Because I’m an anime loving otaku of course, why else? But seriously, I do consider this to be a rather large hobby of mine. I’ve seen over 190 Japanese animations in a combination of series, movies, specials, ONAs and OVAs and by no means will it end there.
So for anyone not familiar with my final project in ds106, anime breakdown, what I did was go over a few of the various animes I have seen or am currently watching. This included creating an original trailer for the series that highlights the show as a whole. A written synopsis of first episode to just give a taste of the show. A characterization video, where I discuss a few characters from the main cast; reviewing who they are, how they interact with the other characters and what their role is. And lastly a section where I give my opinion on the originality of the show.
But besides my love of Japan and all (or rather most) things anime there is a message I want to convey to you all. Now there is kind of an ongoing debate on whether anime is considered a genre; and I happen to be on the side saying it is not. Don’t get me wrong you all are aware that I love anime, but calling it a genre is actually rather insulting. Let’s use the animes I reviewed as an example: Eden of the East is about a man who suddenly “awakens” in Washington DC, completely naked, with no memory of who he is and large sum of money on his phone. Katanagatari is about the current head of an infamous swordless sword style, who has been requested to seek out 12 super powered swords. So let’s say these two series were actually regular live-action movies, what would you label them as? No doubt a mystery thriller for Eden and an action adventure for Katanagatari. That is exactly my point, anime HAS genres but it’s not a genre itself. To say it is a genre would mean that all these animes are the same. It’s not a genre with various sub-genres either, that still labels them all too similarly. That’s like calling all live-action films a sub-genre because their live-action. As more proof, how could you call the slapstick antics of a high school girl and her assassin friend (Kill me baby) the same “genre” as an anime about wizards working in a guild (Fairy Tail)? Because they’re both animated? Is that your answer? How superficial.
Okay got kind of serious there, but that’s what I think. Then what exactly is Japanese animation, if not a genre then what? Well I believe it to be an art form. The large eyes, small mouth, body proportions, and range of various facial expressions are all a part of this unique style. Here’s a few consistent facial features throughout anime:
However even then the styles are quite diverse. Take a look at this example:
Look at these differences, some are totally unrealistic in facial characteristics; eyes taking up their entire head, mouths no bigger than a dot and practically no defined facial features. Then there are even some that are very realistic, smaller eyes, regular sized mouth, and the face has much more definition. Some are just completely cartoony even, resembling western cartoons.
You by no means have to agree with me at all; I am not an expert on anime, just an enthusiast. This was merely my argument on the subject, you can disregard it if you wish. Well that about sums up my final project. I wish I could of gone over more than just 4 animes. I would of started doing this at the start of the semester if I somehow magically knew what I was doing before hand. But if I was able to convince some of you to check out these animes then I feel like I accomplished something.
Check out the anime breakdowns:
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