| "I'm a college art major and I'll tell you why it is not art. I'm not being bias because I like anime and just got back from comicon. Anime is for the most part the same thing over and over.They eyes, hair, and the bodies always look the same in almost every anime. There is noting that sets apart one artists style from the other. If you were to compare one persons anime drawing and look at anothers you would notice that the eyes are gonna be drawn the same and look like every other anime. In art you have 100s of styles and are free to do what you want. But in anime you are confined by the normal standard anime style ( big eyes, crazy hair etc.) Anime is a very very very hard style to do anything new or ground breaking in. If you were to break the mold and do something new it won't look like anime anymore. Think of how many styles you can draw a person in, hundreds from abstract to impressionism to surrealism. Now think of how many styles you can draw an anime person in and still keep that anime style? You have very few styles. I think iits art but, I think it's a lower form of art and honestlly not as talented. Anime art is very black and white nothing new once you seen one style you have seen them all. Hope this helps." -Some Dude from Yahoo Answers TL;DR; all anime looks the same, so therefor anime is a low form of art, borderline not art. I've also found out that art teachers really dislike the fact that their students are drawing anime-styled characters because they don't believe that it's creative. Also an article about how anime isn't creative can be found at http://www.riuva.com/?p=1369. So what's the deal? Are people like these just confusing the style of anime with the actual definition? Have these people just not seen enough anime to actually get an accurate understanding for what anime is? Are these people actually on to something? Is the style of anime so uncreative that it shouldn't be considered art? Thread also includes any manga, if that wasn't obvious. Discuss. |
| "But ur a retard." ~Akito_Kinomoto |
| I don't care about their opinions or if it's considered art or not. I enjoy and love anime, so i watch it. Oh and don't get me wrong, anime has lots of different art styles that make them unique. |
| "There is noting that sets apart one artists style from the other." I'll have to remind myself the next time I watch Lucky Star that Konata looks exactly like Revy. Also, lol 'noting' |
| Same goes with video games. Who knows, who cares. Just enjoy it and stop debating whenever it's art or not. |
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| Depending on your definition of art, anything could be considered "art". |
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| One could rise similar arguments about film, but it's considered an art, so I'd say that's more than reason enough. |
EeyoreJul 30, 2013 7:31 PM
| Either way it's still awesome. NBD. |
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| I believe anime is an artform.That's like say abstract isn't becouse it's just a blob of badly painted shapes and colors. Sure some of them look alike, but there are quite a few different styles. Take Lucky Star and Deathnote for example, those characters look nothing alike except for the basics. |
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| So that person basically assumes that drawing 'anime' is limited to just the characters? So if you drew a beautiful and gorgeous background and put a 'anime' looking human there instead of a 'non-anime' looking one instead, the anime one wouldn't be considered art because the person in the image has a 'anime' design? |
This is considered art: So yes. I would say anime is art. Art covers pretty much a wide variety of things. SO i dont see why not. |
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| that really depends on your definition of art. i happen to believe that anime is not a stand alone art form but is part of the bigger category of art called animation. same as how i dont call individual movies or songs art but i call film and music art. |
| Just because you know how to use a torrent does not give you the god given right to pirate. My actual list: https://kitsu.io/users/mattbenz99/library check out my youtube channel for my review: https://www.youtube.com/user/mattbenz99 |
| It's a medium of art and storytelling. |
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| There are plenty artsy/non-conventional animation done in Japan. Kujira no Chouyaku Aru Tabibito no Nikki Inaka Isha Tenshi no Tamago 1001 Nights Just to name a few Manga can be done artistically too Taiyou Matsumoto is someone who really pushed manga as an artform with Takemitsu Zamurai (it's not about the artstyle quirkiness, although there is that there is much more to it) If you want something more literary there is Nijigahara Holograph. And then there are things like: Kurokami no Helga Yume no Soko Olimpos and much much more. |
| I remember watching something dealing with cars awhile back and one guy that was interviewed was asked if he considered certain cars to be "art". He responded with the following definition: "'Art' refers to anything at all that serves no purpose other than itself." So if were to go by this, anime could definitely be considered art. After all, the only reason it's made is to sell DVDs and fund the production of more anime. |
| I'm dead. Don't come looking for me. |
| This topic looks questionable, but... LEGOF said: Art is so broad, just about anything could be considered art. That's the basic answer. If we're talking about legit and respectable art, then I dunno. Anime is a medium, and rather than judging the whole thing as art or not, you could pick out the reasons why anime could be used to express art, and not just the stereotypical "anime-esque style." And no, anime isn't just the "same thing over and over." It probably is if that guy is talking about airing anime, or if we're going into that "90% of everything is crap" thing, but it's not like we're getting stuff like 5 Centimeters Per Second, Revolutionary Girl Utena, or Kaiba every season. It would be nice, but all we can do is wait for the next blue moon. So...Yeah, anime isn't just about the character designs, or even the characters. And really, the word "art" seems to be thrown around as the visual design of things. The person in the quote doesn't seem to mention backgrounds, or filming techniques, or animation, or any of that crazy stuff. It seems almost too easy to cherry pick various anime to throw out stuff that are "artsy," but I don't think that would do much. Anyways, here's something I found: An interpretation of ecchi as legit art. Whether if it's right or not, I found it interesting because I had no idea there was even a way to interpret ecchi as an art. |
ShockedJul 30, 2013 8:38 PM
Shocked said: im gonna steal this and move it to one of my threads. well done.This topic looks questionable, but... LEGOF said: Art is so broad, just about anything could be considered art. That's the basic answer. If we're talking about legit and respectable art, then I dunno. Anime is a medium, and rather than judging the whole thing as art or not, you could pick out the reasons why anime could be used to express art, and not just the stereotypical "anime-esque style." And no, anime isn't just the "same thing over and over." It probably is if that guy is talking about airing anime, or if we're going into that "90% of everything is crap" thing, but it's not like we're getting stuff like 5 Centimeters Per Second, Revolutionary Girl Utena, or Kaiba every season. It would be nice, but all we can do is wait for the next blue moon. So...Yeah, anime isn't just about the character designs, or even the characters. And really, the word "art" seems to be thrown around as the visual design of things. The person in the quote doesn't seem to mention backgrounds, or filming techniques, or animation, or any of that crazy stuff. It seems almost too easy to cherry pick various anime to throw out stuff that are "artsy," but I don't think that would do much. Anyways, here's something I found: An interpretation of ecchi as legit art. Whether if it's right or not, I found it interesting because I had no idea there was even interpret ecchi as an art. |
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Shocked said: So...Yeah, anime isn't just about the character designs, or even the characters. And really, the word "art" seems to be thrown around as the visual design of things. The person in the quote doesn't seem to mention backgrounds, or filming techniques, or animation, or any of that crazy stuff. It seems almost too easy to cherry pick various anime to throw out stuff that are "artsy," but I don't think that would do much. Not to mention the music, voice acting and general soundscape. But I guess music can't be art. |
| Art is more then just the actual art style. Most anything can be considered art, anime is no exception. I remember awhile back when Roger Ebert made a comment about video games not being art and it became a big deal. Obviously Roger Ebert has never played Shadow of the Colossus and the dude from Yahoo Answers has never seen Paranoia Agent. |
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Negative-Travis said: I remember watching something dealing with cars awhile back and one guy that was interviewed was asked if he considered certain cars to be "art". He responded with the following definition: "'Art' refers to anything at all that serves no purpose other than itself." So if were to go by this, anime could definitely be considered art. After all, the only reason it's made is to sell DVDs and fund the production of more anime. Well arguing what is art in general is pretty pointless in itself nowadays, it's something that has been dropped as a matter altogether long time ago. Art is art, what is art is irrelevant to art. |
| That quote in the OP comes off as extremely pretentious. Anime is art but it's probably not going to be considered art-art by snobs. |
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| I must have had a shit taste. Because people think this is art and this is not art |
| Yeah, I just don't think people who make judgements like that have seen enough anime to be...well...correct. If one were to look at the vast variety of animation and art styles that exist in different anime, it would immediately destroy the "all anime art is generic" argument. If you've only seen very few series, and if those series are more along then generic side, then yeah I suppose you could think that all anime looks the same. But that's wrong, and the best way to cure such a false sentiment is to watch more anime. Yes, anime is art. |
 I miss image BBC Code. May this sig stand as a testament to SSJMaster's power. |
OriginANIME said: Depending on your definition of art, anything could be considered "art". Exactly, anything can be called art, it is all up to a person to decide what is art or not. |
| OP "for the most part" yes anime CAN be art |
| Maybe the medium itself can't be called art. But there is art contained within it. OP, considering that you have Chuchu as your avatar, I imagine that you've seen at least one artistic anime. There are paintings that are considered art. There are other paintings that are definitely not art (Elvis on velvet, for instance). There are films that are considered art. And there are others that aren't (almost any Summer blockbuster). So, that's my opinion on it. It's not the medium that makes it art but what is done in the framework of the medium. Also: Nothing written in Yahoo Answers should be taken seriously. Ever. |
| Somewhere, there is an unplugged toaster sitting on a Coleman stove. Does it feel lonely? |
| If Mushi-Shi isn't art, I don't know what is. And don't forget that animators draw concept art before making anything, concept art that is considered art. So if the prototype is considered art, why wouldn't the perfected form be? |
| "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream!" - George W. Bush |
| Anime is not all about char designs, though... This is art: But just to humour the "college art major", here's some convetional totally generic char design: |
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IHAFUF said: OriginANIME said: Depending on your definition of art, anything could be considered "art". Exactly, anything can be called art, it is all up to a person to decide what is art or not. This. The art is purely subjective. |
I luv u |
| What about these pieces? The guys opinion seems really subjective to me and he come off as an arrogant person as well as ignorant |
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| I like to think about anime in the same way I think about stuff like form poetry and popular music. All three have certain conventions which must be adhered to at least the majority of the time in order to stay within the genre of work they are classified within, but it's the creators skill in utilizing the various parts and elements of those genres in interesting and original ways which gives their art meaning and quality. Basically, yeah anime is rigid and dogmatic, but so is ancient Greek theater. |
| Not if you're like this guy: |
This topic has not been locked and is still available for discussion. |
ssrex said: I've also found out that art teachers really dislike the fact that their students are drawing anime-styled characters because they don't believe that it's creative. I was about to say that an art student can't be this dumb, till I got this sentence. I don't know about other countries, but I think I can see where the professors attitude comes from. Basically, if you study fine arts, they have to teach you many things - proportions, perspectives, compositions, shading/manipulation of light (let say), types of strokes, usage of different materials, combining and replacing techniques - in summary, the ABC of making a proper, believable, and 3D looking object (or portrait) in a flat surface. Translated, it means that you start with sketches and turn them into drawing, where the initial defining lines disappear. The purpose of this is to evade errors and cheap techniques like smudging to achieve that said believability of the object you're drawing. The harder, the better - sort of. With this being the basic drawing skill one should master, consequent creative intentions have nothing to do with with the narrow pedagogical purpose. I would understand if those teachers keep the manga style at bay - almost every beginner in drawing tends to skip, intentionally or not, the pains of learning all that jazz. These criteria in drawing have been derived within the Western tradition, though, and again - has nothing to do with the concepts of drawing in the East, or Africa, or w/e. At least, I hope this is what they meant - it makes no sense otherwise. And yeah, this art guy is dumb - anime and manga are forms of arts - no doubt about it. |
MyLonesomeCowboy said: I like to think about anime in the same way I think about stuff like form poetry and popular music. All three have certain conventions which must be adhered to at least the majority of the time in order to stay within the genre of work they are classified within, but it's the creators skill in utilizing the various parts and elements of those genres in interesting and original ways which gives their art meaning and quality. Basically, yeah anime is rigid and dogmatic, but so is ancient Greek theater. You nailed it. Everything in art either creates or follows a convention. And the latter is way more frequent. Real originality is an event that, in a given art category, can pretty much happen once in a lifetime. The quote is not pretentious or snobby, though. It is downright stupid. As if art itself had defined categories of superiority and inferiority. And "it's artistic because it's more talented" is really in the level of saying "it's hilarious because it makes laugh". And like Shrabster said anime is a multidisciplinary category, you can't judge its art alone by the drawing and not take into account every element in it. |
| Picasso vs random fanartist. The first is consitered a masterpiece the second something to buy for $10. Go figure. I guess is nice knowing i was drawing masterpieces as a 5 year old. |
Akito_Kinomoto said: That quote in the OP comes off as extremely pretentious. Anime is art but it's probably not going to be considered art-art by snobs. "It's not art if it's not my art!" Personally that quote, despite claiming it's not being biased, is extremely biased. It sounds like it came from someone who hovers over anime and has little to no experience with it. I have seen similarities in art styles across many anime I've seen, but each of them has always had its own style to some degree. This is like when people say all Japanese voice actors sound the same. Once you watch enough anime, you can easily dispel this idea and there will be voices that stand out more than ever. |
ZekkenshinAug 1, 2013 2:59 AM
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| Lol, I stopped taking this seriously when I saw it was based on some random guy on yahoo. I mean saying that anime only has one artstyle is like saying 'I never watch anime and have no clue what it actually is'. |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| also, what about superflat? |
| Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. |
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Veronin said: Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. Are art and entertainment really opposite concepts? |
jal90 said: Veronin said: Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. Are art and entertainment really opposite concepts? Art is something that tries to appeal to the emotions on a deeper level. It doesn't even have to be pleasant - it can be melancholic, disturbing, even terrifying. Or it can remove any sense of sentimentality and use it as a vehicle for expressing an idea. Entertainment is one-dimensional and solely seeks to give the audience immediate satisfaction. Kind of like sex or masturbation. You enjoy it for a while and then stop caring about it afterwards. Obviously there's some overlap between the two, but most anime can be defined solely as entertainment. |
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| Of course it is, what else would it be? Anime and manga has it's own distinctive art style, and yes there are a lot of anime that look similar but it's still 'art'. It's not art on the same level as the stuff you find in galleries and whatnot, but a lot of time and effort goes into making anime and manga, and the end result is something that provokes some sort of emotion out of the viewer/reader. If it wasn't art we'd all be sitting watching blank screens. |
| If a blank portrait with only a dot in the middle is displayed at art gallery... THEN HOW DA FUCK IS ANIME NOT ART?! |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| I get pissed at this. First of all, unless it's done by the same mangaka, hardly any series look the same. There is a general style, yes, but isn't that the same with many art movements? Like for expressionism, all the paintings have that look that is messy as fuck. I'm not calling anime/manga an art movement btw. Second, in galleries, I've seen plenty of plain plastic or wooden boxes with nothing on them whatsoever and yet they're considered art. There's also always the 'let's pour paint all over this canvas' pieces in many exhibitions. So why can't 40 pages that a mangaka spends almost a month considered art too? ssrex said: I've also found out that art teachers really dislike the fact that their students are drawing anime-styled characters because they don't believe that it's creative. That's my art teacher all right. I am so going to fail my art GCSEs. =_= |
^ *prays for the day BBCode allows images again* |
Veronin said: jal90 said: Veronin said: Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. Are art and entertainment really opposite concepts? Art is something that tries to appeal to the emotions on a deeper level. It doesn't even have to be pleasant - it can be melancholic, disturbing, even terrifying. Or it can remove any sense of sentimentality and use it as a vehicle for expressing an idea. Entertainment is one-dimensional and solely seeks to give the audience immediate satisfaction. Kind of like sex or masturbation. You enjoy it for a while and then stop caring about it afterwards. Obviously there's some overlap between the two, but most anime can be defined solely as entertainment. Entertainment is not more or less one-dimensional than art, because it really isn't tied to a specific degree of involvement. I can be entertained by something because I dig deeply into its themes as well as the contrary because I look at it from the surface level. Entertainment in fiction only describes the trend to escape the real world and embrace the fictional one (escapism), which alone doesn't say anything about the specific involvement you have with it. And if the show makes you relate the content to something in your reality, it's not any less escapist, because you are getting this feeling through the fictional depiction. |
MyLonesomeCowboy said: also, what about superflat? are you asking if superflat is art? my answer is a resounding YES Edit: Have you ever read "Little Boy - The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture" ? It definitely gave me a new appreciation for superflat. Of course its edited by Takashi Murakami so.... lol |
Kewpie_dollAug 1, 2013 10:14 AM
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