In Essence, Of Anime: Why? What About Anime?

[Lоиεѕомεиεѕѕ]

 
As the hours of mortal life surely tick forward at a steady clockwise-spiraling pace, the condition of human physiology may follow half a length of fluctuation, as life rises and falls along a curve of projection, occupying limits of space and time. While the here-and-now is apparent, living is but a due course of reality, conceived from perceptions through the senses. It is a cursed struggle to overwhelm antagonisms by nature, discerning morality in the name of the good. Although, by which natural processes and from what origins, I may not be certain to claim, I shall maintain, as many already have, that life is not life without a purpose—a reason to be, to live.

Letting go of the hours, I try to rationalize, in search of a meaning for this life. Life is to living, as death is to dying. How I fear fading into nothingness, for I am alive. I become numb in the dark, but I tremble in the light. To think that life is inevitably just an absence. It is true, then, that, dependent upon necessity, the fundamental reason for existence is to fill an emptiness—finding the complement to complete the definition of self, that is, the formula for identity. Here, mental faculty overtakes physical capacity, for the satisfaction of personal interest. Since, in this life's equation, one popular variable is entertainment—to hold on to things that yield contentment or happiness at some level, I think of art, especially anime.

. . .
(Questions come to my mind, as I am curious about tangent subjects, since at the moment I am without waifu, letting her go for her own good—from my own guilt. How cruel—how cruelwas I to have held on to her for so long—clinging to her as though she is life itself. Argh. But, 'tis irrelevant. I shall refrain . . . )



Anyway, the topic I was leading to:

What about anime makes it interesting/entertaining to you? In other words, why do you watch anime? In other, other words, what are the criteria by which you deem an anime to be worth watching? In other, other, other words, is anime anything more than art/entertainment to you?

[Zigra]

I'm not gonna lie. About 99% percent of my love for anime comes from it having some really cute girls that I've fallen madly in love with. I may not have even become an anime fan if it weren't for that. Oh sure, there are other things to love. Many anime that I've seen, such as Kanon and Clannad, have had compelling and emotional stories that are unlike anything seen in the increasingly cliche' tripe you see in American movies and TV. But, again, it was mostly the gorgeous girls that got me into anime in the first place.

[Lоиεѕомεиεѕѕ]

I'm not gonna lie. About 99% percent of my love for anime comes from it having some really cute girls that I've fallen madly in love with. I may not have even become an anime fan if it weren't for that. Oh sure, there are other things to love. Many anime that I've seen, such as Kanon and Clannad, have had compelling and emotional stories that are unlike anything seen in the increasingly cliche' tripe you see in American movies and TV. But, again, it was mostly the gorgeous girls that got me into anime in the first place.

As I think about it, that is indeed a very persuasive reason to be an anime fanatic. It is very likely to be the case for many in the fan population. While I am not exactly sure what "fallen madly in love with" actually means or involves and what effects such a condition of "fallen madly in love" causes, I reckon it is quite strong, perhaps, to the extent of you defending your really cute/gorgeous girls from other fanatic critics/criticisms when necessary. Just my attempting to deduce the meaning of the phrase "fallen madly in love with."


I do wonder how you express your love for the girls, but anyhow your reason is one of significance, I would say. Then, I figure, on the topic of anime, the term "waifu" would be of some significance to you and to the ideals of "falling madly in love." If the serious nature of being madly in love was considered and no humor was intended, then you really meant it and you have really fallen madly in love with your waifu.
That'd be awesome-fanatical.


Anime is something more than art/entertainment then. Seriously, I've heard somewhere that people actually got married to anime or game characters.
How to express your love? Get married, eh? 

And, I thought it was all just a silly game. Having a waifu and such was only for humor or fun. How awkward/odd that is.
Just to add my feeling about anime. . . Unlike many, I suppose, my curiosity about anime was somewhat different. I started watching anime during my early teenage years or so. Pokémon was the first anime that I watched. Anime got a hold on my imagination and won't let go. It radiated with a warm, fuzzy feeling, one that I later on perceived to be the anime feeling in essence. Rather than falling madly in love with the characters in the shows, basically I was falling madly in love with the idea of characters being in true love/friendly relationships.

[Auir]

Hm...
When I was a child, I had vague memories of watching anime. Usually at my grandfather's farm ("anime" was the "norm" cartoon), or at my aunt's and my mother's friend's house as we were too poor to afford cable or whatever it was back then that had Toonami or channels that broadcasted anime here in the U.S. Through high school and now, it was a path of rediscovering what I watched. Tenchi Muyo (OVA 3 to be specific) and GxP were one of those shows.

I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons here in the U.S., VHS taping them before I would leave for Chinese school and coming back to an afternoon of cartoons. They were fun to watch, but they didn't have the same feeling. And didn't invoke the same sense of nostalgia.

[Lоиεѕомεиεѕѕ]

Aye, my comrade!
I have noticed that the term nostalgia is one that is often found in use within certain anime fandoms. Many have relied on the word to express the impression of anime from memory. I myself have never used the word to describe anything before. As a word commonly displayed, it seems rather grotesque and pretentious. Nostalgia is defined to be a bittersweet feeling or longing for the past. What exactly is nostalgia!? Nostalgia—nostalgia—nostalgia. . . Nostalgia is an impossibility of place and time. It is a childish dream of something more than what it actually was. It is a redundant hypocrisy in the fandom, due to prolonged pointless inactivity. For so long, fans waited, in search of novelty. Having nothing else to do but transmitting the self-induced nostalgia like a disease among one another, they just wasted away slowly. Nostalgia is like a fan fiction never written or a fan art never drawn.
Nostalgia, by itself, is a sin of indolence.


We must fight it to the bittersweet end! Act now! Be active in this fight!
My comrades! Like us rise against the abomination that is the breeding anime nostalgia!

[Auir]

Hmm, I wouldn't say it's in search of novelty. That's new, not old.
I had fond memories of watching these shows when I was a child. The bitterness came from never being able to fully watch the series.
But now I am able to put that urge to search out these shows to rest.

[Ryokos Stepdad]

You're doing it wrong if it's not for cute girls doing cute things.

[antvasima]

I don't really like anime in general, just a few select anime and manga.

The reasons why I like Tenchi muyo! Ryo-Ohki is for the imaginative, positive, utopian setting, compelling, likeable, distinctive characters, and beautiful designs in both them and the environment. A rare franchise in which the light is insanely powerful enough to actually outclass the darkness.

The reasons why I like One Piece is because it is an exciting, and imaginative setting populated by lots of ideas and fun characters, and never-say-die attitude, with entertaining designs.

The reason why I like Cowboy Bebop is because of the artistic craftsmanship.

It depends on the property/franchise, but I am very picky, and not easily satisfied with just anything, least of all generic, badly designed crap.

[Lоиεѕомεиεѕѕ]

You're doing it wrong if it's not for cute girls doing cute things.

Oh, yes! Cute anime girls! So cute, they are! For them! For them. . .

How, when I think of them, an overwhelming feeling comes to me. My soul becomes excited and enticed with a fuzzy sensation and throbbing with a fantastic pulse of fan ecstasy. Dripping and drooling, it yearns for a taste of the soft, supple, and sugary fruits of anime, as surely as hard candy yet needs to be dipped in anime honey to be a fine complement, that is, the juicy delight of animation. To think fondly of cute anime girls, the fanatic heart beats to the soul ever rising and pounding, as it is burning in heat within the narrow, rosy depths—as in a cozy, warm, everlasting fire, wanting to spread the passion and vigor. With such drive, only a true fan of anime could dream of releasing their fervor for the cute anime girls through fiery fan activities. Unleashed from the inside, to fill the innermost emptiness of the heart, would be the love for anime. For the love of anime, there would be satisfying tears of joy to the climactic end with sweet sweat from fan exhaustion drenched to the anime core. Nowhere could the anime virtues be hidden and impenetrable. All obstacles to see the cute anime girls shall be overcome through finding vents. No distance too great. No wait too long. No mercy. The flame will stay strong and hard-core. 

By truth and love/innocence and purity, I shall remain and prevail, for I am otaku.

[Kokoro]

I love watching anime for the strange weirdness of the Japanese culture.  I mean, some of the most remember-able scenes from anime are the strange encounters that happen.  Like Midori Days.  Imagine waking up with your hand being transformed into the upper body of a young girl?   Gender Benders are always amusing too.  Speaking of Genders, there's quite a bit of perverseness too, even if it is kinda underground.  What about the crazy adventures of Excel in Excel Saga, and the evil organization of ACROSS?

I also like watching anime for some of the food!  Japanese food is some of the tastiest, yet healthy food I've run across in my many cookbook travels.

Finally, let's not forget about the cute girls, and bright colors!  I also love a good bit of comedy, much of which doesn't exist in other forms of entertainment media such as Hollywood.  Probably because of the cultural differences.

[Nonsuch Ned]

People complain that anime is derivative...
Yes, it is. Everything is, to an extent. Some is not.
Eventually, you find the type of derivative that you are comfortable with.

This thought usually comes up when I watch some expendable stuff... like, maybe The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch this season. It's far from great, but some is pretty weird and funny (The insomniac Sandman, the fairies that look like butts), in essence, I watch it because it is my familiar entertainment.

[Dreamr]

What was it the Silk Specter said about The Comedian? "Even the dark parts get brighter?"

When I was a young lad, a shonen, I could not watch Bug's Bunny and such. It seemed senselessly violent. I would ask my parents, "Why is that happening?" They would have trouble answering. It seemed so pointless to me. About the only one I could watch was Thundar the Barbarian. Although, I could get watch Scooby Doo. Strangely, even back in the late 70s and early 80s, we could get anime products on broadcast television. I think my first exposure to anime was Hayao's Miyazaki's Naausica of the Valley of the Wind. I found it compelling because Naasica got injured fighting for her beliefs. Actions had consequences.

Shortly thereafter, I started watching "cartoons" like Tranzor Z, Voltron, and Battle of the Planets, never realizing that every single one of them was Japanese in origin. Even Transformers are Japanese, though the animation was produced in the USA. I think the overwhelming appeal was simply that it was different, and that the emotional content was preserved. But most of all, there was a story.

I always enjoyed a good story. Whether it was the old myths of the Greek gods or Star Trek, it didn't matter. If it had a good story and some interesting and thought-provoking content (ie sci/fi or fantasy),

I started reading at a young age. At age 6 I had a book case filled with books. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, CS Lewis, JRR Tolkein, Ursula K LeGuin, it didn't matter.  I was hooked.

Much later I found more exposure to anime in the Army when someone plugged in a VHS tape in the company day room. It was Fist of the Northstar. Next was Urotsukidoji. I had realized that there was a whole 'nother world of content out there that I had been missing. There was no turning back. Nothing could sate my appetite for this new experience.

As I grew, my poison of pleasure evolved into more adult themes. Couldn't be helped. I loved stories about space pirates. So Captain Harlock and anything by Leiji Matsumoto had my interest. I actually shed tears when he passed away last year.

Yes, I'm a man, and I'm not afraid to shed tears when something moves me. When I watch Daughter of Darkness,. I was struck by Ryoko's absolute dedication to protect Tenchi, even if he came to hate her for it. That scene on the roof... imo there is no love greater than letting someone go if you must.

A stirring story, some morals, maybe a cause, and freedom... those are what move me. So anime, which often has those elements, really appeals to me. Heh. I just backed Animeigo/Robert Woodhead's kickstarter for Macross II at the patron level. So yeah. I'm hopeless. And proud of it.

[Tasuke]

i was Brought into the Fold around the mid-1990's, on the Strength of SUPERDIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS, - Initially By Proxy of ROBOTECH - and it's Seminal VF-1 "Valkyrie" Variable Fighter Mecha;





Anime and OTAKUdom for me was ALL about the Mecha for most of the remainder of the 1990's...
and then TM! got fairly big in the U.S. around the turn-of-the-millennium, and was basically the first Character-focused series i fell hard to fandom of.

TOYNAMI's short-lived TM! 12in. Character Doll line from the very-early-2000's
was instrumental in driving me to pick up Hand-Sewing as a Skill-Based Hobby...
Borne of my dissatisfaction with the low-quality clothing of those old TOYNAMI Dolls;









i've stuck by Anime CharaDoll Hobby Custom Work over the twenty years since... and, over the last half-year or so,
returned to TM! CharaDolls, this time by way of TAKARA's 1990's "Jenny/Licca" Doll-based Juraiian Sister Pair...
and the aid of the Fabulous OBITSU 26cm. Hobby Doll Body, and a far refined Personal Custom Craftwork Skillset;