Anime as Art

[Guest]

But don't you believe there are anime out there that can shake most of the people.

I believe some anime can have a strong impact on most of the people which do not know about it's existence.

[MellowMadman11]

But don't you believe there are anime out there that can shake most of the people.

I believe some anime can have a strong impact on most of the people which do not know about it's existence.

Not sure if this is directed at me, but yes I do. I believe the same of pretty much anything you could describe as art.

[Down]

I matured the question in my head quite a bit after this topic stopped being active actually, and I think that we probably would reach the conclusion that anime is a form of art as a whole, but that some anime have something that I would call an "artistic input" (whether they're good or not), as opposed to soul-less anime lazily produced by copying what already exists and using common archetypes and writing uses.

 

But my conclusion in the end was, why would I keep asking myself those questions, when anime is already a subculture, something which I find infinitely more fascinating than art?

[Guest]

I matured the question in my head quite a bit after this topic stopped being active actually, and I think that we probably would reach the conclusion that anime is a form of art as a whole, but that some anime have something that I would call an "artistic input" (whether they're good or not), as opposed to soul-less anime lazily produced by copying what already exists and using common archetypes and writing uses.

 

But my conclusion in the end was, why would I keep asking myself those questions, when anime is already a subculture, something which I find infinitely more fascinating than art?

 

That's quite a good way to say it.

Like in any type of art there are bad and good products.

It's the "artistic input" you were talking about.

 

But i'm really reluctant about talking about anime as an art in it's entirety.

I can't allow everything to be considered as such, for I think the same about painting, cinema and everything.

 

But that's a personal belief.

 

Or maybe it's just that i'm thinking art like the beauty, the influence, what the artist achieves in putting emotions in his product.

The art i'm talking about is the same as when I say "this is a piece of art!", rather than the domain of application of a certain form of expression.

 

I don't think i'm clear at all and i'm sorry. Thinking and talking clever in my native language is hard enough, it can only be worse in english 

[arakura]

I guess I knew that it was a debate, but I've never faltered on my belief that anime is "art" (and more probably... or at least it's different than what most people experience when they look at a painting). After my first Visual Novel experience (Katawa Shoujo), I was also completely aware that vns are/can be art as well...

 

While I bitterly resent derping around with definitions of art, for the sake of the argument I will say this.

 

For me, it depends on the level of intention. Technically, a piece of art should be intentionally a piece of art, but I've always found something haunting in art that isnt trying to be art. So what I'm saying is that I know it probably can all be classified as art, but I dont feel horrible in saying that some is, almost objectively, better art. For me, something like FLCL has this unimaginable artistic element to it that just makes it amazing. Something in the show is intentionally out there, but in this way that widens my view of it all and makes me feel something odd... idk, I never was a big fan of describing art or arguing about it, but anime definitely is art. (same too for vns and manga). Then again, a lot of things are "art". I'm just particularly touched by these particular ones u.u

 

Watching Kare Kano right now makes me aware of this so much more.

[Helvinek]

I think it comes down to personal opinions. Art could be somewhat subjective, like what you may consider art some might not. Some might not agree but there are some 'traditional' artists that are not open to change or only consider the area of their expertise as art - specially with the 'new and young' artists popping up nowadays. Culture would play a large part too in defining anime as an art. Western countries rarely (or maybe never) make anime. Regarding animes, I think that the older generations would not appreciate some of the animes nowadays since some animes focus on fanservice. How people see anime would deteriorate because of this fanservice thing. Don't get me wrong, I love to watch anime; both the ones full of fanservice and ones with less of it. 

[Down]

 

Western countries rarely (or maybe never) make anime.

 

Well that depends on what you call anime. Animation as a whole? Animated TV series? Japanese animation? Animation inspired by japanese animation (like "manwha", the manga-like drawn by korean authors)?

The animation industry is particularly active in Japan, but it exists in other countries as well.

[Zalor]

For me, it depends on the level of intention. Technically, a piece of art should be intentionally a piece of art, but I've always found something haunting in art that isnt trying to be art. So what I'm saying is that I know it probably can all be classified as art, but I dont feel horrible in saying that some is, almost objectively, better art. 

 

I agree, and well said.

 

Also, just a couple of days ago I ran across two videos where my views and concerns about art were expressed quite accurately. Very insightful view of art vs escapism by the brilliant writer David Foster Wallace:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xwBIcH1V0

 

This next video addresses a lot of my concerns on art on a cultural level:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39UJuPogwiY

 

I think this also applies to anime, which is why I argue that anime is art. The reason I highly esteem a minority of anime is because only a minority of anime (or any art) is unsettling and beyond mere escapism. As he suggested, only a minority of art is truly profound.

[Zalor]

I don't think really that anyone out there is debating whether or not anime can be art. They're films/TV shows, and stuff like that has pretty much been considered art by mainstream people like Roger Ebert. In life, he was a really big fan of anime.

 

It's video games that people are arguing over, and I personally view them no less artful than films, books, paintings, etc.

 

I think in the intellectual/academic community anime is largely not as respected as it should be. However, on to your point about video games; I agree video games are definitely a form of expression that has its merits. No where is this more clear than in indie game development.

[Guest]

I like the way he looks at it.

He has no agressive tone, he's very understanding about why anything could be liked or not.

Why would it not be art? It's not because people believe it's not or because it's too hard to understand that it has to be put apart or that everybody should have to like it.

 

I don't mind people not liking something as long as they don't attack people who like it.

And I think that a large majority of us would agree on the fact that anime is art but there is indeed a cultural degree attached to it.

Not all anime are made for one category of viewers. That creates diversity in content and tastes.

 

I agree, and well said.

 

Also, just a couple of days ago I ran across two videos where my views and concerns about art were expressed quite accurately. Very insightful view of art vs escapism by the brilliant writer David Foster Wallace:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xwBIcH1V0

 

This next video addresses a lot of my concerns on art on a cultural level:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39UJuPogwiY

 

I think this also applies to anime, which is why I argue that anime is art. The reason I highly esteem a minority of anime is because only a minority of anime (or any art) is unsettling and beyond mere escapism. As he suggested, only a minority of art is truly profound.