For too long anime has fallen. America has been inundated and fascinated by Japanese animation since the 80’s (there are a few further back in time, but if you want to be picky move to the back of the classroom). To make a pirate analogy; they ran alongside us and have been shooting cannon volleys at us for neigh 30 years. We have barely responded to the shots across our bow Thundercats with He-Man, Robotech/Macross with G.I. Joes. Then in 1998 they brought the good stuff, original ideas and shows that set them apart from our other cartoons, cartoons for the older audience (ideas they still mimic today). What did we do, we took it. It was a time when we couldn’t respond, we accepted it because it was genuinely good. Then we accepted it all. Now anime is as our cartoons were before the invasion; formulaic, tired, poorly drawn, and basically interchangeable. Their cannons had run out of shot, so now they load them with whatever they can find; geometric people, overly eccentric-gravity defying hair, disproportional body figures who can change genders by adding longer hair and c-cups, plot lines that involve immature (usually blonde) high school kids saving the world through love and/or magic and giant killer robots (R.I.P. NGE). They now sell us shows that have no set end so the plots become more convoluted as time goes on, destroying any possible good idea it started with, and fights that are 21 minutes of talking per episode. This destroyed anime for me, after a few years of holding out hope, in 2004. I try to check in on it from time to time, but again I see the same tired song over and over.
Well, I for one say “I’m tired as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!” Enough of the same, if they cannot regain their former glory then we should take it from them! It is time to load the cannons my brothers and sisters, it is time to show them what they are lacking! America needs its own anime, America needs to respond in this crisis! The new rated R G.I. Joe movie is a good start, but its style stays too true to the old cartoon. We need a style that fuses our two, but distinctly American, no more overly pointy chins and big eyes. We need something that can make it in their home turf.
I plead to the old, and new, fans of anime. I plead to our broadcasters of anime, Scifi and Adult Swim. If you have the money, we have the ideas. Take a chance on us and the DVD sales alone will make you grin from ear to ear. We are the fans, we are the consumers, and we have ideas.
Sincerely,
SoljerChim and those who want more.
