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Would you stop watching anime if character designs stopped being appealing?

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Sep 10, 9:41 PM
#1

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Apr 2018
3371
Imagine if every anime looked like a low-budget Netflix cartoon where everyone’s wearing grey and has generic faces. Even if the writing was good, would you have the same motivation to keep up? Would you stay for the story, or dip out when the waifus/husbandos stop being eye candy?
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Sep 10, 9:53 PM
#2
BIKINI⚔️ARMOR

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May 2019
10119
Oh absolutely, if anime weren't so beautiful to look at anymore i would drop it immediately, it's the main reason i don't watch and hate American cartoons.



Sep 10, 10:03 PM
#3

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Mar 2020
108
I say this as someone who watches the majority of isekai every season.... yes
Sep 10, 10:17 PM
#4

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Sep 2020
108
I would make an exception for comedy if it makes me laugh. Every other genre and I'm out. I don't wanna watch a romance with ugly characters.
Sep 10, 10:23 PM
#5

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Jun 2016
3522
Of course most people would, one of the main reasons anime is so successful is its aesthetics.
Sep 10, 10:27 PM
#6

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Sep 2024
180
Reply to tchitchouan
Oh absolutely, if anime weren't so beautiful to look at anymore i would drop it immediately, it's the main reason i don't watch and hate American cartoons.



@tchitchouan Early KoTH has a very distinct and great visual style.
Sep 10, 10:35 PM
#7
BIKINI⚔️ARMOR

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May 2019
10119
Reply to Toadfan64
@tchitchouan Early KoTH has a very distinct and great visual style.
@Toadfan64 I disagree american adult animated cartoons like KoTH, Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, Family Guy, American Dad never had a "great visual style" but this is subjective and depends how much you like or can tolerate that "distinctive art style" but it's certainly better than the 2010's Calarts face.
Sep 10, 10:43 PM
#8

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Sep 2024
180
Reply to tchitchouan
@Toadfan64 I disagree american adult animated cartoons like KoTH, Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, Family Guy, American Dad never had a "great visual style" but this is subjective and depends how much you like or can tolerate that "distinctive art style" but it's certainly better than the 2010's Calarts face.
@tchitchouan Personally, I'm a fan of that older kinda ugly distinctive style of shows like KoTH, Beavis and Butthead, and especially the Klasky Csupo cartoons like Rugrats or Ahh Real Monsters.

I'll agree on Calarts though. That shit is trash and ugly in a bad way.
Sep 10, 10:44 PM
#9

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Feb 2020
1450
Sounds very cursed. Thankfully it'll never happen.

Sep 10, 10:47 PM
BIKINI⚔️ARMOR

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May 2019
10119
Reply to Toadfan64
@tchitchouan Personally, I'm a fan of that older kinda ugly distinctive style of shows like KoTH, Beavis and Butthead, and especially the Klasky Csupo cartoons like Rugrats or Ahh Real Monsters.

I'll agree on Calarts though. That shit is trash and ugly in a bad way.
@Toadfan64 I have nothing against the 90s/00s Adult animated cartoon style it's just not my thing, i much prefer the Hannah Barbara/Looney Toons style of the 60s because it's the one i grew up and most familiar with. Glad we can both agree that the 2010s Calarts artstyle sucks ass compared to the past ones.
Yesterday, 12:36 AM

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Sep 2016
21063
Hard to say, I appreciate lovely character designs, but their personalities are even more important to me.
Yesterday, 12:48 AM

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Apr 2016
589
Absolutely! I don't watch anime where the main characters don't look attractive to me.
Yesterday, 12:56 AM

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Apr 2024
1346
Obviously.

Same reason I stopped playing western games.
Yesterday, 1:06 AM

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Nov 2021
970
Yes i read the synopsis but the animation design is important too.
Yesterday, 1:28 AM

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Jul 2019
1197
would you stop looking at art if the art was ugly? yes.
Yesterday, 1:33 AM

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May 2014
566
Nah idc about it, I'm fine with ugly designs if the rest is good.
Nothing amazing ever happens here. Everything is ordinary.
♫ This staircase, it leads only
To some old pictures of you
Through an a-thousand-mile-long tube ♫
Yesterday, 2:22 AM

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May 2021
5032
Dragevard said:
Imagine if every anime looked like a low-budget Netflix cartoon where everyone’s wearing grey and has generic faces. Even if the writing was good, would you have the same motivation to keep up? Would you stay for the story, or dip out when the waifus/husbandos stop being eye candy?

If anime went down that path it'd have 2 choices

1) Change back to making visually appealing characters

2) Ceace to exist

As much as some people want to pretend that looks don't matter because it's somehow "progressive", it is part of human nature to seek out what is visually appealing, sure looks alone aren't enough to keep that interest going and there is also a subjective element to it, but it still plays an important role, take beauty away from humans, and they'll just start finding ways to create it themselves
Yesterday, 2:43 AM

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Oct 2020
980
It depends on how bad the cds look honestly.


 "Hard work is worthless for those that don’t believe in themselves" - Naruto Uzumaki
Yesterday, 2:57 AM

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Oct 2021
867
Would you stop watching anime if character designs stopped being appealing?

I just would stop watching new anime and rewatch the shows I like.
Yesterday, 5:51 AM
☽⛤☾🐈

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Nov 2013
656
There might still be some series that I'd give a chance if the premise itself was interesting enough but the character designs are a huge part of why I like anime/manga so losing that would cause me to lose a lot of interest in the medium
Yesterday, 6:16 AM

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Dec 2015
567
Yes, yes I would. It's the main reason I even watch anime.
Yesterday, 6:38 AM

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Jun 2020
853
Of course, its part of why I enjoy media, pleasing character designs. Now what people find appealing can be different depending on tastes. For now, there are wide varieties of styles for everyone to enjoy.

"Don't let your memes be dreams."- Ancient Japanese proverb, probably
Yesterday, 7:11 AM
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Feb 2025
511
Probably not. I have been watching some Code Lyoko episodes on occasion recently, and I don't think the characters are particularly appealing and it doesn't bother me. Not sure exactly if that's unappealing enough to qualify
Yesterday, 7:15 AM

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May 2015
1781
One of the reasons that I changed from watching american cartoons to anime was the character designs (and the aesthetic in general). If anime too started looking like shit I would say good bye to it in no time.
IshitatesoYesterday, 9:00 AM
Yesterday, 8:15 AM

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May 2018
1229
Maybe less. Yeah nice looking characters are a plus but I watch shit that looks god awful as well soooo I'd continue
Yesterday, 10:15 AM

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Mar 2012
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Yesterday, 10:58 AM

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Oct 2022
2662
Reply to TransferUser
Obviously.

Same reason I stopped playing western games.
@TransferUser *GASP* you're triggering the leftists who now try to claim woke never happened
Yesterday, 11:22 AM

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Jul 2021
10377
Of course I would. Style >> Substance
Anti-aliasing enthusiast
Yesterday, 11:29 AM

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Jan 2024
3566
One of the reason I watch anime is because beautiful anime girls. So unfortunately yes I will stop.
Yesterday, 11:42 AM

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Jan 2021
6822
The main appeal of anime are the vibrant character designs and the hot anime waifus.
If you enjoyed the time you wasted, then its not a waste of time.

Yesterday, 11:50 AM
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Apr 2024
2232
Obviously, anime is a visual medium, visual appeal is part of the storytelling
Characters don't have to look pretty but they should be appealing, bland design is bad storytelling
Yesterday, 11:59 AM
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Apr 2024
2232
Reply to DigiCat
Dragevard said:
Imagine if every anime looked like a low-budget Netflix cartoon where everyone’s wearing grey and has generic faces. Even if the writing was good, would you have the same motivation to keep up? Would you stay for the story, or dip out when the waifus/husbandos stop being eye candy?

If anime went down that path it'd have 2 choices

1) Change back to making visually appealing characters

2) Ceace to exist

As much as some people want to pretend that looks don't matter because it's somehow "progressive", it is part of human nature to seek out what is visually appealing, sure looks alone aren't enough to keep that interest going and there is also a subjective element to it, but it still plays an important role, take beauty away from humans, and they'll just start finding ways to create it themselves
@DigiCat honestly that claim is sad because the claim the designs shouldn't be appealing is actually the opposite of what the goal is! It all started with people saying people can look beautiful without looking conventionally attractive, defending ugly and bad designs sends the opposite message that people are ugly if they aren't conventionally attractive
Look at gundam G-witch, many different body shapes and sizes, every character looks pretty, it sends such a better message than defending bland design with representation and realism
Yesterday, 12:39 PM

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Jul 2021
10377
Reply to Guilmon1
@DigiCat honestly that claim is sad because the claim the designs shouldn't be appealing is actually the opposite of what the goal is! It all started with people saying people can look beautiful without looking conventionally attractive, defending ugly and bad designs sends the opposite message that people are ugly if they aren't conventionally attractive
Look at gundam G-witch, many different body shapes and sizes, every character looks pretty, it sends such a better message than defending bland design with representation and realism
@Guilmon1 Body positivity really quickly turned into glorifying obesity, you expect people to believe anything you just said?
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Yesterday, 12:43 PM
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Apr 2024
2232
Reply to JaniSIr
@Guilmon1 Body positivity really quickly turned into glorifying obesity, you expect people to believe anything you just said?
@JaniSIr people can have different body shapes and sizes without being obese, I wasn't talking about obesity
Yesterday, 12:45 PM

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Jul 2015
14341
Character designs stopped being appealing to me in the 2000s, yet I'm still here.
Prophetess of the Golden Era
Yesterday, 1:00 PM

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Mar 2009
518
Would you stop watching anime if character designs stopped being appealing?

Do you mean like western video games how ugly charters is the new norm so a bunch of twits can feel special. Yes I would quit anime in a heart beat. thankfully just like video games not all creators are that dumb and only listen to a minority of idiots. So I don´t think all anime will end like that no.
Yesterday, 1:12 PM

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Jan 2013
425
If "stopped being appealing" means only that they stopped being hot people, then I'd continue watching. Probably I'd be more selective with what I watch and maybe be less into anime, but I'd still give a chance to interesting premises.

If "stopped being appealing" means that the art became really ugly, then I'd probably stop.
Yesterday, 1:14 PM

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Sep 2018
14227
I would stop watching newer stuff, and watch more older anime.


I already stopped consuming western media because of dei.
Yesterday, 1:21 PM

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Nov 2016
32838
The cartoons I kinda liked as a child would be considered hideous by most and I wouldn't disagree




One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron


Yesterday, 1:38 PM

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Jul 2021
10377
Reply to Guilmon1
@JaniSIr people can have different body shapes and sizes without being obese, I wasn't talking about obesity
@Guilmon1 In a different context I might have even agreed with you, but no, we gotta protect the fictional beauty standard.
Anti-aliasing enthusiast
Yesterday, 1:48 PM
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Apr 2024
2232
Reply to JaniSIr
@Guilmon1 In a different context I might have even agreed with you, but no, we gotta protect the fictional beauty standard.
@JaniSIr ...where did I say characters shouldn't be beautiful? I said they should be, and using diversity as an excuse for bland characters is stupid when you can have a diverse cast of different looking characters that are all visually appealing, being cool or pretty or just interesting designs, even ugly designs can still be visually appealing in other ways so there's no excuse to not make appealing designs
Yesterday, 1:49 PM

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Mar 2019
670
Yes. Why would anyone consume a visual medium if it is visually unappealing to them?
Yesterday, 2:24 PM

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Sep 2024
93
Nope. If you can't enjoy anything unless you can jack off to it there must be something deeply wrong with you
Yesterday, 2:38 PM

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Apr 2024
1346



I mean, there's a reason we all watch anime and not cartoons.
Yesterday, 4:13 PM
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Sep 2022
379
A lot of people here are not reading the OP. They're talking about bland design, not unusual or "ugly"design. That would put me off, I think. But appealing isn't always pretty.
Yesterday, 6:30 PM
Daydreamer

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Oct 2023
158
maybe, if storyline makes up for it so then i'll think about it
Yesterday, 6:56 PM

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Apr 2022
7770
anime already has unappealing character designs, gachiakuta is currently airing.
Yesterday, 7:14 PM
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Mar 2017
1369
No. I don't watch western cartoons, but even then it isn't that much the character designs ( can be at times) but it's more so the content, the dialogue, the themes aren't appealing.

Even some of the weirdest anime or the blandest shows or the cutest characters or the particular dynamics/gimmicks are still enough for me to care about anime over western cartoons.

OVA, movies, tv series, manga more so these days, visual novels I'm engaging more in. Yeah no matter what still sticking with manga/VNs or anime over western media unless it's gaming then it varies there too per genre but anime/manga/VNs it's usually still romcoms or dramas, unless it's an older series I didn't mind the action scenes in.

Kids cartoons it varies, but adult ones nah none have ever interested me at all.

I'd still rather watch claymation or stop motion then 2D/3D animated movies or TV shows from the west. So I do engage in western animation just not the typical ones due to what they offer in them.

Also the comedy, oh it's so not engaging at all. For some western sitcoms I can enjoy it but for others not even a single line of dialogue or jokes is entertaining.

Sure anime tropes aren't the best either but I can at least tolerate them, western ones I'm sick of or don't even care for modern or older ones as much at all.

Then again even some not as cutesy or even some ugly anime characters I have read or watched and been like yeah that captured it's themes well enough to support the character designs.

Character designs can help but it isn't the only factor it's more dialogue/themes being tolerable first.
Suntanned_Duck2Yesterday, 7:18 PM
Yesterday, 9:55 PM

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Oct 2024
292
Reply to giantpudding
Nope. If you can't enjoy anything unless you can jack off to it there must be something deeply wrong with you
@giantpudding Appeal doesn’t have to be just masturbatory, idiot.
Yesterday, 10:13 PM

Offline
Feb 2025
452
It depends on how bad it is. If it's truly awful, I'd stop watching anime.
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