Anime or Not?

[Overcaffeinated Sloth offline]

Well, eh, I really got thinking, and It came up on an anime forum I visit.

Is Code Lyoko in fact considered an Anime or a Cartoon?

Go ahead, bring in fanfiction.net, Totally Spies, even adveanced geothermal maps of the strange differences between France and Japan to show they are most certainly NOT connected... *Giggles*

And introducing, a handy vote tracker thingie! *Points up*

Umm... soooooo, Yeah.
O\/\
AB

[JeremyHopper offline]

Technically anime isn't a cartoon style, it's just the japanese word for animation. But I think it has come to mean cartoons coming out of Japan. It's my opinion that animation that copies anime is still just a cartoon unless it comes from Japan.

What's more, Code Lyoko's animation uses some of the elements of Anime but is of a more higher class than anime in my opinion. It's a lot different, like higher frame rate.

[Sithking Zero offline]

Nah, not really. As JH said, Anime is cartoons that come out of Japan. This is not anime, though it imitates the style, like Totally spies and other Marathon shows, Avatar, Teen Titans (bad spoof on anime), and Ben 10.

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[JeremyHopper offline]

I would say that CL is anime. Now, don't be stereotypical on anime.
Anime doesn't necessarily have to come from Japan. I consider this French Anime.

Well I would say that Anime is a stereotype, and being a stereotype it depends on the person that's using the word and how they're using it.

For example, one dictionary takes the side of wartonchan saying anime is "a Japanese style of motion-picture animation, characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, futuristic settings, and violence." while another takes my side in saying it's "A style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art and often adult themes."

From other refrences, wikipedia says that "Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation originating in Japan" and that "In Japan, the term does not specify an animation's nation of origin or style; instead, it is used as a blanket term to refer to all forms of animation from around the world". I agree with it when it says that "non-Japanese works are sometimes called anime-influenced animation if they borrow stylistically from Japanese animation." I would call Code Lyoko "anime-influenced animation".

Surprisingly it also says that "In western countries the word is used usually only to refer to animated programming of Japanese origin, with the term "cartoon" or "animated series" used for most other visual styles", and "AniDB generally defines anime (in the singular form) as 'an animated, professionally produced, feature film created by a Japanese company for the Japanese market'" But, because companies like Cartoon Network are teaming up with Japanese animation companies, "anime is no longer specific to the Japanese market".

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[Mewberries151]

Indeed, I mean, France can call CL their own anime.

And technically it is...seeing as how the French translation for "cartoon" is "dessin anime" or "anime" for short.

In fact, "anime", I believe, was appropriated by the Japanese as a term for their cartoons, and then re-appropriated by Americans and generally taken to mean "Japanese animations". However, "Anime" is a Romantic-derived word, not something that would really naturally occur in the Japanese language (I've heard rumors that it was the French they borrowed it from, in fact ^^).

At any rate, Code Lyoko is both. It's a cartoon and it's an anime...it just depends on which language you're speaking.

[Blueyedblonde offline]

I voted strong heartedly. I mean... Odd really does need a cookie. xD

...

Eh, I consider it anime. Anime in my view is a cartoon that comes from another country.

[Lani offline]

<s>Does Franime count? hurr</s>

I don't consider it anime. To me anime is animation from Japan. Advent Children is anime to me, it's still animated Avatar's not anime, it's an American cartoon; CL isn't anime, but rather... a ... French cartoon? Heerr.

[Grand_Commander13 offline]

To me, anime is merely an animation style used to make cartoons and that is exceedingly popular in Japan, its country of origin. I don't think Code Lyoko quite falls into the visual style, but Avatar certainly does.

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[JeremyHopper offline]

And technically it is...seeing as how the French translation for "cartoon" is "dessin anime" or "anime" for short.

In fact, "anime", I believe, was appropriated by the Japanese as a term for their cartoons, and then re-appropriated by Americans and generally taken to mean "Japanese animations". However, "Anime" is a Romantic-derived word, not something that would really naturally occur in the Japanese language (I've heard rumors that it was the French they borrowed it from, in fact ^^).

At any rate, Code Lyoko is both. It's a cartoon and it's an anime...it just depends on which language you're speaking.

That sums it up right there. I also read about anime not being a Japanese word, I actually read it was simply "a direct transliteration and re-borrowed loanword... of the English term 'animation.'" They also pronounce it differently in Japan than we do.

[Grand_Commander13 offline]

I would consider Avatar American-wanna-be-Japanese anime. If I'm thinking clearly(which I don't usually do), Avatar is made in the US right?

I don't know where the animation is physically done (a lot of Invader Zim's was done in South Korea) but it's an American team at the head of it.

Of course, since I'm using anime to reference its style and not its country of origin, the point is moot in my eyes.

[Overcaffeinated Sloth offline]

It's true, andie has spread away rom Japan.

Me, I consider it and anime only because of the storyline. It's the ontinuing story, always deveoping. Same threadline for most anime seriese.

And also because it's closter than an anime than to a cartoon.

[ginolyoko12 offline]

its not anime.anime is some cartoon made in Japan.France is no where near Japan.So there is your answer.

[Overcaffeinated Sloth offline]

No no no, you miss the point. it's not if it's made i france or Japan, it's the drawing style.

But I do see your point. Too many people just think anime can only come out of japan.

[Tom Bone offline]

Technically anime isn't a cartoon style, it's just the japanese word for animation.

It's also the French word for it, too. anime means "animate" and animé is "animated"

[Mewberries151]

Technically anime isn't a cartoon style, it's just the japanese word for animation.

It's also the French word for it, too. anime means "animate" and animé is "animated"

Actually, it's "animated" (an adjective), not "animate" (although this depends on the usage ^^; ). At least in the case of the French word for animated cartoons, which is "dessin anime", and translates to "animated cartoon" (since "un dessin" or a cartoon, could merely be a still illustration or editorial cartoon).

*sweatdrops* Eh heh...see my other post for more details. *runs away before she goes on an animation history tirade*

[TB3]

In Japan the term 'anime' means 'cartoon' - I think they actually refer to all cartoons in this maner - therefore to a Japanese person CL, Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry etc, are all 'anime'.

Useless Info: 'Ani' is actually the Latin for 'soul' - to animate something is to give it a semblence of a soul, or life. Therefore the literal definition of Animation is to bring drawings to life.

[Mewberries151]

In Japan the term 'anime' means 'cartoon' - I think they actually refer to all cartoons in this maner - therefore to a Japanese person CL, Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry etc, are all 'anime'.

Useless Info: 'Ani' is actually the Latin for 'soul' - to animate something is to give it a semblence of a soul, or life. Therefore the literal definition of Animation is to bring drawings to life.

*snickers* You know...with all of us animation buffs here...we ought to start and LTA (Let's Talk Animation) *wink* X) (j/k)

This is true though. The Japanese use the term "anime" to refer to all cartoons, both their own, and foreign cartoons. It's just Western culture that has mostly taken the term "anime" to mean "Japanese cartoons (or Japanimation)".

Incidentally, the funny story behind what is known as the "anime style" is that...the Japanese originally took this style from the first American cartoons. Cartoon characters like Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse were all drawn with somewhat over-proportioned heads and very large eyes. The Japanese appropriated this style when American cartoons began playing in Japan...and the style evolved from there.

So, in retrospect, "anime" and "cartoons" really are one and the same.

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[Mewberries151]

its not anime.anime is some cartoon made in Japan.France is no where near Japan.So there is your answer.

You have completely missed the point. We have already established that anime does not have to come from Japan. Try reading the whole thread before replying with something smart hmm?

^^; It's okay. This is an opinion thread after all. There's a lot of Japanimation fans (at least that I've run into) that feel similarly. There's been thousands of discussions about what qualifies as anime, I'm sure, and there's likely always going to be a group of people that supports the ideal of anime being "purely Japanese cartoons". ^^

Umm...but you do need to work on your grammar there, ginolyoko12. Please make sure that all sentences have proper capitalization, and are spaced correctly. ^^ I know you're still new here, but just keep that in mind, 'kay?

[jayde_child offline]

Well CL is from France right? Whenever I think of anime, I always think its from Japan. Like japanese anime?? Yeah I think so. So I think its a cartoon.

[Naton offline]

I recognise anime by the way in which unrealistic events can happen seemlessly in a realistic environment, as an artistic way to represent something. For example, in the anime universe a character can fall flat on their back in an instant to convey to the viewer that they're frustrated, but if the same thing happened in a cartoon (one bound by reality anyway), characters would probably say "jeez, didn't that hurt?". Code Lyoko seems to go to great lengths to keep things realistic, like they way they eat for instance, the fact that Odd has a large appetite is displayed mostly through dialogue, but in anime they could convey the same message by doing the whole mouth-bigger-than-head eating thing. I'm not saying anime is 'unrealistic', just that it has the ability to sidetrack from realism where need be, and has less to do with the way it's drawn or animated.
The only anime like instance in Code Lyoko I can think of is the skateboard launch sequences, but otherwise they have very little to do with each other, in my opinion.

[Darkborn offline]

I rarely call anything drawn on television as a cartoon or anime..I just call it art. All it is, is someones art technique.