Last week there was a post floating around about anime being better than cartoons. While that title brings forth irony, in that anime is a form of cartoons as well, I think what the author meant to say was anime is better than American animation. It sparked many comments from all sides, and I think it’s still ongoing. But the most interesting thing about this post was there wasn’t specific examples on each point to lead in as proof. Forgive me if I’m going all English Major on you guys, but really. If you want to convince me, show some proof and not just pictures. Though I find the post flawed, it does have some good points I would like to share and rebuttal all of them.

9. Completed Stories
A great number of shows are designed with a beginning, middle and end, telling a complete story in the process. Even when episodic, there are small subplots brought out across the series that tell a larger story in full. While there are a good number of episodic shows that run for years and years (or decades in the case of some of them), by and large shows are meant to run a half season or a full season and tell a story within those confines. That often provides for a tighter script and more engaging show since you know it will have a proper conclusion.

I’m assuming we are talking about animated TV shows because if we were talking film-wise that point would be torn to shreds. I can, however, name an anime show that never completed their storyline, like Fruits Baskets. Even though it’s an adaptation, by technicality it counts. The anime Fruits Basket never finished the opened plotlines nor revealed all the Zodiac characters. But maybe no ending is better than a bad ending, like Neon Genesis Evangelion. Many fans did not find a liking to the ending of NGE. There are many factors going into the making of a show, but when a lost of budget is the hugest, there is nothing anyone can do about an unsatisfying ending.

8. Depth of Character
With the complete story idea in mind, many shows work through actual character growth as it progresses. Many shows have a character that does change, sometimes quickly and sometimes gradually, over the course of it. They come into the show with a fleshed-out past, a past that often intersects with the present to chart them a new future. Whether it’s dealing with people trying to live and work in space, find true love in their 20s or dealing with life after the atomic bomb was dropped, the characters provide plenty of ways for the viewer to connect with them.

I just watched an episode of The Simpsons yesterday. Bart put booze in his teacher Edna Krabappel’s coffee mug to make her more fun to be around. The woman got drunk and fired. Bart tried to cheer her up by making her dream come true: owner of a muffin shop. The dream came true, Bart confessed about the booze, and Krabappel flipped out. Bart also confessed to Skinner, the principal, about the booze and would have received punishment if his substitute wasn’t slurring out drunk rants right there and then. Skinner asked if Bart put booze in his sub’s drink, though Bart denied it. His sub did it to himself and he got fired. Krabappel got her job back and everything was forgiven. The point here is in the time I have been watching The Simpsons, the adults grew to have some trust in Bart over the years. He isn’t just rebellious Bart anymore; he’s a growing character.

7. Depth of Story
Prevalent in many shows is a sense of issues that are of importance, issues that you won’t find in the West for the most part because of the general audience being kids. Social issues are dealt with in pressures of school, intense pressures of being on a sports team, the care of the elderly and so on. The most prominent one, especially from the ’80, is the issues surrounding war and its place within the human experience. Cause and effect, from the political to the soldier on the ground and deep into the effects on civilians, the way anime tackles the concept of war in so many different ways places it above most others.

One word: fillers.

6. Relationships Treated Realistically
Romantic relationships are a rarity in the West but they’re a common theme in anime and in all sorts of configurations. Often the shows deal with the pursuit of a relationship, typically in high school, but even these are given such an honest approach and dealt with in terms of emotions and how it impacts them that it can be startling. When the shows deal with older characters, they can become as complicated and as engaging as any Hollywood prime time series that deals in the same. But with a planned start and finish, the relationships often actually progress somewhere and deal with the ups and downs, leaving you with a sense of closure.

Personally I find exploration into relationships overdone. I agree they are complicating, but not engaging. Since we are dealing with shojo-type anime, it is unfair to compare it with all of American animated shows since these romantic type shows don’t exist. Disney animated films, on the other hand, could lead to some discussion, but isn’t in the exact same medium.

5. Even When It’s for Children, It’s Not for Children
Some shows that are brought over specifically for TV syndication here invariably end up edited. We’re talking your Pokemon, your Sailor Moon and your Cardcaptor Sakura. All shows that are aimed specifically at young kids, both boys and girls, in Japan. Yet when they’re here, they must be toned down and edited because the content is unacceptable for US kids. These shows tackle tough subjects and don’t sugarcoat the world completely for kids, something that many find to be a real positive when raising their own kids on anime. Death, divorce, crushes, love and loss are all familiar themes even in kids anime. But that’s too much for American kids–unfortunately.

…oh sorry I was reading a line in the point. Here you read it too:

These shows tackle tough subjects and don’t sugarcoat the world completely for kids, something that many find to be a real positive when raising their own kids on anime.

What exactly is the tough subject in Pokemon? Getting wild animals and use them as tools to fight other captured animals in this universal game. Didn’t Michael Vick get in trouble for something like this? Yeah I read the death, divorce, crushes, and love part after the sentence, but anyone can make a case with those themes in Rugrats or any other animation for that matter. You just need to dig deep.

We are half way there. I’ll make another post to continue the rebuttal. Stay tune or write your thoughts about what was posted so far. Would love to hear from you.

Update: Part 2 of rebuttal right here