoons here even though its not completely the case.

I think part of the problem is with the english terms for animated shows and printed entertainment: Comic and cartoon.

 Spoiler

com·ic (kmk)
adj.
1. Characteristic of or having to do with comedy.
2. Of or relating to comic strips.
3. Amusing; humorous: a comic situation involving the family's pets.
n.
1. a. A comedian.
b. A person whose behavior elicits laughter.
2. a. comics Comic strips.
b. A comic book.
3. A source of humor in art or life.

 Spoiler

car·toon (kär-tn)
n.
1.
a. A drawing depicting a humorous situation, often accompanied by a caption.
b. A drawing representing current public figures or issues symbolically and often satirically: a political cartoon.
2. A preliminary sketch similar in size to the work, such as a fresco, that is to be copied from it.
3. An animated cartoon.
4. A comic strip.
5. A ridiculously oversimplified or stereotypical representation: criticized the actor's portrayal of Jefferson as a historically inaccurate cartoon.

Notice how both terms imply a humourous usage? That alone probably is a huge reason why people seem to believe there's a difference. i still know some people who think animation should only be used for funny stuff and superheroes to this day. Heck, cartoon alone seems to imply incompletion or oversimplified in addition to 'for the laughs'. Can you really take seriously anything defined by words like this?

American animation and graphic novels are decent, but we really do need some simpler names to replace cartoon/comic that don't cause the preconceived image of comedy.

I thought I would post this image since it sort of fits the topic, so don't warn me bro. D=

 Spoiler

There are also other versions that either diss cartoons and support anime, or support cartoons and diss anime. But I thought this one was the best.