Whats the main thing that draws people to anime?

Question

And I mean seriously. I want serious opinions. Stupid answers are just that... stupid answers.

Answer 1

The answer is simple. Diversity. You can find an anime about any topic, all you have to do is pick. Also when you are looking at animation it doesn't have crappy special effects, everything blends together. Not to mention you don't have to worry about things not looking real or something isn't in the budget for it to be made. Whatever someone can be dreamed up can be made into an anime.

Besides that unlimited amount of types there are there is also the animation factor. you can have so many different types of anime (there is a such thing as 'realistic-anime' believe it or not) if you want to talk about this more feel free to look me up at http://www.anivision.us

Answer 2

Okay, seriously.
Speaking as someone who liked this junk back when it was way NOT socially accepted (as it has become today), I'll share my opinion of why I was attracted to it initially.
As a lot of people have already commented, the quality of animation, or "the art," played a major part. Compared to the vast majority of animation out at that time (or even now, for that matter) the japanese stuff stands head and shoulders above the other material. The attention to detail, the comic-book type blend of realistic anatomy with exaggerated proportion, combined with top-notch coloring and visual effects (y'know, shattering planets, laser power beams, all that) are not present in the bulk of other cartoons/animation that make it over here, and so represent a unique visual treat. I remember being a kid and getting a hand-me-down VHS of "Fist of the North Star" as the first anime I ever saw - believe me, it was like NOTHING Disney, G.I. Joe, Transformers, or anybody else at the time could even TOUCH.
It had over the top fights, betrayal, and mad violence. Which leads into the second important reason why many people are drawn into anime - the level of maturity. Now, I'm not saying drek like Drgonball Z, Naruto, Inuyasha, or the other crap thats really popular right now is even close to being mature (the opposite, in fact). But series like Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, or films like Ninja Scroll, Jin-Roh, etc ARE, thematically, geared to an (young) adult audience, and contain subject matter appropriate to said demographic - nudity, violence, and adult language. Simply put, stuff you are NOT going to get from Disney, DreamWorks, or any other american producer (South Park being the exception, but only in regards to subject matter). So, young adults who like the animation value of anime also are watching material that is catered to their age group, thus its extremely logical that these viewers will become fans. Like me.
If you are looking for an explanation of the "geek factor" which seems really pronounced these days among fans of anime, the only hypothesis I can offer is that these people, intellectually, are not capable of separating their zeal for the killer art and unique concepts in these cartoons with an analytical realization that the majority of the stories therein are, frankly, $#!T; Inuyasha, for example, has a very interesting premise, and is well drawn, but despite the sophistication of these factors, the story-telling of that show is inane, immature, and ridiculous. Its the same way with celebrity cultism - "Oh, I really liked that movie so-and-so was in, so it follows that so-and-so is a really great person." Some people just can't discriminate objectively, and I think thats what is behind the nerdism which permeates anime these days.
...just trying my best to NOT give a stupid answer.
Peace

Answer 3

The main thing that draws me to anime is the storylines and the characters. The conflicts and relationships between characters make the animes interesting to me and all the action in the shows make then fun to watch(and sometimes unexpected). And it's good if maybe you can relate to the characters too. But all people have different opinions about what they like and dislike in shows. So sometimes it could be the story lines or it could be just that you think the characters are hot. eather way if you like it watch it.

Answer 4

The artwork. Some of the detail in a few of the animes are awesome. Some are more cute and some are just violent. But it seems to have something for everyone, even romance. Oh yeah, and the story lines aren't bad either.

Answer 5

I think its the action maybe, the strategy of the games and such too. I personally don't like it, but that's probably because my brother-in-law is absolutely obsessed and can't live one minute without playing/watching/talking about it. He's a bit annoying, but I'm sure its fun for others. I would assume its the 'fighting style' and such, its just different from most animations.

Answer 6

for me its that you don't have physical restrictions like you do with real life movies.
your 'actors' can do whatever, however you want them to. There is no limit to the imagination, only to the skill of the animator.
the stories are also pretty layered with subtexts adn serious issues masked in pretty colors.
i grew up in Europe watching the children friendly anime adn when i think about it now, some of the story lines were pretty serious for a kid. that's nice they don't sugar coat too much.
THey can be very graphic adn gory too, which is a bad side for me nowadays

Answer 7

i think people like it cause it is on the fringes of regular culture. the people who watch anime are a smaller community than regular cartoon or tv viewers, though the popularity is climbing. i think alot of people like the art, which, i have to admit, can be pretty sweeet. and i think it is popular cause the plots of some of the shows are very unique. anime is able to be a little more scandalous and violent than most american cartoons. i think people like anime cause it is sort of off the beaten path of regular tv. i used to really like sailor moon, back in the day, because it seems that until recently, there werent many cartoons that were not made exclusively for kids. thats my two cents...

Answer 8

First name that came to mind was "Arc" As that's been suggested several other times, I think that it'd be a good choice, as people are already associating that name with your character! Ooh, after reading the other answers (sorry, I know its not cool to take other people's ideas but in this case I'm combining two diff ones into a new one!)... I think the name "Arc Okami" would be pretty cool...

Answer 9

A chance to leave reality and attach themselves to their alter ego in the form of an anime character, why else? It's fantasy therapy in mega color! Woohoo!

Answer 10

The plot is usually really complex and the characters fit seamlessly into it... and the characters usually defy stereotypes themselves, too. Only if it's a good show, though.