0ber0n the Neko Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 I am now in 3rd period study hall and have nothing to do... my other thread is starting t get less response... SO LET'S START ANOTHER! I was wondering recently as to why we, as otaku, watch anime. There are many reasons that one would ultimately want to watch anime. Mine, personally, is the fact that it helps me escape. I get grounded a lot at home, and the only thing i can do to occupy myself is to daydream. I feel that Anime is just a form of visual escape from reality. What are some other peoples' reasons for watching anime? It seems so strange to others that we watch anime. So let's give 'em some good reasons to join us!!!! BLOW THINGS UP! :blowup: :blowup: :blowup: I call shotgun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavalamp Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 "オタク" watch anime because they are what the word's definition describes. There isn't much more to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
densuke Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 [quote name='lava lamp'] ( otaku ) watch anime because they are what the word's definition describes. There isn't much more to it.[/quote] "Otaku" are just people who don't know anybody because they are always home with their hobbies - and even if they are with other otaku they are not nurturing close personal relationships but merely indulging their hobby. Discussing anime on this forum is an example of that sort of thing - the people in the forum are not personally known to each other. In Japan the "otaku"'s hobby is not necessarily watching anime. Sonoda Kenichi who wrote Gunsmith Cats is a model gun otaku for example (very few people in Japan are allowed to personally own a working firearm). It might be a good idea to avoid calling oneself "otaku" in public. Most people who know what it means would find it strange because "otaku" is a negative term. The connotation is that the "otaku" has no social skills. I guess this self-labelling and use of Japanese words not commonly known is part of why some people find it strange that others watch anime. As for me I am an anime fan simply because I enjoy anime. I would rather watch anime in my free time than go to see a movie or watch TV. I am no evangelist when it comes to whether or not other people watch anime or watch the anime I watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavalamp Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Thanks for attempting a lecture since unlike the majority of people here [likely including you] I learned the word while in Japan. I was digging at the usage of the word to begin with, not using the term in the way most ignorant anime fans use it. There is far more to the word than a description regarding a lack of social skills, by the way, and that's why I used it. Dur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tomo Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Hi everyone!! I maybe want to live in Gundam wing world. Because I want to ridea mobile suit such as a Gundam. TO densuke I agreee your opinion. I think the Otaku means bad image in Japan. I don't feel it's nice one. On the other hand, I'm happy that Otaku is partly used as possitive image in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagger Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 [QUOTE=tomo]Hi everyone!! I maybe want to live in Gundam wing world. Because I want to ridea mobile suit such as a Gundam. TO densuke I agreee your opinion. I think the Otaku means bad image in Japan. I don't feel it's nice one. On the other hand, I'm happy that Otaku is partly used as possitive image in the world.[/QUOTE] Welcome to OtakuBoards, tomo. ^_^ You seem to be somewhat confused about the subject matter of this discussion. The first part of your response belongs in a thread like "What anime would you live in?" Here, it's simply considered off-topic. I'd advise you to familiarize yourself with our rules and guidelines regarding spam. Secondly, your grammar could use some serious work. OB places a strong emphasis on clarity and coherency, so I'd like to see an immediate improvement in those crucial areas. If you have any questions, please PM me or one of the other moderators. Have a nice day. ^_~ ~Dagger~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ani_Freak Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 [color=darkblue]Well, even though this discussion is about "why" other than "what", I mostly watch anime because I just plain love it. I can't call myself an Otaku, because I don't live for anime, nor it's the only thing I do. I take anime as a hobby, a way of doing something in my free time to have fun. It's pretty much like videogames. I love everything, from the stories, and mostly, the character creations and how the play the plot at hand. The reality of some of the situations is overwhelming. As for the meaning of "Otaku", for what I've heard, Otaku is a negative term, as densuke said, but I guess that people here (at this part of the globe) use it as a way to ilustrate how much into anime they are, regardless of the negativity or meaning it has.[/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lavalamp Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 Hey, Dagger, news flash: Some people aren't native English speakers and are trying their best to get out sentences that to you may seem "incoherent." Stop being a grammar Nazi and realize that "clarity" and "coherency" don't necessarily mean grammatical perfection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinmaru Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 [QUOTE=lava lamp]Hey, Dagger, news flash: Some people aren't native English speakers and are trying their best to get out sentences that to you may seem "incoherent." Stop being a grammar Nazi and realize that "clarity" and "coherency" don't necessarily mean grammatical perfection.[/QUOTE] Hey, lava lamp, news flash: Grammatical perfection is not what is being asked for. Dagger felt that tomo's grammar could improve a bit and that's all. Dagger was just doing her job and she did it in the most polite matter possible, I think. And, frankly, I doubt that you know any better than Dagger does whether or not tomo is a native speaker of English. If you or anyone else doesn't care for the way that OtakuBoards handles this sort of thing, then leave the site. It's that simple. Honestly, I just wish you'd get off your high horse and stop spamming threads like you've done here and you've done in the past. Anyway, so this post isn't completely off-topic... I watch anime for entertainment value. That's pretty much how I view anime and other forms of entertainment. If I'm going to invest my time in something, then I might as well get some entertainment out of it, heh. I don't really watch too much anime, though, as I'm not a huge fan of most of it. A lot of it is just too derivative for my tastes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegeta rocker Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 i guess most people watch anime just to unwind. I watch anime to entertain myself and see other peoples points of view. Also since i am in Video Production now; i end up using lots of the shots i see done. It's also a good escape from reality now and then. ^-^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 I watch anime as a form of entertainment. I love animation and anime seems to have a different caliber of storyline than that of "American" animation. Anime has more "adult" storylines and actually expect you to pay attention to each episode. Mind you, there are many good "American" animations out there but most stuff is geared towards the SpongeBob age group versus the wide age range of anime. On the "Otaku" discussion. Being Japanese, that word is very offensive to some in Japan. I see it like any word that has a negative connotation that is adopted as a badge of honor. It's like the Meredith Brooks' song "*****". The word has a negative connotation but has been adopted by some as an honored titled they have worked hard to achieve. To each their own. :D Again, I am an anime fan because I love the art form. I spend my cash on it and use my vacation time to go to cons to spend time with others who feel the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balinese Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 For me, anime is either a way to relax and lose the tensions of school, or a chance to think a bit more about the way art mimics life. I also have a thing for voice actors and [i]seiyuu[/i], and I tend to watch a lot of anime that has people like Koyasu Takehito, Hikaru Midorikawa, Eric Stuart and Scott McNeil in it. There's something about their voices that I find rather calming. I especially like the voices in Weiss Kreuz and Gundam Wing's Japanese versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Eimin Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 [SIZE=2][COLOR=DimGray]I watch anime because it's fun to watch. I like the facial expression of the characters, and the fact that the story line progresses. Anime doesn't have characters staying the same size and age for years. They mature. They make mistakes and learn from them. Also the fact that the 'good guys' don't always win at the end of every episode is great. Some 'good guys' die while the others must move on. it brings a little bit of reality into it. Probably all anime isn't like that but the ones that i like to watch are and that's why i like to see them.[/COLOR][/SIZE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gir Kon Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 It's all good to me, the laughs, the tears, and the overall good times that can be had with such a beauty as anime...will forever stich it's place in my heart, by defention I am Otaku, and even if it is bad, at least it's something to be a part of, and then maybe someday the Otaku of the world can unite under one banner to say out to the world "WE ARE PEOPLE DAMMIT!!!" Then all will bow before us in a blaze of glory ahahahahahahaha :devil: But uhhh yeah thats why i'll love anime to the end no matter what tags it may have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Midnight Rush Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 [QUOTE=densuke]"Otaku" are just people who don't know anybody because they are always home with their hobbies - and even if they are with other otaku they are not nurturing close personal relationships but merely indulging their hobby. Discussing anime on this forum is an example of that sort of thing - the people in the forum are not personally known to each other. In Japan the "otaku"'s hobby is not necessarily watching anime. Sonoda Kenichi who wrote Gunsmith Cats is a model gun otaku for example (very few people in Japan are allowed to personally own a working firearm). It might be a good idea to avoid calling oneself "otaku" in public. Most people who know what it means would find it strange because "otaku" is a negative term. The connotation is that the "otaku" has no social skills. I guess this self-labelling and use of Japanese words not commonly known is part of why some people find it strange that others watch anime. As for me I am an anime fan simply because I enjoy anime. I would rather watch anime in my free time than go to see a movie or watch TV. I am no evangelist when it comes to whether or not other people watch anime or watch the anime I watch.[/QUOTE] Damn right in that. Self-labeling brings no status or true honor no matter what you are talking about, but thats not the topic, I digress. I watch anime for a few reasons, mainly because, as it is entertainment, I enjoy it. Secondly, I am fascinated by the culture of Japan and since it is one of their artforms, learn various things from it. Finally, because the stories are generally superior tahn other media forms, thus my attraction to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r2vq Posted March 17, 2004 Share Posted March 17, 2004 I'm a child at heart. I'll admit to that. But I have my mature side to. I like the stories offered in Anime that they don't, won't, or can't offer in other media. The mystery, romance, action and comedy in anime appeals to my more mature stable side. The child in me likes seeing the cool drawings. XD Do I watch other forms of media that have what I want in it? Yes, I'm not so picky as not to. (ie. Some N. American and European independent cartoons, N. American, European, Asian Movies) The reason I'm such a big fan of anime is because these themes which I adore come so very often in Anime, while so rarely in other forms of media. -ArV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketsurui Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 It seems more sophisticated to me... It is unique from other media, not just in it's art work, but also in the story's and characters. the story's are usually more elaberate, the character's are also the same, in as they are three dimensional and realistic and not just some super hero fighting robot/creature thing (most anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ScirosDarkblade Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 The only thing I can say anime is MORE sophisticated than is American cartoons (in general, that is). But really in Japan anime is nearly the equlivalent of American TV in America, seeing as it makes up about half of all television programs. And I'd say American TV is just as sophisticated, because there are plenty of good, thought-provoking shows out there if you're willing to watch them. Anime's strong points are the fact that it's ANIMATED (a big plus for many people, including myself), and that there's some stories told which aren't like anything you'll see in the U.S. (Not that this is unique about anime, because it's not like you'll find an anime that is like "Monk," and if you do it's worse for sure). Also because it's Japanese it further interests some people. I just don't like it when people just blindly love all things anime because they think it's on a higher quality level than all other TV. It's not. But there's definitely a very limited number of GOOD TV shows around, and so there's plenty of room/time to watch the likewise limited amount of GOOD ANIME. Personally, I enjoy a bit of both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minkus_334 Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 I like anime for the same reasons as a lot of you do. Namely, it acts as an escape from reality (and in Utah, that's certainly a blessing) and that there's nothing else that I really like to watch. If only Nickelodeon hadn't cancelled Invader Zim... *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamma Vash Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 Anime is quite beautiful-- the colours, music. I like to watch amime because it is pretty tolook at, and therefore relaxing. The characters and stories sometimes remind me of the "morality plays" a la Milton with emphasis on personal values. But I also like to watch anime to take a break from someTV fare like sitcoms because I find those boring.(and commercially broadcast news which I find contrived and annoying-- thankful for Public Broadcast news) I agree with Sciros that not all anime is wonderful, and that not all of television is bad. The more variety in both , the better. And not to forget the original mass media== books ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackroselover Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 I like anime because, 1st of all, the girls look better in Japanese than American toons. 2nd, more action. 3rd, better music. Later, Unknown :flaming: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Asuka Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 [QUOTE=Blackroselover]I like anime because, 1st of all, the girls look better in Japanese than American toons. 2nd, more action. 3rd, better music. Later, Unknown :flaming:[/QUOTE] [color=hotpink][size=1]Hello, blackroselover and welcome to the OtakuBoards! First things first, your post quality leaves plenty to be desired. I hope you have read those very important rules before you started to post. If you haven't, I advise that you do, but here are some pointers. First of all, try to elaborate more on your posts. Describe WHY you believes these things and give pretty good reasons. Second of all, use words instead of numbers, like first instead of 1st and things like that. Also, punctuation and grammar are your best friends on this board, along with spelling. Please keep things things in mind as you post from now on or your posts will be considered spam and deleted. Thank you! *QA*[/color][/size] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AniSmith Posted March 20, 2004 Share Posted March 20, 2004 i watch anime because i just do, its relief to find anime and watch it for hours on end if you want (epesode after episode). but the whole thing is GODly and wonderfully awesome. but thats just it, once you turn of the tv (or computer, for some of you) its good bye and back to whatever you were doing before. ---i was taken by that whole "otaku" conotation, as for the word otaku, i think that in the US (which is where i am) it doesnt mean anything too seriously bad, right? i meand there are [B]Otaku[/B] Conventions and these [B]Otaku[/B] Boards. so arent we all calling ourselves otaku by being here? to me, outside of japan, the word otaku means "avid anime enthusiast" but i coud be wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xiou Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 I watch anime simply because much of it is entertaining and far superior over other types of media we have here in America. Many have much depth in plotline and some are very cinematic. One may beg to differ, but that's how I see it. Another reason I like to watch anime is because there's much culture within it. It's an artform of it's own that I give much respect to as I do with some others. Certain character designs strike me as being very beautiful. That goes for anime in general. :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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