I don't get it

[RadioactiveLemon]

Im sorry, but I don't get why people like japanese cartoons over other ones from america, and why they have massive fandom over them. I'm not trolling, but what makes "anime" so good?
 
The only diference I notice is that anime has an odd huge-eyed charecter design, and it has some catchy music (even though I can't understand it). Can someone please tell me why anime is so good, so maybe I can except it and like it?

The only experience i've had with an anime fan IRL, is a girl in my school. She awlays wears weird japanese costumes to school, and brings manga books and sometimes, a Naruto headband thing. She seems like a crazy fanatic or something.

[Bing]

Some people like it.  Personally I treat it like any show I watch.  If it has a good plot and strong characters, then I'm interested.  I'll never get the whole cosplay thing (that's the dress up if I'm not mistaken) but, there are a few animes I like.  Though there are more that I don't like versus the ones I do.

Plain and simple I'm not big on everything anime but, if it's a good show then it's a good show.

[NexosYourGayBestFriend96]

 Well the reason I like anime is because it's alot more epic and colorful. And that girl at your school is whats called a "fangirl", they're all over the internet and make fanfics and yaoi. Dont search Yaoi on google images, you'll be better off. Anyway, I like anime because of japanes sense of humor, creativity, and original story and characters. Anime is just a "japanese cartoon", most of them are for teens and I guess thats why they're so popular. Anime in my opinion though varies from epic action cartoons with a dramatic and epic feel to it, and some are just full of porn, thats why most guys like em'. The girls are different, very different. If I told you everything they do to male characters in their minds, you'd probably be scarred for life.

[Bing]

Eh... I wouldn't say original.  A lot of anime easily falls into simple stereotypes that are annoying.  Like the whole nose bleed thing.  That's really annoying.  I like anime like Darker than black, which leaves behind the traditional anime stereotypes.   

[Silver]

Im sorry, but I don't get why people like japanese cartoons over other ones from america, and why they have massive fandom over them. I'm not trolling, but what makes "anime" so good?
 
The only diference I notice is that anime has an odd huge-eyed charecter design, and it has some catchy music (even though I can't understand it). Can someone please tell me why anime is so good, so maybe I can except it and like it?

The only experience i've had with an anime fan IRL, is a girl in my school. She awlays wears weird japanese costumes to school, and brings manga books and sometimes, a Naruto headband thing. She seems like a crazy fanatic or something.

This girl sounds like the worst possible kind of anime fan. Most people who like anime aren't like that.

One thing that you have to understand is that if you've seen an anime on American Television, its most likely a bad anime. There are a couple of exceptions, but generally don't bother with them.

Anime tends to expand on their characters and story more than American TV does. The Japanese love their stories, while the west likes their action and gore. As an example, compare Gears of War to Final Fantasy. Which has the better, longer story with big character backgrounds and I giant universe of races, places, etc?

Its the same way with anime, in general that is.
To say you don't like anime is like saying you don't like movies. The genre is so broad theres always something someone will like. Its just a matter of finding it. Sure there are bad animes, tons of them even. But there are also a chanseyton of bad movies and games are there not? Its just a matter of getting the good ones, and anime has been around for way longer than videogames, so there are way more to choose from, both bad and good.

If you want, I could PM you an anime you might be interested in, and you could give it a whirl in your free time. I would just need a general idea of what you might be interested in.

[Bing]

Well put silver.  Though I'll admit I do enjoy my gory shooters as well as story driven games.  I'll always love FF8.  Outside of 7 it's the only one I've ever completed.

[Roloc]

Well put silver.  Though I'll admit I do enjoy my gory shooters as well as story driven games.  I'll always love FF8.  Outside of 7 it's the only one I've ever completed.

you have only beat 7 and 8? :O
We are no longer friends!
XD

[Bing]

Well 8 and 7 and the only one's I've really played out side of FF1 (Which I lost) and 13 which I just didn't really like.

[Silver]

Well 8 and 7 and the only one's I've really played out side of FF1 (Which I lost) and 13 which I just didn't really like.

13 was the worst movie I've ever seen

[Arctus]

I treat anime just like any other show, although I do like the ideas that anime have more. Especially death note. Death note was the first anime I saw, and everything was completely new to me and I found it vey interesting.

[Roloc]

Well 8 and 7 and the only one's I've really played out side of FF1 (Which I lost) and 13 which I just didn't really like.

Both 7 and 8 are really good. 13 was straight crap. I recommend 2 and 3(US versions)4 and 6 for Jap versions. 2 you start out as a deathknight and become a paladin about 1/4 of the way into the game. 3 doesn't really have a main character. I guess you could call both Locke and Terra the main characters...anyway 3 has 14 permanent playable characters, the most of any game in the main series.


On topic:

I don't watch to much anime but when I do get in a mood for it I will watch them steady for a month or more at a time. As Silver said there are tons to choose from. Browse through them and find one you might like and give it a shot.

I don't watch to many American cartoons anymore but I do love my futurama.

[genbor]

 Well Silver already explained most of it, but I'll add why I watch it anyways. I love Japanese humor, their love for a story in a story and the things they express with it. Anime usually has it all. You have a story, that story usually has a deeper meaning to it. Japanese anime tend to talk about some philosophical questions about Family, Life, and many other things. You usually don't have this in a Western style Cartoon. I don't even watch Cartoons unless it's Family Guy. Those are usually aimed at the younger generations.
 
Just like Silver said just think of Anime as a Movie with 2D characters. Also the anime broadcast on TV many times are not bad, but the voice acting ruins it. That's another thing that I like in Anime, the voice acting. The Japanese language is very expressive, even in the terms of emotions. The tones and everything changes with each emotion they put into a sentence. And not just that, since Manga and Anime are intertwined deeply into Japanese the culture, the voice acting is much better as well, since it actually makes you feel that the character's could be real. The voice actors give their all to produce a good character; in contrast, there isn't really something like that in Cartoons. Also there are some OK voice-overs from Japanese to English Anime that are Aired on TV, the Anime is ruined even though it might not be a bad one, because the voice-over is just that horrible. So what I recommend to you is, if you ever find a good Anime that you wish to watch, watch it in Japanese with subs.

 Well that's pretty much it for now... I can also PM you some Anime to watch if you want, but Silver has it all, so just ask him.

[chocobo]

Long time anime fan here. Probably a good 13 years worth of enjoying the medium.

Over the years, what I've found to be most desirable about anime is it's ability to appeal to a wide demographic of people. Western cartoons are generally aimed at children. The cartoons that are aimed at adults tend to be of the comedy variety. There isn't a lot of option for a fan of animation to get a great detailed story oriented towards adults in the western world. I think this is where anime comes in and fills the gap nicely.

Anime caters to just about every genre you can think of. Comedy, action, adventure, drama, romance, etc... This is definitely something that incredibly rare in western animation. It's nice to find a plot heavy, character heavy, and beautifully arranged (mostly artwork) series. The fact that it's Japanese doesn't really change anything. Where anime falls short in my opinion is some of the animation. Since studios don't receive the same funding, there is a lot of fps issues. Not all studios do this. The major ones receive great funding and produce great work.

It can definitely be a hit or miss medium. My favorite anime from when I started watching all those number of years ago, are things I'd laugh at now. You just need a proper introduction to the medium.

[Yume Tsuki]

I like anime for the plot, I don't really dislike western cartoons though, I love them. ^^
It's just that cartoons usually have a 1 episode plot while Anime gives me the thrills to continue watching the plot.