What Anime is and is Not

Do you like cartoons? Do you watch cartoons? I'm not talking about bugs bunny, but anime. What is that?

Simply put, anime is animation made in Japan. You might recognize some of these anime. Speed Racer and Hello Kitty are examples of anime. RoboTech, Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z are also included.

The storylines of anime are excellent. They're often better than the Hollywood crap that Hollywood shoves in your brain.

This is what anime is. Let's now talk about what anime is not.

Anime is an art form, a medium. You should now think of anime in the same way as movies, music, books and other entertainment media. As with movies, there are animes for children, teens and adults.

You know that you can choose from 31 different flavors of entertainment? Comedy, horror, drama, suspense, action, etc. Do you file similar movies together on the same shelves in the store? You shouldn't put all anime on one shelf, because anime isn't a genre. It's like movies, or books, or any other medium. A medium can contain any form of entertainment; anime is no exception. Some people may tell you that anime is all violence and sex. If I hear someone claim that anime is all sex and violent, it immediately tells that they have watched at least one anime series that has that.

Some anime have that. Some movies also have this. Some books are like that. All books are bad then? No. Why should it be for anime? It's important to remember that anime is not a genre, but an art form. It can be comedy, horror, drama or suspense. There can also be action and blood. I won't lie and tell you that all anime is happy and has nothing you wouldn't like to see. Like any form of entertainment, there are good and bad things. You would be shocked if someone said to you, "Hey man! We should really censor these movies.' People are talking about. All they have is sex and violent content. "I mean, every movie contains that. I don't believe we should allow our children to watch movies." Would you believe it? You'd say "Excuse, but this doesn't apply for all movies, leave me alone."

You have a rating system for movies, correct? G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17. Think about the movies. Does the fact that Lord of the Rings is rated PG-13 mean that it's not suitable for children to watch? That's opinionated. Imagine a film you enjoy, but your children don't because they don't understand it. They don't understand the themes and they aren't interested in all of that characterization. What would be the rating of a film like this in our movie system? There's nothing in it that kids shouldn't see, they just don't get it. What would you rate the movie according to MPAA?

The companies that distribute anime are now the ones who rate anime. The rating system for anime is different than that of movies . They will consider all factors and not just sex or violence. Also, they consider whether younger audiences can understand the story. The rating of an anime could be OT (for Older Teens), but the only reason they gave it that rating was because the storyline is hard to follow. You can use OT for other things, but they are considering everything when rating.

It's possible to have a G-rated movie for young children gogoanime, but a PG-rated movie they don't get. This rating system did not help. You need to research the movie before you watch it. It is important to research anything you plan to watch, listen to, or read. You may like it or you may not. The rating system won't do everything for you.

A second reason people are against anime is because certain companies only make anime we don't like to watch. When people first see anime, it is from these companies. It is the same as taking an Amish to a shooting-mob movie. This Amish man will not think highly of movies from now on!
Just as certain publishers and movie companies release certain books, certain companies also produce certain anime.

As of today, anime is lumped together as a single genre. But it's really not. It's possible to have Hello Kitty right next door to a porn, and no one would know the difference. "Oh, it's the same." Watch Hello Kitty, and then watch the porn! You'll notice a difference. By the way, those are two extremes. As I said earlier, not all of anime is porn. In fact, most of it isn't. Not all anime is for children, but I'd expect that more is for them than for people who are porn-seeking.

This is one extreme view of anime, that it's only sex and violent. Some people think that anime is like cartoons, for children. It has no bad content. Do not take this approach. You know that anime is just like books, movies and music. It can be good, bad, appropriate for children, teens or adults. We wouldn't accept stereotypes like bodybuilders are emotionless, or that blondes have no intelligence. The same goes for anime.

It's not that I want you to think that watching an anime with nudity will be a bad experience. It's important to remember that anime is from Japan. Just like any other country that comes into contact with another, Japan will have a different way of thinking. Does that mean that nudity doesn't affect them? No. They may not find something objectionable that you do. Japan, for example, has public baths. Their stories might include this. In an anime, you may see a scene where characters are in the public bath and are speaking. The Japanese have a tradition of public baths. Although the nakedness is not sexual, some people find it offensive.

Anime is often sexually humorous. It's not for kids. Only for older people. It's okay to see someone partially or completely naked, as long as it isn't sexual. It's my point that the Japanese cartoons are more open-minded than ours. It's up to you whether this is a good thing or not.

When people say "Oh, this anime has nudity," you need to ask "What kind?" They'll then give you a glance. What do you mean by 'What type ?'?"? There are many kinds! The making out type, the public bath type, and then - I'm not sure if I should even include this - the short skirt kind. Japanese girls wear shorts skirts to the school. Since many anime stories will be set in Japan, it's likely that you'll see them. If there were a strong wind, you might see a lot of the skirt. Some people may find this offensive. You're watching a show and there's an unexpected gust of wind. Then you get a shot in the panty. You could interpret that as sexual but the wind was to blame, not anyone else!

You might think a skirt is too short and you'll say, "Oh!" That's bad! You decide. You decide. You watch whatever you like. But, again, anime is often thought of as cartoons and therefore for children. It's not always true. You must understand that as a society, we have accepted the stuff of other cultures, like languages and customs. We are a melting pot. Cartoons are no longer just for children.

There is anime that is porn. There are animes for children. You can find anime with wonderful stories that make you think and don't contain anything objectionable. There is also everything in between. The Japanese see anime as a form of art, a medium. The Japanese have it all figured out. Many Americans think cartoons are only for kids and that anime is a messed-up cartoon. This is not true. It's true that the stories in anime can often be richer, deeper and more thought provoking, but I want to emphasize to you that it is a form or entertainment and not a specific genre.