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Originally Posted by
wolfgirl90
It has, which is kinda my point. Not all anime has the same style. There is a common one, yes, one that is very recognizable the moment that anyone sees it, but not ALL anime follow this style. Westerners just use the word "anime" to refer to Japanese animation. Because of this, if we decide to call Avatar an anime, it needs to have some trait in it that ALL anime share in order for it be an anime (for me and most people, the trait that all anime share is origin; all anime are from Japan). Simply having a common look is not enough. Legless lizards LOOK like snakes, but they are not snakes. Hyenas LOOK like dogs, but they are not dogs. Avatar LOOKS like an anime, but its not an anime.
You bring up style traits (In terms of how it looks) but what else would you say defines an anime?
(apart from being Japanese)
Storytelling? Genres? Themes?
Perhpas you could go through and define what is an anime based upon certain techniques I'm not really up on the whole tecnical side of cartoon and anime making processes so here is where I have to stop lol)
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CGI is a form of animation. Since Appleseed is from Japan and is animated, yes, I would consider Appleseed an anime.:p
Sorry this is only peripherally relevant but some call it anime but others consider CGI to basically be a completely seperate form of animation
Although Vandread (Or code Lyoko for Cartoons) for example would put this to rest being both more traditional animation with CGI
but pure CGI seems to bemoving into a realm seperate from ANIME/Cartoon IMO
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And what IS a cartoon to you, exactly?
A cartoon.
Is a animation style based upon a unique look
It has it's own style in terms of how it actually draws characters and their features etc
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I honestly don't think that Avatar challenged a thing because it certainly is not the first cartoon to have an anime infuence (Transformers and Thundercats did the same thing 20 years ago).
I think it did
If only because Avatar came and gained a more mainsteam popularity and got pushed to the forefront of this debate as the posterchild for "American Anime"
Again, for the sake of simplicity, I use the words "cartoon" and "anime" to denote origin (America and Japan, respectively). I don't use them to refer to any type of style because not all cartoons have the same style (Avatar proves this) and not all anime have the same style (Shin Chan proves this).
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Its pretty obvious that Avatar blends anime styles with American cartoon styles. Because of this, what I want to know is why, if Avatar is a BLEND of anime and American cartoon styles, should it be called "anime" (and ONLY anime) and not a "cartoon"?
I guess I'm really not trying to say it can ONLY be called an anime but that it should not be barred from being called an anime simply because of origins
I seem to have moved to more of a Devils advocate for it tho
Really I think it should be permissable to call it an anime or a cartoon
depending on the individual really
I also think "Anime Influenced" isn't really all that great a definition
The guy who made the original Manga (Tecuma Ozawa wasn't it?) drew heavily from Disney so technically you can call all Animes "Cartoon Influenced" but we don't
I think Avatar simply deserves the same treatment
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True, but in order to expand the definition, there needs to be an acknowledgment of an "anime style" (again, the only reason why we are talking right now is because Avatar LOOKS like an anime).
Remember alot of people also claim the stroytelling and narrative styles of anime are different frm Cartoons
And Avatar seems to hold to that (Animewise) compared to it's more cartoon peers
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And in order to lump all anime together by style, there needs to be SOME stylistic trait in common in ALL anime (if origin is no longer a factor). In order to make a group, there needs to be SOMETHING in common among all members, something they have in relation to each other, something they have in common. If we can't do that with anime (again, with origin no longer a factor), then we are stuck.
Perhaps a sliding scale then?
Instead of two camps
Anime and Cartoon
They are placed on a scale ranging from anime on one side
Cartoon on the other and arrange the shows down it based upo trait and features that uniquely distinguish them to one or the other
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Again, I only use the word "cartoon" to denote origin in this case, not style.
And I think this is what needs to be changed
definition of a animation based solely upon origin (Which is essentially all that devides the two sides
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This is a fun debate. Somebody called it a flame war. Its not. I wouldn't really call it a heated debate; just very intelligent and very fun.:laugh:
indeed:D