What if Anime and Manga no longer existed?

[CJStriker]

If Anime/Manga NEVER Existed at all it would have MAJOR Repercussions, Total World Change!

Many that say it would have never effected what they grew-up with or liked growing up or like now don't get the point that a Vast Majority of many things we like now that are popular in Fiction/Pop Culture Media has had directed and in-direct Influence from the Anime/Manga Industry.

Their are to many examples to list them all, but a major one:

The Popular 1980's Saturday Morning Cartoons Alone! Many Japanese Animators came-over to work on American Cartoons in the 80's and Everything from Transformers to GI Joe to TMNT and Allot more where cause of the Skills of Japanese Animators, Hence Anime BUILT the Kings of Cartoons in the 80's!

This goes beyond my personal view really, if Anime/Manga Never existed for whatever reason, the MAJOR WHOLE of Our Entertainment and Even Arts Industries and Culture would look as near 100% Different as I could say and all the lesser for it!

[GreenLanternRanger]

Hmm, if anime & manga no longer existed, well....

-The internet would be a slightly safer place.
- No more abusing the art of comics & animation to make what is basically (for the most part) just softcore cartoon porn
- No more crazy people talking about how anime is better then American & European cartoons because its "more adult" when in all actuality it is not given that most anime seem to be aimed at overly hormonal teenage boys. :P
- No more dealing with a branch of animation and comics where things like sexism/racism are common place.
- No more dealing with all the bad writing, lazy animation corner cutting tactics & overly abundant exposition and prolonged over the top screaming like the hero/heroine is constipated.


The only real down side is that places like Eschergirls would have a lot less stuff to mock/make fun of. :P

[Bullet Sniper]

Hmm, if anime & manga no longer existed, well....

-The internet would be a slightly safer place.
- No more abusing the art of comics & animation to make what is basically (for the most part) just softcore cartoon porn
- No more crazy people talking about how anime is better then American & European cartoons because its "more adult" when in all actuality it is not given that most anime seem to be aimed at overly hormonal teenage boys. :P
- No more dealing with a branch of animation and comics where things like sexism/racism are common place.
- No more dealing with all the bad writing, lazy animation corner cutting tactics & overly abundant exposition and prolonged over the top screaming like the hero/heroine is constipated.


The only real down side is that places like Eschergirls would have a lot less stuff to mock/make fun of. :P

Seems like we've got ourselves another big Anime/Manga detractor here, folks. But I begrudgingly respect your opinion.

[GreenLanternRanger]

Seems like we've got ourselves another Anime/Manga detractor here, folks. But I begrudgingly respect your opinion.

I respect the fact you respect my opinion.


Also to clarify abit, I do know that Japanese animation & comics like any media from any country have the potential to be good or bad, however for me personally, aside from the "safe" stuff like childrens series and the Studio Ghibli films I would say the vast majority of animated and comic content to come out of Japan in the 21st century just isn't my cup of tea.


There are things from Japan I do like though, Kaiju films, Super-Sentai, Transformers (which I believe started as a Japanese toy line called Diaclone or something like that) & Ultraman stuff. I just don't care for what they do with their animation & comics for the most part these days. I mean we know from the past they can do great things with the medium if they choose to do so, but until they work on having better writing, less over the top perversion and better representation of women/minorities/etc I just can't really get into it/support it.

But again, that's just my 2-cents.

[Carabas]

If Anime/Manga NEVER Existed at all it would have MAJOR Repercussions, Total World Change!(

And, more relevant to the main interest of CBR: no more Jim Lee and his copycats. And probably no more Frank Miller either.

[mike2112]

It,s okay to me if some people have prejuices against manga/anime but what i can never stands it,s how ungratefull it,s not realize the fact that the japanese people are ready to throw themselves to help foreing entertaiment at any time and how very little they got in exchange. It,s kind sad how it,s the japanese animators the only ones that have bothered with the X-men in animation in almost a decade, or the total lack of any actual direct to video animation 2D for marvel for years done by themselves.

Also about the mature thing, well, the first animated movie about a Gay couple has been released this year and it,s not have been done in america.

Also love the fact that they are supposed to be xenophobic and a very closed culture, and they are, yet you can find a lot of manga and anime taking place in other cultures outside their one.

In a personal example I am spanish and I was very positive surprised to find a manga called Golondrina about tauromaquia, i hate "toros" in real life yet the idea of a manga talking about Francisco Falla, well, It was awesome. There is an anime Called Sound of Skys who literally just used Cuenca as background art. There is also an animated movie about cyclism in Andalucia, and the thing it,s that i doubt that there are to much spanish people living there, yet they show interest in us. In comparation Marvel has a huge lot of Spanish artists some ones as good and important as Marcos Martin but they have yet to create and actual spanish superhero or have a whole story taking place here. There are some references like the amazing dubbing actor Constantino Romero in Stars Wars but no much more. Hell, seem like just keept Anya calling herself AraÑa was a huge deal even if there is a important bunch of mexican people in USA.

[Orujo-man]

It,s okay to me if some people have prejuices against manga/anime but what i can never stands it,s how ungratefull it,s not realize the fact that the japanese people are ready to throw themselves to help foreing entertaiment at any time and how very little they got in exchange. It,s kind sad how it,s the japanese animators the only ones that have bothered with the X-men in animation in almost a decade, or the total lack of any actual direct to video animation 2D for marvel for years done by themselves.

Also about the mature thing, well, the first animated movie about a Gay couple has been released this year and it,s not have been done in america.

Also love the fact that they are supposed to be xenophobic and a very closed culture, and they are, yet you can find a lot of manga and anime taking place in other cultures outside their one.

In a personal example I am spanish and I was very positive surprised to find a manga called Golondrina about tauromaquia, i hate "toros" in real life yet the idea of a manga talking about Francisco Falla, well, It was awesome. There is an anime Called Sound of Skys who literally just used Cuenca as background art. There is also an animated movie about cyclism in Andalucia, and the thing it,s that i doubt that there are to much spanish people living there, yet they show interest in us. In comparation Marvel has a huge lot of Spanish artists some ones as good and important as Marcos Martin but they have yet to create and actual spanish superhero or have a whole story taking place here. There are some references like the amazing dubbing actor Constantino Romero in Stars Wars but no much more. Hell, seem like just keept Anya calling herself AraÑa was a huge deal even if there is a important bunch of mexican people in USA.

I don't share your enthusiasm, I'm Cántabro and I'm pretty tired of that Spain is always associated abroad with the bulls, flamenco, party, siesta or Andalusia.

All that stuff doesn't reflect the reality, lifestyle or heritage of the four ancient tribes of northern Spain (Gallaecios, Astures, Cántabros y Vascos).

Do not misunderstand me, I like that Spain is known and shared with the rest of the world, it's good for our country. But always see the same topics, which are only a part of our culture, is tired.

[mike2112]

Well I am from Extremadura myself, sure i also think they can be focused too much in very tired tropes, as I said before I hate tauromaquia in real life.

There is a difference between been intersested to a certain culture and really learn to a high degree about it.

I see it as a starting point, I will love to see them doing a series with the level of accuracy of Mitchico to Hatchin does with Brasil. But to get to that level of accuracy is not easy at all, Gunslinger girl does amazing well about Italy, Monster about Germany or A young bride story about Turkey or Historie about the ancient greek or Innocent about Revolutionary france. It will require a lot of documentation, time and investigation in terrain it,s pretty much imposible unless they travel here and stay living here for a while. They can get really faithfull when it comes to represent real places so it,s a matter of take things further.

They are a much more far away culture from us than america so I can understand to a certain point to see them use tropes until it get the turn to an actual high level mangaka/animator who is interested to really take the time to investigate our culture to a deeper level.

For the most part what they get the better of us is the enviroment reference for fantasy series. I really loved how garo the animation used a setting that could be pretty much an alternative fantasy medieval Spain and the characters used classic names like Mendoza, German or León. I am pretty sure that it also used the "Acueducto de Segovia" as setting for a fight. I am also sure that Berserk also takes some references from here.

[simbob4000]

As a sequel to my previous "What if video games no longer existed" thread, I had dared propose something an even gloomier and potentially more grim and apocalyptic hypothetical scenario to the whole world. Beware, this thread may make you lose your entire sanity and give you lovecraftian-levels of stupefying insanity and madness.

Anyways...

1) What if Japanese Anime/Manga never became popular on a world-wide scale?

2) What if Japanese Anime/Manga never existed or became popular at all?

3) What if Japanese Anime/Manga stopped existing tomorrow?

Bonus: What would you do if Anime/Manga from Japan (or any nearby parts of East Asia, if I wanted to be a dick and make the scenario trickier) stopped existing? What similar things would you replace or substitute it? What would you turn to now? What happens to the world (no comments like "the world becomes a better place with all weeaboos are gone for good")?

1. It would be harder to get stuff I guess? I mean, this might effect some people who got into this stuff only after it was huge, but it probably wouldn't effect me. Although anything that was big in Japan dies pretty fast if they're the only real market for it.

2. Daredevil and later Batman would look a whole lot different. Frank Miller's stuff isn't quite the same. '90s X-Men, and really just a good deal of '90s comics look different. Movies, not just anime or Japanese movies would look different. Video games likely look different too.

3. The quality of modern comics and animation as a whole would take a nosedive.

[Bullet Sniper]

Another good question... would Original English-Language Manga and Webcomics be the perfect substitute for Japanese-produced Anime/Manga and become the only way should the latter magically cease to exist?

[simbob4000]

Another good question... would Original English-Language Manga and Webcomics be the perfect substitute for Japanese-produced Anime/Manga and become the only way should the latter magically cease to exist?

No, because they're usually always terrible.

[Tami]

I thought this might be relevant

[Bullet Sniper]

No, because they're usually always terrible.

Why? I understand that most of them can still really pale in comparison to the real things from Japan, but what about as a "next best substitute" sorta thing? It's like switching to vegetarian meat in case there's no more real meat left in the world.

[simbob4000]

Why? I understand that most of them can still really pale in comparison to the real things from Japan, but what about as a "next best substitute" sorta thing? It's like switching to vegetarian meat in case there's no more real meat left in the world.

Because they're trying to capture some abstract idea of what anime is, and they never do a good job of that. Anime is just Japanese cartoons, but American cartoons trying to be "anime" always just hit stereotypical anime things and it never feels like it happens naturally.

I don't think they are a good substitute, so I'd just watch something else that did what it does will. Vegetarian "meat" taste terrible, so like with this cartoon example, if there was no more meat I just eat other things. Something that looks kind of like meat, but doesn't taste as good as the real thing isn't a good substitute for meat. But then I've never seen the point of fake meat, just eat meat, or eat something else.

[Shawn Hopkins]

Anime literally means cartoon and the Japanese consider things like Tom and Jerry anime. Manga means any printed comic. Techinally, all cartoons or comics of any kind would cease to exist, so this "substitutes" debate is meaningless.