Influence+of+Anime


 * The Influence of Anime **

Overview

**Anime** ( ă-nĭ-māy) is a word used to describe or define Japanese animation or it's cartoon-style art. Anime comes in many different varieties and forms, and its media is spread throughout the world, including the US. It's popularity in the United States has become so great that it (Anime) has influenced many social trends and behaviors in people.

History in America

Anime first started out in Japan around 1917 with a two minute clip of a samurai hitting a wooden target. Since its very beginning, it has grown to become the predominate slice of media, first starting out in Japan. With Japan's gaming systems coming to America(such as PlayStation and Sega), the United States also wanted to see Japanese Cartoons and what they were like. Anime started appearing in the US in the 1960s, with "Astro Boy", an Anime based on a robot child. Those TV shows started a huge epidemic of popularity and laid the foundation for the future generations of Anime in America. Influences on Americans

The United States, engulfed in their hobby of watching Anime, have been both positively and negatively influenced by their animated media. Though Anime was only started as children's television, it now comes in many different genres and ratings, ranging from action to romance, and from "all audiences" to "Mature 18+". Hayao Miyazaki, director of the widely known "Princess Mononoke" Anime, explains why the American public craves Anime. He quotes, "//The mass media loves it because it is something fairly fresh and new to this country. It is far more attractive than the mundane cartoons that are so overly used//". Many viewers, including those in the US, don't always see what they're "allowed" to see, meaning that children are watching Animes that they shouldn't be allowed to watch. Such Animes include those of graphic and violent nature, those with sexuality and nudity (known as “hentai”, which is basically adult anime), and those of crude humor. While many may argue that it is the viewers' fault for letting themselves be influenced by their Anime, many others blame the Anime themselves. For example, a 10 year old kid in Washington died after he and his friends attempted the "Sand Coffin Jutsu", a popular fighting move from the Anime "Naruto", which involves a person to be completely buried in sand. The friends completely engulfed the kid in sand, where he suffocated, and later died at the hospital. Though this is an extreme example, it does point out that viewers are influenced by the Animes they watch. ====Many other trends in theUSare influenced by Anime. Teens and young adults often dress or act like their favorite character in the Animes they watch. Not only are dress and attitude influenced by Anime, but also American animation itself. Many cartoons originating in theUShave an Anime-like similarity to Japanese Anime. The shows have adopted the-Anime styles of drawing and storytelling styles of modern Anime. "Avatar, the last Air Bender" is but one example of this.==== Where Anime Stands Today in America

The (American) Anime Market is worth about 400 million dollars and operates in many states (almost all of them) throughout the country. It employs many people and produces media for American usage. It still currently holds one of the largest genres of media in the world.

= = ** The Influence Of Anime: Analysis **

Though many would argue that Anime is a bad influence to children and even adult viewers, many others (including I, myself) would argue that Anime can be a good influence as well as it could negatively influence one's mind. When a viewer watches such Anime series, like "Dragon Ball Z" or "Naruto", they might just see the violence and anger the characters display. Many parents see this in the Animes their children watch and immediately change the channel and forbid their children from ever watching it again. media type="youtube" key="GNdTUsRMISo" height="349" width="425" align="right" The very reason many parents don't like their children watching Anime is because of the violence. However, they are blinded by what they see on the TV at the moment, and they have not seen the other scenes of the Anime that led up to the fight. Some would argue that Anime is actually morally uplifting for the viewers. For example, in the Anime "Dragon Ball Z", the main character shows many heroic attributes and values, similar to that of the commonly known "Superman". In general, a parent or parents would be okay if their children were watching "Superman", because Superman was a part of the parents' lives, and they know that Superman is indeed "a good guy". When their children watch Superman, to the parents, it's no big deal. However, when the parents discover their children watching "Dragon Ball Z", they get that "I don't want you watching that" attitude, despite the fact that they probably have no idea what the story is about. Parents may be against Animes that display "pointless violence", but in reality, they themselves have indulged in their share of "pointless violence". One very definite example of this would be the classic "Tom and Jerry" show. The Tom and Jerry show is a great children's show, but it does display a good amount of violence. The majority of the older population have probably seen this show and enjoyed it when they were little (or even when they're old today). Every episode of that series displayed pointless violence, though not in serious degree, but there was indeed, violence that ended in ridicule for the cat. Even though violence is not portrayed in every episode of "Dragon Ball Z", it still is considered violent and "not suitable" for the young minds of the children.

Now, why is it that "Tom and Jerry" is rated G and Naruto is rated "TV-14"? Why is "Superman" okay to watch, but "Dragon Ball Z" isn't? The answer is simple: it should be okay to watch them both! Anime has given itself a bad reputation to many viewers as just cartoons with too much violence (or even sexually explicit cartoons, but that isn't categorized as "Anime", it's "hentai"), but it isn't all that bad at all. Anime is also morally uplifting and can teach children (and adults) morals and values. "Naruto" demonstrates friendship, trust, and the outcome of hard work, while "Dragon Ball Z" shows courage, honor, and family bonds that are worth dying for. These values of the Animes are almost drilled into their viewers' minds, as many viewers, especially children, will want to mimic the "good guys", thus adopting their values.

__Sources__

Chatfield, Anthony. "Cultural Integration and the Anime Boom in America." //Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. .

"Imprint TALK: Fresh Asian Pop Culture Blog Â» Blog Archive Â» Japanâ€™s oldest animation films." //Imprint TALK: Fresh Asian Pop Culture Blog//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. .

Song, Keqing. "Art and Culture Articles - Japanese Animation and its Influences on American Culture - Amazines.com Article Search Engine." //Free Articles at Amazines.Com - Author Publishing and Free Article Database//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. .

Surette, Tim. "Boy dies after friends imitate Naruto - TV.com." //TV.com - Free Full Episodes & Clips, Show Info and TV Listings Guide//. TV.com,8 Mar. 2012. Web. 19 May 2011. .