Topic: Anime & Manga (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

No, not the movies. There was already a Golden Arc anime back in 1997. It was really good, but a lot of anime fans point out that it has really bad animation, but I dunno, it seemed like it conveyed enough that I never really noticed it. I think the relatively unique art style helps.

I'm not a big Anime fan and I watch very few of it in general. Maybe like at most two or three different series over the span of years, but I have a question. Why does it seem like Anime in general loves to portray female characters with big chests and exaggerated body proportions/revealing clothing? So forgive my ignorance, but it's just a trend that I've noticed clearly. Keep in mind I'm not entirely oblivious and I answers in mind, but I thought it'd be interesting to ask people who probably know more about it and are in easy reach.

My assumption is that it's
A. The general focus on well endowed women in media in general
B. Japan's more chill outlook on sex
C. A way to make it more apparent who is a women when male characters in some series are feminine looking

I mean, y'know, outside of the obvious answer that sex sells

@-Green- It's a generalisation, obviously - you're much less likely to find similar tropes played out in a Studio Ghibli film, for example - but you'd have to be wilfully dishonest not to admit that it often hits the mark.

I'd say one of the most important ways of analysing any form of media is to look at the market its aimed at, and examining the domestic market for anime throws up a few interesting, and perhaps revealing numbers. The short answer is; sex does indeed sell, and (almost) nowhere is that truer than in Japan. The country has the second highest spending on pornography per-person in the world (at $157pp in 2011, behind South Korea's $527pp), and erotic/erotically-tinged material is still a more visible feature of - say - Tokyo's streets and stores than many major Western counterparts. Viewed in context of the notable abstinence from sexual relationships among 18-34 year olds in the country, it becomes hard to escape the conclusion that a significant number of young people are tending to their sexual appetites through methods other than 'in the flesh'. Not a phenomenon unique to Japan obviously - practically every country with wide-spread internet access experiences the same thing - but the numbers that Japan throws up are certainly worth reflecting upon when attempting to work out, 'who is this aimed at?'.

Of course, none of this is directly relates to your original question; including a questionably proportioned character in a short skirt doesn't instantly make a show 'pornography' (and therefore isn't necessarily included in the earlier spending figure), and you could well argue that it's overreaching to draw any overt links between characters designs in animated TV shows and national statistics on relationships and sexual practices. I'm not going to make any brash claims, as there are enough sensationalist articles on this subject as it is, but I think the figures are relevant when trying to understand the 'audience', which is in turn necessary to understand the 'context' behind the 'content' of shows in question.

So that's the audience (crudely) dealt with, but what of the shows themselves? Well, one notable difference between Japanese animation and that of much of the West is the scope and variety. There's very little animation for the Western market that isn't explicitly aimed a younger audience, whereas animation in Japan doesn't have anywhere near the same age-limited focus. It's simply a bigger, broader, and more varied medium in general.

"Isn't it weird how they sexualise cartoons?", a Western viewer might opine, before sitting down to watch an entire season Game of Thrones - unaware of the irony that they're basically tucking into 'Lord of the Rings + Sex'. It's basically the same thing; throwing sexual elements into a TV show for a particular audience. The main difference is that animation in Japan covers enough ground to extend into this audience, where Western animation doesn't have much of a presence beyond shows aimed at younger viewers. This may go some way to explaining why certain 'themes' crop up in anime that are much rarer in Western 'cartoons'.

Finally, as anime is, well... 'animated', you can draw pretty much whatever you - or audience - wants, which is much harder with live-action. This freedom can naturally lead to be bit more 'creative licence' with the character designs and general aesthetic than you might see in live-action shows. Even CG-heavy films have to be based on a believable aesthetic. However, when nothing is real to begin with, it's much easier indulge in fantasy, both in subtle ways and... less subtle ones.

There's probably a lot more that could be written on the (potentially thorny) subject, but I feel I've blabbered on enough as it is. To summarise: Sex sells in general, particularly in Japan (to the tune of $157pp); Japanese animation as a medium (note: not a genre) is much broader in output than its Western counterpart, and therefore covers a wider array of material for more ages and audiences (including raunchier themes); and the nature of animation makes it much easier to take a less realistic approach with character designs, which can range from giant dinner-plate sized sparkling emerald eyes to... other equally unlikely interpretations of the human form.

From a purely analytical perspective, I think that at least somewhat answers the question, although there may still be many valid points I haven't dealt with (such as whether the fraction of anime popular in the West paints a particular idea of 'anime' in general). Whether these tropes are a good thing of a bad thing is another can of worms which has probably set many comment section alight for months (with little progressive discussion to show for it). What probably is a good thing is that anime as a medium has enough variety that you can probably learn where to go if you want to head towards that sort of thing, and where to go if you want to get away from it.

And... err, there's a thesis I never thought I'd write. At least I've got my thoughts together, though I feel a little silly for spending such time on it. I think it's one of these prickly topics that if you don't spend an age correcting and recorrecting yourself and trying to explain from a few different angles, you're likely to annoy someone with your oversimplifications and get into a silly shouting match. Anyway, I'll go do something more productive now. If anyone spots any flaws with the above ideas, please point them out (kindly!).

@Tsurii Funny are you not the somebody who gaged (in fat) when i said i prefer geralt over guts and told me to educate myself? ^^

Finished danganronpa 3 and i didnt like it. Too many extreme characters and lunatics to say the least plus too much anime bs. The hero was just a hollow advertisement for hope. But watching the arcs together was actually good. Really liked it with pair 3.

Well i wont give up the hope to see a really good anime in that season.

Who is Geralt, anyways? I'm only asking because that's the only bit I can really make out. Gaged? As in, like, "Guage?" Did he guage your fatness by your preference for Geralt? Now I'm really curious as to who this Geralt guy is...

I think they're talking about Geralt from The Witcher 3, but I know next to nothing about the game itself

@CanisWolfred Gag like to gag. I didnt bother looking up the correct past tense. Just look up his old post its just 1 site back.

Geralt or the white wolf is the main protagonist in the books of the geralt saga. There are are games in which hes starring called the witcher. Some call him lovingly the *itcher.

To make it clear to you he made fun of a kid that made fun of his preferences. So i tried to show him the irony because he behaved like said child not too long ago.

Funimation is having its Summer Sale, I was going to get a new anime (Oran High School Host Club) at some point via Amazon (around $25), but Funimation has it on sale for about $10. BluRay version, too.

I gotta keep purchases to a minimum, since I'm saving up for a new capture device for the Wii U/Switch...Also hoping to nab the SNES Classic, so I'm gonna stick with Host Club for now. xD

EDIT: Doesn't look like it's on sale anyways.

Days: Now im sure that i like sports animes. Theyre more often on the good side than not. This one was no exception. Story is nothing special though. Noob gets in the schools soccer team and ganbattes his way up.
The mc is a pathetic type but he didnt feel annoying and i liked him a little bit. Thats impressive and im sure in every other genre i would have hated him. The team chemistry is also pretty nice. Many moments in which i felt their joy or pain. Looking foward to the next season.

Disastrous life of saiki: Really good comedy about a psychic. Happy to see that its also getting a second season.

Started watching Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet today on Netflix. To be honest, it's off to a great start. Watched the first 4 episodes today, and it's one of those rare shows where I really didn't want to stop watching, lol. Hope it continues to be this good.

Oh wow, I never thought I'd hear that series again.

...I'd recommend lowering your expectations a bit going forward.

Fate kaleid liner prisma illya 3: It just seems to be advertisement for their ero"games" aimed at people with a taste for little girls paired with some cheap feelings. Ufotable showed that fates gachalike scenario can be really good but this one is pure garbage.

Oh, that's disappointing to hear. I'll keep that in mind (I thought I heard Canis mentioning he liked it, but I could be thinking of something else).

No, I liked it. It was pretty great all the way through. Great pacing, and apt plot. It's slower in the middle, but only in the sense that it's spending more time developing its characters and world. The 3rd act was phenominal, too. I think you'll be in for a good time. Maybe kkslider meant, "lower your expectations so you'll be completely blown away later"?

No, I honestly think the series had the potential to be an amazing series and instead was just...good.

Okay, that makes me feel a bit better. Anyhow, I should be able to finish it up tomorrow morning (only 5 episodes left), so I'll be able to leave my impressions soon enough.

True, but it really annoyed me towards the end when I realized all the potential that the series wasn't going to live up to (and not just because it ended with kind of a cliffhanger that will never be resolved). And that's exactly why I wanted to warn people, because if they know that ahead of time, maybe that won't overshadow the series' general good quality.

Same with Erased for the 6 anime nerds who somehow missed it! That series is not as good in its 2nd half, I'm sorry to say.

Finished up Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet this morning!

Overall, it's one of the best things I've watched on Netflix this year. The art direction was simply gorgeous, the whole "Waterworld" theme was pretty unique in that I haven't seen many anime use it, it stayed focused on it's core narrative, and it felt like they took time to explain most everything. The final battle was pretty cool, too.

I'm awfully impressed with how it avoided the pitfalls most other 13 episode series fall into (usually either feeling rushed, or obviously incomplete). It really felt like they were able to tell the story they wanted to within that time frame, and while I would like to see how things end between the Humans & Hideaus out in space, I don't think not going back to it hurt the series in any meaningful way.