I think people in Japan (and in many other countries including in
Europe, other parts of Asia and even in Central/South America, etc) are
far more open about animation and media.
Many of the problems seem to be aimed at America and in some ways,
British culture. Where there seems to be these concepts that when you
reach a certain age, you 'throw away childish things' and 'become a
man'. Which can be seen all over, including being perpetuated in many
'cartoons' aimed right at kids as well. The typical story of a boy who
'wants to be a man'. So what does he do? He goes out and throws away all
his toys, straps on some token of 'manhood' (from a sword to a three
piece suit) and goes out and acts like what he thinks a man is.
We can all remember this stereotype in shows like Hey Arnold!, Rocco's
Modern Life, Fairly OddParents, Spongebob Squarepants, Chowder, Gumball
and heck, even Disney movies. The problem is, while those shows and
movies are obviously parodying the message and pointing out that these
things AREN'T what being a man is all about....many kids actually get
the opposite message. And watch all these cartoons thinking that being a
man IS about throwing away all your toys, going to work, getting
married and ignoring everything about your past.
Western media as a whole doesn't help. Hollywood is pushing this concept
all the time with commercials, prime time dramas/sit comes, sports,
even political commentaries on CNN and MSNBC are constantly talking
about 'getting our kids off the cartoons and games and into the adult
world', as if these things are evil and we should have never even had
contact with them in the first place. American media is pretty much
assaulting adults with an image that if you want to be an adult, there's
only one option. Throw away everything 'childish' and watch all the
CSI, Survivor and CNN like everyone else. The irony of these types of
things being 'for adults' while something like Spongebob or Batman: TAS
should be obvious, but many don't see it.
Even things like comic books are still looked down upon. The fact that
they aren't even considered 'acceptable' until they have a live action
remake speaks volumes about how American (and some other western)
audiences view animation and comics vs live action works. A terrible
live action version of Deadpool starring Keanu Reeves would still sell
better in the box office than the absolute best animated Deadpool movie
that could be made. Not based on any objective quality, but simply
because it was live action. And that's the sad state of America's bias
against animation....
The only exception is 3D animation. But that's honestly because the
studios put hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising behind each
movie. And make the money back in DVD/BD sales. The instant those movies
stop making that money (like 2D did with Pocahontas, Mulan and Titan
AE), studios will stop supporting 3D animation as well.
I know this sounds like a rant, but I'm seriously feeling like the
American media industry is stagnating and has been getting worse the
last 15 years or so. Endless crime drama clones, reality shows, copying
British concepts and remakes of old movie concepts. And they've even
resorted to copying anime (The Matrix, Speed Racer, Astro Boy, Speed,
Almost Human, etc) while claiming animation and anime is an inferior
medium. I honestly feel like there needs to be a major barrier of
ignorance taken down so the American audience can just know more than
what Hollywood is allowing to be shown to them.
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