There lies a long drawn battle line between American Animation and Japanese Animation. The American or the western form of art owes it origin to paintings and drawings. Indeed, it is a more refined version of two-dimensional caricatures, which came to be regarded as cartoons. Gradually they made their transition from the print media to the electronic media and became animated films that we see in the celluloid screen. Japanese school of thought, on the other hand, regards cartoons as an avenue of story-telling. Their animation is known as “Anime”. Ronald Ozer says, to the outside world it’s just another animation with a fancy Japanese name but to the Japanese people, it is an alternative avenue of motion pictures – the Japanese animated motion pictures. Hence, there lies a constant tussle between the 2 schools of thoughts. Pitted against each other, which one is better, is a matter of perception.
Anime is more dramatic and realistic.
Characters in anime are inspired by real-life situations. More often than not they depict the reality and is meant for showcasing different avenues of life. Watching anime is a learning experience. The characters here look like real people with the anatomical resemblance. So, this makes the stories in anime more realistic and dramatic than regular cartoons. On the other hand, American cartoons fund loving adorable characters created for the purpose of entertainment. This difference in their ways of creation and story-telling makes anime suitable for adults while American cartoons found their relevance in children.
The visual effects are stronger in anime
Apart from their sharp anatomical features and visual appearance, the anime have distinct special effects and visual appeal. The visual effects take the experience to a new level altogether. It’s no longer regular fun viewing of stories rather it’s a first-hand experience of a story. Most of the anime have edgy visual effects which keep you on your toes. The 3D effect also adds to make the appearance more real. Thus, makes you a part of the story- gives you an edge over the regular cartoons. Again, this makes anime the preferable option for adults while American cartoons are mostly preferred by children. However, both of these genres find viewership cutting across the geographical and age barrier. It’s only a matter of perception and preference.
Anime is a cost-effective and less time-consuming procedure
Creating a cartoon is an elaborate time consuming procedure. This is what the general perception is but anime on the contrary are easy to make and they mostly concentrate on motion pictures. Anime use limited animation techniques which use things like pull cells, stop images, repetitive use of static images making the storytelling strong. As per Ronald Ozer that the American cartoons, on the other hand, have similar look and feel. The characters remain same hence it is easier to follow even if miss a part. In anime you can’t afford to do that as the characters differ markedly and you may be unable to follow if you miss an episode.
Thus, there’s no specific answer to this debate. Both Japanese and American animation are relevant in today’s world but obviously, the Japanese branch gives you a more fulfilling experience. At the end of the day, it all depends on your perception of a better animation.