That's something inherited from their comical theatre tradition that made its way into manga where it grew into a very codified system (and if you don't know it, you miss a great deal of the meaning in manga). It's basically a storytelling shortcut that make the emotions of the characters plain to the reader, though there are codes for other things as well (flashbacks show with black border, out of focus frame usually in anime) and quite a few false friends (for instance, the "thought bubbles" in western comics are not thought bubbles at all in manga/anime, it rather means the characters are whispering). The manga code made its way into anime, especially those derived from manga, though it's less prominent there, and even in manga many authors avoid the "system" at all cost (it has a comical connotation to Japanese)
I knew that anime is pretty much "video manga," yeah. That's interesting what you say about the "system," though. Specifically that it's recognized as such by the Japanese, and not just an unintentional cultural development. I wonder how one finds "non-system" anime? And I wonder whether anime that avoids the system would still annoy me? I'm sure a lot of it must be unintentional.
It's not meant to be realistic, most often it's used to relay how the character feel inside, especially when it's shown on backgrounds with animation. It's not happening, it's just in the character's head.
Yeah, I understand. It's not that I think they're shooting for realism, it's just that I wish they would.
Or at least get a little closer to it. It's just extremely jarring, to me, and ruins the immersion. Again, I guess it's just a cultural thing.Personally, I'm rather used to that in manga, but I could do without it in anime (though sometimes like in FMA, I found it funny - it really depends on my mood).
I don't mind when it's used for emphasis. Maybe a character is getting angrier and angrier (in a somewhat realistic manner), and then explodes into a fit of anime-craziness at the end. That's not so bad. All too often, though, it's just out-of-the-blue. Instead of, "what, we're out of cookies?" it's a crying fit complete with literal waterfalls pouring out of each eye. It just comes off as really stupid to me. I suppose because I'm not used to it.
Meh.
hellooo! anime fans?
- 25/01/2012 10:26:22 PM
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I dunno about sadly.
- 25/01/2012 10:35:25 PM
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There's a lot to love about Anime, but I just can't stand the Japanese cultural elements.
- 26/01/2012 09:22:43 PM
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Digimon to this day is probably my favourite cartoon.
- 26/01/2012 10:04:15 PM
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Could not agree more. Though season 3 wasn't bad. Different, but not bad. 4, on the other hand...eh. *NM*
- 27/01/2012 03:20:22 AM
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Re: There's a lot to love about Anime, but I just can't stand the Japanese cultural elements.
- 26/01/2012 11:08:02 PM
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Thanks for the explanation. 
- 27/01/2012 03:28:30 AM
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- 27/01/2012 03:28:30 AM
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