Anime Defining Anime: The Face of Anime

[AzureWolf]

wiccansamurai's banner and avi set just made something click in my head and realize something.

Do you think anime has a dynamic or static face? What I mean is that there are always icons to certain genres. Let's see... Like, with respect to video games, it definately holds a static face, with icons such as Mario, Link, and Sonic being permanent etchings and symbols of video gaming in general. Also, I might add that fighting is always associated first and foremost to Street Fighter (how many times have you told someone to do a "Ha-doo-ken" to pull off a move in another game?). So, I'm talking about anything that can immediately be associated with a subject; it triggers that topic. However, I don't think that's the case for anime.

I may have not seen all the "must-watch" animes, but I can immediately recognize certain icons from certain animes. Serial Experiments Lain (sp?) is one example: I've never seen the anime, but I can see the main character a mile away, and she just seems to trigger the thought of "anime." Over the years, though, the face of anime always seems to change. There's always some new faces that become the symbol/representation for anime. Lain, Evangelion, and Cowboy Bebop seem to be losing ground, and newer anime icons are replacing them. Before even them, core icons seemed to be DBZ and Gundams. I bet there were icons before even that (and in between what I mentioned), but you get my point.

So, is there a universal, static "face of anime," or does it always seem to shift to the latest "animes of the month?"

[wiccansamurai]

Ahh, and before that, there was Astro Boy. The face is always changing, I think, because anime is always changing. New genres are created, changing it forever. Personally, if I saw some anime characters for the first time, I wouldn't recgnize them. But most, I see and have different feelings about them. Did any of that make any sense. Well, anyway, I have to go for now. I have homework. Due tomorrow. *sigh*

[outlawstar69]

Even if the face changes, there are aspects of most animes that are immedialty recognizable. These would be features comment to most animes. For example, if you took the animation from Princess mononoke and compared it to animation from Slayers, they don't look the same but you can tell that both are examples of anime. Does that make any sense to anybody? (can't think because of a sneezing fit)

[Cahoots34]

I suppose I'm behind the times yet again; I still recognise anything Gundam before any other image. It's true, though, anime has its changing styles just like any other form of expression. Girls do their hair differently today than they did in the 1950s. People dress (for the most part) in a way completely unheard of 60 years ago. And, similarly, different anime holds the public's attention. Humans need change almost constantly, and the public likes to identify with fresh images after a time. If oday's images happen to be a delicate, redheaded samurai and a slick teenage boy in a green jumpsuit instead of five giant robots, I really can't complain.

[wiccansamurai]

Maybe the face of anime doesn't change, maybe anime has many faces? Maybe all the different genres have their own face? Just a thought.

[Kyo no Ryu]

Anime faces change. 5 years ago I would have never guessed Astro Boy was anime but 20 years ago I woulda been obsessed. Giant robots seem to be the only definets now. Why? Why not the big eyes and round faces? Because newer american cartoons always seem to imitate anime. Sometimes Gundam becomes Dexters Lab! The face of anime is near impossible to find.

[the_fizz]

[color=royalblue]I feel that anime is dynamic, because as times change so do the anime's style. Just look at the animes like Cyborg 009 verses animes like Yugi-Oh or Pokemon, that are made now a day?s. They are more realistic looking and every kid out there knows who and what ?Pokemon? are. Well I know over time I have seen some good and some bad, but over time, they have changed.
THE FIZZ[/color]:wigout:

[duorocks17]

i think the "face" of anime changes with people's likes and dislikes, and the way of society. I mean Astroboy came out a long time ago, during the wars and i think that's what it dealt with? right? i don't know, i've never seen an eposide. But as technology advances so does anime. I mean just compare the anime nowadays to back in the 80's or 90's. I mean, let's take gundam for example. The original gundam has a different "feel" to it, than the nowadays yu-gi-oh and pokemon. the images today are so chrisp, and sharp, and the background look real. I think the face chages as our technogoly does. The more advanced the techonology, the more realistic the image.

[Guest application]

Mentioning Gundam, it is realy the only anime that although the series originaly came out ages ago is still in top spot with most fans. The only reason anime is changing is due to the new creator on the scene bringing what the believe the soul of anime is to us.

[AzureWolf]

That's a good point, duorocks17. Certainly, technology has a greater impact on animation (i.e., cartoon animation) than one would suspect. That's a surprising point, and I bet no one in the 80s saw technology influencing something such as hand-drawn art. [quote]Maybe the face of anime doesn't change, maybe anime has many faces? Maybe all the different genres have their own face? Just a thought.[/quote] No, I can't say that would be the case - at least not for me. There doesn't seem to be a definitive face for anime in any sense, you know? I could see if you meant that there were different faces of anime for different aspects or kinds of anime, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I can't say I have some default image when someone says, "Action anime," or "Romance anime," etc.

[Sara]

[size=1]From a slightly off-kilter standpoint:

Five years ago, anything anime-esque I drew was classified as Pokemon. Now it's assumed I'm drawing Inuyasha characters.


....For what [i]that's[/i] worth. :p[/size]

[Queen Asuka]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i]
[B][size=1]From a slightly off-kilter standpoint:

Five years ago, anything anime-esque I drew was classified as Pokemon. Now it's assumed I'm drawing Inuyasha characters.


....For what [i]that's[/i] worth. :p[/size] [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=hotpink][size=1]In my case, I'm always drawing Sailor Moon. ^_^ Yes, I know exactly what you are speaking of, my dear Saraness.[/color][/size]

[Arcadia]

[size=1]Very good point right there. For those of us who watch anime, well, we know what it is, and we know what to expect; most have probably seen more than one series, hence more than one style of anime, and so we've got a wide range of "faces" to choose from.

However, if you think about the person who's seen maybe one show, what are they most likely to think about when you say "anime?" That's the definining face right there. It may not be the most artisitc, or the best series to date, but it's what everybody - including those who [i]aren't[/i] fans - will recognize.[/size]

[KharBevNor]

Which is unfortunately, in England anyway, probably going to be Pokemon, since only that and digimon have ever been aired on terrestrial TV over here.

[Dagger]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sara [/i]
[B][size=1]From a slightly off-kilter standpoint:

Five years ago, anything anime-esque I drew was classified as Pokemon. Now it's assumed I'm drawing Inuyasha characters.


....For what [i]that's[/i] worth. :p[/size] [/B][/QUOTE]

Heh.... most of the people whom I've encountered seem to think that anything which contains the word "anime" is automatically associated with Yu-Gi-Oh. It's slightly depressing to spend hours on a Cowboy Bebop sketch, and then be told that your painstaking rendition of Spike looks exactly like "one of those Yu-Gi-Oh kids"...... ^_^;;

~Dagger~