There are many opinions on the internet regarding the matter of whether anime is a form of art or not. Before handling this matter, one must first consider what constitutes as art. According to Britannica Online, art is defined as “the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments or experiences that can be shared with others.” If asked what art is, the first thing that comes to mind is a painting, a drawing or a sculpture. Moving into the 21st century, many artists have traded their brushes, pencils and scalpels for something more hi-tech – animation. Here lies the birth place of the most popular Japanese export globally known as anime. Does anime possess the qualities that would make it a serious art form? The answer is no. This is because unlike what is known as art; many anime movies lack purpose, creativity and most importantly innovation.
There is no purpose of having cartoons that appeal to a teenage and adult audience in the United States. Cartoons are commonly associated with children but it is not juvenile for an adult to see a cartoon; it just shouldn’t be all they look at when seeking a good movie. If anime is all they watch then they will not experience true art forms. These animated drawings are not needed when America is one of the largest movie making industries in the world. The economy allows for multi-billion dollar movies to be made using real people. The Japanese animated movie Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo has an amazing fight scene between two motorcycle gangs. It has great adrenaline pumping action but a real movie with actual people would have viewers on the edge of their seats. It is not the case where real actors are not capable of doing such stunts as in anime because real people are the inspiration for such animation.
The lack of creativity is another reason that anime is not art. Anime characters are very unique and can be identified among a set of random cartoon characters across the world. The design of most characters is defined by hair and eyes. The girls have big, colorful hair while the boys have spiky hair. Most have eyes that are big and round which does not allow them to portray real emotions. From one anime movie to another, all characters look similar therefore anime is not creative. Another issue involving creativity is the plot of some movies. Many plots have been recreated numerous times in Hollywood. One anime movie The Place Promised in Our Early Days by Makoto Shinkai follows the love story of two middle school friends Hiroki and Sayuri. Fast forward to the summer after eight grade and Sayuri mysteriously disappears. Three years later, it is discovered that she has fallen into a coma from severe narcolepsy but awakens by the end of the movie. The sad part is that she has lost her memory but Hiroki is willing to start over and rebuild their romance. This type of story has been so overworked that it is becoming annoying. After a while viewers want more than another romance story with a happy ending and prefer more realistic themes like adultery.
As mentioned earlier, anime characters are distinct. Going back to the time when anime first made its appearance around the world, the style in which the characters are drawn has not changed. This means there is no hope for something better to evolve from anime. Relating to the drawings, the body proportions of some female characters in the movies are a great concern for those who despise these cartoons. Many drawings show exaggerated features of the female form representing the “perfect” woman. Why is it that the psychologist, Dr. Atsuko Chiba in the anime movie Paprika by Satoshi Kon cannot treat her dreaming patients in a simple disguise? Instead she is redrawn as a “perfect” female with all the right features that drive men wild. She has the perfect hair, big bright eyes, nice lips, large breasts and a desirable complexion to play the role of Paprika. Dr. Chiba’s alter ego is created with such precision of a “perfect” woman that she matches no real woman. This is not innovation. It creates a negative impact on female viewers who will find ways to change themselves to be as captivating as Paprika.
Obviously, anime is not a serious art form. The existence of anime redefines what many think is art. To be art is to have purpose, creativity and some sort of innovation. Anime is just another form of entertainment that the targeted teenage and adult audience can do without. There are more legitimate art forms such as paintings and sculptures that will have a better impact on their lives than these cartoons. Taking a class to experience real art will be much more fulfilling than watching anime with plots that have already been done in Hollywood and with similar looking characters where a viewer can’t distinguish one from another.