Ask John: Why is Anime Popular in America

Question:
Could you give me some insight into what makes Americans like anime? What is it about this foreign art that Americans find appealing?

Answer:
In my own estimation, one of the major drawing points anime has over American cartoons is its emphasis on characterizations. The bright colors and fantastic look of anime attract viewers initially, and some people will argue that it’s the outrageous action, violence and sensationalism that attract Americans to anime, but shows like Sailormoon and Tenchi Muyo which are popular on TV now have relatively little of that. The most fundamental difference between anime and American cartoons is that anime is always grounded in its characters. American cartoons will place characters in a situation. Anime places situations around characters. Many anime shows have a continuing story, while very nearly all American cartoons are episodic, created specifically to be a series of individual, stand-alone stories rather than small pieces of a whole. Even in the case of anime series that are episodic, the characters develop and change from episode to episode. Anime, therefore, engenders more personal involvement between the show and the viewer than typical American cartoons do. Live-action programs commonly feature a continuing story and developing characters, you may argue, so why do anime fans still cling so tenaciously to anime rather than to live-action? Anime, when compared to live-action, can provide more involvement and interaction than even live-action because anime is so obviously fantasy that it allows for suspension of disbelief, and allows for role-playing with much greater ease than live-action programs do. When watching a live-action program, a viewer may think, “I wouldn’t do that,” or “I wouldn’t be there or wouldn’t say that,” because live-action is so familiar that a viewer can imagine him/herself as a part of the situation on screen, or alienate them self from the characters on screen, i.e. “Those beautiful people would never hang out with me,” or “I’d never be caught dead with those dumb people.” With anime, it’s simply easier to place oneself amidst the action because the action is so far apart from our natural expectations, prejudices and assumptions.