Interview with anime fans(my study project)

Manga traders forum

Hello to everyone! I study design and now have class on Media. I need to make an 8-page book with interview with some person. I proposed to my teachers that I try to make collective interview with people on some manga/anime forum. They agreed so I'm here) So I post here questions and please feel free to answer on them) if you want. Everyone are welcome. Of course you don't need to answer all questions, you could answer only some of them).Or only that question which is interesting particulary for you. There could be several answers for one questions, even if they absolutely different. You also could ask me your questions. The only thing I ask you is not to answer simple "Yes" or "no" .As there is now way how I could use this answeres for my project. )
Ok. So let's start.

in general
1) Japanese animation and manga are rather popular today. Why do you think?

1.5) What is so specific in manga and anime in comparison with western animation and comicses ?

2) Do you think that fans of anime and manga are representatives of special subculture like emo or panks or something? Or there is difference ?

3) But at the same time you always could recognize punk by his appearance, but never anime fun. Do you think anime fans need some special forms of appearence to be recognizible by everyone?

4)Everyone here gathered because they like manga and perheps anime. When and how do you get acquainted with it ?

5) Are you interested in japanese culture ?Japanese literature, history, language and so on?

6) Have you ever try to study japanese ? Do you try to study it to read manga in original ? Or do you think about literature , other form of culture ?

7)If yes was you interested in it before you became an anime fan or not ?



Art
1) Do you think that manga and anime is realy form of art?

2) Some critic say that manga & anime are forms of mass or popular culture and has nothing in common with true art. Is it so?

3)By the way what do you think about art classic and modern ?

4)When I've studied art history my lecturer said that eroticism is one of the main component of art. Do you think manga and anime are so popular because of there erotical aesthetics ? (I don't mean here hentai -- it's pornography).

5) Some people say there is anime with deep philosophical concept. Is it really so ?

6)Could anime and manga be compared to works of classical literture ?

7 There is a lot of people who thought that animation and comics are something very childish. In your opinion why do they think so ?

Western culture
1) There are a lot of american comics like "Spiderman" or "Batman". What can you say about them in comparison with manga ? Do you read them ? Is manga better or more intellectual or more aesthetic ?

2) How do you yhink manga and anime influence modern western culture?

3) There are more and more western films which are based on manga or anime or are influenced by them. Like Astroboy and Matrix. What is your opinion on this ?

features
1)Do you think that manga and anime became more and more post-modernist in last years ?

2) Sometimes in anime and manga there is no clear definition of good and evil. For example people argue a lot about such caracters like Yagami Raito , Lelouch , Griffith from "Berserk" . Why do you think ? It that good or bad ? Maybe anime and manga lack classical understanding of morality?

3) Some people could say that anime and manga have destructive influence on morality of those who watch them? What do you think ?

4) Anime and manga sometimes are very cruel. Even in such films like "Spirited away" you can see a lot of blood. What do you think about cruelty in anime ? Maybe it's not good ?

5) What do you think about aesthetics of cruelty and bloodthirstiness ?

6) Stephen King is considered to be King of horror. Do you think that people who say this have never watched some anime ? I mean some anime are much more bloody and morderous than many horror books or action films (well there is much more blood in Naruto than in Matrix or Avatar). Is it normal ? Why do you think anime are such cruel ?

7) Even in anime or manga which considered to be created for teenager or childreen (like "Sailormoon" for example) are bringt up topics like homosexuality, suicide and so on. What do you think about it ?

8) What do you think about censorship in manga and anime ?

9) In anime and manga are often used elements of Christian religion. Very often Christian ideas are shown in very strange and grotesque way. For example in "Hellsing" , "NGE" , "Chrono Crossuade" . What do you think about it ? What
do you think when religion became simple "literary" element of work of art ?

10) What do you think about that characters of anime and manga are often childreen but they act like adult characters of Dostoyevsky or Ryūnosuke Akutagawa? They easy could kill others or make suicide and so on . Is it strange? Why is it so?

Firstly, I think the questions are a little general and most people here could write essays on each one. If you want a more in depth answer to any of the questions, send me a PM.

1) Japanese animation and manga are rather popular today. Why do you think?

I think there is a lot in anime and manga that people want that just isn’t provided to us by the western animation/comics/graphic novels. There are also anime and manga to cater for most any tastes, ages, genders etc. In the west cartoons were generally produced for children. Comics originally were too. There has been vast improvement in the graphic novel areas in the west in the past 20 years or so, but they’re still struggling to be taken seriously.

1.5) What is so specific in manga and anime in comparison with western animation and comicses?

This is too broad a question - the art is different, the themes are different...

2) Do you think that fans of anime and manga are representatives of special subculture like emo or panks or something? Or there is difference?

I think readers of manga and watches of manga are a subculture in the way that comic readers would be a subculture. In the west anime is becoming more mainstream and less of an obscure subculture, but all groups with similar interests can be viewed as subcultures.

3) But at the same time you always could recognize punk by his appearance, but never anime fun. Do you think anime fans need some special forms of appearence to be recognizible by everyone?

No.

4)Everyone here gathered because they like manga and perheps anime. When and how do you get acquainted with it ?

I was searching for a site to leech manga. I found this one. I’ve like the boards and the large collection of manga here, so I’ve recommended it to others I know.

5) Are you interested in japanese culture ?Japanese literature, history, language and so on?

Yes, but in the same way I am interested in other cultures in books I read or shows I watch.

6) Have you ever try to study japanese ? Do you try to study it to read manga in original ? Or do you think about literature , other form of culture ?

I have a working understanding of Japanese. I don’t read it in the original – the kanji are a real problem. I read manga for enjoyment, rather than to study.

7)If yes was you interested in it before you became an anime fan or not ?



Art
1) Do you think that manga and anime is realy form of art?

I think that all forms of literature are art.

2) Some critic say that manga & anime are forms of mass or popular culture and has nothing in common with true art. Is it so?

Shakespeare wrote plays to cater to the masses. His plays were viewed as ‘pop culture’ of the time. I think art is subjective and listening to a critic is asking for trouble.

3)By the way what do you think about art classic and modern ?

I’m for it. I find classic art more accessible than modern art.

4)When I've studied art history my lecturer said that eroticism is one of the main component of art. Do you think manga and anime are so popular because of there erotical aesthetics ? (I don't mean here hentai -- it's pornography).

I don’t think it’s the overriding reason, but I can’t deny that it is part of it.

5) Some people say there is anime with deep philosophical concept. Is it really so ?

You can kick over a rock and find deep philosophical concepts. Are there manga/anime that give cause for thought? Yes.

6)Could anime and manga be compared to works of classical literture ?

Sure you can compare two forms of literature. What are you asking here?

7 There is a lot of people who thought that animation and comics are something very childish. In your opinion why do they think so ?

This is simply because the target audience for cartoons has generally been children.

Western culture
1) There are a lot of american comics like "Spiderman" or "Batman". What can you say about them in comparison with manga ? Do you read them ? Is manga better or more intellectual or more aesthetic?

Both American comics and manga have their junk/pure entertainment genres and their more intellectual ones. Sandman by Neil Gaiman cannot be viewed in the same light as Archie Comics. Manga is an entire branch of entertainment, as are comics/graphic novels. This question is akin to asking whether there are intellectual movies. Sure there are.

2) How do you yhink manga and anime influence modern western culture?

There are a lot of phrases that have come into general use from anime and manga. I think that comics in the west are branching out more than before.

3) There are more and more western films which are based on manga or anime or are influenced by them. Like Astroboy and Matrix. What is your opinion on this ?

I’m not a fan of real life adaptations of most manga or anime.


Features
1)Do you think that manga and anime became more and more post-modernist in last years ?

I’m not sure what you mean by the ‘last years’. Neither anime not manga have been around for generations. Both of them pretty much only came to the fore in the last 60 years.

2) Sometimes in anime and manga there is no clear definition of good and evil. For example people argue a lot about such caracters like Yagami Raito , Lelouch , Griffith from "Berserk" . Why do you think ? It that good or bad ? Maybe anime and manga lack classical understanding of morality?

I think that there is no general definition of morality. To consider things in black and white rather than grey is more a characteristic of Western mythology and legend, than current culture. Characters like Dexter Morgan of the series Dexter also blur the line between good and evil. This is not an anime/manga specific issues.

3) Some people could say that anime and manga have destructive influence on morality of those who watch them? What do you think ?

4) Anime and manga sometimes are very cruel. Even in such films like "Spirited away" you can see a lot of blood. What do you think about cruelty in anime ? Maybe it's not good ?
The target audiences for these films are often adults. When the films are brought to the west, because they are cartoons people incorrectly assume that they are for children. This is not an issue with the anime/manga, but a cultural misunderstanding.

5) What do you think about aesthetics of cruelty and bloodthirstiness ?
They have their place. It could be argued that human kind aesthetics is a study in cruelty.


6) Stephen King is considered to be King of horror. Do you think that people who say this have never watched some anime ? I mean some anime are much more bloody and morderous than many horror books or action films (well there is much more blood in Naruto than in Matrix or Avatar). Is it normal ? Why do you think anime are such cruel ?

There is a vast difference between horror and simple gore/violence. I think the violence levels in anime opposed to general release films are a result of the ratings agencies. Films that are rated 18 in the US will not be able to make as much money as those with lower ratings. Often films are cut to accommodate the rating agencies. If the Japanese rating agencies disallowed the violence, or if the US allowed it, we would see greater alignment.

7) Even in anime or manga which considered to be created for teenager or childreen (like "Sailormoon" for example) are bringt up topics like homosexuality, suicide and so on. What do you think about it ?

I think this is a cultural difference between subjects that are considered taboo. It’s neither good nor bad, it is simply diffent.

8) What do you think about censorship in manga and anime ?
I think it is the same for censorship for most media. It should be left to the individual families to decide what should be allowed. If the media is considered too violent or some such, it should be rated as such, but not censored. Censoring often destroys the original intent of the show – a good example is One Piece. In a scene in the Japanese version a villain holds a gun to the head of the heroes. A conversation then takes place in which the hero tells the villain that he should not threaten someone with a gun unless he is willing to take the full consequences of pulling the trigger. In the 4Kids censored version that was released in the West, the gun has been replaces with a rubber mallet. The whole conversation loses its meaning.

9) In anime and manga are often used elements of Christian religion. Very often Christian ideas are shown in very strange and grotesque way. For example in "Hellsing" , "NGE" , "Chrono Crossuade" . What do you think about it ? What do you think when religion became simple "literary" element of work of art ?

I think this is a touchy subject. The Christian mythos is an integral part of many people’s lives in the West and using it as a plot device can cause offence. The Da Vinci Code caused major upset with religious groups in the West. The director of NGE said that he chose the Christian themes because he was fascinated with them. In a similar vein, many Westerners are fascinated with Eastern religions. I don’t see the problem in the use of religion in popular culture, but I’m an atheist.

10) What do you think about that characters of anime and manga are often childreen but they act like adult characters of Dostoyevsky or Ryūnosuke Akutagawa? They easy could kill others or make suicide and so on . Is it strange? Why is it so?

I think children are capable of violence as easily as adults. They tend to have a less firm grasp on consequences. I don’t think this is a reflection on the Japanese view of children. I think this is simply a plot device. Children are generally viewed as being ‘pure’ and ‘innocent’. In this way making them capable of extreme acts of violence is a good way of provoking a reaction in the viewer.

Wow, compared to all the other questionaires we get here, this one covers quite a broad range of topics. Stu is right though some of us probably could write and essay for some of these questions (especially general 1.5).

You might want to wait a week or two for some of us to get answers in.