Pet peeve: cartoon vs. anime

[azurelunatic]

I like cartoons. I like many different types of cartoons, many different styles of drawing.

People have been calling random American-style or generic Western-style cartoons "anime" around me, lately, and that really pisses me the hell off. "Anime" would be that Japanese style of cartoon, and NOT the American style. They are very different, and I can tell them apart. I may not be able to tell a UK cartoon from a US cartoon, and I may not be able to tell the difference between a Western artist drawing anime style and an Eastern artist drawing anime style, but I can tell the difference between a Western-style cartoon and anime. They are NOT the same.

"Cartoon" is the generic class. "Anime" is a specific subset. I am not entirely certain of the difference between anime and manga (one is animated and one is drawn, I think?) It's like calling all computers Dells, or calling all cars Fords. It is wrong, so stop the fuck doing it!

Comments

[soundsoft-elvy.livejournal.com]

Perhaps we should give American cartoons some sort of special style name like "Ameritoons" or something. That way it doesn't feel left out from the 'special' naming catagory like Anime. ROFLOL

[azurelunatic]

Hmm. But what to call them?

[naraht.livejournal.com]

Well, technically speaking the word anime means animation, and the Japanese don't destinguish linguistically between ours & theirs.
As to anime vs manga?
Anime would be Animation, whereas manga is the "comic" book version, typically made long before the anime.

[azurelunatic]

So, if someone is speaking in Japanese, there is no problem if they use the word "anime" to refer to Western-style animation. Used as a loan-word in English, it distinguishes a certain broad class of animation styles from the greater whole of "cartoons".

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

And FURTHERMORE.... "Anime" is correctly pronounced "Ah-nee-meyh."

Do not prounounce it with a short "a" at the beginning and long "a" at the end. It is WRONG.

[amberfox.livejournal.com]

And don't make sweeping statements about "anime style" -- as if there were only one! Gah.

[azurelunatic]

Just me, or was there a more awful offender?

[amberfox.livejournal.com]

I actually meant people in general, and the List right now, not you in particular. *grin* Too many people see Pokemon and Hamtaro and think that's what all Japanese cartoons look like. They don't appreciate anime for the vast and varied art that it really is. It's been a while since I was a devotee, but I still remember being able to glance at a single still-shot and tell you who the artist was, just by the style.

[drdubious.livejournal.com]

Too many people see Pokemon and Hamtaro and think that's what all Japanese cartoons look like.

Sheesh, what's wrong with those people? Isn't it obvious that neither of those two are real Japanese cartoons, since neither contain ninja or giant robots?...

[amberfox.livejournal.com]

Or magical girls; you can't forget the magical girls.

*giggles* Nice icon. Cousin Freddy from Courage the Cowardly Dog, isn't it?

[azurelunatic]

Ah. Her.

[popefelix.livejournal.com]

Pfui. I will pronounce it "a-nee-may" unless and until I saying it in a Japanese sentence.

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

Well, don't ever say it that way around ME cause I might have to have words (bad ones) with you! *wink*

[boojum.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what sounds you mean by "meyh", but a long "a" at the end is fairly reasonable, by what I know of Japanese phonetics.

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

It's closer to a "mey" though rather than the nasal "may" that most American's use.

A very subtle difference but having been raised speaking Korean, I am attuned to the Asian phonemes and can very much tell the difference. :-)

[sionainn.livejournal.com]

GAH! I just put an apostrophe "S" at the end of Americans.... shoot me now! *goes to edit comment but cannot*

[azurelunatic]

*hugs* I'll pretend I didn't see it.

[sithjawa.livejournal.com]

difference is probably that americans use *two* vowels for 'ay' and end it in 'ee'... though I've still got to get a better hold on the Japanese 'e' since I pronounce it noticably differently as an ending vowel ('ey') than in the middle of words ('eh' as in 'penguin').

[sithjawa.livejournal.com]

heh heh... as a Japanese student, I say it the Japanese way when speaking in Japanese and the American way when speaking English.

Mainly because it stops me from accidentally referring to 'biru' instead of 'beer' or 'terebi' instead of 'TV'...
... or calling my bread 'Pan' at an inopportune moment...

Borrowed words...

[drdubious.livejournal.com]

English isn't the only language that borrows from others. "Anime'" comes from FRENCH...(I have no idea what, if anything, French cartoons look like, however). (Heck, "Tempura" is actually Portuguese...)

I'm not CERTAIN, but I THINK it would be 'technically correct' to use the term 'Anime' for any animation...but I have to admit, it'd bug the heck out of me, too, hearing it used to refer to animations that aren't in one of the Japanese styles...