I think it has to do with Japanese wanting to preserve their culture more and buy Japanese things. Its the same reason more Japanese cars are bought in Japan than American cars. Japanese are more likely to buy their own stuff while Americans are kind of a free for all frenzy. Its the same way most people on this site are so into Korean starcraft gamers while most of the koreans don't know about anything starcraft related outside of korea. Its odd, same way if you use different ways to talk to online most of the people from Japan(and Korea too) tend to use their own countries social networking sites and not communicate as much with the rest of the world. Meanwhile you can find Filipinos on pretty much every corner of the internet, its weird, but its true.

Chuiu

3470 Posts

September 06 2009 22:58 GMT

#22

I'm sure they watched the new Speed Racer to laugh at how fucking horrible most new age American cartoons have become.

FabledIntegral

United States9232 Posts

September 06 2009 23:00 GMT

#23

Southpark is quite popular.

And I don't think Japanese anime is THAT popular really, I can't say for sure as I don't watch it much, but honestly almost EVERYONE I know that watches anime at ALL is Asian. I don't know a single white friend that enjoys Japanese anime.

fanatacist

10319 Posts

September 06 2009 23:02 GMT

#24

On September 07 2009 08:00 FabledIntegral wrote:
Southpark is quite popular.

And I don't think Japanese anime is THAT popular really, I can't say for sure as I don't watch it much, but honestly almost EVERYONE I know that watches anime at ALL is Asian. I don't know a single white friend that enjoys Japanese anime.

Here I'd say it's a 50/50 split between white people and Asians. (New Jersey, suburbia).

samachking

Bahrain4949 Posts

September 06 2009 23:11 GMT

#25

Actually lots of arabs watch anime too. We live in a crappy consumption culture(worse than the US) where we just import shit without producing anything of our own except oil and shitty copy pasted arabic melodramas that are all the same. So our channels pick up american cartoons and japanese cartoons, and the japanese stuff is the thing thats more mainstream with kids, and a lot of people from the generation that is around 18-30 in bahrain right now, a lot of them still watch anime because of that with a decent arab subbing scene. Adult american cartoons didnt really pick up since they werent really shown, and are mainly satire based of the current moment, but I assume that this current internet generation will pick up american sooner or later and it will become more mainstream by straying away from TV and moving towards internet media. Anime tends to be on higher quality on average than american cartoons though. Nothing tops South Park though.

Luddite

United States2315 Posts

September 06 2009 23:29 GMT

#26

DivinO

United States4796 Posts

September 06 2009 23:39 GMT

#27

Where's Mani when you need him?

29 fps

United States5725 Posts

September 06 2009 23:41 GMT

#28

stitch is really popular there. but they dont watch american cartoons dubbed like americans watch dubbed anime

illu

Canada2531 Posts

September 06 2009 23:54 GMT

#29

I do think Spongebob Squarepants is awesome. One of my math professors have a Spongebob toy and he uses it to demonstrate path integrals and orientations.

EDIT: Despite the popularity with Japanese anime, many feel that (including me) it has passed its peak. If you are a hardcore fan like me, anime is not very exciting - not because I have personally got bored of them, but there has already been so many anime out there that the plots starts to get too similar to each other.

On the other hand, animated shows in the U.S. passed its prime about 30 years ago (arguably marked by Marvel's bankrupsy).

[X]Ken_D

United States4650 Posts

September 07 2009 00:01 GMT

#30

They have Ninja Turtles

and upcoming japanese Wolverine

Polyphasic

United States841 Posts

September 07 2009 00:04 GMT

#31

On September 07 2009 08:29 Luddite wrote:

buahahaha

hifriend

China7935 Posts

September 07 2009 00:09 GMT

#32

On September 07 2009 08:29 Luddite wrote:

lol, where can I find more of these?

ForSC2

United States580 Posts

September 07 2009 00:13 GMT

#33

Japanese probably wouldn't get receive many American cartoons in Japan though some are very well made Avatar might be one that could cross over. Japanese certainly see American Cartoon movies such as any Disney, Pixar movies. Along with the Simpsons and maybe Family Guy, Simpsons has been there for sure.

The reason why there wouldn't be as many American Cartoons going to Japan vs Japanese Anime going to America is because Japanese take Animation much more seriously as an Art to the level of an award winning film.

I grew up with the xmen cartoon show and I thought it was the baddest cartoon show around. Could you see yourself torrenting all the episodes of xmen versus torrenting the episodes of Death Note or even Bleach and Naruto? Even if you feel that an Anime like Death Note is not a fair comparison because it's for a more mature audience the idea is that there aren't that many American equivalent cartoons to compare that level of cartoon for that type of audience.

Nowadays though Animation is becoming a more serious medium in America with shows like Avatar the Last Airbender. I could see Avatar being shown in Japan and it doing well.

phyre112

United States3090 Posts

September 07 2009 00:13 GMT

#34

To be completely honest, until I got to college about a week ago, I didn't know what anime WAS. And I can't say I'm at all impressed with what I've found, so the arguement about it being better quality is entirely relative.

Clasic

Bosnia-Herzegovina1437 Posts

September 07 2009 00:16 GMT

#35

On September 07 2009 07:14 Ziph wrote:
They don't watch american cartoons as much as american people watch japanese anime. Why because, Anime obviously is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cartoons.

PS: Anime sucks.

Fixed.

ForSC2

United States580 Posts

September 07 2009 00:20 GMT

#36

On September 07 2009 09:13 phyre112 wrote:
To be completely honest, until I got to college about a week ago, I didn't know what anime WAS. And I can't say I'm at all impressed with what I've found, so the arguement about it being better quality is entirely relative.

I'd say the people in the industry take it more seriously and put more money into it vs the relative statement of it being better quality.

I like Gurren Lagann, Death Note, Azumanga Daioh, FLCL myself. Those might be worth checking out. I'm actually not big on anime myself.

Tom Phoenix

1114 Posts

September 07 2009 00:32 GMT

#37

While I seriously doubt that non-Japanese animation are even nearly as popular in Japan as vice-versa (in Japan, the general rule is that domestic companies are far more successful then foreign companies), certain animations and films do manage to succeed even in Japan. For example, Harry Potter was preety successful in Japan and the Japanese even made their own version of the Powerpuff Girls called Powerpuff Girls Z.

ForSC2

United States580 Posts

September 07 2009 00:35 GMT

#38

On September 07 2009 09:32 Tom Phoenix wrote:
While I seriously doubt that non-Japanese animation are even nearly as popular in Japan as vice-versa (in Japan, the general rule is that domestic companies are far more successful then foreign companies), certain animations and films do manage to succeed even in Japan. For example, Harry Potter was preety successful in Japan and the Japanese even made their own version of the Powerpuff Girls called Powerpuff Girls Z.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgOH_GKkflQ

Yeah I think it lost it's charm.

Makes me think of what animezing Megaman X and Sonic did.

afg-warrior

Afghanistan328 Posts

September 07 2009 00:50 GMT

#39

lets face it, other than the comedy ones, american cartoons suck really bad compared to action/fighting oriented anime in japan. its like watching X-men where miraculously you will see a lot of destruction but no 1 really dies. and the only thing wolverine actually destroys with his claws are robots. you won't see wolverine take on a large number of actual soldiers as he cuts off arms and legs. its the same with the dialogue. american cartoons "you shall be DESTROYED" vs "I'll kill u all / i'll send you to hell first."

now someone might reply hey blood and guts isn't everything. yes that's right but because of the inherently less violent nature of american action oriented cartoons and less aggressive dialogue like in spiderman/x-men, it can be safe to say that they are geared towards a less mature audience (in terms of age) than japanese ones which usually appeal to a much broader audience.

here Ken_D's post can be taken as an example of this truth with marvel creating the wolverine anime trying to appeal to a broader audience.

On September 07 2009 09:01 [X]Ken_D wrote:
and upcoming japanese Wolverine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLYjywXyyDI

Humbug

United States264 Posts

September 07 2009 01:06 GMT

#40

What about other popular American shows? Like uhh...House, or CSI, or 24 or Heroes or w/e (I don't really watch them >_> ) are those shows popular elsewhere around the world?