Anime Parents And Anime: Do They Approve?

[Rachmaninoff]

I looked and this question has not been asked for a while, but what got me thinking about it was a conversation I had with SunfallE the other day. She along with Aaryanna and Mariskah went to the midnight selling of the new Harry Potter book. And though it went well enough, they ran into what I like to call the ignorant parent where Anime is concerned. A woman who pretty much bashed any and all anime on the pretext that it's all pornographic and garbage and shouldn't be sold in the US.

Now that misconception is pretty damn common around here. And I hope you'll pardon the implication, but most of the people I've encountered here who have it are part of the main religion here. Obviously that isn't true, but I do run into that a lot.

Now for me I'm an adult and I only started watching anime just over a year ago so having my parents approve or disapprove was never an issue. And even now, though they are not fans of it, they really don't care if I watch it. But for others that is not the case. Their parents disapprove and they do their best to make sure their kids are never exposed to it.

So I guess I'm just wondering how many of you either have parents who won't let you hardly watch any, or if you've dealt with others who are as narrow minded and ill-informed as the woman SunfallE ran into at the bookstore? And just to make it clear, she had three kids herself who she does not allow to watch any anime or read any manga for that matter. Pretty sad if you ask me.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Lol, this reminds me of the petition to ban anime that some woman had a few thousand sigs on at the petition site thing. And almost her whole thing was just bashing on [B]Ah! My Goddess [/B]XD IF ONLY SHE KNEW!!!!

My parents don't give a damn. My mom and dad don't really like cartoons at all, so they don't watch it with me or anything, but my mom seems to be convinced that there is nudity in a bunch of my anime, simply because some of it involves vampires and ****. In actuality, i don't think there's a speck of nusdity on any DVD of mine, not speaking for the manga.

My parents basically just didn't want me looking at porn back when I was 12, but at this point they don't care. Which is good, cuz I look at A LOT of anime porn.[/COLOR]

[AzureWolf]

[COLOR=maroon]You can't deny the sex appeal almost EVERY anime exploits. I love anime as much as the next guy, but I'm not going to deny the fact that almost every good anime I've seen has someone with either ridiculously huge boobs, really short skirts, pathetic/overly obvious flirting, or some other sex, guy-likes-girl-girl-doesn't-know-how-she-feels spin.

While arguing that it's a great element is beyond the point, I'm not sayng that's a bad thing. Just that the parents are pretty much on the mark with their stereotyping. C'mon, you can't deny it. =P[/COLOR]

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='AzureWolf'][COLOR=maroon]You can't deny the sex appeal almost EVERY anime exploits. I love anime as much as the next guy, but I'm not going to deny the fact that almost every good anime I've seen has someone with either ridiculously huge boobs, really short skirts, pathetic/overly obvious flirting, or some other sex, guy-likes-girl-girl-doesn't-know-how-she-feels spin.

While arguing that it's a great element is beyond the point, I'm not sayng that's a bad thing. Just that the parents are pretty much on the mark with their stereotyping. C'mon, you can't deny it. =P[/COLOR][/QUOTE]I'll have to take your word for it. Because I really have only been watching anime for about a year. And most of the series I've watched did have innuendos, but nothing that came close to porn.

I guess I'm just thinking that anime is like any form of entertainment, some of it is adult in nature while plenty of it is not. Unless that was present in shows like Fruits Basket and I missed it. o_O That would really surprise me. lol

And I don't recall seeing it in Trigun, Full Metal Panic, Pretear, Banner of the Stars, Detective Conan, etc. But hey like I said, I'm sure it is there, I just find the idea that all of it is pornographic and garbage to be a bit far fetched.

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]That's why we love you DB. :p Hentai, a part of DB's balanced breakfast. And I just might get into it soon, seems interesting.

My parents deal. My dad used to watch DBZ with me, and my mom put up with FMA and InuYasha all the time. But i don't give a **** what they think about anime, I love it.

My friends like it, except James who thinks it's awful. My friend brittaney loves InuYasha. Her mother watched Advent children and she thought that a lot of the male characters were cute. But I don't know if Advent Children is considered an anime film.[/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[font="trebuchet ms"]Lol... at the midnight release of HP this year my friends and I had a rave party in the manga section. And annoyed the hell out of the people sitting there. :L

Er, anyways.

It's stupid that people judge before actually evaluating, and it's lame that a lot of Americans see anime as either 1) porn or 2) cheesy/bad shows like edited Pokemon, DBZ, etc.

That misconception is ignorant, but I see where they're coming from. At my local B&N, they have this small table that showcases various manga/man-wha, and 2/3 of it consists of huge busts or some prepubescent girl's butt sticking up while she cleans the kitchen or cooks or whatever the hell. God, there's so much blatant sexism in anime, but that's for another topic.

If I were a parent totally in the dark about anime/manga, and I saw those covers, I sure as hell wouldn't want my kid reading them. It's the first impression, and that's the biggest. There's such a huge difference between US and Japanese culture, and it's not easy to bridge. Japanese pop culture is exploding with a sexuality that just differs from any western kind.

My mom has a problem with Japanese pop culture in general, because she hates overt sexuality (which you cannot deny exists in anime), but it's very broad. I mean, she hates American pop culture for its sexuality as well. Even I won't deny that Japanese pop culture is just really freaking odd to me. The whole lolita/chan thing weirds me the **** out sometimes, among other things. [/font]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]One must understand someting. A good percent of anime [i]is[/i] porn. Otaku [i]are[/i] perverts, and this stuff [i]can[/i] turn you into a pedophile. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's corrupting our youth, because if our youth are that stupid, they don't need anime to help them be corrupt. The world is evil - not just anime. But still, while these moms have no idea what they're talking about, which makes it kind of sad, they aren't far off. I personally have volumes of a manga distributed in English by Tokyopop with depictions of nude elementary-schoolers and rape of underage girls (and it's a comedy manga!).

[SIZE="1"](BTW, I'm talking about [B]Welcome to the NHK[/B], the best series EVAR)[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="Navy"]The busty women in anime/manga is to attract readers. I know the only reason I watch Bleach is to see Orihime's huge boobs. [spoiler] actually Bleach is cool because of the story, but her boobs are interesting too.[/spoiler]

And a lot of anime like G Gundam and Digimon had those parts where it showed the tamers naked and the part where the guys in thr gundams put on that ugly spandex. Or Sialor Moon's transformation sequece, whcih is another naked transformation sequence.

You see it everywhere inside anime.[/COLOR]

[Andy]

[FONT="Garamond"][SIZE="2"]Well, generally, my parent's really don't care what anime I watch. But every now and then they will see me watching something like Hellsing or something, and they'll make these facial expression's like they're thinking "He scares me...." or "How disturbing....". But even still, they don't really get angry or anything like that.^^[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Metalcore501]

[quote name='Premonition'][COLOR="Navy"]The busty women in anime/manga is to attract readers. I know the only reason I watch Bleach is to see Orihime's huge boobs. [spoiler] actually Bleach is cool because of the story, but her boobs are interesting too.[/spoiler]

And a lot of anime like G Gundam and Digimon had those parts where it showed the tamers naked and the part where the guys in thr gundams put on that ugly spandex. Or Sialor Moon's transformation sequece, whcih is another naked transformation sequence.

You see it everywhere inside anime.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Yeah I agre with Premonition, they do attract readers and viewers. back when the old yu-gi-oh was on tv the only reason I really watched it besides my obsession witht he card game was because of Mai :animeswea I was never really into DBZ though so I cant comment on that, But I watched a Sailor Moon movie once and couldnt get over those trasforming sequences :D . I think that the Japanies have some weird fetishs like that tentical hentai :wigout: I've also noticed in hentai that most of the woman have huge breasts, so even in hentai they draw them big probably to attract more viewers. [/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][quote name='2007DigitalBoy'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]One must understand someting. A good percent of anime [i][B]is[/B][/i] porn. Otaku [i][B]are[/B][/i] perverts, and this stuff [i][B]can[/B][/i] turn you into a pedophile. [/COLOR][/QUOTE]Especially when their user name is 2007DigitalBoy aka Rat Boy. :p

All joking aside, a lot of anime is very sexual in the sense that it doesn't hide certain aspects of growing up or awkwardness resulting from become more aware of that sexuality. And yes there is a lot that is porn, just as there are series out there that are not. lol

As for my parents? My father had clients through his job in Japan while I was growing up, since until he retired he did a lot of legal work for different businesses. So if he or my mother did not approve of it, they sure as hell made sure to never bring it up. It's not exactly polite to insult your employer or client after all. Anyway, as kids we were pretty much allowed to watch whatever anime we wanted. It was never an issue at all.

Also, I wouldn't exactly call transformation sequences anything to get excited over, the actual detail wasn't all that well... detailed. lol I still find it funny how those got edited to make them more soft when there wasn't really all that much to be seen to begin with.

In the end, even if it's a good idea for parents to be careful about what their kids watch, it really is stupid and pointless to immediately brand an entire type of media as being porn or garbage. Unless said media really is porn. lol [/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]My mother has expressed a bit of disapproval over anime. She's not ignorant to the point of thinking it's all porn, and since I'm 19 she generally doesn't pry into the matter, but I can tell it's one of those, "I don't know what it's like so it must not be good," reactions. So far I've quelled any complaints by bringing up the fact that nothing in the anime I watch is any worse than what she watches in movies. It's hard to argue that animated violence and maybe a bit of nudity is worse than the same done in live action.[/color]

[Saya Minatsuki]

I live with my dad and he really doesn't care, he actually watches some of them. Even if he wasn't into it he'd let me watch it because 1) Its only a show 2) I'm going to watch it anyway. I felt bad for the kids with parents like that, I think part of it comes from not trusting themselves from when they were young. Kids should have the chance to experience different things in this world, not just what the parents like. Everyone has there own interests.

[AzureWolf]

[quote name='Metalcore501'][COLOR="DarkRed"]But I watched a Sailor Moon movie once and couldnt get over those trasforming sequences :D . I think that the Japanies have some weird fetishs like that tentical hentai :wigout:[/COLOR][/QUOTE][COLOR=maroon]Tentical hentai isn't JUST a fetish, it's a lifestyle. Show some respect. :-P

Geez... kids these days[/COLOR]

[Retribution]

[quote name='AzureWolf'][COLOR=maroon]Tentical hentai isn't JUST a fetish, it's a lifestyle. Show some respect. :-P

Geez... kids these days[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
[font=Arial]Hahaha, nice.

But really, if kids wanted to see porn they wouldn't look at fully or even semi-clothed girls. lolinternets.

My parents didn't let me watch anime until it started airing on Kids WB. When I went to rent an anime VHS (gasp) because it was cartoony and cool-looking, my parents totally rejected it. They were like "Those are grown-up cartoons," which is valid I guess, since I was trying to rent some sort of samurai/ninja anime. I think they saw a few more mature shows/movies and assumed that most of the genre was like that.

But once DBZ hit WB on sunday mornings, all bets were off. Fun times indeed.[/font]

[Goodbye, Face]

[font=arial][size=1]My parents censored everything for me until I hit middle school and me being sheltered just wasn't working, heh. So after that, my parents never really cared what I watch, what I listen to, what games I play, etc.

When I would buy anime things, they would try to convince me not to buy it, but it was never like "Put that back!" One day, my mom cracked and wanted to watch whatever my favorite anime was. I decided to play nice and watch Cowboy Bebop with her. She enjoyed some aspects of it, but didn't really want to go any farther than episode 2. Since then, she's been more understanding, especially since I got myself wrapped up into my artwork.[/font][/size]

[SunfallE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="Goldenrod"]Meh, my parents are a mix. My mom is convinced that anime is nothing but garbage and full of sex. XP And my dad [[SIZE="1"]they're divorced by the way[/SIZE]] could care less. Those two would argue over what we watched as kids. And unless it was explicit my dad was never phased by innuendo. So we learned real quick to ask dad if we could watch something and not mom. lol

But what makes me laugh is this is back in the seventies early eighties, when most of the anime being shown was butchered to death and my mom still disapproved! And today... you'd think it's the end of morals in the US that such things are sold in the stores.

But my dad... he could care less about series but he can and does pick up the DVD of different movies like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.

As for myself, obviously since I'm an adult I have no problems watching whatever I want, though I don't really care for the stuff that really is explicit. I don't even care for fan service all that much, because most of the time it's overdone and I find that a tiny bit annoying.

Like when I started watching Zero no Tsukaima, I was glad that the show started going somewhere instead of relying on it. Oh and by the way... I love your new banner of Louise and Saito, Dessy. :catgirl: As well as the avatar. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[TheResplendent]

[FONT="Tahoma"]The answer to this question is simple, my parents have no say in what I watch or do and it's none of their business. They are aware that I watch anime but that's the extent of it. When i was younger it was still pretty much like that, my parents could never find a good reason to prevent me from doing something as perfectly acceptable such as watching anime.

As for how anime is viewed and judged in the eyes of people who truly don't know any better, i'll just refer people to my article written on embracing the imagination over at TheO. That's pretty much my opinion on what makes anime what it is.[/FONT]

[Aaryanna]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="goldenrod"]Rach... You have no idea how much I wanted to smack that woman. :animeangr Anyway, it use to be an argument with my mom but that ended last year and now I've got my mom watching anime. lol My dad? Don't know, I've never asked him and my parents got divorced when I was a kid. I do spend time at his place but I tend to watch all of my anime at home or at SunfallE's or Mariskah's place.

As well as at a fan sub site that I go to. And to be honest, even if lots of it does have silly fan service and other junk, it's not all that different from other media. You can find all the things that people object to in anime in regular shows as well. Something that I always point out when it's brought up. :p

Also... I agree with SunfallE. Your new banner/avatar from Zero no Tsukaima is cute Des! :catgirl: I still need to watch the last couple of episodes from season one. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[kitex973]

It seems that my mom doesn't care if I watch anime as long as it doesn't have any graphic violence or nudity. (I"m 15.)

[Kenshin DX]

A parent who censors everything their kid watches or does is an idiot. It is [I]not[/I] protecting your children. Oh no my child has watched an episode of Bebop where someone got shot! Now they are going to grow up and shoot people. it's not just anime I mean it's most media in general. I mean South Park is more explicit then any anime Ive ever seen (and Ive seen at least a 1000 anime titles). Most films are totally worse then anything an anime has with mature content wise.So if you think anime is what corrupts your it doesn't do any worse than a mature cartoon or R rated Movie.

Seriously my parents have no problem with me watching anything especially anime. My dad has purchased me titles such as Samurai Gun and Gantz which both have a giant M rating on the pack. Ive grown up just fine some panty shots and some violent deaths didn't turn me into a criminal or pedo. They probably don't even care that I watch porn I just would never say it(as would the rest of you guys) because that's just insanely awkward.

All my friends who watch anime their parents don't care at all. I mean seriously parents have been up in arms about Harry Potter a [I]childrens book[/I]. Anime like other forms of media does not damage your child's inner psyche and if it does your kid fails at life.

[Aaryanna_Mom]

I honestly don't remember, lol. I just don't. I don't even remember if I watched any anime when I was a kid. But I do know that as a parent, especially since the media has so much in it that just wasn't there when I was a kid, whether kids agree or not. It is going to look like garbage to a lot of parents. Because a lot of the innuendos and other stuff just wasn't in television when we were kids. Perhaps it was in Japan, since I can recall a series that was aired in the seventies Gatchaman, though they renamed it to Battle of the Planets. Anyway, it was was pretty violent in it's original form and was extensively changed to match American television.

But that is meaningless to a parent who grew up in a country where that wasn't the case. Obviously there needs to be a balance of what you keep your kids from watching, but I'm saying that it's not so black and white as some of you are thinking. Many of you have grown up thinking all the violence, swearing, innuendo and everything else is normal. Keep in mind that for many of your parents... It's not.

As for the topic where parents think it's all garbage and porn... That's just silly. If it was porn, many states don't allow it to be openly sold on the shelves. At least that's the case here in Utah. So that woman at the bookstore that my daughter ran into was just ignorant and a bit silly. It is unfortunate that there are a lot of Utahans who are just like her though. And on some level I can even agree, since like any media I am sure there is a lot out there that does have content that a parent would find unacceptable for an underage kid.

Once they become an adult though, that's entirely up to them. And in the end, I hate sweeping generalizations of anything, since they are rarely correct. All they do is make you look stupid for saying it.

[Roleni-Chan]

Well my parents bash on it all the time. Though the reason because they saw a Glimpse “Steel Angel Kurumi” and just categorized all anime as an low like geek porno addicts. Which to me, that got me really angry and I argued about it several times. Now she doesn’t say it anymore, since I need to put away in a box so she cant see them. If she watches it, she will burn it and put it as sin. Im still 17 on the verge of 18 so once Im 18, she doesn’t have right on what I do anymore, or so she claims.

Isn’t most animes more censored in the U.S. than the ones in Japan?

[mangamaniack21]

It's not that my parent's don't approve, it's that my Dad has a deep hatred for anime, for no apparent reaso, he always cusses when i put it on. But when i ask him why he hates it, he claims that he doesn't hate it at all...Jeez.... Er...but i watch a lot nonetheless. As for my Mom, she doesn't care as long as it doesn't interfere with homework as soon as school starts up and the pool, can't interfere with that...

[Magus]

[color=gray]I didn't start watching anime until I was 16-17, and so my parents didn't really have a say in what I was watching. (As long as it wasn't porn.) They would say something along the lines like: "How can you watch this garbage?" Stuff like that normally goes in one ear and out the ear, but my mom would say it jokingly because I mess with her about some of the things she watches.

My dad use to be all serious with it, but now he's watching everything on adult swim as well. (Can't be all that trashy if he's watching it.)[/color]