ANIME VS CARTOON/ANIMATION

First of all let use differentiate between the term as many often confused between CARTOON/ANIMATION with ANIME;
ANIME = Animation produce in Japan, or by Japanese Studios.
CARTOON/ANIMATION = Produce elsewhere other than Japan & often is from Western country.

I’ve watch cartoons & anime throughout for nearly 2 decade and ¾ of my life. ANIME & CARTOON is 2 different Thing; both originated from 2 entirely different concepts and were easily differentiable, the moment you glance on it. Sadly, most who not accustom to anime often categorize it with cartoons which mainly produce from western country.

Anime being originated from Japan isn’t just some cartoon that aims towards younger audience, like what most cartoons meant to be. Anime plays a very important role in educating, sharing knowledge; pass down the culture & teaching, as well as brain washing.

Cartoon commonly suffered one problem; it is like going around a merry-go-round where the theme is “Save the world!!” & the genre is more towards “Heroic”. Japanese were smart, rather than competing on the same level, they come out with brighter idea as to produce variables of Genre & theme making Anime more attractive and suitable for various age group & level.

When Disney thought they have monopolize the world with Mickey Mouse & His Friends, Japanese come out with the Mouse’s mortal enemy, KITTY CAT~! Nyaaa~!! Then Marvel thought they can brain wash the younger children mind with superheroes like Superman where some Aliens trying to take over earth & Superman stand to defend earth, Sunrise introduce Keroro Gunso (Sergeant Keroro). Imagine a group of frog species is trying to take over earth & end up working as a Maid in a human house.

What I’m trying to say is that anime comes with various genres & countless of story plots which is unique by their own to cater to various taste & demands of audience. Japanese are bunch of fellas who use their brain too much... really... anything under the sun, they turn into anime or manga. You named it, you got it~!

Baseball? Try H2. Like Boxing? Try Ashita no Joe. Or you like something like circuses? Kaleido Star. You like cars? Initial D takes you for a ride of your life. Love Ice skating? Ginban Kaleidoscope takes you go skiing. You love fishing? Grander Musashi.

Or you felt hungry, want some recipe? Cooking Master Boy. Or you love chess... there’s Hikaru no Go or perhaps something related but in the form of action then try Marchen Awakens Romance. Ok, perhaps you’re lonely & you wish you still have your barbies with you & always dreamt that they can always speaks to you, consider Rozen Maiden.

Ever wonder how police does their job? You’re Under Arrest. Love Gondolas but never got the chance to visit Venice? Try ARIA the ANIMATION & you'll be amazed by it's artwork. Ever wish to be a librarian? Kokoro Library. Love fairy tales? Fairy Musketeer Akazukin have it all, from snow white to red riding hood. Ever wonder the hardship of taking care of a baby? Daa! Daa! Daa!. Ever wish your Laptop to be more mobile & comes with more functions? Chobits comes with multipurpose super mobile pc. *Fragile! Handle with care*

Anime often comes with very dramatic story plots & often pack with good animation qualities with some with great CGI like anime production from GONZO such as Kiddy Grade. Tears jerking & heart piercing series like She, The Ultimate Weapon, ef ~A tales of Memories~, H2O, & True Tears which is quite a trend these days. Some were very dark & extreme such as the ever famous SCHOOL DAYS in their plot, exploring the dark side of romance yet very down to earth. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, is an ingenious anime heavily guided with complicated & detective like story yet filled with gores & blood.

Most people consider anime are for kids, but that is simply stereotyping! Anime is produce to cater wide range of people of different taste & interest. Love Politics? Well Code Geass from Sunrise is a hit. Anime like Spice & Wolf is one of its kinds that talks about merchant/traders during the old times where barter still exist. Some anime like Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha may first appear to be some Fairy tales transformation series for kids but “never judge the book by the cover” for this anime is not your common stereotyping logics tells you. It is highly boost with detail battle scenes with magnificently crafted weaponries.

Not to mention there were also modification of cartoon into anime such as the ever famous city destroyer, Powerpuff girls. Anime version? Powerpuff girl Z, but rather than concentrating on aggression & abusing animals, Anime takes the gentle path to educate the younger generation of children to be more gentle as the anime ver. Were aggression-free. No more city getting destroyed, & poor monkey being punch & kicked around.

The storY of X-men where mutant trying to find their place in the human world is quite similar with an anime, Elfen Lied. No doubt, X-men is concentrate more on the actions while Elfen Lied is more towards the story plot, although the actions were several times more gory than X-men. Elfen Lied is definitely not suitable for younger viewers.

Well, sue me... but I have always loved Batman. Yes, the Dark Knight... Japanese call it Ninjas, & they bring it into another level producing the world hit anime NARUTO but still my heart is always have been Batman. So hey... not all cartoons are bad~! But the moment you make comparison you can immediately feel the distinct differences.

Anime is capable in inflicting various emotions such as sympathy, & brought about tears jerking moments in which cartoon often failed to do so. Anime brings about plenty of other economic ventures like comics which are known as Manga in Japan, as well as various merchandise ranging from pillow cover to your car sticker.

Not only that, anime often comes with very well compose BGM, soundtrack, & pumped with great singers & voice actress. Hence Music albums, singles, OST, & etc. Were selling like hot cakes & usually this help makes the anime even better. Unlike cartoons in which songs were often lame or meaningless, anime often comes with great songs & lyrics. The Hit series ef ~a tales of memories~ & Lucky Star is a good example in this case.

So who win? Definitely it has to be ANIME, no matter what it pawns Cartoon in every sense.