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"Anime is not for kids."

Miz en Scène

Everybody's connected
1,645
Posts
15
Years
Cherii said:
How is that racist? It has nothing to do with who the Japanese are. Western people are just stereotyping the series or the show itself for being childish. They've grown up with this "knowledge", unlike the others who have had more exposure to different kinds of anime and realize that anime can be aimed towards age groups of all kinds. It's not them being racist, they just aren't used to the fact that there are adult "cartoons".
Let me clarify...

Mizan Nix Zamnie said:
In my opinion, that's kind of racist.

Usually, I say that if i don't want to offend anyone. So, you don't have to take it to heart.

Sakura Rain said:
Mostly what I get is "Anime's for kids; why do you like it?" Well, as several previous posters have stated, it's not all for kids. How do you think a six year old would react to anime like Blood+ or Elfen Lied? BADLY. VERY BADLY.
I agree. With all the blood and gore involved, the child would most likely be emotionally scarred or something along those lines.
 

Akio123

Sadness forever...
5,094
Posts
19
Years
Mostly what I get is "Anime's for kids; why do you like it?" Well, as several previous posters have stated, it's not all for kids. How do you think a six year old would react to anime like Blood+ or Elfen Lied? BADLY. VERY BADLY.
I've actually done that as an experiment to prove my aunt wrong. She thought all anime was for kids. I showed my 10 year little cousin Elfen Lied. She watched three episodes and then didn't come to our house for almost a year because she was afraid she would have to see it again. I know it was as bad as telling a kid there is no santa, but I was so ed up with hearing "You are seventeen years old! Why are you watching this crap meant for eight year olds?!"
 

icomeanon6

It's "I Come Anon"
1,184
Posts
16
Years
I've actually done that as an experiment to prove my aunt wrong. She thought all anime was for kids. I showed my 10 year little cousin Elfen Lied. She watched three episodes and then didn't come to our house for almost a year because she was afraid she would have to see it again. I know it was as bad as telling a kid there is no santa, but I was so ed up with hearing "You are seventeen years old! Why are you watching this crap meant for eight year olds?!"
Telling a kid there's no Santa? Showing a kid Elfen Lied is more like eviscerating Santa and showing the kid the remains.
 

Empty Pot

a new beginning...
1,234
Posts
14
Years
For one thing, I've seen plenty of anime that most definitely are for kids. Examples: Pokemon, Digimon, [S-HIGHLIGHT]Dragon Ball[/S-HIGHLIGHT], etc. Wouldn't it make more sense to say that not all anime are for kids?

I do not think flipping people off because of there "puny power level" is kid material, even though I started flipping people of at 10.

But yeah, a lot of anime is for kids. But shows like Full Metal Alchemist, Inyuasha, Ghost in a Shell, are not. Even though I watched them at a young age :3
 

Akio123

Sadness forever...
5,094
Posts
19
Years
Telling a kid there's no Santa? Showing a kid Elfen Lied is more like eviscerating Santa and showing the kid the remains.
Oh well, looks like I killed another kid's childhood...XD Then again she was fine, I mean she eventually got over it. In all honesty though, I just wanted to provide evidence that not all anime is for kids. That's like saying every sitcom is Hannah Montana. >_>
 

sanny the hedgehog

Back by popular demand?
587
Posts
15
Years
i get the sort of thing that goes like this
"sanny, why the heck do you draw all of this crap"
well thats what my friends tell me. then i realized one thing i have more knowledge in it
they automatically asume that anime of any kind=pokemon.
one day though a while back i took a manga book to school and well i had a blast seeing all of my classmates struggle to figrure out how to read it. lol!
then when they actually started to read it they all got hooked but then pretended not to like it. that day i got so much satisfaction, maybe even too much.
no anime is not for kids!!
 

Guy

just a guy
7,128
Posts
15
Years
Like said, not all anime are for kids. Some are a bit over explicit in what they show and may not be appropriate to show younger kids. However, when I hear "Anime are not for kids," then I do happen to let a little laugher out as there are tons of animated cartoons not only from Japan, but from other countries as well that are more than enough for kids. For example, besides your simple Pokémon or Digimon, there is Transformers [more so the original series than the new ones], Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and plenty more.

However, I don't usually come across many saying anime is not for kids, but more so anime is for kids. This is where the story does get a bit different on sides, but I wouldn't need to explain that point of view.
 

IcyArceusRider

Nyaaaaa <3
239
Posts
14
Years
Yes, there are some animes that would be okay for young children to watch.

However, not all of them are good for kids. You'd have to be really careful when selecting an anime that needs to be appropriate for a child because even in some animes that seem okay, there's a little suggestiveness thrown in here and there. Of course, not all anime is good for kids. But there are some shows that would be fine.
 

Mitchman

Banned
7,485
Posts
16
Years
While Anime and even Manga's are not all generalized for kids a lot of stuff I know to be well over the teen limit over here are being aimed at them. Its the stupid generalization of Cartoons=kiddie over here that sickens me. My main example is my 6 year old Cousin reading freaking Death Note. I tell the idiot its not good for him but does he listen? No. Same thing for the Anime...
 

Cherrim

PSA: Blossom Shower theme is BACK ♥
33,268
Posts
21
Years
I've actually done that as an experiment to prove my aunt wrong. She thought all anime was for kids. I showed my 10 year little cousin Elfen Lied. She watched three episodes and then didn't come to our house for almost a year because she was afraid she would have to see it again. I know it was as bad as telling a kid there is no santa, but I was so ed up with hearing "You are seventeen years old! Why are you watching this crap meant for eight year olds?!"
Omg why would you do that? :| It's one thing to prove to an adult or peer that, "hey watch this and you'll see anime isn't just for kids" but... to show a child something clearly not meant for them? What the hell, man. That's no different from sitting your cousin down and letting them watch an R-rated movie just to prove that "LOL R-RATED MOVIES AREN'T FOR KIDS." It's not your cousin you were trying to prove a point to, it was your aunt. No sense traumatizing her kid over an argument. Honestly, wow. Pro-tip: that's not the best way to get your point across.

That aside... I don't see why it's a big deal? As far as I know, anime isn't viewed much better in Japan. I mean, here we're getting more and more "not made for kids" cartoons (South Park, Family Guy, other animated sitcoms, etc.) but if you start up a conversation with someone and mention that you like cartoons, they're still going to think that's childish. It's a stigma associated with the medium of cartoons in general, not just anime. I don't understand why so many people get worked up about it, though.

I'd love to overcome the stereotype, sure, but I also don't mind it too much. I mean look at the examples they have to go by--almost all cartoons on TV today are aimed at kids. When you think "cartoon", you probably, by extension, think Saturday morning cartoon and that's definitely for kids. Even the cartoons shown later at night in primetime or later are fairly tame. They get the "viewer discretion is advised" warning but sit down and watch and it's never too over-the-top. (Though they have been going out of their way to be offensive lately.)

Eventually it won't be viewed as so weird to be watching cartoons well into your teen and adult years thanks to those American cartoons I mentioned in primetime that are slowly changing the demographics, but until then just... explain that anime isn't necessarily for kids with a few examples as needed and if people are still getting on your case about it--just ignore them. :/
 

Azumi

★七色に光る女★
1,631
Posts
16
Years
Maybe because they think that anime are associated with cartoons? My brother shuns me by saying I get obsessed over cartoons.
Hell, I AM obsessed, but with anime.

Well, I can't do anything about it...
 

machomuu

Stuck in Hot Girl Summer
10,507
Posts
15
Years
My childhood was ruined after finding out they edited out alot of stuff in DB and DBZ...I grew up with that show.

Anyways, when people say anime is for kids...that is one of my biggest pet peeves (another is when people call anime "cartoons" and manga "comics")I will go into it in another post.
 

Vernikova

Banned
4,039
Posts
16
Years
There are cartoons that were made for only kids, only adults, only the young adults, and for general audiances. Generalizing cartoons just because of some shows that may have been watched usually causes statements such as this.
 

RYOUKI

survive the world.
3,252
Posts
17
Years
I think people stereotype it as cartoons and think that it's for kids, but I think really it's for mature audiences. I mean, even kid-shows has some ecchi moments.
 

Yuoaman

I don't know who I am either.
4,582
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18
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My childhood was ruined after finding out they edited out alot of stuff in DB and DBZ...I grew up with that show.

Anyways, when people say anime is for kids...that is one of my biggest pet peeves (another is when people call anime "cartoons" and manga "comics")I will go into it in another post.

Anime is cartoons, and manga is comics... Just the simple truth there.

And it depends on the specific program whether it is for children or not. Afro Samurai - for example - is definitely not for kids, while Pokemon is.
 

Yingxue

Since October 2003
310
Posts
16
Years


I do not think flipping people off because of there "puny power level" is kid material, even though I started flipping people of at 10.

But yeah, a lot of anime is for kids. But shows like Full Metal Alchemist, Inyuasha, Ghost in a Shell, are not. Even though I watched them at a young age :3

Different standards, bro. What we may think is for adults, or older kids, may be for young teens/older preteens over there. Dragonball was serialised in a kids' magazine (Jump)

Anyways, when people say anime is for kids...that is one of my biggest pet peeves (another is when people call anime "cartoons" and manga "comics")I will go into it in another post.

No you won't, because they're correct. Even the Japanese call their manga comics. "Comiket", "Jump Comics", etc. They're not pedantic for a good reason, because who really cares?

Anime is cartoons, manga is comics. Simple as that. :)
 

LEXAcide

That 1 Guy
181
Posts
14
Years
One thing that really gets me is how many people say "Anime is not for kids." To me, that sounds like saying "Books aren't for kids," or, "Movies aren't for kids." For one thing, I've seen plenty of anime that most definitely are for kids. Examples: Pokemon, Digimon, Dragon Ball, etc. Wouldn't it make more sense to say that not all anime are for kids?

It seems to me that a lot of people are mistaking anime to be a genre, when it is actually a medium. There's really nothing in common between the movies My Neighbor Totoro and Akira besides the fact that they're animated. I think one of the reasons why anime isn't mainstream in the US is because the name groups together too many unlike genres. When I mention Ghost in the Shell and say that it's an anime, my friends automatically associate it with stuff like Pokemon and Naruto, which wouldn't make them more likely to watch it, much less take it seriously.
I believe any anime can go for any age group... Its a freekin cartoon. Why shouldnt it be for kids? I started watching porn when I was like 8... Im not Scarred. Back in the 60's and 70's, Fathers would take their 14 and 15 year olds to get laid by a hooker. These days these parental controls are Psycho.
 

NeonFire

<insert awesomeness here>
48
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15
Years
  • Age 28
  • UT
  • Seen Sep 25, 2009
Just because someone thinks anime is "just for kids" or "just for adults" doesn't mean they're stupid. They just don't know a lot about Japanese animation. If I start talking to my Grandpa about Fruits Basket. There would be a long pause, then he would be like, "....wut?"

But most of the manga (comics) I've seen are for teenagers and adults, rather than kids. Like Fruits Basket, Vampire Slayer, Metroid, Bleach, ect...
 
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