Topic: Japanese entertainment vs. American (US) entertainment

Something I've noticed from time to time is that Japanese and American (US) entertainment is very different, and it seems there are two kinds of people: those who like one, and those who like the other. So, which would you pick as your preferred entertainment? I'm not just talking about video games, either. Entertainment as a whole.

For animation I like both, for live action films and TV I prefer American, and for video games I prefer Japanese games.

Arcades / Karaoke / Grope Train has to be Japan.

I largely stick with japanese stuff, be it music, animation, games, or collectibles. Only very few US productions barely interest me at all. I think japan simply delivers the kind of entertainment I vastly prefer over the rest of the world.

I mean, I grew up in America, so obviously I prefer American entertainment for the most part. Though video games are a blunt exception to that, mostly because I grew up around a lot of Japanese games. When I see gameplay of something like Skyrim or Mass Effect, it feels more foreign than when I see footage of something like Final Fantasy or Muramasa.

I do find Japanese culture absolutely fascinating though. Because of the Tokugawa Shogunate's isolationist policy, some of Japan's culture largely grew in a highly isolated environment, while most of the rest of the world had very heavy influence, mostly from the west. Now, we live in a world where most developed nations have very strong cultural influence from the western world. Except Japan. That's a gross oversimplication, but it's why I consider the country so interesting.

It really depends on the medium.

For animated films, I'd have to say it's about even. With the west, you have stuff like the Lion King, Hercules, & Aladdin, while with Japan, you have stuff like Akira, Summer Wars, and Spirited Away. I prefer 2D films over CGI, so Japan puts more interesting films (to me) in this day & age where the west is all about CGI, but throughout history, I'd have to say it's even.

For animated TV series, I have to give the edge to Japan. The west puts out some good plot heavy cartoons (like Avatar, Teen Titans, & Gargoyles), but Japan simply has more, and they're not held back by the idea that cartoons have to be completely kid friendly (not that there's anything wrong with kid friendly animation mind you. Just that not everything should conform to it). I'm fond of more fond of western animated comedies (like Futurama, the Simpsons, & Dexter's Lab), but I prize plot driven narratives over comedies, so Japan still gets the point.

For live action films, I'll give the edge to the West. Every samurai drama I've watched has been nothing short of amazing, but whenever I watch a Japanese film outside of that genre, it seems to always look like it was a film student project, rather than something professional. Put that against the likes of Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, & the Marvel films (among many others), and the west wins, IMO.

For live action TV series, I'll give it to the west by default (since I've never watched any Japanese live action TV).

In terms of video games, I'll once again give the edge to Japan. There are some great western games (even a couple in my top 10), but I simply grew up with Japanese games, which have molded what I find fun, and what I look for in a game.

Music is pretty universal, and I'll say I have another tie on my hands here, as there are plenty of both western & Japanese songs I enjoy.

So overall pretty even. The west & Japan tie with animated movies & music, Japan wins with animated TV & games, and the west wins with both live action film & TV.

Well, since you asked, American. Or, Western, since that's more encompassing. When it comes to video games, I like plenty of both, with (I think) a greater number of Japanese games.

Revelation of the year!

Neither and both. This is why:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ImportFilter

Personally though, I'd say they both have great and terrible works, so I don't think it's right to choose one or the other.

In terms of shows, comics and voice overs, I prefer the Americans because the quality is great and unlike Manga, the comics are well written and the story simply doesn't drag on and concludes it in a matter of a few issues. However Japan nails it in gaming because its top quality since they use custom engines most of the time so its so rare to get into glitches and stuff like that meaning that the game is finished.

That said, there ARE some quality games made from America as well like Monkey Island so that might be harsh to say who's the better one here.....