AnimeSuki Forums

shermy · 2011-07-02, 03:22

How common is it for Japanese people to not care about their own animation?

I have a friend who's a college foreign exchange student from Japan. He's interesting in that he observes that whenever anybody here finds out he's Japanese, anime is usually brought up as a discussion topic - and it irks him. He actually hates anime and doesn't watch any of it, although he loves reading manga and plays some video games.

Maybe I'm using him as an extreme example, but like in America (and outside the 'otaku' realm), is it common for folks in Japan to not really care that much about watching animation?

MeoTwister5 · 2011-07-02, 03:51

Japanese animation isn't actually held in as positive a light in their own homeland as compared to everywhere else.

Watashi no Saki · 2011-07-02, 03:55

Yeah, I think Otakus are considered as lower class maniacs in Japanese society. As you may have heard about the craziness of otakus in there.

Kyuu · 2011-07-02, 04:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by shermy

How common is it for Japanese people to not care about their own animation?

It's like Americans not giving a crap about its own movies and TV shows. What's so surprising about Japanese not caring about anime?

People are people. And everyone has their own preferences. Don't tell me that you forgot that the Japanese are people too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shermy

he observes that whenever anybody here finds out he's Japanese, anime is usually brought up as a discussion topic - and it irks him.

How would you feel if you get stereotyped?

solomon · 2011-07-02, 04:14

Correct me if I am wrong...

but generally speaking manga is for everyone while anime is for kids/nerds is the prevaling opinion from what I have heard.

If you are not an otaku then I think you can get away with liking super mainstream stuff like One Piece other than that, it's probably not something you'd wanna bring up if you're over a certain age.

Jan-Poo · 2011-07-02, 04:15

A few days ago I read an article describing how Aya Hirano participated in a VIP show in a japanese TV channel. When asked who she was, she said she was the voice actress of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Everyone's reaction: Who is Haruhi Suzumiya?

I think that says it all.

I made the same mistake ten years ago when I met a group of japanese and now I feel kinda like an idiot. Don't assume they know everything about anime or that they actually like them. Anime for them are more or less like TV serials for us. You know they exist, you've heard mentioning the most famous titles, you enjoyed a few, you don't care about most of them.

Archon_Wing · 2011-07-02, 04:50

A lot of course.

There's plenty of shows in my own country that I ignore; in fact I barely watch tv anymore.

Theowne · 2011-07-02, 06:32

This topic pops up every now and then. Most Japanese people are disinterested in anime. They will classify it as "for kids" or "for strange otaku types".

There are some exceptions (certain anime which have become national icons, similar to how classic Disney is viewed here).

Sheba · 2011-07-02, 09:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

A lot of course.

There's plenty of shows in my own country that I ignore; in fact I barely watch tv anymore.

This is like the saying, "Grass is greener, etc..." I never understood the fascination of foreigners for our local production. Excepted for some movies like Leon the Professional, Amélie Poulain or A Very Long Engagement or some comedies like Les Trois Freres or La Cité de la Peur, I always found the rest to be boring and pretentious shit that forgot to be entertaining.

Isegrim · 2011-07-02, 10:17

Judging from my experience, it's better to keep away from the anime topic unless you know the person you're talking to is into that kind of thing. You'll be put into the "ah, that kind of foreigner"-box. The better approach is via the "what's weird about Japan"-topic, which comes up sooner or later. Use the otaku as a feint and ask your opponent if he/she watches anime. Most answers will be the big series like One Piece, Bleach or the Ghibli movies.

karice67 · 2011-07-02, 10:47

Depends on what kind of 'anime' you are talking about. As Japanese people know it, anime typically refers to the TV series (or movies based on them) shown late at night, on special channels, or released as OADs. You can probably liken them to the sci-fi/fantasy TV show genre in the States - many people have heard of the most famous titles (e.g. Gundam, Macross), but most don't care much about them. Except that there is a stigma about being identified as an anime fan, whether you take it to the length of being an 'otaku' (as defined by the Japanese) or not.

Anime for kids (Pokemon, Digimon, Beyblade, Naruto etc) doesn't really have that stigma, and some anime for adults (Sazae-san, Crayon Shin-chan) don't either, but the vast majority do, even if they're based on famous manga (c.f. Nodame Cantabile).

Also, if I'm remembering correctly, a friend of mine once mentioned that some feature length anime, like stuff produced by Studio Ghibli, typically aren't regarded as 'anime'. I think she used the word 'animation' instead (or people simply call them 'movies'). Ghibli films are insanely popular - Spirited Away is still the top grossing film in Japan, beating out Titanic, with Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke taking 4th and 5th place respectively (source).

(Darn...Arrietty didn't do all that well...)

In terms of talking to the average Japanese person about anime/Japanese animation, it's best to start with Ghibli (and don't go beyond unless you can actually tell that they watch tv anime in general).

Archon_Wing · 2011-07-02, 14:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheba

This is like the saying, "Grass is greener, etc..." I never understood the fascination of foreigners for our local production. Excepted for some movies like Leon the Professional, Amélie Poulain or A Very Long Engagement or some comedies like Les Trois Freres or La Cité de la Peur, I always found the rest to be boring and pretentious shit that forgot to be entertaining.

I think it's more like familiarity breeds contempt.

I was just too familiar with tv shows and movies, and they slowly started to blurr into one mess.

That being said, I also started getting tired of anime at some point after seeing enough of it. Maybe I should say I don't really watch anything anymore with the recent season being an exception.

SeijiSensei · 2011-07-02, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

That being said, I also started getting tired of anime at some point after seeing enough of it. Maybe I should say I don't really watch anything anymore with the recent season being an exception.

You just need to be really selective. I rarely watch more than 1-3 shows per season these days. If you're looking for something unusual, try Hyouge Mono. (You won't find the torrent link here at AS because of a take-down request. The thread will help.)

Archon_Wing · 2011-07-02, 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

You just need to be really selective. I rarely watch more than 1-3 shows per season these days. If you're looking for something unusual, try Hyouge Mono. (You won't find the torrent link here at AS because of a take-down request. The thread will help.)

It's ok, I actually have a huge store of stuff to look to for this summer and fall.

I'll take up your suggestion eventually though.

Though a bit before this, I pretty much confined myself to 1-3 shows, and it worked out somewhat.

Chiibi · 2011-07-02, 22:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theowne

This topic pops up every now and then. Most Japanese people are disinterested in anime. They will classify it as "for kids" or "for strange otaku types".

Can we really say "most"? There are thousands of doujinshi artists and people involved in the anime industry and they are all adults. And surely those involved would not choose such a career if they were not interested in anime in the first place?

If manga is for everyone, I should think anime based on those exact manga should be for everyone as well? What's the difference? One's on a screen while the other's in a book. It's only a different format of entertainment. So shunning anime otaku but not people who read manga doesn't make sense to me at all.

Forsaken_Infinity · 2011-07-02, 23:32

Yes we can say most. Because that's how it is. Causal Japanese folks don't really care anywhere near as much about anime as foreign fans seem to. It really is the case that while manga is mainstream in Japan, anime isn't. The majority of Japanese people look down on people who watch anime instead. Japan's population is huge. The number of people involved in the anime industry (which isn't all that big anyway) is a very very small fraction of the working population of Japan.

And the difference between anime and manga is more social than anything. But I do think reading through a manga takes far less time than sitting through an anime. And I can flip through them whenever I feel like it while I would need a pretty good setup(i.e, would have to be inside my room before my computer / TV) to watch anime. That's before we even get to the stigma. But the stigma has its root in those. Basically, you are wasting valuable time over kiddy stuff is how it's seen if you are into anime.

totoum · 2011-07-03, 07:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiibi

If manga is for everyone, I should think anime based on those exact manga should be for everyone as well? What's the difference? One's on a screen while the other's in a book. It's only a different format of entertainment. So shunning anime otaku but not people who read manga doesn't make sense to me at all.

Animes don't only come from mangas,they also come from video games (visual novels,dating sims) as well as light novels.

Not sure how mainstream those are but I suspect less than manga.

Then you've got a lot of mangas that are made into live action dramas or movies but not into anime.

Couple of exemples that pop up right away are Liar Game that got 2 drama seasons and a movie as well as Ikigami that got a live action movie.

Not really mainstream but Jirou Taniguchi is a mangaka that generally does stuff for older audiences,a few of his mangas have been made in live action form,none into anime.
It's also the case with a lot of Shoujo and Josei works,lots of those have a live action form but not an anime adaptation.
So the people reading manga that don't like anime could just be reading different mangas from the ones that get turned into animes.

There's always this joke about animes always starring highschoolers,it's a lot less true for mangas.

Haladflire65 · 2011-07-03, 08:05

Well, when I lived in Japan during middle school, kids still exchanged manga and talked about anime, most seemed to watch at least a little since it's always on TV at prime time. However there aren't many really hardcore fans, otakus, as mentioned above - Japanese are exposed to so much anime and manga normally that it's not amazing and fresh and exciting for them like it is for foreigners, I guess. But it's still a huge part of their culture - if you're on the subway at rush hour you'll see the majority of salarymen reading manga mags, it seems to be the norm for many adult Japanese people. My favourite Japanese singer, who's 42, can often be seen at convenience stores buying magazines like Young King

Jan-Poo · 2011-07-03, 08:54

I think the main reason manga are so more diffused it's because people read them to pass time while they commute to work. In fact those huge low quality magazines almost invariably end up in the trash can along the newspapers.

Those who can truly be considered into manga are those who buy tankobon. And they are a lot fewer in number.

Destinyblade · 2011-07-03, 11:01

I'm pretty sure anime used to be mainstream. Back in the 90's and early 2000s, Japan had Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha, and Detective Conan airing at 7pm on major television networks. And not only were those anime airing on primetime on big time networks like Fuji or NTV, but they would be getting 15-25% of the TV audience weekly during their runs. I doubt only kids and nerds were watching those. And if you go even further back like the 70s or 80s, anime regularly aired on primetime on all TV stations.

Also, the hardcore (late night) stuff for otakus didn't really start coming out until around that time, and anime has been around long before that. I would say that the opinion of anime being only for kids or otakus is more about the titles that are out now. Not surprising really, given that anime today are targeting certain demographics (like kids) instead of going for a general audience like it used to.

2011-07-02, 03:22	Link #1
shermy Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2011	Are some Japanese people disinterested in anime? How common is it for Japanese people to not care about their own animation? I have a friend who's a college foreign exchange student from Japan. He's interesting in that he observes that whenever anybody here finds out he's Japanese, anime is usually brought up as a discussion topic - and it irks him. He actually hates anime and doesn't watch any of it, although he loves reading manga and plays some video games. Maybe I'm using him as an extreme example, but like in America (and outside the 'otaku' realm), is it common for folks in Japan to not really care that much about watching animation?

2011-07-02, 03:51	Link #2
MeoTwister5 Komrades of Kitamura Kou Join Date: Jul 2004 Age: 39	Japanese animation isn't actually held in as positive a light in their own homeland as compared to everywhere else. __________________ Medical Student vs. Anime Last Exile - Fam the Silver Wing -

2011-07-02, 04:15	Link #6
Jan-Poo 別にいいけど Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: forever lost inside a logic error	A few days ago I read an article describing how Aya Hirano participated in a VIP show in a japanese TV channel. When asked who she was, she said she was the voice actress of Haruhi Suzumiya. Everyone's reaction: Who is Haruhi Suzumiya? I think that says it all. I made the same mistake ten years ago when I met a group of japanese and now I feel kinda like an idiot. Don't assume they know everything about anime or that they actually like them. Anime for them are more or less like TV serials for us. You know they exist, you've heard mentioning the most famous titles, you enjoyed a few, you don't care about most of them. __________________

2011-07-02, 06:32	Link #8
Theowne 耳をすませば Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Age: 34	This topic pops up every now and then. Most Japanese people are disinterested in anime. They will classify it as "for kids" or "for strange otaku types". There are some exceptions (certain anime which have become national icons, similar to how classic Disney is viewed here). __________________ My Site - Reviews collection, Sheet music, and etc. Anime reviews/blog, piano arrangements, Studio Ghibli..

2011-07-02, 10:17	Link #10
Isegrim Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Kinki Age: 37	Judging from my experience, it's better to keep away from the anime topic unless you know the person you're talking to is into that kind of thing. You'll be put into the "ah, that kind of foreigner"-box. The better approach is via the "what's weird about Japan"-topic, which comes up sooner or later. Use the otaku as a feint and ask your opponent if he/she watches anime. Most answers will be the big series like One Piece, Bleach or the Ghibli movies. __________________ 男たちの野望が銀河をかける

2011-07-02, 03:55	Link #3
Watashi no Saki Saki wa suki desu yo~ Join Date: Jul 2011	Yeah, I think Otakus are considered as lower class maniacs in Japanese society. As you may have heard about the craziness of otakus in there.

2011-07-02, 04:14	Link #5
solomon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Suburban DC	Correct me if I am wrong... but generally speaking manga is for everyone while anime is for kids/nerds is the prevaling opinion from what I have heard. If you are not an otaku then I think you can get away with liking super mainstream stuff like One Piece other than that, it's probably not something you'd wanna bring up if you're over a certain age.

2011-07-02, 10:47	Link #11
karice67 さっく♥ゆうきゃん♥ほそやん Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: in the land down under...	Depends on what kind of 'anime' you are talking about. As Japanese people know it, anime typically refers to the TV series (or movies based on them) shown late at night, on special channels, or released as OADs. You can probably liken them to the sci-fi/fantasy TV show genre in the States - many people have heard of the most famous titles (e.g. Gundam, Macross), but most don't care much about them. Except that there is a stigma about being identified as an anime fan, whether you take it to the length of being an 'otaku' (as defined by the Japanese) or not. Anime for kids (Pokemon, Digimon, Beyblade, Naruto etc) doesn't really have that stigma, and some anime for adults (Sazae-san, Crayon Shin-chan) don't either, but the vast majority do, even if they're based on famous manga (c.f. Nodame Cantabile). Also, if I'm remembering correctly, a friend of mine once mentioned that some feature length anime, like stuff produced by Studio Ghibli, typically aren't regarded as 'anime'. I think she used the word 'animation' instead (or people simply call them 'movies'). Ghibli films are insanely popular - Spirited Away is still the top grossing film in Japan, beating out Titanic, with Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke taking 4th and 5th place respectively (source). (Darn...Arrietty didn't do all that well...) In terms of talking to the average Japanese person about anime/Japanese animation, it's best to start with Ghibli (and don't go beyond unless you can actually tell that they watch tv anime in general). __________________ *How Suetsugu Yuki drew the cover for Chihayafuru* volume 34** Interview translations etc You must free yourself from that illusion, from the illusion that a story must have a beginning and an end. "No, you are not entitled to your opinion... You are only entitled to what you can argue for.” - Patrick Stokes

2011-07-02, 23:32	Link #16
Forsaken_Infinity Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: United States of America Age: 32	Yes we can say most. Because that's how it is. Causal Japanese folks don't really care anywhere near as much about anime as foreign fans seem to. It really is the case that while manga is mainstream in Japan, anime isn't. The majority of Japanese people look down on people who watch anime instead. Japan's population is huge. The number of people involved in the anime industry (which isn't all that big anyway) is a very very small fraction of the working population of Japan. And the difference between anime and manga is more social than anything. But I do think reading through a manga takes far less time than sitting through an anime. And I can flip through them whenever I feel like it while I would need a pretty good setup(i.e, would have to be inside my room before my computer / TV) to watch anime. That's before we even get to the stigma. But the stigma has its root in those. Basically, you are wasting valuable time over kiddy stuff is how it's seen if you are into anime.

2011-07-03, 08:05	Link #18
Haladflire65 Senior Member Artist Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Normandy SR-2 Age: 29	Well, when I lived in Japan during middle school, kids still exchanged manga and talked about anime, most seemed to watch at least a little since it's always on TV at prime time. However there aren't many really hardcore fans, otakus, as mentioned above - Japanese are exposed to so much anime and manga normally that it's not amazing and fresh and exciting for them like it is for foreigners, I guess. But it's still a huge part of their culture - if you're on the subway at rush hour you'll see the majority of salarymen reading manga mags, it seems to be the norm for many adult Japanese people. My favourite Japanese singer, who's 42, can often be seen at convenience stores buying magazines like Young King __________________

2011-07-03, 08:54	Link #19
Jan-Poo 別にいいけど Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: forever lost inside a logic error	I think the main reason manga are so more diffused it's because people read them to pass time while they commute to work. In fact those huge low quality magazines almost invariably end up in the trash can along the newspapers. Those who can truly be considered into manga are those who buy tankobon. And they are a lot fewer in number. __________________

2011-07-03, 11:01	Link #20
Destinyblade Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007	I'm pretty sure anime used to be mainstream. Back in the 90's and early 2000s, Japan had Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha, and Detective Conan airing at 7pm on major television networks. And not only were those anime airing on primetime on big time networks like Fuji or NTV, but they would be getting 15-25% of the TV audience weekly during their runs. I doubt only kids and nerds were watching those. And if you go even further back like the 70s or 80s, anime regularly aired on primetime on all TV stations. Also, the hardcore (late night) stuff for otakus didn't really start coming out until around that time, and anime has been around long before that. I would say that the opinion of anime being only for kids or otakus is more about the titles that are out now. Not surprising really, given that anime today are targeting certain demographics (like kids) instead of going for a general audience like it used to.