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When someone says 'anime', what do you think of?


PeacefulChaos
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So I'm wondering about this.

 

We watch some anime and there are those in our church who give us a hard time about it.  I honestly wonder if they don't know what it is.  Because I really don't get what it is that they have against it... 

So my only two guesses are that they don't actually know what it is and assume it's way worse than it really is; or that they just don't like it because it's different than what everyone else watches/outside the 'norm'.  

 

Anyway, so if someone said they watch anime, what would that mean to you?

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Well, I know a lot about anime. The problem is that there are a LOT of truly unsuitable anime shows/movies. If you have small kids, then I would assume you were talking about Pokemon or Spirited Away, things like that. But, other people might only be aware of or have only been exposed to the more racy stuff. Some people don't like anime at all because it deals with stuff they don't understand-other cultural beliefs, magic, ghosts...even though Pokemon is supposed to be "science," rather than magic, we have known kids who weren't allowed to watch/play because the parents thought it was magic *or* disapproved of discussion of "evolution" (obviously, Pokemon do not evolve in the manner that scientists believe other creatures have evolved, but that seems to be beside the point).

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Ugh, its just people not understanding that its a really, really broad genre. I've had people flip out over it too, since our family loves anime - its one of the few things our kids watch, actually - but they are obviously not the R rated violent kind.  There was a lady who came over from our church many years ago when one of my youngest kids was born (now 4) who saw one of our Miyazaki films and flipped her lid over it.  Yikes. So a lot of people seem to have a really negative connotation, but its just because they're only familiar with the non-kid friendly stuff.

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I think Hayao Miyazaki.  Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service especially. 

 

I am aware of anime porn the same way I am aware of slasher movies and furries.  I just don't bother to think about it. Ick.

 

It would be terrible to miss out on Kiki and Totoro because of misconceptions about the genre being nothing but porn. 

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I think Hayao Miyazaki. Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service especially.

 

I am aware of anime porn the same way I am aware of slasher movies and furries. I just don't bother to think about it. Ick.

 

It would be terrible to miss out on Kiki and Totoro because of misconceptions about the genre being nothing but porn.

I can't understand the appeal of anime porn. I don't care how well they're drawn, they're still cartoon characters. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but the idea of someone getting off while watching anime porn is just plain strange. I mean, it's not like the people watching the anime stuff can't access any real people doing that stuff -- they're already on the computer, so how much trouble is it to google for some real porn? ;)

 

As far as anime goes, the first things that pop into my mind are Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, DragonBall Z, Naruto, and Bleach. My ds always loved anime books and TV shows (not the R-rated stuff, though!)

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The kids that are really into anime at my dd's jr hi are just as much a "group" as the emo kids, the goth kids, the student athletes, etc. It's a bit alternative culture-ish. They haven't gone into the "look" yet.

 

Dd was just telling me the other day about how she's friends with certain girls that she wasn't friends with last year, and how half the time she doesn't know what they are talking about, because they love anime and discuss it with great passion! lol  It's not inappropriate, as far as I can tell, though there are a couple of series on Netflix I won't let her watch--but she's not that interested, anyway.

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My dd  (16) is into anime and manga. I use the terms interchangebly which drives dd mad. They are both Japanese art forms--manga is like comic books and anime is films or tv shows. We have several Miyazaki films. I like Miyazaki, but I find some of his story lines very creepy. I can see some parents objected to the fantasy in these films even though they are rated PG. Anime films and tv can range from rated G to pornographic (Miyazaki tends to be PG, I think).

 

The same is true for Manga, which is why I was hesitant when dd first got interested in this genre. When I was 11 I lived in Tokyo. My only experience with Manga was on a playground with a friend. We found a Manga book that was porn. 37 years later and I can still see the images. 

 

 

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Well, I know a lot about anime. The problem is that there are a LOT of truly unsuitable anime shows/movies. If you have small kids, then I would assume you were talking about Pokemon or Spirited Away, things like that. But, other people might only be aware of or have only been exposed to the more racy stuff. Some people don't like anime at all because it deals with stuff they don't understand-other cultural beliefs, magic, ghosts...even though Pokemon is supposed to be "science," rather than magic, we have known kids who weren't allowed to watch/play because the parents thought it was magic *or* disapproved of discussion of "evolution" (obviously, Pokemon do not evolve in the manner that scientists believe other creatures have evolved, but that seems to be beside the point).

This is what I was going to write regarding church friends who don't like anime. Its the magic and ghosts and such that they disapprove of. What do they think of Harry Potter?

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My first thought would be Pokemon, then Speed Racer.  :D  My dd watches anime, I forget the name of the one she likes, but I've watched some of it.  There is a huge range in anime. I think if you're unfamiliar with it you might not realize that.

 

  Annoying, the book store in our area keeps them all grouped together.  It makes it hard to look at stuff.

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I can see some parents getting bristly about the titles of some anime. Ds is currently into Soul Eater, Death Note, and Hellsing (manga and anime)- those aren't the titles I would throw around with church friends though. None of those are risque titles either. 

 

My perception is that a lot of anime/manga is centered around Eastern philosophy/religion/mythology and may not be truly understood by those in Western culture who have not been exposed to those ideas. 

 

When ds was younger, I would run titles passed a friend who is into anime to gauge age appropriateness. 

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Many people don't realize that the cute Pokemon creatures are supposed to represent "good" demons fighting against the "bad" demons.  The underlying problem for many Christians is that demons aren't ever good, and to portray them as such may confuse Christian kids, especially as they get older.

 

You need to use your own judgement and discernment to determine whether or not your kids are aware of the true nature of the characters, whether or not you think watching such shows are detrimental, how you want to handle it, and most importantly of all, pray about it.

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they probably don't know what they are.  

 

I'm always mixing up which is anime and which is manga.   ah yes, anime is the animation/cartoon.  it's *only* because it's a cartoon.  it's the format.  they can have very complex plots.    my boys were motivated to learn Japanese since few have been translated into English - and while not fluent, they can certainly follow them in Japanese.

 

more like a mini-series with a finite story line.  not like a regular series which goes until it gets cancelled.

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Dd14 watches a lot of anime, reads manga, and does cosplay.  Dh and I watch some of it too...I love Trigun!  Vash the Stampede is one of my favorite fictional characters...dd even did a pen and ink drawing of him that I have framed. :)  So, in my family it's just another genre of entertainment.

 

When I hear someone say anime in the area I live in I assume they're talking about Pokeman and Dragon Ball Z.  They probably would frown on the types of anime that dd watches since most of it is rated for teens which for people around here equates to too violent, too much cleavage, too many adult themes, and too scary.

 

There is definitely adult themed anime out there.  Don't google hentai ... just don't.  Unless you're into that type of thing. ;)  I don't get all uptight about it's existence.  In fact to me it's better than imagining all those real people being filmed or filming themselves doing ... stuff.  :lol:

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I can't understand the appeal of anime porn. I don't care how well they're drawn, they're still cartoon characters. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but the idea of someone getting off while watching anime porn is just plain strange. I mean, it's not like the people watching the anime stuff can't access any real people doing that stuff -- they're already on the computer, so how much trouble is it to google for some real porn? ;)

 

There you go again. More thought than I am willing to expend on cartoon porn. Given that people make both Lego porn and Minecraft porn, it's safe to say that anime may be one of the more realistic forms out there all things considered.
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Anime- I think of all Japanese cartoon art, even though I know anime is "motion" (movies) and Manga would be the comic-book style. Like all art, it can be all sweetie cuddly church-nursery pure, or it can be, ummmm.... :svengo:

 

I will not go off on a rant about people who decide that an entire genre is evil because some parts of that genre are "evil". Unless those people are SO PURE that they don't even believe churches should have puppet ministries because there is a play/musical/??? (NOT going to google it) that is a pretty raunchy puppet show.  And they also disallow all stuffed animals because of Furries. etc. etc. etc. If someone is so pure that they have absolutely nothing in their lives that anyone anywhere in the whole history of ever has used for nefarious purposes then I applaud them. :hurray: :glare:

 

:rant:   Whoops. I guess I ranted. :ph34r:

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When I hear the word I think of animated movies or series etc from Japan. And I know it runs the gamut from made for kids to not made for kids, just like the same thing made in the US or UK etc. If someone told me their kids watched an animated movie over the weekend I would think (depending on the age) maybe Disney or pixar etc. If they said their kids watches an anime and it were the same aged kids I would think Totoro or Kiki or Ponyo etc. 

 

 

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OP here!

 

Thanks!  I  was guessing they are probably just ignorant of the fact that anime encompasses a pretty wide range, and for some reason assume it's only the p*rn-ish stuff.  Kids stuff never even popped onto my radar when I thought about it - Miyazaki and the like.  My kids all watch that all the time, and love Pokemon and other things that are the same style.  

DH and I have watched several anime series over the years - ones that I wouldn't let the kids watch because of language/violence but still nothing that was horrible by any means.  I also watch Grey's Anatomy and Criminal Minds lol... and those are both more risqué than any anime we've watched. ;)  

That makes me really want someone to say something to me about how we shouldn't watch it - since almost everyone I know loves The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Grey's Anatomy, Dexter... or some combination of those.  ;)  I already have the perfect response planned out... 'You think I shouldn't watch anime?  Why? :blink:  I watch Grey's Anatomy, too... if you're going to say anything about anything I watch, I would suggest that over any of the anime...'  :D :D

(They wouldn't say anything about any 'normal' - aka American - shows because they understand them and it's just normal.  They find us and our tastes to be very, very strange, and sometimes I wonder if they just wish we could try harder to be more like everyone else. ;) )

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There you go again. More thought than I am willing to expend on cartoon porn. Given that people make both Lego porn and Minecraft porn, it's safe to say that anime may be one of the more realistic forms out there all things considered.

 

Every time I flatter myself that I'm relatively worldly, I'm presented with something I never imagined. Good to know I can still be surprised at my advanced age. *and...are there...special Lego pieces for this genre? or just regular ones?*

 

As for manga...I just think of sorting books for the library's used book sale. We would often get large donations of manga of all types; most of our volunteers were older ladies, so they saw comic books and, understandably, put them on the cart with the children's books. Happily, I noticed this before the sale, but it was one awkward conversation when I had to explain that not all comics are for kids. Then again, at least one of our volunteers, a woman of at least 85, took one of the racier ones home with her. She said her husband would never believe it unless she showed him. :)

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There you go again. More thought than I am willing to expend on cartoon porn. Given that people make both Lego porn and Minecraft porn, it's safe to say that anime may be one of the more realistic forms out there all things considered.

I can't even begin to tell you how fortunate I feel for never having seen any Lego or Minecraft porn. :ack2:

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Many people don't realize that the cute Pokemon creatures are supposed to represent "good" demons fighting against the "bad" demons.

 

No, they really aren't. They are fake *animals*. At the beginning of the game you meet a scientist who gives you the pokedex to research and catalog the animals. You visit labs along the way, etc.

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I do not think porn but I do tend to think of it as R rated or  adult because many titles are gory and violent. Unless you said you were specifically talking about kids, I would not assume it was for children.

 

But I also wouldn't judge, I mean Robocop is very popular movie and it's all about violence and guns. Not different, IMO.

 

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I think of Maple Town, my absolute favorite tv show when I was a little girl, and no one better say anything bad about it!!!!

 

How is it pronounced, btw? Is it A-neem? I'm afraid to google too much based on what I've read here! :huh:

An-i(short i)-may

 

eta: I 5 starred the thread because I thought it was a REALLY weird thing for someone to give a one star rating to...unless it was an accident. But, every time I say maybe it was an accident, someone seems to admit to doing it.

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I can't understand the appeal of anime porn. I don't care how well they're drawn, they're still cartoon characters. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but the idea of someone getting off while watching anime porn is just plain strange. I mean, it's not like the people watching the anime stuff can't access any real people doing that stuff -- they're already on the computer, so how much trouble is it to google for some real porn? ;)

 

As far as anime goes, the first things that pop into my mind are Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, DragonBall Z, Naruto, and Bleach. My ds always loved anime books and TV shows (not the R-rated stuff, though!)

 

With certain themes, anime removes obstacles of legality and morality (for some people). With other themes, anime removes obstacles of physical impossibility. 

 

I think it is safe to assume that you can pretty much be sure that any noun paired with porn probably exists somewhere.

 

Yep, Rule 34 of the internet. 

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Anime is fine, but I seriously question what's wrong with these people that they've got nothing better to do than worry about what TV shows you like.

 

If their judgment is this poor about trivial issues, I hate to think how wrong they'll be about anything of significance.

I would suspect it's less about poor judgment than about a lack of information, but who knows? They may very well be picturing the R-rated anime and thinking that's what PeacefulChaos was talking about, or maybe they simply find Pokemon to be creepy. I don't see it as being a big deal either way.

 

Also, why would it demonstrate poor judgment if they don't like or approve of anime? Some people like it and others don't. I hardly think that a person's disapproval of anime would indicate that their judgment would be "wrong" in other situations.

 

All I can think of is that you and I interpreted the OP in entirely different ways, because you seem to be judging her church members very broadly and harshly, based on what seems to me to be a very insignificant topic. It's very possible that I misinterpreted Kara's post, though, and if I did, I hope she will come back and clarify.

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How is it pronounced, btw? Is it A-neem? I'm afraid to google too much based on what I've read here! :huh:

 

 

 

 

It's short for "animation." So pronounce it like you're going to say "animation," but suddenly saw Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston walking toward you and you forgot you were breathing. 

 

"Animaaaay...... :drool5: "

 

That is, if you're into tall, skinny, young, exceedingly talented actors. If not, then pretend a balloon popped and startled you. Although between the two, I suspect one image is going to be more popular than the other in the minds of posters here. 

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Other than, of course, the fact that all our children are under attack from the free market, which views them less as people and more as money banks...but I digress :)

 

:iagree:

 

My 18 year old nephew could remember and spell all the names of the 200 Pokemon when he was a kid but had many zero for school spelling tests  :lol:  He is now in engineering :)

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I would suspect it's less about poor judgment than about a lack of information, but who knows? They may very well be picturing the R-rated anime and thinking that's what PeacefulChaos was talking about, or maybe they simply find Pokemon to be creepy. I don't see it as being a big deal either way.

 

Also, why would it demonstrate poor judgment if they don't like or approve of anime? Some people like it and others don't. I hardly think that a person's disapproval of anime would indicate that their judgment would be "wrong" in other situations.

 

All I can think of is that you and I interpreted the OP in entirely different ways, because you seem to be judging her church members very broadly and harshly, based on what seems to me to be a very insignificant topic. It's very possible that I misinterpreted Kara's post, though, and if I did, I hope she will come back and clarify.

 

Quote from the OP:

"We watch some anime and there are those in our church who give us a hard time about it." 

 

I took CaffeineDiary's post to be talking about the church members giving the OP and family a hard time demonstrating poor judgment, not whether or not they like anime. 

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Also, why would it demonstrate poor judgment if they don't like or approve of anime? Some people like it and others don't. I hardly think that a person's disapproval of anime would indicate that their judgment would be "wrong" in other situations.

 

 

 

Don't like it? I don't care. Don't approve of it? Hmm, yes, I do think that's poor judgement that probably extends to other things. It's like saying you don't approve of live action movies -  a bit nonsensical, imo. 

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Let your kid wear a Yugioh or Pokemon shirt to the next church (or homeschool group, dare I say) get together. You'll divide those who don't care for anime and those that judge your family for letting your kids watch anime pretty quickly. Ds did that with his Halo shirt, more or less similar issue. 

 

I believe it was Mrs. Mungo that posted about the t-shirt wearing being a quick way to figure out if people wanted to be friends or not. (correct me if I am mistaken)

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