Japanese anime is far better than American animation!
Disney’s The Lion King (1994) is my favorite movie from American animation even today. The scene where Mufasa just lies there and Simba tries his best to wake his father up, brings tears to my eyes even now when I am in my mid-20s! I always imagine this scene with my father. Because like Simba, I was also close to my father.
My favorite Disney princess will always be Cinderella and then many years later I liked Elsa from Frozen. I am not ashamed to say it despite being a man. Because somehow I was able to connect with those movies.
I am sure many of us grew up watching these shows and movies when we were children. And even today if we see these things somewhere, it definitely brings back the nostalgia.
But I am not so sure today’s generation will be able to enjoy this type of connection with animated movies that are being released these days like we did back in the day.
Because these days movies, regardless of animation or live action, have become more spectacle-based than emotional connection with the storyline and characters.
I felt the same sorrow that Avengers felt when Tony Stark (Iron Man) sacrificed his life to save the universe in Avengers Endgame.
But nowadays will I feel that type of connection with Marvel’s latest releases or any of its newly introduced characters?
Nope!
I have explained the reason below.
But before going into that,
There are many other animation studios in America but Disney has been the pioneer of animation movies for the last 90 years. Disney’s most popular character the Micky Mouse and then the Disney princess custom started with Snow White. That is why you will see me mention the name Disney a lot in this article.
But in this long road somewhere their movies have lost their charm. They have become more of a business venture.
Not only the latest movies but the movies that started back in the golden era of animation can’t compete with their prequels when the sequels or remakes come out nowadays.
On the other hand, Japanese Anime despite going through several changes over the years was able to keep their emotions or relatability factor intact in their series and movies.
Be it action-packed Shonen like Dragon Ball or drama, mystery and adventure-filled Naruto. Even modern generation Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen somewhere in between the action and visuals maintain human emotions. Which makes them so enjoyable to millions of people around the world.
And upon this when they apply modern animation techniques and budget, these anime becomes a full package of entertainment.
The way anime is able to display internal conflict, emotional connection between characters, their individual struggles and willpower to never give up, etc. animation fails to do so. Even the motives of each character in an anime are so relatable, if you look deeper.
That is why Naruto villains like Pain and Obito are more popular.
And these factors also help us connect with anime of any genre so easily.
Does that mean Japanese writers are more in tune with their emotions compared to American writers?
I don’t think that is the reason.
Japanese writers get the proper time and space to express their point of view through the stories they create but American writers don’t.
Japanese anime and movies both, are mostly adapted from manga (Japanese Comic). While American animation movies are created like live-action movies, means they are based on a script. A script that is written in a set time period.
But in order for characters to come to life, to build their own voice and display their unique characteristics takes time, usually several years. The proof is the American comics.
Whenever movies were purely based on comics even live-action ones, they got praised by people, and they were successful also. Because a comic takes time to develop, from the main character to supporting characters and world-building, etc.
Another reason is based on my personal preference.
I am somehow able to connect with 2D animation more than 3D or live-action ones. I am not sure why. This is one of the reasons for me that I prefer Anime over Animation.
Even today Japanese anime are made in 2D while America is repeatedly producing 3D ones, or worse turning old 2D movies into live-action ones. Which in turn makes them worse.
The last one is voice actors. Who gives life to those fictional characters by lending their voices. Japan uses professional voice actors who are solely trained to voice anime characters while America uses Hollywood actors.
This small difference makes a big impact.
Jack Black in Kung Fu Panda, and Dwayne Johnson as Maui in Moana are some of the example.
While an actor has the opportunity to bring out his or her character through not only their voice but by their facial expression and body language. A voice actor does not share such luxury. He or she has only one tool to bring their character to life, and that is their voice.
This is why we fail to connect with many latest release animation movies. But back in the day, the people who used to voice characters were professional voice artists.
I want to end by saying not all American animations are bad and all Japanese anime are good. But definitely, the factors that I mentioned above put Anime over Animation, at least for me.
Every few years an animated movie comes that everyone feels a connection with, despite it having Hollywood voice actors and 3d animation. Those are truly masterpieces.
But for now, America is a lot behind Japan when it comes to animation.
Do share your thoughts on this matter! I will be waiting.
Thank you for staying until the end!
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