| Curious as to what people think. So far there’s seems to be a lot of contention over this question. I’ve seen people from both sides claim their love for cartoons over anime and vice versa. It seems to be a popular topic. Also I’m referring to modern anime, so anything that came out recently. No retro anime allowed. What are your opinions? |
| If I were to compile a list of, say, my top 10, 25, 50, or 100 TV series of all time, with no barriers and no limitations, therefore encompassing all series regardless of whether they're anime, cartoons/Western animation, or live action, then there are certainly some cartoons which would be in there; some even high up. But none are presently airing as they've concluded their runs. And in fact, I have to say, I'm not watching a single cartoon series which is still currently airing, and all my favorites ended years and even decades ago, so I'm really unsure and unaware as to what's transpiring right now in that entire "scene". |
| Arcane and Castlevania are the only recent western animated shows that I like. Comparatively I like a lot more anime that were made in the same time period. So in my opinion anime is still better than American cartoons. |
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| Mehh. I think anime is clearly superior in all aspects. |
SerafosFeb 22, 2023 5:16 AM
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| Statistics and common consensus leave no room for debate. Anime and manga completely clears. Mostly because they don't force unfiltered and blatant political messaging on audience and so not care about being controversial. |
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| if the dickhead at the higher up didn't cancel shit like inside job or pantheon, they would have had a chance. |
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| Anime wins it's not even close. Wokeness and identity politics have ruined western entertainment, just look at Velma. |
  ❤ Incessant Rain ❤ “Can you let me have some fun this time?”  |
| Not even close and I like some of the western cartoons. I feel like more and good-quality anime is coming out quicker. I'm barely even caught up from last year. |
| In terms of 3D animation, Yes. In terms of 2D animation, No. |
| My favorite cartoons of 2021 and 2022 have both been non japanese (arcane and puss in boots 2) which is a good thing imo. Japan can take inspiration from them, they can in turn take inspiration from Japan and it's gonna be a situation similar to the fruitful rivalry between the Beatles and the Beach Boys. At least that's what I'm hoping it's going to happen. In reality both are probably gonna keep making 90% garbage. |
| MEA·MENTVLA·INGENS·EST |
| Bro, really? Don't you get tired? The same shit thread every fucking week |
| If you're a fanboy, please don't waste my time. Watch more movies, please. Perhaps, this is hell. |
| If "better" is measured through a combination of critical and commercial success then the numbers tend to show "western" animation doing better than Japanese animation.. Even the supposedly worst of what "western" animation has to offer is more inclined to pull better numbers than the supposedly best Japanese animated titles.. At least according to the media coverage.. If you're looking for a balanced set of viewpoints then I doubt you'll find it on MAL.. The userbase tends to be highly reactionary with a strong bias towards Japanese animation.. And as such not particularly representative of global audience preference.. |
| No, and it's not even close. Western animation is ugly and unfunny. Don't forget loaded with tons of unnecessary political shit just for the sake of it. |
| "Well, she's flatter than a pancake" -Mimi Alpacas |
| Lately I've been watching King of the Hill, Rick & Morty, and Solar Opposites, and I'd say those all beat most anime, including the all the recent anime I've watched (Bocchi, Gundam Mercury, and Nier). |
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| I think the fact that Netflix and HBO Max axed most of their animation projects/studios/budget this past year already says enough about the state of Western animation right now. Hell, even Disney seems to not be givin' much of a shit about its own animated titles lately, given how poorly they marketed Strange World (which led to it being a massive flop) and how aggressively they keep pushing their soulless live-action remakes. |
| In terms of animation alone(disregarding voice acting, plot etc.) yes . Animation in cartoons is far superior compare to those in anime where it's usually just a still frame that is pan over. |
| Not now, no. Western animation was better back when Disney was alive. Stygian_Prisoner said: I wanted more Adventure Time. 😢I think the fact that Netflix and HBO Max axed most of their animation projects/studios/budget this past year already says enough about the state of Western animation right now. |
| その目だれの目？ |
Phosphophyllita said: Gotta drill it into your heads that cartoons are peak right nowBro, really? Don't you get tired? The same shit thread every fucking week |
| As I remember this is your 5th or maybe 6th attempt to "prove" that western animation is better than anime, 5 times wasn't enough to tell that anime is better? |
| As a dude, I think cartoons really lack variety other than comedy or superhero shows. Beyond that, western animation seems to still have a stigma against creating cute girls so I massively prefer anime. Also, cartoons lack some perverted humor I like. |
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| I think the main difference between western shows produced by Hollywood and animation from Japan is that the former generally falls into two categories: the superhero genre and comedy, many of which are really just political commentary of the current political landscape told in a humorous manner. The west has some weird, unhealthy obsession with politics for some reason, and this is reflected in many of the popular western comedy series, such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, Rick and Morty,Hey Arnold!, etc. The western obsession with politics even spill over popular communication platforms, such as twitter. Because western shows are generally funded by near monopolies (The Simpsons and Family Guy are owned by Disney, while Rick Morty is owned by Warner Bros), they generally don't have to worry about competition. This also means that they don't have a financial incentive to offer more variety in shows. The result speaks for itself: The Simpsons has been broadcast for over 30 years old, and Family Guy for almost 25 years. Very few series from Japan comes close when it comes to airing a series for that long. The few exceptions include Pokemon, Naruto and One Piece. Japan, by contrast, is far less concerned with sending a political message and more with making a story with characters that are charming enough to sell blurays and other merchandise. From my understanding, people in Japan generally are not as obsessed with politics as the west, and this shows in how artists in Japan use twitter: to promote their series or band and share photos of their cat, rather than using it as a loudspeaker for their political ideals. Because competition is fierce, you see a greater variety of series getting animated, with stories and characters that appeal to a wide variety of people all over the world. |
| You can buy lossless digital music from your favorite Japanese artists on https://ototoy.jp/. The songs are all DRM-free and you can re-download your purchased albums as you wish. Show your support to your favorite artist if you can! ps. if you are looking for Japanese albums, you have to search it in Japanese (not romaji). Just copy and paste the name. For those who want to learn Japanese through anime Resources for learning the language |
| I think the isssue with Western Animation rn has to be the corporatization as they aren't allowing artists to take a lot of risks. It also seems that shows that people actually like tend to be the ones that get cancelled like Owl House being probably one of the more infamous examples of a popular show getting cancelled. |
This post is brought to you by your local transfem gamer goblin. Will not tolerate bigotry and will fight against "anti-woke" sentiment to make the anime community a safer place.  |
DreamingBeats said: This is just blatantly false since anime does have sociopolitical commentary but more aimed at cultural issues in Japan. It probably isn't obvious to most Western viewers since they don't live in JapanJapan, by contrast, is far less concerned with sending a political message |
| This post is brought to you by your local transfem gamer goblin. Will not tolerate bigotry and will fight against "anti-woke" sentiment to make the anime community a safer place. |
LSSJ_Gaming said: DreamingBeats said: This is just blatantly false since anime does have sociopolitical commentary but more aimed at cultural issues in Japan. It probably isn't obvious to most Western viewers since they don't live in JapanJapan, by contrast, is far less concerned with sending a political message i never said that there's no politics, only that it's much less common. i don't even recall seeing one. can you give me an example where there's a political commentary in anime? |
| You can buy lossless digital music from your favorite Japanese artists on https://ototoy.jp/. The songs are all DRM-free and you can re-download your purchased albums as you wish. Show your support to your favorite artist if you can! ps. if you are looking for Japanese albums, you have to search it in Japanese (not romaji). Just copy and paste the name. For those who want to learn Japanese through anime Resources for learning the language |
| I'd say there are not enough top-tier cartoons for cartoons> anime to be in contention. Of course, people can like what they like. Avatar and Arcane are the only ones I'd say can compete with anime's top tiers. Arcane is one of the best shows, period. More seasons could cement it as a classic. |
DreamingBeats said: In the latest Jojo manga chapter, they covered police brutality which is an issue in both Japan and the West. One Piece is also a series that is pretty well known for its messaging as it has messages of fighting for freedom and being true to yourself in a world that is strict in its order and Japanese society is very rigid in societal expectations, so it feels like a commentary on that to me and many other readers. Death Note can also be seen as a critique on the concept of utilitarianism as Light Yagami is portrayed in a negative light for killing people to achieve world peace. These are just some of the more basic ones I can think of that can be easily extrapolated by reading just a tiny bit under the surface level but there are many other examples you can find if you know how to look for things. It isn't always immediately obvious but sociopolitical commentary tends to be present in some form in most works of fiction as we tend to insert some of our own thoughts and worldviews into the works that we create even if there are some things masking it from being immediately obvious.LSSJ_Gaming said: This is just blatantly false since anime does have sociopolitical commentary but more aimed at cultural issues in Japan. It probably isn't obvious to most Western viewers since they don't live in Japan i never said that there's no politics, only that it's much less common. i don't even recall seeing one. can you give me an example where there's a political commentary in anime? |
LSSJ_ChloeFeb 22, 2023 4:13 PM
| This post is brought to you by your local transfem gamer goblin. Will not tolerate bigotry and will fight against "anti-woke" sentiment to make the anime community a safer place. |
| Toss up really. There have been several recent cartoons I like more than most recent anime, but anime still wins in terms of the quantity of shows coming out that interest me. And the gap on the latter has only gotten wider after so many cartoons I liked got the chopping block. Hit-monkey (after just one season), Inside Job, Close Enough, Young Justice (again), The Boondocks Reboot (to the best of my knowledge). I'm not holding my breath on more Disenchantment either. As of now the only ones left are Harley Quinn, Vox Machina, Invincible, as well as Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites despite the whole Roiland thing. Also, Amazon just caught me off guard by bringing back Gary and His Demons, a show I'm 100% sure I'm the only one who knew existed. I'll cap this off by saying I didn't bring up Arcane because I haven't seen it yet. Sue me. |
DreamingBeats said: Golden Kamuy has represantation of Ainus and shows some of their struggles. Every second isekai is about how the protagonist escaped the hellish work culture of Japan. At the same time a lot of characters in school anime have busy parents that find no time for their children. NHK and Oniichan was Oshimai! are commentating on isolationism of young adults. Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo. is about sexual taboos in Japan. Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu uses the killing of vampires as an allegory for ethnic cleansing in USSR and overall problems of communistic leadership. Dr. Stone commentates on ethics of allowing all people live or only the useful ones. Shiroi Suna no Aquatope tells about the predatory idol industry and about importance of saving the environment.LSSJ_Gaming said: This is just blatantly false since anime does have sociopolitical commentary but more aimed at cultural issues in Japan. It probably isn't obvious to most Western viewers since they don't live in Japan i never said that there's no politics, only that it's much less common. i don't even recall seeing one. can you give me an example where there's a political commentary in anime? There is just a pleothra of examples more. |
| @LSSJ_Gaming I see, thanks for the examples. I haven't watched the series you mentioned as they don't interest me. @SkyfallStar I can't comment about the other series, since I haven't seen them yet, but it is true that many anime delves in the topic of solitude and the work culture. Although these seem more to do with the Japanese culture rather than politics. As for Shiroi Suna, on the other hand, I think you're reading too much into it. From what I recall, Fuuka was given the opportunity to be the leader of a group, but rejected the offer after feeling pity for one of her team mates. Saying that the idol industry is predatory because of this seems like a stretch to me. To be sure, there are series that criticize the toxicity in the idol industry, Wake Up Girls being a prime example, as well as the idol fandom (Ochikobore Fruit Tart, which people mistake as an idol anime) |
| You can buy lossless digital music from your favorite Japanese artists on https://ototoy.jp/. The songs are all DRM-free and you can re-download your purchased albums as you wish. Show your support to your favorite artist if you can! ps. if you are looking for Japanese albums, you have to search it in Japanese (not romaji). Just copy and paste the name. For those who want to learn Japanese through anime Resources for learning the language |
| Only animation. In general, no. I don't think west is better. However, since Castlevania exist, it clears 90% of bs that is anime right now. |
DreamingBeats said: @LSSJ_Gaming I see, thanks for the examples. I haven't watched the series you mentioned as they don't interest me. @SkyfallStar I can't comment about the other series, since I haven't seen them yet, but it is true that many anime delves in the topic of solitude and the work culture. Although these seem more to do with the Japanese culture rather than politics. As for Shiroi Suna, on the other hand, I think you're reading too much into it. From what I recall, Fuuka was given the opportunity to be the leader of a group, but rejected the offer after feeling pity for one of her team mates. Saying that the idol industry is predatory because of this seems like a stretch to me. To be sure, there are series that criticize the toxicity in the idol industry, Wake Up Girls being a prime example, as well as the idol fandom (Ochikobore Fruit Tart, which people mistake as an idol anime) Culture and politics go hands tied. What we deem accaptle on cultural level is also within the legal limit. Work culture is a political issue, since people are being forced to overwork and have limited workers’ rights. It separates families, drives people into suicide/isolation and damages already low birth rate, since insane work hours leave no time for personal relationships. Politically devastating issue. I think it is no stretch to see that Shiroi Suna is commenting on the predatory nature of the idol industry. Obviously they can’t show the most ugly sides of them, because Japan has defamation laws that protect even criminals that have been proven to be guilty. They could be easily sued for ”exposing” them or for depicting them ”unfalteringly”. Nonetheless it shows that even acting in good faith in that industry can be a major issue. Fuuka realized later she didn’t even need it anyway, but attitude of her company was quite toxic. Constant need to overstep your colleges seems pretty predatory to me. |
| Western animation is clearly as capable as Japanese animation. They might even be better in some aspects. It is important to note that western animation and japanese animation are two totally different industries with different values, ideas and target audiences. Just like for comics too, there is enormous gap between American comics, European bande-dessinée and Japanese mangas. While japanese animation has more production power they tend to be less daring and mostly stick to manga adaptation while western animation makes more exclusively original content with some exclusion in french animation where some comics are adapted. In terms of originality for scenarios, I think that western animation tends to be superior. The ordinary Japanese anime tend to always fall into the same gimmicks: isekais, harem, shonen male protagonists, panty shots, nose bleeds, etc ... But also in the way the episodes are written: beach episodes, school festival episode, summer festival episodes, training arcs, tournament arcs. Japanese animation tend to use a strucute for their whole serie but western animation tends to use a same structure for each episodes. Which has a few merits. For example: Totally Spies or Regular Shows, they each follow a same structure for each episodes. This eases the writting process while still allowing the writers to explore new ideas. Western cartoons also use a subplot or second plot like in Phineas and Ferb. An episodical series allows the show continue indefinitely and to not suffer backlash if it is cut. Cartoons are specifically made for Television. You can watch any random episodes and not feel left behind. Non-episodical animes are better for streaming and DVDs. Proof that they are two separate industries that work differently. The anime target audience is also way older than the cartoon audience. If anime has more production power, it doesn't come with great quality. There is quality sure, but if you were to watch everything that came out of the anime industries, more often than not you'll be faced with mediocrity. While TV cartoon tends to be more consistent in their quality. Not mind-blowing but consitent. There are efficient, easier to draw for the animator but still pleasant to the eyes (Unless for Cal-Art I hate that shit). Character design is also more creative than in anime. You cannot confuse two characters from two different cartoons but in anime all we seem to get are big eyes bright haired anime characters. There are exeptions sure, but then again I'm talking about the generic content, the total sum of what is produced by both industries. But when anime is good once in a while, damn does it goes Hard ! Where anime wins is the sheer amount of content that is available and tailored for every kind of audiences. Psychological, Humor, Adventure, Romance, Dark, Light,... anime has it all. There is an infinity of animes to watch. Western content is pale in comparison. Japan's mass production is good and a bad thing I would say. I grew up watching French and American animation (Canada+US) with a side of Russian animation. I comfidently say that I remember almost every cartoon that watched in my childhood. But as for the animes I watched more recenty ? No. Japanese mass cloning of animes made me forget about at least half of them. It's only when I check my list that I remember them. The insides of the Japanese industry are also quite ugly. Animators are fed with bread crumbs and given absolutely awful deadlines with the only excuse that they're able to do their dream job. I don't think one is better than the other but I feel like the japanese industry is definitely overrestimated. People will try to defend it by presenting their favorite high production animes. Which seems like the best way to defend it at first glance but definitely lacks objectivity. Both animation groups are capable of greatness and mediocrity. With each their own pros and cons. [font="\"Proxima Nova Regular\", \"Helvetica Neue\", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"]  [/font]Image: Ernest & Celestine (2012) PS: Apolgy for bad englich |
SupChocoFeb 22, 2023 2:22 PM
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| I don't even watch western animation to answer that.. The last western animation I watched was hit monkey and it was set in Tokyo and had Olivia Munn who is almost half Japanese |
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| I don't care about western animation, it may be better than anime right now but the only cartoon that I've finished a whole season of it in the last two years was the first season of Cuphead which was a 6/10 at best experience. I won't even vote because of that, it would be quite unfair. |
| If you have time to think of a beautiful end, then live beautifully until the end. ” -Gintoki Sakata |
| Western Cartoons suck. It's all the same crappy Steven Universe wanna-be's, series that have lasted way past the point of being stale (Simpsons and South Park and Family Guy are practically being held together with duct tape now), or awful reboots like that Velma trash. The only good new cartoon i like is the Beavis and Butt-Head reboot. |
| My waifu is the most wonderful waifu. Mai Valentine. We're freaking out that we're running out of time, but to do what? Should i stop and think of that? Is there something i could do to slow it down? Live in a day for once, instead of watch it sprinting by |
| There are great cartoons but I definitely don't watch them for their animation. Looking forward to the new Futurama season. |
| i cant think of a good recent western animation besides Castlevania |
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| It's been a long time since I saw a western cartoon I liked. Maybe Futurama lol? My childhood had many favorite western animated films, like Balto and Titan AE, but I don't think movies like those are even made anymore... |
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