What is the Appeal of Anime?
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- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2016
- The Golden Witch writes on Substack: goldenwitch.substack.com
And is also supported on Patreon: / goldenwitchfire
Golden Witch on Instagram: / goldenwitchfire
Golden Witch on Twitter: / goldenwitchfire
Edited by Davoo: / thedavoo
Text version: myswordisunbelievablydull.wor...
List of things in this video (not exhaustive; hunting down every title would take like an hour)
0:25
Cucumber Quest
0:37
Fargo
0:44
The Thief and the Cobbler
0:55
Drawing by Davoo's friend
1:14
Grumps Animated: "Um... Bloodborne"
1:19
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
1:25
The Wind Rises
1:32
Perfect Blue
1:44
Death Note
2:09
Eraserhead
2:13
Only God Forgives
2:21
Wrestling Isn't Wreslting
2:48
Great Expectation
3:21
Arrested Development
3:24
Agents of Shield
3:44
Daredevil
3:49
Jessica Jones
3:57
House of Cards
4:06
Animaniacs
4:10
Madoka Magica
4:14
Batman: The Animated Series
4:21
We Bare Bears
4:42
Rick and Morty
4:53
Steven Universe
5:08
Ashita no Joe
Future Boy Conan
5:19
Dragonball
5:31
Dragonball Z
5:56
Yu Yu Hakusho
6:31
Mushishi
6:42
Aria the Animation
6:53
The Tatami Galaxy
7:01
Kill la Kill
7:12
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
7:29
Revolutionary Girl Utena
7:35
And you thought there is never a girl online?
7:56
Ghost in the Shell
8:04
Game of Thrones
8:10
Bakemonogatari
8:14
Neon Genesis Evangelion
8:18
127 Hours
8:24
Tree of Life
8:27
Drive
8:30
One Punch Man
8:35
Space Dandy 
Кино
So, basically, anime tends to be less episodic and more diverse in subject matter.
Sounds about right.
+Andrea 💜 more free!
Basically
Most of the time. You still have the more lighthearted series which usually don't care for overarching narrative as long as they are interesting or silly and fun.
More so than western animation but that's about it
You're kinda missing the _main point_ that he mentioned at the end of the video: mainstream anime shows aren't tailored to be accessible for as wide an audience as possible like mainstream western media is. They are much more varied stylistically and thematically in ways that would appeal to much more specific tastes.
Only in anime will we get stories about high school girls drinking tea and sometimes playing music.
+Jason Waataja Only in anime will we get stories about high-schoolers' boobs shaking in increasingly ludicrous ways.....oh yeah, there are also zombies....
only in anime will we get the story of a man who can defeat anything in one hit.
+Takyomi we kind of got that in superman. OPM (if I'm not mistaken) was supposed to be a parody of a more western type of superhero tale. Only Japan would then make the focus about how bored the main character is in life because of his strength.
List of things in this video (not exhaustive; hunting down every title would take like an hour)
0:25
Cucumber Quest
0:37
Fargo
0:44
The Thief and the Cobbler
0:55
Drawing by Davoo's friend
1:14
Grumps Animated: "Um... Bloodborne"
1:19
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
1:25
The Wind Rises
1:32
Perfect Blue
1:44
Death Note
2:09
Eraserhead
2:13
Only God Forgives
2:21
Wrestling Isn't Wreslting
2:48
Great Expectation
3:21
Arrested Development
3:24
Agents of Shield
3:44
Daredevil
3:49
Jessica Jones
3:57
House of Cards
4:06
Animaniacs
4:10
Madoka Magica
4:14
Batman: The Animated Series
4:21
We Bare Bears
4:42
Rick and Morty
4:53
Steven Universe
5:08
Ashita no Joe
Future Boy Conan
5:19
Dragonball
5:31
Dragonball Z
5:56
Yu Yu Hakusho
6:31
Mushishi
6:42
Aria the Animation
6:53
The Tatami Galaxy
7:01
Kill la Kill
7:12
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
7:29
Revolutionary Girl Utena
7:35
And you thought there is never a girl online?
7:56
Ghost in the Shell
8:04
Game of Thrones
8:10
Bakemonogatari
8:14
Neon Genesis Evangelion
8:18
127 Hours
8:24
Tree of Life
8:27
Drive
8:30
One Punch Man
8:35
Space Dandy
+Digibro No Bible Black? :/
+Digibro great video, it's really insightful.
+Digibro What about the 2:55 clip of Anno and Miyazaki sitting on a bench? Where's that from?
Good video but one question what would I consider the increase popularity of the superhero comic books genre in mainstream media that has hit not America but the rest of the world, wouldn't that also be considering similar to the interest of anime and more or less there inspiration manga as a parallel to their American counterpart comics and therefore cartoons like marvel and dc, they been on the rise in popular society. I would all classify it under the roof of us nerds finally getting our works of art recognized
The Tatami Galaxy has 11 episodes not 12.
I want to see a comparison of Manga vs Comic Books. That seems like it'd be really interesting.
i would like to see that as well
+Rigby You know, the most interesting thing is that you're completely right. Manga is not coloured. But why? Because there was no time and money to do that. But why? Because Japan lost a war. So then, what do you have in exchange for companies not really caring about your colorless comics? More control over what you can do with it.
+PabloTheOffender I feel like it'd be mostly a retelling of "Understanding comics" :^P
+Yo listen up here's a story Same. Just read that actually, for class.
+Yo listen up here's a story
with the kind of pressure mangakas have to deal with regularly I can't imagine having them color the entire series, especially for those running multiple or weekly series. They would have to hire a lot of additional assistants. Although to be fair, some manhwas are fully colored.
Also, making it colored would drive the price waaay up. Kids won't be able to buy manga magazines anymore and that's a huge market.
I could have probably watched a 9 hour version of this video
+Danny Kazari - I could have probably written a 9 hour version of this video lol
+Digibro I would watch it
+Digibro i'd be hella down with that
+Digibro Please do.
+Digibro Director's Cut - I want it.
The biggest weakness anime has, from my perspective, is the stigma that it's meant for a younger audience. The same goes for video games. This is not true, but the view still holds strong in the west. This is why MANY people have a hard time taking it seriously, which keeps them from seeing it as the art form it truly is.
I know what you mean. Every time I try to get someone new into anime they are all like 'wtf this cartoon has blood and swearing?!?' Sigh.
+Crow Feathers [Team Marie FTW] Did you try to introduce them to the Berserk franchise?
whathell6t You really love Berserk, huh? I don't blame you.
I don't know about it as an introductory thing, because it's so damn extreme. I haven't seen the anime, but if it's like the manga, I'd build up to it first.
lol implying that anime is not mainstream as fuck, why are u trying to be the anime jesus anyway, people can decide if they want to watch cartoons or not, its not a huge deal, they can live without them dont worry
Great video man! The main reason I love anime is because in most of the ones I watch the characters have to Physically Train to get stronger, rather than circumstances giving them powers right away. I mean spider-bites, lightning bolts, and being born a god are cool but I love seeing a character who's weak or weaker than most and then train their ass off to become a badass. Cause as a person who loves health fitness and martial arts it inspires me to Train to be the best I can be in all of em :)
+JaxBlade
SO ur Rock Lee, vegeta fan, I'm exactly the same way.
not gonna lie that's fucking awesome!
Mah nigga
+JaxBlade What you said is pretty funny considering Batman is the most widely accepted "Best Super Hero".
I think another major reason that Japan gets more continuous stories as opposed to something that is a new story each episode is that Japanese shows are more reliant on blu-ray sales and less concerned with ad revenue. American shows are just trying to hook the most people and keep them from changing the channel, and they'll have the best chance of that if the viewer can easily get on board with whatever's being shown. On the other hand Anime producers want to assemble something that more resembles a completed product that collectors would want to own, so it's more natural to tie the episodes together and make a big story. Also it seems like Western channels are a lot more vicious when it comes to cancelling shows? It seems like on the network channels shows get cancelled at the drop of a hat. If the producers of a show have to constantly worry that the episode they're making could be the last I'm sure that influences the decision to have plot points carry over to the next one.
But yeah great video man. I don't think I've ever agreed more with one of your videos than with this one.
+Tex Talks
Western show also hardly ever seem to just make single, or maybe a few, series shows with a planned end. They just make shows design to go forever until they get cancelled. They don't just tell a story and move on to the next they're always trying to make the next Doctor Who.
This exact same problem applies to manga so don't act like Japanese people don't care about money, lol
Oh, you're going hard with the Subscriber growth. Dragon ball thumbnail with a title that'll be searched forever.
Slow your roll Digi, can Davoo handle all this?
7:10-7:29 is exactly how I felt for the past 8 years. When I told myself "I should go understand anime and look in-depth at what it has to offer." I did not think that would take so many years of study and how interconnected everything is. It is literally impossible to keep up because of how ever-evolving it is and how many decades worth of material I have missed. Truly amazing and I love every step of this "anime journey" so to speak.
+AnimeCommander1 Right with you there. This pit seems to be never ending.
>Only anime can have 444 episodes and 160 hours,
>Nothing like this happened in western film making in any kind
Oh boy, you haven't heard of Brazilian Soap Operas? Last year there was a Soap Opera that would laugh at the duration of Dragon Ball, it had 545 episodes of 45 minutes each, that is +400 hours, and it was only a season, it ran from Monday to Friday, nonstop for more than 1 year, it was a child soap opera, without action
+Christian WS - Fair enough, I guess soap operas in general are closer to the long-form anime formula.
+Digibro The German soap opera "Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten" (Good times, bad times) has reached episode 5.970, with ~30 minutes each. This means nearly 3.000 hours of film.
www.rtl.de/cms/gzsz-folge-5970-vom-06-04-2016-kann-alex-nach-jos-beichte-maren-noch-lieben-2818986.html
***** I don't really know how Americans see Soap Opera, from what I can understand Soap Operas are more of a "Spanish- speaking- countries" thing(even though Brazil speaks Portuguese), here in Brazil we have shittons of Soap Operas that everybody watches, the main channel(Globo) on the "Free-to-air television" (I think this is te term) have like 5 Soap Operas that airs almost everyday, except Sunday, two of them don't air on Sunday and Saturday. and 4 of them have 45 minutes episodes, and ALL of them run for months, and they run for like 45 minutes to 70 minutes depending on the Slot(only one of them runs for 30 minutes), and i'm not even counting others channels(all of them on the Free-to-air TV), I don't doubt that everyday there's like 10 SoapOperas you can watch, and the others channels adjust their slots so that you can switch channels to always being watching a Soap Opera.
It's really weird to see someone saying that Long-Running Anime are kinda of unique because of their duration, since I know SoapOperas since I was born, a recently Soap Opera that was considerable short run for 96 episodes of approximately 50 minutes each(80 hours in total), and this is kinda short for us
Katharsis939 It was only a "Season"? There's an longer Soup Opera in Brazil, but it had multiple Seasons, characterss would switch, the one I picked had only a "season" and it had a continuous "plot" (if you could call that)
This one called "Malhação" had so many episodes and seasons that I'm even lazy to count
pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lista_de_temporadas_de_Malha%C3%A7%C3%A3o
***** It's slow as fuck, and boring, you can basically only watch an episode by week and you would not be that lost on its plot. Things don't really changes that much, it's weird trying to explain, most of my family only watches because there's nothing better to watch, and because it's part of their routine, it's just something that you do to turn your brain off, and by the time it stopped airing, you forget most of what happened, there's only a few SoapOperas people really remember to this day
I generally prefer your videos that focus more on broad concepts than specific shows, AssWars Sucks part 4 about Cliche characters also comes to mind.
Having said that, this is probably one of your best videos to date
"Wow, this was a really cool video--I hope more people see this."
*refreshes page*
*another thousand views added*
"This is good."
I feel that its precisely anime's tendency to indulge niches that its gotten it to a sort of island of self indulgence. What I see when I think of it is work that is infinitely self referential, reiterative and in occasions subversive on its tropes, but has little to nothing to say about the world outside of its usual references and serves exclusively as escapism. I guess anime's limits did became intolerable to me. I know there's worthwhile anime out there but even to the good stuff I have such an adverse reaction to it nowadays.
ik the feel, I could give you so.e great retro titles if u need to, and I would also recommend Western animation since it's great overall and DOESN'T engage in self indulgence as much.
simple answer: not just the art style but tropes and reuccuring themes paint the picture of an almost perfect world and at the end of the day we watch anime to escape from our world so it does it's job perfectly
Dude this was amazingly intelligent, accurate, relatable, honest and just really well done, you got my subscription
Wow, what an insightful and intelligent video! You've explained, in an understandable manner, a broad and fundamental concept/aspect of anime that I've never been able to quite pin down in words myself - and in under ten minutes! Any time now that I am asked that kind of question I will be sure to show them this as an answer.
You're the kind of guy that I would love to just sit down with and have a meaningful and/or in-depth chat about all things anime. Keep up the great work!
+Kid Icarus If you haven't already I'd recommend checking out his other videos as well. I subscribed when linked a video similar to this (Why Good Anime Is Hard To Make) and I've enjoyed every video released since then.
Back in the 30s, 40s and 50s. American animation was made for everyone, not just kids.
+CornishCreamtea07 Then came the 80s with the onslaught of Cartoons designed to sell toys rather than tell stories.
+demon2441 Isn't that technically what children's animes do to this day? There's like, a hundred pieces to the thing the hero uses and you have to "collect them all".
Depends. You have more higher quality series like Adventure Time, Regular Show and Gravity Falls who sell merch alongside good stories. Then there's Steven Universe where it seems merch was an afterthought. You're correct in saying that there's more than a few toyetic series out today but some of them are made with care so that the parent won't just go to their happy place if they had to occupy the same room as the show.
CornishCreamtea07 Have you heard of Rick and Morty?
The Meme Movement rick and morty is just a mix between South Park and futurama
I hadn't even thought of this notion... Anime takes advantage of the low-cost nature of animations to make a broader *offer* of products instead of products offered to, and tailored to, the broader audience. A lot of things about anime make sense when viewed through this lens, including the fact that there's so many anime that highlight some interest or hobby, like tennis or majhong or film or boxing, in ways that neither western animation or live action film wouldn't touch with a three meter stick.
Thank you, sir, for such an insightful and enlightening video essay.
I agree, thanks digi
Your videos always make me so excited to watch anime
I hate/love that you can articulate so well arguments i've been feeling and speaking for years.
I love it when you reveal to me things I haven't been paying enough attention to notice, such as narrative and design trends in Light Novel adaptations, but when bring up topics like this or like in your "What is Anime" video that reflect my own feelings to a "T" with a level of eloquence I have not yet achieved it's an entirely different feeling. Maybe admiration or evny.
Nice Job digi!
Its scripted.
The only thing you were right about was that anime definitely allows a lot more freedom for it to explore. Something like Mushishi only works as an animated show. Animation has a huge animation in creativity but live action has a huge advantage with realistic acting of characters. Both have their appeals and I think anyone is a fool to only watch one.
Cucumber Quest is my favorite web comic, so I was super happy that you included it!
The topic of this video was very interesting overall.
This is why I always click on my recommended videos by you, even though I'm for whatever reason not subbed to you:
You always have a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter you are tackling and on top of that you are so on point with what you're saying! Once again a great treat for me, thank you! :)
I love videos that explain my own opinion to me and that better than I ever would have been able to.
Tomorrow on the comments section: Digi never talks about things he likes
+Rafał Sobczyk
Translated: Digi never talks about things I like positively
Nah I wasn't talking about my tastes personally, but what people saying such things meant.
despite the fact he posted a video about the videos he makes about anime he likes
This might be one of my favourite vids you've done. Really interesting breakdown of anime compared to other mediums. Nice job!
Another excellent, well thought-out video. I hope this gets all the attention it deserves.
i don't think i've appreciated how much of a genius you are...
In summary, cute anime girls.
With swords
+Rick folly? fooly cooly ohhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhh!!!! foooolllyy coooolllyyyyyy
+Misaka Mikoto
Sekirei? Hardly call it "cute", man.
Gave me a chill. You are an awesome guy. I've never been able to explain my love of anime to others, but now I can just show them this. Thanks a bunch and I look forward to watching all of your videos.
This is the first video I've seen of you're and I have to say that it was a work of art in itself. Well thought out, great production quality, and with a sense of purpose. Fantastic job, subscribed.
Wow one of the best RUclips anime videos to date. Expertly done great point, will share.
Next video - What is the Appeal of Hentai?
Yes pls ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
+GodOfWar187 I could do a video on that, or at least a lengthy writeup. I find myself watching less "regular" porn over time and looking at more drawn/animated porn because of how incredibly unskilled and/or lazy the production of modern porn is.
+GodOfWar187 I'd say compared to western pornography, the argument about Japan providing broader, more experimental topics for a niche audience still apllies here... _especially_ here.
+FortWhenTeaThyme »I find myself watching less "regular" porn over time and looking at more drawn/animated porn because of how incredibly unskilled and/or lazy the production of modern porn is.«
Good point, lmao.
A halfway decently animated character is paradoxically perceived as far more genuine doing or feeling something compared to a bad actor.
And the _vast_ majority of porn actors make up their own league in terms of acting proficiency - replacing whatever the previously lowest level was with something even more inept. (Something like "Bella Swan expressiveness" > "Stone" > "Porn Actor")
I just sometimes find looking at real life porn morally dubious since they are real people and not a fictional entity existing for that purpose.
I just discovered your channel and I'm so grateful I did. As a person who isn't really into anime due to some prejudices but nevertheless is curious about it, this channel is helping me a lot. Keep being awesome man.
Thanks for making this. I look forward to directing my friends to this video as they express predictable, noncommittal confusion over my preference in media.
The Davoo did a great job with this one.
+Terriccota Pie Definitely.
I disagree when you say that TV series attempt to meet the needs of the broadest audience. I think production companies are seeing that people are spending more time watching series than movies. Game of Thrones actually follows your reasoning for Dragonball - it has a continuous storyline and you just have to watch from S01E01 to understand the rest. I think we can see an increasing number of TV series for niche audiences...! On the other side, I feel like anime series are trying real hard to appeal to Westerners now.
+Dikchong But GoT only got a tv series BECAUSE there was a climate for it. Take into account how everyone was on a fantasy high with The Hobbit coming out soon, as well as interest in things like DnD and pathfinder being at an all time high. Not to mention the book series was insanely popular, and had a lot of sex appeal. No one took any risks making GoT. I'm not saying GoT itself doesn't take any risks as a narrative, but the tv show was only made because it was basically a safe bet for making money.
+Brit Baumstein (Britbau) not to mention it's essentially the highest budget HBO softcore porn of ALL time, lol
+Dikchong You contradicted yourself. If companies are seeing that more people are looking at TV, then that has become the new audience.
Also, when he was talking about broadest audiences, he was speaking of that in the context of the series content. In this case, GoT definitely is a show made to appeal to a broad audience. IIt's actually a ton of tropes thrown together across multiple storylines that have been placed beside one another that could never stand on their own save for maybe one or two. All of these stories are given a common goal (the Iron Throne) in order to mask this fact. Each of the stories contain the kinds of things that would entice a broad audience, or contain certain things that the other plot threads in the series do not, creating something that appeals broadly. Throw in the well-times plot twist and softcore porn and there you have it.
There are some exceptions, of course, as some of the stories and characters do stand head and tail above the others.
+Kyah Faria But I thought anime is porn...right?
+Dikchong Not sure what you mean by anime trying to appeal to Westerners. Shows like Naruto and Attack on Titan led to a resurgence of Western interest in anime, but I don't see anime trying to cater to a Western audience. If that was the case we'd see them hire more native English-speaking voice actors so we don't have to suffer through Engrish. The common anime themes still tend to have a very Japanese mindset (pacifism, environmentalism, distrust of religion, etc.). Sure, there's been some progress with marketing anime in the West, but anime is a long way from catering to the West.
I'll be using this video a lot for when people ask me why I watch anime. Thanks again Digi, keep working hard bro
Great video. This is the kind of thing I've been feeling but I wasn't really sure how to explain it. You said it perfectly.
I'm... not sure I completely agree. French animation for example does the whole narrative sense of scale marvelously too. The point is that Japan just has the biggest animation industry in the world. The American industry is riddled with problems like the animation age ghetto (not that the French ain't either), European is still too small and aimed either at kids or at the critics moreso than any monetizing audience, and whatever there was from the Eastern Bloc industry, it got stomped out of existence with the fall of USSR. Shows like Wakfu have been trying their best to get the companies to agree with broadening the audience beyond kids and critics, but... well. They resorted to Kickstarter, and did only three new episodes, because no CEO wanted a story of an older protagonist. Fuckers.
Anyway. It's less about cultural differences directly and more that these cultural differences have allowed the Japanese industry to grow into the largest in the world. When it's the largest in the world, you automatically get way more space to explore different topics and methods. So, anime's appeal is like any other animation's appeal, just all in the same place and up to 11.
+erejnion I think the biggest difference between the Japanese and French animation mediums is France is, well, Western. I haven't seen much of France recently, and if I have, I haven't known. The West's animation tends to blend, you do get long form French series once and a while but you also get episodic comedies. Same idea with American. As someone who's rather into animation internationally, the only blip in the (global) French animation void is Miraculous Ladybug, which is only distinctly French due to its setting/background text. And, this successful show also happens to be an episodic comedy that draws heavily from anime. The fact that Japan's long form series have exploded is because it was so unrelated to West and couldn't care less about whether the West wants it or not. French animation, for the most part, tries to tailor itself to a larger Western audience. Back to Miraculous, from what I've heard, the show's lip synced to its English dub, meaning that international success was more important to it that local success. Japan has never really felt this way, which is why it's become so distinguishable, and eventually so popular.
Oh, I agree it has a lot of "exotic" value too. Though it gets a lot less exotic after 500-1000 shows, I guess.
The industry in France is small. Small industries often have this problem where the good series are few and scattered throughout the years. But yeah, cultural differences also matter. I'm just saying they don't matter as much as the strength of the industry itself. Though you can argue that the strength of the industry is an effect of the cultural differences.
Simply put, anime explores everything that western media doesn't.
Hey man. Fantastic work, even outside of a very solid description of anime. Tackling and quickly going over the way that various art forms communicate ideas was already impressive. Can't wait for your next video and I would love to hear your thoughts on Kiznaiver in the future! So far I like the art direction and cannot wait for more.
Another excellent video. You do such great work. Can't wait for the next one.
That last point you made put me in mind of the decentralization of music in the last couple decades. Genre doesn't really mean anything anymore, unless you're willing to use a lot of hyphens.
Music costs less to make and needs less of an audience so I can see it leading the pack in this regard.
Am I the only one who finds it incredibly racist and ignorant that Digibro didn't mention the one-hit wonder anime that is "Cory in the House"?
This video was really well put together and also helped me realize some of the feelings I had but haven't exactly been able to find the words for! I also love anime because of it's focus on art and music that western animation and film in general just don't seem to put as much emphasis on. Every anime series I watch feels like it's own little adventure, even if it's not that great, while most western and mainstream media I've consumed can feel really same-y and repetitive.
I thouroughly enjoyed this insight into what makes anime so appealing. When trying to find a specific reason on my own, I often felt that I connect with these characters better. And now that you've put it into words, it's probably because anime explores complex range of emotions, no matter how mundane the setting is. Kyoani is a beautiful example.
1:33 anyone else see that shit?
+Yzov Generally, speaking, widely apart placed eyes have the impression of gullibleness or meekness.
Combined with large eyes and a uncannily close mouth, that's probably a particular "cute innocence" that the artists behind the image you linked to wanted to deliver.
Although in this case, cuteness wasn't part of the package - the person driving at 1:33 isn't supposed to look cute or pretty, but rather, reliable.
(For those who don't know, it's from the movie _Perfect Blue_. She's the trusted manager of the k-pop star protagonist on the passenger seat.)
Although the impression of still works as she doesn't look like someone malicious.
*SPOILERS*
Those that have seen the film know that this might have been an intentional deception, as she does in fact turn out to be the one person with the maniacal murder tendencies.
Awesome video man!
this hit the nail in the coffin for me. I think it's your best video yet.
even though i think the introduction is a little long.
Cucumber Quest! I'm so happy because I rarely see people talk about it, let alone mention it in their videos!
I enjoy western animation more because it has a unique look to it. It feels more imaginative and creative. Most anime sacrifice character designs for some 2deep4me plot. Most anime, you could swap out character designs, and it wouldn't feel much different.
You sir, need to watch more anime if thats what you think.
Stuff like K-ON is the exact opposite of what you think anime is, which is entirely about its characters and could be argued to have very little in the way of plot, being a slice of life.
Or any Studio Gibli film which are all whimsical, creative art pieces where you couldn't possibly just swap out it's designs for anything else, being that they are utterly unique.
Or you need to watch something like Stiens;Gate, Ghost In The Shell, Cowboy Beebop, Baccano, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Durarara, Fate/Zero, FLCL, Casshern Sins etc etc, all anime with incredible imagination and creativity with a story to tell if your ready to listen and think.
If you dislike the art style, just come out and say that you do, I won't be offended. But I will be if you try to shit all over a medium I enjoy, surprise, now I'm offended.
What you're describing with DBZ is basically just decompression, which was something that, yes, is kind of a thing that has been around in manga and anime for a long time. This was something Tezuka innovated (based on western film I think) that caught on hugely in popularity and adopted by pretty much every single mangaka since. And while it has been abused by some series and rightly criticized for it, when done well it makes for a MUCH better comic. Reading a lot of western comics I can't help but find the lightning pace and "MUST HAVE PAYOFF THIS ISSUE" of some of them (mainly the ones written at DC and Marvel) to be jarring and lessen my enjoyment of the work. I understand people's concerns with paying for what appears to be little content per month, but as a matter of principle I'd rather get something that's a masterpiece in trade like Pluto, Vagabond, Berserk, etc than a comic which provides more entertainment per monthly releases but when it all comes together is nothing that special.
Tangent aside and to be more to the point, I think one of the main appeal of anime is that it presents film-like drama in a way young people can easily consume and identify with, because it's catered more specifically to their sensibilities, unlike TV shows like Breaking Bad or Mad Men which are pretty much catered exclusively towards adults. The average battle shounen is "edgy" and different enough from the average western cartoon since it has higher degrees of violence and fanservice, and a continuous narrative focused on action with drama, but is still presented in a way that's appealing for people in their tween years to early twenties.
(It's funny to me that the anime I most enjoy now tend to be the ones closer to that adult western storytelling, like Satoshi Kon's work, Monster, Ghost in the Shell, etc, but I digress).
Also, I can't help but find that anime as a whole put a lot more emphasis on their musical component than most western shows did for a long time. That's starting to change with stuff like Adventure Time and Steven Universe, but for a long time the only western show that I could remember with music that was legit excellent was Batman the Animated Series, which was popular enough that it got several soundtrack releases. There were a few others with standout music like Hey Arnold, but they tended to be the exceptions. By contrast, Japan has people like Hiroyuki Sawano, Yoko Kanno, Kaoru Wada, Naoki Sato, Yoshihisa Hirano, Taku Iwasaki, etc who compose extremely memorable songs that are often cited as high points of their respective shows. I can't really name anywhere near as many western composers in comparison. I notice this partly applies to some japanese film as well, where some of these composers work. I think the Rurouni Kenshin movies' soundtracks are heads and shoulders above anything I've heard in a western film in a long time.
I am so freakin' happy you mentioned Morel Orel. I love that show to bits and whenever I bring it up either no one knows of it, or know one cares about it. I hate that the creators never got to give it their intended ending.
I think this is one of the best pieces of exposition on this subject I have heard.
I love anime for it's creativity, abstract nature and it's massive contribution in keeping traditional style animation alive but often I find myself hindered in my pursuit to get more into anime because of the constants tropes and reusing of carbon cutter, copy paste protagonists. Not so ironically anime is at it's best when it's not being bard down by producers regulating it for mass appeal.
look at movies and ovas before the lost decade people had a bunch of disposable income back then.
I'm a bit worried that anime might start moving towards the type of TV stagnation that you mentioned with all the big mainstream companies looking to get a slice of the anime pie and throw their money around with streaming rights and even outright production. It'd be my literal nightmare if studios started getting influenced by what fucking amazon or toonami or whoever wanted.
But aren't we getting FLCL seasons 2 and 3 because Toonami urged the creators to make more? I could be completely wrong but I heard that somewhere.
+TheToonamitom well yes but i dont trust toonami
Oh hey, _Cucumber Quest_. That does remind me: I read webcomics for very similar reasons. The variety, the scale, some tailored to the tiniest of demographics.
I like how the future of media is looking.
My biggest turnoff is honestly the animation itself. I'm yet to find a show that I visually like. Personal thing I guess.
Cowboy Bebop?
"May become intolerable"
I think it's already crossed that line. The age of decent anime is coming to an end. Bc even the shows that are decent turn from good starts to horrible endings. leave u with unfinished answers. Or pile a shit ton of Loli/incest/fan service.
I think this is one of the best videos you've made so far. You have this uncanny ability for being able to explain things like, "anime has given us something we would've never known we wanted." This video has made me introspective on a number of subjects in my life...I grew up on the 90s version of "Sailor Moon" and the (GOOD) version of "Sonic the Hedgehog" from the mid-90s, for example. Both are tight stories with an end result in mind, and still some humor involved, but they follow the same kind of episodic narrative with brilliant music, well-fleshed characters, and ideas you'd normally see in anime or comics. Episodic comedies never got my ghost, honestly. Continuous storylines have always captivated me more than any other type of art, so I get your point completely and I want to thank you for sharing something that made me think a bit harder about what I do/like. Cheers, Digibrah.
On the third watch I can tell the narrative and editing of this video are very strong. There really is 2 layers if you know the animes that are shown at the right time. Really impressive
Can u review space dandy season 2 because space dandy is one of my favorite series and I would like to hear your thoughts on it thanks and sorry if u have already done a review of space dandy s2
I never understood the appeal of anime then I watched jojo's bizzare adventure and then space dandy now I love anime sometimes it just takes the right show to pull you in.
+hiesenberg
I've heard that Jojo's Bizzare Adventure was a really popular series. I've never really seen it or planned to (I've been busy with One Piece), but I am curious, what's the appeal of that show?
+michael dorsey It's hard to explain in words. To be honest, the only reason I gave the series a shot was because of the memes but once I tried it, it's become one of my favorite anime ever. It's the kind of show that only you can understand why it's appealing to you and is hard to tell others about. All I can say is, it's a really fun and crazy ride. It's not a literary masterpiece by any means (it doesn't need to be) but it's a good watch.
Musomania27 Hmm, curious. I may try it out sometime, Thanks for the advice!
+michael dorsey I'm just warning you though, if you ever do give it a shot in the future, side effects of JoJo include shouting iconic phrases when excited and fabulous posing at random. LOTS of fabulous posing.
+michael dorsey
manliness.
punching vampires.
characters with depth.
people can die.
litterally the most badass villian
Marathoning your essentials playlist may or may not be the worst idea for today. I feel like my brain is going to get tangled while I understand too much
That was really great Digi! You always impress me :D
hajime no ippo needs more love, it's really an amazing anime.
It's in my top 3 for sure
Revolutionary Girl Utena!!!! Ahh I love that show!
This video inspired my very first, and awful, video. Outside of the main theme, I also liked your quick perceptions on some related things, like film series.
Your really great at this stuff great job on your channel I love it!
How my face lit up when the Animaniacs appeared
Very interesting analysis indeed, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on what I have to say. I'd like to appreciate anime as much as other people, but I often find myself hindered by one specific problem - much of the anime I've seen often feels rather formulaic. I know that sounds douchey and dismissive and I'm not trying to be, but let me explain. I find that a lot of anime tends to rely on setting and concept but neglects to create interesting characters to put in the world it has crafted. Multiple times I've tried to get into an anime, and while I've been taken in by its setting, I've noticed something with the characters immediately - I always feel like I've seen them before in other anime. What I'm getting at is that I feel anime, rather than crafting entirely independent casts of characters, often utilizes the same archetypes (and that's not to say archetypes are a problem - I just find anime archetypes to be far, far more narrow than in Western media) over and over again, but putting them through different scenarios as per whatever the show's concept is (biggest culprit that made me realize this being Deadman Wonderland, for example). Again, I'm not trying to be dismissive, I just don't think anyone can deny that anime has quite a lot of character cliches that many shows re-use far too often in many places, and it's this that turns me off from a ton of anime. I dunno, maybe I'm not looking at it from the right angle or something. Thoughts?
Ok.. I'm going to write this in capslock. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO. THIS IS SO WELL EXPLAINED. This is really great for people who can't get into anime by not even giving it a try. THIS is basically the missing explanation I've lacked during my high school years (because as Westerner or European you simply get bullied or you might be a just a weird dweeb for watching anime) This video is far from any prejudice and focuses really on what anime can be enjoyed and appreciated for.
this was a really damn good video, one of your best imo
Dude, WONDERFULLY said. I've explained this to people about why anime is so unique and appeals to people that generic american TV dramas films can NEVER accomplish. The sense of scale, uniqueness, diversity, subject matter, and formats (TV series, movies, OVA's, shorts) is what makes anime so awesome. I will watch anime until the day I die. Thanks man you're the kind of anime dude I relate to and you have GREAT taste and opinions. I couldn't agree with you more about your gits feature and this video. Keep on doing your shit and hate on sword art all you want, it's fucking trash and let the inexperienced anime viewers hate.
I like the video but I have to comment on something you didn't address.Comic Books. Comic books, not anime is what started a cultural shift into continuity driven stories. Yes, comics have a lot of one off stuff, but its always because the creators felt driven to add that in. Comics have always been cheap, and therefore not as concerned with making a profit. There has also been plenty of series that use the one-episode story arcs, and connected them through finales (Doctor Who comes to mind). Comic books have had a much larger effect on anime than any other outside influence. One needs to not look any further than the numerous parallels between Superman and Goku. And seeing that kind of continuity informing shows like Young Justice and movies like the MCU is much more indicative of why something like anime is getting a broader appeal world wide. It's all the same reasons.
I doubt any sort of shift like what Digibro is talking about came from just one medium, so you are probably right on that point. The argument is only to what extent, which is a rabbits hole of an argument i'd rather not partake of.
However, I feel Digibro's argument about the sheer variety in Anime (and by extension Manga, Visual Novels and Light Novels) is a vote for it's importance.
On a different note, what parallels exist between superman and goku? I can't legitimately think of any other than they are both super powerful aliens. Other than that they seem extremely different to me, mostly because Goku as a character is far more fleshed out.
I wouldn't say Goku is more fleshed out as he is more consistant. And that comes from one writer writing his entire story instead of...like what? 40-50 people writing Superman, probably closer to 100.
As for the parallels, they were both the sons of leaders. They're planet blew up when they were just an infant. They were the only ones to escape the destruction (all the other surviving Saiyans were far away when Freiza decided to strike). They both got raised by low class citizens. They both believed they were human until a little later in life. They both struggle, however briefly, with finding their place in a planet they could easily destroy. They are both the last ditch effort, the answer to impossible challenges. They are symbols of hope in their respective universes. They are both icons in pop culture that far surpass the relevance of their medium. They are THE go to symbol of heroics in their respective cultures. And both have enjoyed ludicrous amounts of success outside their home country. And they have had irreversible impacts on their medium. (I know the last few are more about the impact they had but still). I hope that answered your question.
+Evan Allen Goku isn't meant to be a symbol of hope he is a innocent yet selfish fighter.
Your Mom I know that's Goku as an individual but that's not how he is viewed by his peers. But I am more familiar with the Funimation Dub than the original (I have watched a lot of the original dub just not all of it) so that's more for that adaptation. But the point still stands because every arc in DBZ and Super is just, wait for Goku and everything will be fine.
I think my appeal comes from the unique atmosphere that can be made. Even bad animes have usually SOMETHING that is unique. It's the direction taken that basically appeals to me
+Keyblademaster333
As I always say, "In any bad show there lies at least one good idea."
this was awesome, I especially liked the cut to yu yu hakusho :)
I hadn't checked out your channel yet until now but I've been hearing about it from mother's basement for a while now, pretty great stuff :)
>anime tends to be more diverse about subject matter
>google anime set in high school
>nearly 10,000
wew lad
No, I'm pretty sure it's because of the cute girls.
+Aya ya
As someone who likes slice of life as well, it's not just the cute girls. You can find cute girls anywhere. However having interesting characters that happen to be cute girls, as well as interesting situations is another story. Of course interesting is subject, so while some may enjoy simple country life, others may prefer something more extreme.
This video is secretly a checklist of all the things I love. Anime, Game Grumps, Max Landis, Marvel Studios stuff, Avatar the Last Airbender. If I imagine the shot of Dragonball Z with the audio "It could be better paced" as a reference to DBZ Abridged, the list is complete.
You really outdid yourself this time, Digi.
0:08-0:16
Probably some of the best books on the planet.
All in all if you really want a great story without a lot of tropes you should go to books because everyone and their cats and their cats squeaky toy can make books leading to a huge amount of diversity and imagination. All the things brought up here always first started as a book. Also Terry Pratchett never made an anime there for anime can never be the best thing ever ._.
Joss Whedon does the western animes.
Buffy no slayer is my favorite.
For the longest time I'd watch one-two episodes of Golgo 13 every night before going to sleep. It's one of the most ridiculous anime I've ever watched. Duke Togo, codename Golgo 13, is an one-dimensional übermensch who is never _ever_ pushed to his limits by any situation whatsoever. If James Bond had sex with Hera, the queen of the gods, Golgo 13 would be their son. Calm, composed, and always in he control, if you've seen one of his missions you've seen them all.
And yet I came back to this show every night for several nights. I may have watched some three dozen episodes or so out of fifty in total. It may sound crazy, but for me the closest anime to Golgo 13 off the top of my head is Mushishi: a show where no real danger ever even comes close to the protagonist. We, the audience, are just there to witness their feats. To bask in their glory as they display mastery over their craft.
I love your'e videos man. this was awesome!
I'm sorry you went on so many side tangents that I don't really know what your argument was.
Digibro not sure what your conclusion is in regards to the question of "What is the appeal of Anime?". IMO it was all just simple justification of a medium on how you have personally experienced it in your life rather than an explanatory art piece. You did not mention artists who benefited in the appeal of Anime by showing it through their art. Nor did you state that Anime has a cultural appeal to people that makes them want to explore its cultural basis. You might want to compare them side by side through how western artists and animators designed their characters vs Japanese artists and animators and how they interpret the world around them.
This is an amazing break down of what can hold people into anime for long after what originally attracts them into it and I think your description of Mushishi was perfect for that. I would never recommend Mushishi to a first time anime watcher as it really is something you need to be in the mood for and expect a slow burn. I think with the modern age of TV story telling people will be more accepting of that though and pretty much what you hinted at in this video.
Thanks for another great video.
One of the best videos I've seen on RUclips.
Manga/anime helps me escape. From what per say? Everything...
That's pretty gay
+Yiya Gil ye
Honestly, how is anything I said "gay". If that's your interpretation of what I said, fine. I would like a reasonable explanation, other than you were just talkin shit.
"Ok"
Great video. I think....
I would also like to add the point about the disconnect from real life expectations when watching anime.
Imagine generic tsunderes, they are annoying (subjective), they are loud but they are able to perfectly blend in with anime whereas if you use tsunderes in a real life TV show, people will straight up find the character unrealistic and blame the writer for poor characterisation.
When watching anime, the animation/art is not photocopy of the real world as in TV shows/movies and because of that, when we watch anime, we don't really have real life realistic expectations from it. Which leads to something like Kiritsugu vs Kirei fight in Fate/Zero, it looks realistic but it isn't fully realistic either but because we don't have full real life expectations, we tolerate it and we find it COOL AS HELL!
Now imagine if that little scene where Kiritsugu gets punched and hits the wall, look at Kiritsugu's facial expression movements when he hits the wall, if that was done in real life, it will look weird as fuck.
Another little example would be, Tetsuro Araki's directing in general, can't ignore the potato chip moment and Attack on Titan.
I apologize for not being able to come up with the right examples.
Hey Digibro really enjoyed your video. Few months ago my cousin asked me why i liked anime. In a much less articulated way i mentions some of the ideas you talk about in this video. Sense i rarely discuss anime with others, Its great to see i am not a total nut and people share my opinion.
This is VERY off topic, but I got distracted by Cucumber Quest at the beginning. :D
Thanks... I really needed to know how many hours of my life I spent watching the dragon ball series... (sarcasm)
I can't wait for the weebcast to talk about Super Lovers.
The thing is what you just said, animation _is_ mind blowingly appealing because of no barrier to your imagination and western studios (say pixar or dreamworks) are so painstakingly single minded of keeping it as 'cartoon' or (w/ Rick and Morty/Adventure Time) too not complex of a theme as actual worlds are. Anime does not have that barrier and that's what allows it to have complex plots and good stories (better world building and staying true to it) w/ varying art styles (like Steins Gate or Code Geass or Death Note), they're have the complexities and stuff that makes a story real, or for analogy a LOTR book a LOTR book and not a fairy tale.
this video was fucking fantastic. I was just thinking about some of the topics you mentioned in this the other day.
Honestly, I'm kinda tired of anime recently. I've been looking up animated films and shows from Europe, the US and others who try their own thing or take anime influences and I end up liking them more. Maybe the tropes and cliches have gotten to me, but I've been exploring things outside of it, as a fan of animation. Still, Japan does great stuff, but people tend to ignore the stuff done elsewhere that does touch upon many subjects, themes and stories while being far more limited than Japanese animation and they do it just as well if not better sometimes. Great video as always, Digibro.