Things Western fiction should borrow from anime
- Thread starter AnansiThePersona
- Start date
The example in the op is bad, I think it is beyond cringey if it happens in anime, I certainly do not want to see this in other media as well. Then again, if there is one type of anime I cannot stand, it's the fighting Shonen. Power Rangers does this a bit though and this is western produced (though based on a Japanese series).
The OP example is frankly one of the dumb examples in my opinion of what anime does, Harry Potter does it with everyone screaming the spells and it is frankly quite surprising how they haven't really learned to figure out what to do if someone starts suddenly yelling the first syllables of one of their spells. Like, when someone yells "EXPECTO" and you're one of those sadness eating ghosts, get the fookin' hint and start leggin' it ye twit!
I disagree strongly with this statement. Comic books are usually way more experimental than any manga I've ever read, even without resorting to pornography like weird manga usually does. The fact that, in the most traditional ones (Marvel and DC), you still get characters being killed off brutally (Ultimatum), metaphysical stuff (Marquis of Death), absurd crossovers (Iron Man becoming a Guardian of the Galaxy) and characters having moral debates using their fists (Civil War, World War Hulk) is more than what can be said about even the best manga. Even Berserk, which is arguably one of the best action manga, still has to follow a bunch of tropes because the editorial profiles in Japan tend to be very similar.
Not to mention stuff like Sandman and Vertigo comics. In terms of world building, some manga are really good though, like One Piece, Berserk and Naruto, but this comes at the expense of character development and plot. It feels like it's all about the world and not about what's happening in it.
The model is just different. Naruto has one writer.
Batman goes through different writers and different interpretations of that character. Follow writer instead of a character and you'll get your start, middle and end.
This so much! I really like a lot of western action but almost never the fantastical parts of it. Compare zod vs supes to all might vs noumu (I just finished season 1 no spoilers please). In 5 minutes they made it way more memorable than however long that punchfest destroying the city was. And I used those 2 examples because it was the similar concept of two big strong guys with extra powers going against each other
Also make some protagonists that aren't so flawed. I'm not saying for every story so don't freak out on me but Goku, naruto, and luffy all have pure motivations and actions and still develope as a series goes on. They never had to get on drugs or anything or murder some friends to become interesting. It would be nice to have a classic hero with a goofy side as I am always inspired by those types. Instead the simple heroes in western stuff tend to be quippping macho people and over the last couple years I've started to find masculinity really annoying and would love an "I'm goofy and care free and even stupid sometimes but when I get angry it makes for an epic moment"
Last edited:
In my opinion, I hope not...
I love early chapters of Yakitate Ja-Pan because of the characters, comedy & ridiculousness, but it's severely downhill after some bread eating reaction hyperboles too much, such as turning person into a panda, etc.
How about a complete story. Most western stuff is disjointed compared to continuous or additive, and they dont bat an eye about just completely retconning the story or universe.
This. Its like nobody really bothers anymore. It's all about money and as a result it results in the most cookie cutter concepts across all genres.
- Sitcoms
- Cop Shows
- Fantasy
- Sci Fi
Everything
This. Its like nobody really bothers anymore. It's all about money and as a result it results in the most cookie cutter concepts across all genres.
- Sitcoms
- Cop Shows
- Fantasy
- Sci Fi
Everything
France has always been important in animation and comics. It's the #2 or #3 market for both. Well, I think the Chinese animation market might have bumped it down a rank since China is doing a lot of collaboration work internationally.
This.
Recently watched Trollhunters on Netflix and was actually quite impressed with many of the action sequences, especially for a 3D animated show.
Quite an amazing show, really good on all fronts. If anyone is looking for a more action inspired animated show I'd recommend it highly. Of course the whole show isn't action oriented.
I would love to see more western shows with a focus on action and with more complex action animation.
This 100x fold.
Comics are without question the worst media medium running. It's always imposing to begin unlike TV, Movies, Anime, etc largely because of how disjointed everything is. What you need to read for Civil War is 30 different comics from all different series.
They switch writers? It's no longer the same as before. It sucks for new readers. It's the only medium where I see guides continually recommended on what to read.
Last edited:
There's another thread discussing the opposite, maybe you clicked on the wrong one.
More genre variety is another thing I would say.
Anime has a multitude of genres for all sorts of viewers, whereas most animation in the West (United states at least,I know France has more variety than America) is comedy or comedy slice of life
Things are getting somewhat better with streaming services picking up more animated shows, but there could still be a lot more variety. especially in adult animation, which is almost non existent outside of adult swim stuff
Anime has a multitude of genres for all sorts of viewers, whereas most animation in the West (United states at least,I know France has more variety than America) is comedy or comedy slice of life
Things are getting somewhat better with streaming services picking up more animated shows, but there could still be a lot more variety. especially in adult animation, which is almost non existent outside of adult swim stuff
It's kind of interesting that dramas generally have an hour long format, but comedies are mostly half an hour long. There's probably some psychological reason that drives studios to mandate this.
It would be boss if more American animation centered around niche subjects or hobbies. There are animes about cooking, cycling, illegal street racing, being a comic artist, boxing, etc. You don't see the breadth of subject matter over here and that's a shame.
In regards to the shouting of attack names by Western superheroes I can see it working fine for some. Hell the Hulk yelling out,"HULK SMASH!" and things of that nature is already pretty damn close and even Iron Man could do it with the variety of different crazy weapons and abilities the suit has. That said I don't think it would work as well for Captain America,"SHIELD OF JUSTICE!" being yelled out as he tosses his shield around doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
Structured series of individual fights .... arcs
Ok well, more in the anime style. Stylish, outlandish even. Play with cutout, background, angles.
The only thing I want the west to take from Anime is the genre diversity. Animation opens up the possibilities for storytelling, it allows for adaptations of material that would have been practically impossible in any other format. We're getting a lot of comic book live action adaptations, but some of the best stuff is nearly impossible to show in a live action format. Somehow I doubt Saga will ever get a live-action adaptation, but it might be perfect in animation.
Everything else can stay in Japan. Fuck 90% of shounen tropes, fan service, and underage sexualization.
Everything else can stay in Japan. Fuck 90% of shounen tropes, fan service, and underage sexualization.
The more realistic something is (like live action) the sillier stuff like yelling out your super would be.
Don't think there's much of anything to borrow.
Don't think there's much of anything to borrow.
Definitely tournament arcs, and better action in general. I understand for live action stuff you're limited in what you can do without looking silly, but even for western comics, the action flow just isn't there often, like it is with manga.
Also more varied settings and worlds. In western media, fantasy settings are too often medieval, and sci-fi mostly set in space or having to deal with space. I want to see more western media that builds their own worlds like Gurren Lagann or HxH.
Also more varied settings and worlds. In western media, fantasy settings are too often medieval, and sci-fi mostly set in space or having to deal with space. I want to see more western media that builds their own worlds like Gurren Lagann or HxH.
