Should deciding if something is anime be based off of its origin or its art-style?

[Johan Liebert]

I talked about it in another of my topics recently, but it's a good debate topic, so here we are. Personally, I don't understand how someone can decide if something is an anime based off its art-style. Look at Cowboy Bebop, Mononoke, Ping Pong: The Animation, Clannad, Serial Experiments Lain, and Monster. They're all ENTIRELY different art-styles, but they're all anime because they were made in Japan. Teen Titans has a very anime-esque art-style and sense of humor, but it's not anime. If it's something like Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Christo, a series that adapts something that didn't originate in Japan, it's still an anime because it the adaptation was made in Japan. I get a bit annoyed when people group American cartoons and anime together as the same because they're two entirely different cultures. For example, in Japan, death is seen as something that's normal to see, even for kids. In America, that's not the case; I mean, in America, we have crazy parents who think that a PG-rated movie that contains one curse word will poison their child's mind. Anyway, so that I don't detract from the main point of all this, this is what I think. What does everyone think about this "debate"?

[Trebuchet MS]

I personally classify anime as something with Japanese production origin, seeing that we've got Western cartoons with an animesque art style.

[mitchermitcher]

I've posted my thoughts about this on that earlier topic already but a functioning definition for me so far is anime being animation produced with the Japanese audience (and not the western audience that digs typical anime aesthetics, that's a fairly important distinction since it cuts off Teen Titans and some and that's fine with me) in mind, mainly with Japanese being the original language and maybe being broadcasted on Japanese TV first, if it gets broadcasted at all. Trying to be more specific than that tends to count out stuff that at least I do consider as anime. Naturally Cory in the House is an exception to all this.

[Dokutah]

i agree that an art style never define a type of animation. i understand that "Anime" is widely accepted as cultural terminology of identity of all animations produce in japan. but i personally, yet with respect to denied such stereotyping. sure that along the history and evolution of Japanese animation the majority of style  that popular in each era can be classified altogether to have same minor yet defining trait closely worthy to define as major culture. but its not deniable that different artist, different hands will NEVER produce exact same copy of others even if its intended to. this further validate by non-Japanese artist or industries to inspired or cooperate the majority of "Japanese Style" to His/Her/Their works directly, which can be define as originals instead of straight up die-hard-competing or plagiarism like Teen Titans for 1 as mention above

 

BUT...while most people will disagree me i do jumble up Western and East Animation as one, which is...well, as animation. the Motion Graphic of non-direct, if not partial representation of physical reality in almost every aspect of its production. while there debate about the cultural element to distinct the two, as i embrace all (most) good animation of all forms and handling i'm stepping away from it

[Aix]

My thoughts every time this topic comes up: Who cares? It's just a label.

[Shradow]

The whole discussion about what is anime based on origin is super convoluted, but most definitely it's not decided by art style alone.

 

[spoiler=For example, here's a host of images from things that are most certainly considered anime, and none of them look alike.]

 

 

 

 

 

(I included Knights of Sidonia as I've heard people say things like that aren't anime due to the art style.)

[Dokutah]

better example:

Sushi Police

Kagewani

Kowabon

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

The thing is that, while the art styles are different, they all have some similar techniques, styles, and way of telling stories...the list goes on and on.

Basically what I'm saying is having it be those that come from Japan is called anime makes sense. Because all the aspects of the shows from Japan are in some way similar. Enough to classify it as a specific form of media.

You can give me examples of western cartoons that are anime-like or vice-verse. But most of them have enough traits (or don't have enough traits) to list them under their origin countries style of animation.

[VCR_CAT]

The thing is that, while the art styles are different, they all have some similar techniques, styles, and way of telling stories...the list goes on and on.

Basically what I'm saying is having it be those that come from Japan is called anime makes sense. Because all the aspects of the shows from Japan are in some way similar. Enough to classify it as a specific form of media.

You can give me examples of western cartoons that are anime-like or vice-verse. But most of them have enough traits (or don't have enough traits) to list them under their origin countries style of animation.

 

So would you say it's more of a genre than an art style or label of origin? Because I kind of agree on that end; it's not so much that they come from Japan, but that Japanese Cartoons have a very different style not just in art but in how they tell stories and what they tell stories about. As similar to a lot anime content that Avatar is, it still differs a lot in how it's presented and how it's written.

[Pchi]

Personally, it irks me when people treat anime as if they weren't cartoons themselves. Why should we group animation works from various distinct Western countries together, despite the large cultural and economical differences between each of them, while we give Japanese animation (and, to a lesser extent, South Korean one; oddly enough, Chinese animation is rarely included on that category) a special label? Each country has its own distinct animation style; we only see anime as something unique because Japan is the only country that can compete with the USA in terms of popularity on the animation market, while possessing vastly different conventions from the latter.