Immature fans of animation.

[Imperia]

This applies to both Western and Japanese animation fans. Is it my imagination, or are animation fans immature and take animated stories too seriously? I've always heard them whine about how a character is too mean, or a story is too dark, or a story is a bad influence on children. These are just cartoons, yet adults--full grown adults--take them so seriously. They should know better! I love animation, I'm disgusted how adults would take it all to heart as if it were real!

What do you think?

[Lionx]

Depends what you are talking about. O_o Its the same reason why we have a discussion board on final fantasy. Because we like it and we like it enough to have a long discussion on it. Otakus and their western counterparts have a passion and liking of stuff like that. Is talking about how sad Aeris's death was something too stupid and immature for people thare are talking about it on these boards? Or what about those people that are hardcore about stuff like Star Wars?

You seem to be talking about two things here..one is parents that are overreactive and one is the fan(both dont mix). The fan enjoys the characters and the story and have every right to discuss about it or be serious with it. We like that Evangelion anime and we like to talk about how sexy Asuka is or how deep the story is or how much it sucks. Whats wrong with it? >_> About overactive parents..well they just dont share the same view as someone else.

[Shoeberto]

I think some people do. Like some* cosplayers.

I like anime and really enjoy a lot of the stories, but I don't let my life revolve around them.



*asterisked, underlined, and bolded for emphasis that it's some of the cosplayers so the otakus don't flame me to death.

[Madame Adequate]

Surely if you loved animation as you proclaim you would recognize it to be a perfectly valid medium or storytelling and of making points?

I mean, no it's not real. Neither is Babylon 5, and that's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Neither is Mort, but tell me you don't love Death. Steinback didn't write real things, but Of Mice And Men is an amazingly powerful tale.

The problem isn't animated stories being taken too seriously, it's when average stuff gets lauded as the best thing evar!!1!2 that I get irritated.

[black orb]

This applies to both Western and Japanese animation fans. Is it my imagination, or are animation fans immature and take animated stories too seriously? I've always heard them whine about how a character is too mean, or a story is too dark, or a story is a bad influence on children. These are just cartoons, yet adults--full grown adults--take them so seriously. They should know better! I love animation, I'm disgusted how adults would take it all to heart as if it were real!

What do you think?
>>> Star Trek fans are 100 times worse.. and most of them ald old enough to be my dad.

[MecaKane]

People take a lot of TV shows or movies, or books seriously.
What's the friggen difference if it's real people <i>acting and reading lines</i> or drawings and voices?

[SomethingBig]

People take a lot of TV shows or movies, or books seriously.
What's the friggen difference if it's real people <i>acting and reading lines</i> or drawings and voices?
Yeah, it's definitely both regular TV and cartoons.

"OMFG can you beLIEVE Ephram did that to Amy?"
"OMFG like totally! He's such a jerk!"
"OMFG NO! He's a sweetheart!"
"I <3 football."

[ShivaBlizzard8]

Some adults make careers out of pulling apart books or films and publishing writings about them (like LOTR, or Harry Potter), and that's a perfectly valid profession, so why should animation be any different?

Although I know the kind of person you're reffering to, they are a type of person, not a type of fan. There are immature, unrealistic people with an entire array of interests, so of course some like cartoons. Unfortunately, these people are so vocal they tend to get more attention and it seems like there are more of them.

Yet there are plenty of people who don't fit that, including many members here. I know I for one, am a pretty mature, realistic individual with a real life, and yet I enjoy cartoons, was raised a Star Trek fan, and religiously watched X-Files for 9 years and was quite passionate about it. Just because its not real doesn't mean I can't care about the story. Any show/book/film/anime that doesn't get people really into the storyline is poorly written. :p

[SomethingBig]

There was also a controversy over Power Rangers when it first came out.

[Big D]

If an adult gets seriously emotional over The PowerPuff Girls or something, then I'd be concerned.

However, just because something's animated, does not neccessitate that it's for kids. There's plenty of animation that's made for mature, or adult, audiences. It's exactly the same as it is with live-action fiction. Works like Princess Mononoke, for instance, can have appeal and meaning to all ages, because of the depth and quality of the writing. Animation like this combines the literary art of the script with the visual art of the animation.