Unpopular Opinions You Hold About Animation

[Eddy]

Yeah, like it or not, EEnE is one of the finest animated shows ever. People who think it has bad animation just don't like the shows artistic style.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

I'm getting tired of certain people who wangst about there not being enough mature western animated series, and then turn around and claim something like Adventure Time is "deep" and "multi-layered".

Oh, and anime isn't its own medium. Its just cartoons from Japan.

[Foggle]

Oh, and anime isn't its own medium. Its just cartoons from Japan.

That's not really an opinion. That's a fact.

Although, technically, the Japanese refer to any cartoon as "anime".

[The Shadow Gentleman]

I know, its just some people make a big deal about anime being its own separate,special thing, and there usually the same people who look down on western cartoons. I guess those kind of people are just a pet peeve of mind. What are you gonna do.

[Goldstar]

I know, its just some people make a big deal about anime being its own separate,special thing, and there usually the same people who look down on western cartoons. I guess those kind of people are just a pet peeve of mind. What are you gonna do.

I know who you mean; you're talking about the "anime >>>>>>>>> cartoons" people. The statement that "anime is better than cartoons" never worked for me because anime is cartoons. It's just cartoons from Japan. I've never understood why some people think that any cartoon from 1 country is inherently better than than any cartoon from another country. Are you honestly going to tell me that Super Milk Chan is a better show than say, Futurama just because the former is from Japan? I don't think so. Cartoons should be judged by the quality of their content, not just by their country of origin.

The thing about it is that most anime fans who make the above statement usually are the same types who are embarrassed to admit that they like cartoons and so they try to make the claim that all anime is so deep and layered and mature so's to separate it from USAnimation (which is what I like to call American cartoons). But here's the thing: anime means animation, and animation means cartoons. Therefore, if you like anime, you like cartoons. Deal with it. 

[Silverstar]

Many of the people who make the claim that "anime is greater than cartoons" do so not only out of fear of the stigma that "cartoons are only for kids" (which is flawed logic because in Japan oatkus are considered as geeky there as cartoon nerds are here) but they also do so out of generalization; they're judging anime as a whole by the small handful of anime that get imported here (anime detractors do the same thing with comments like "Anime is all stuff about demon fighters and big breasted women!"), when in fact the anime that gets imported overseas is roughly about 10% of Japanese animation as a whole. Just as there are plenty of serious, deep and layered Western cartoons, there are plenty of check-your-brain-at-the-door, nonsensical silly anime that never gets imported over here.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

You also have to keep in mind that there are a multitude of anime out there, and there is no specific target demographic among all of them in general. Just like Western cartoons, the range of target audiences for Japanese cartoons spreads across all ages. There ARE anime made specifically for kids, and there ARE anime made for teens and adults. The same thing really applies to cartoons over here. You have stuff like those old Nick Jr. shows that are clearly just meant for little kids and such. Then you have stuff like South Park, The Boondocks, Futurama, Archer, etc., that are geared towards older audiences. And of course we have stuff like Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles among other great cartoons that can appeal to both kids as well as adults who are able to get the more mature aspects of those shows that would fly over childrens' heads at a young age.

I find it funny when anime fans who are insecure about their love of cartoons of any kind try to separate it from cartoons of other countries (namely America) so that people won't get the idea of generalizing anime as being "just childish cartoons from Japan." That itself is a very naive and hypocritical generalization on their part, as they are essentially doing the same thing that they don't want other people to do, for something that they like, in attempting to generalize all Western cartoons into just one idea of what they think it is based on obviously little to no knowledge of the offerings from that spectrum of animation.

That said, I can still completely understand classifying anime as its own sub-category of animation. That's fair enough, but at the end of the day, its still animation, and whether you call it a cartoon or not, its still part of the same exact medium as animation from any country.

[Daxdiv]

Another thing in the Anime vs Western toon debate that I always hate is whenever one side says that the other side cartoons all look the same. You know people that aren't fans of anime say that all anime looks the same and vice versa. Gee... I didn't know that Panty and Stocking, Gurren Lagann, One Piece, Studio Ghibli, Lupin III, Cowboy Bebop, Summer Wars etc. followed a cookie cutter character designs. You have blown my mind. How did I never notice this before? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! 

Newsflash, anime designs have just as much variety as what western toons can make, same logic applies for Western toons as well. It just depends on what work the character designers are willing do. Same for the animators. Of course, I understand if something looks the same, it's mostly due to how probably the creator of a series has another one under his belt. I mean, despite how much we don't like Camp Lazlo, you still can't deny that the art style is still basically Joe Murray's design.

[talonmalon333]

- I know that it's not necessarily an unpopular opinion to say that I like the SpongeBob movie. Sure, there are many who disliked it. But as a whole, the majority were pretty satisfied with it and agree that it's one of the few Nickelodeon movie spin-offs that worked... However, what might be considered an unpopular opinion is the fact that I really loved it. It's a personal classic, one of my favorite animated films ever. I honestly like it better than any episode, even including seasons 1-3. I really can't describe just the amount of heart that, to me, brims off of this movie. But I do think everything in it works. It has everything I like in the TV show, but bigger and better. Also, I enjoy SpongeBob and Patrick more here than in any individual episode. I love the humor. I also love the soundtrack, be it the songs of the background music throughout the movie. It looks great, the humor is top notch, and the live action sequences are lovable (though maybe they were a little over advertised before the movie came out, considering they only took up, like, 10 minutes of the film). I remember when it came to DVD and I rented it from Blockbuster and watched it every night until we had to return it. I'm sure I have 95% of the dialogue in the movie memorized. It's been a few years since I've seen it from start to finish. But I've seen bits and pieces of it when it's aired on TV, and I still love it. I also think it's worth mentioning that, in terms of overall style, it's really more in line with the classic episodes, than with the later ones.

[The Shadow Gentleman]

- I know that it's not necessarily an unpopular opinion to say that I like the SpongeBob movie. Sure, there are many who disliked it. But as a whole, the majority were pretty satisfied with it and agree that it's one of the few Nickelodeon movie spin-offs that worked... However, what might be considered an unpopular opinion is the fact that I really loved it. It's a personal classic, one of my favorite animated films ever. I honestly like it better than any episode, even including seasons 1-3. I really can't describe just the amount of heart that, to me, brims off of this movie. But I do think everything in it works. It has everything I like in the TV show, but bigger and better. Also, I enjoy SpongeBob and Patrick more here than in any individual episode. I love the humor. I also love the soundtrack, be it the songs of the background music throughout the movie. It looks great, the humor is top notch, and the live action sequences are lovable (though maybe they were a little over advertised before the movie came out, considering they only took up, like, 10 minutes of the film). I remember when it came to DVD and I rented it from Blockbuster and watched it every night until we had to return it. I'm sure I have 95% of the dialogue in the movie memorized. It's been a few years since I've seen it from start to finish. But I've seen bits and pieces of it when it's aired on TV, and I still love it. I also think it's worth mentioning that, in terms of overall style, it's really more in line with the classic episodes, than with the later ones.

As a big Sponge fan myself, I'm inclined to agree. Sure, it has a ton of problems, but like the show, it just works for me.

[talonmalon333]

As a big Sponge fan myself, I'm inclined to agree. Sure, it has a ton of problems, but like the show, it just works for me.

The show, or the movie, has a ton of problems? And what specifically?

[Nel_Annette]

That "Spongebob and Patrick get drunk and hung over from ice cream" sequence is still one of the funniest things the series has ever done. I love the movie.

[talonmalon333]

It's also worth mentioning that the movie, as well as the SpongeBob franchise in general, is one of the many things that inspired me on my marine biology future. Largely cause of the DVD's special features (one of which went into undersea life stuff).

[The Shadow Gentleman]

As a big Sponge fan myself, I'm inclined to agree. Sure, it has a ton of problems, but like the show, it just works for me.

The show, or the movie, has a ton of problems? And what specifically?

I meant the movie had some problems, but I like it anyway. The show isn't the greatest, but it "just works for me". The movie isn't the greatest, but it "just works for me". I hope that explains it.

That "Spongebob and Patrick get drunk and hung over from ice cream" sequence is still one of the funniest things the series has ever done. I love the movie.

I couldn't breath when I first saw that.

[talonmalon333]

I meant the movie had some problems, but I like it anyway. The show isn't the greatest, but it "just works for me". The movie isn't the greatest, but it "just works for me". I hope that explains it.

Gotcha. I can see what you mean, then.

I couldn't breath when I first saw that.

I loved that too. I also love the part where they secretly add a swear word. To me, the funniest part of the movie is the entire scene in that bar with all the tough guys in it.