The Distinct Differences Between Animes and Cartoons: A Truth Worth Defending

I got asked earlier today what basic truth I could say that would place me at gunpoint, I said, "Animes are not cartoons and cartoons are not animes." Not everyone understands this basic fact and most people refuse to accept it. They would rather ask what the difference is between animes and cartoons, simply to put you in a difficult position.

source
Admittedly, cartoons and animes have one thing in common which is that they are animated. Oh, and some cartoons are written first as comics before being animated into the cartoons on television but that's where it ends. Folks who watch animes have an umbrella term for themselves called, "weebs", persons who watch cartoons have no such umbrella term.

It goes further than that of course, Americans create cartoons and Asians create animes! This is the most resounding thing, but certain people will boldly declare that they're the same thing, just different terms for animations. That right there is the point they are missing.

Laufrey is one such person, honestly, I fail to understand how I got to know him sometimes, and how he can be extremely boneheaded is truly beyond me. The man truly is Thomas reincarnated, without hand-held physical proof and evidence, that can be felt, scented, and tasted, you can never change his point of view on a discourse where he is clearly wrong. Perhaps, he does this purposely to leave me irked, it really is a childish thing but it is no surprise if it comes from him.

Speaking of childish, cartoons have a margin, there are children's cartoons and adult cartoons. The reason is obvious, some cartoons have scenes inappropriate for kids, not to mention grammar used in contexts, which makes them categorized as adult cartoons and vice versa. Some cartoons scream naivety, others do indeed have other elements beyond childishness, but still, some scenes are heavily guised and made children appropriate, thus the name children cartoons.

Animes, as opposed to the divide in cartoons, have no such marginalization, at best or perhaps worst, some scenes in the manga aren't added to the animation, or certain scenes are tweaked, in a manner of speaking, but beyond that, there lies no other form of censoring. It is animated as it is and given to the public for consumption.

Still, unlike cartoons that greatly entice the minds of kids, admittedly anime does the same, kids are much more drawn toward cartoons. There's in fact a distinct difference in the manner both names roll off the tongue of any speaker, "cartoon", or "animes", which of course means that they both have a certain yet different ring and feel to a listener.

Besides, cartoons have been or even are what certain kids grew up with, it is all they know, until life throws the knowledge of animes their way, one way or another, just like myself. I grew up watching cartoons, from the most childish to cartoons worthy of pre-teens and teenagers, and now I watch adult cartoons. For every new age comes a new blend of tastes for cartoons, and it wasn't until recently that I found out about animes, and what a joy it has been!

Frankly, cartoons have the tendency to mostly end on a light note, the hero always saves the day, happily ever after and all the rest, in summary, cartoons always end on a positive note, no matter the rollercoaster it puts its audience through. What's more? There is in fact a certain predictability to cartoons, it does not matter whether it's childish, or for adults, cartoons have a clear undertone of predictability to them.

Animes on the other hand do not always end on a positive note, the hero doesn't always win, the female lead sometimes does not get to live happily ever after, and in extreme cases, the hero dies, and he dies in such brutal fashion that leaves it audience overwhelmed. And whilst it sometimes can be predictable, it isn't always so.

In fact, the main character can turn out to be the greatest villain of the show, the mastermind of the violence from the very beginning, the person who sets things in motion. Other times, it can be clearly seen as the hero taking gradual steps into the darker path of life in the show, eventually becoming the very thing the audience was afraid he would become.

So clearly, animes and cartoons are two different types of animation, yes, they are both animations but they are not the same. This thought of mine almost had me paying for the drinks of all my friends when we hung out some nights ago, but whether members of the general public are unwilling to accept it or not, it is what it is and they should know it, bearing the subtle difference in mind.

Facing writer's block? Join the lnleo June Writing Prompt today and say goodbye to, "I don't know what to do write about today".