Hello, stararnold here! After watching various animated movies/shows in the past years of my life and discussing animation with aquaintances, I discovered that there are themes and elements that Anime and U.S. cartoons share. However, each animation industry has only little to some common aspects it shares with the other. Plus some shared aspects appear in U.S. Cartoons before in Anime while others appear in anime first before in U.S. Cartoons. Also, it's problematic that some people think too much on differences between the two animation industries with little thought on what they have in common, thus resulting in the fact that not everyone's able to love Anime and U.S. Cartoons equally, and it's normal that an animated work is enjoyed for its featured themes/elements. Anyways, here are the shared aspects:
- piloted giant robots
- superheroes
- space adventure/battle
- miltary
- talking animals
- fan service
- animated works for kids
- animated works for adults
- animated works for both kids and adults
- gore/blood
- profanity/vulgarity
- drugs/alcohol
- nudity
- urinating
- snot
- violence (including graphic violence)
- sci-fi tech
- biblical references
- monsters/demons/ghosts/death gods
- mythology/folklore references
- cute girls
- beautiful women (incl. those with attitude)
- thrillers
- mafias and gangsters
- supervillains
- sexual themes/humor
- fantasy
- mature themes/humor
- pornographies (usually made for video or website, but I don't look at porn)
- edginess
- single-plot-per-episode setup in some T.V. shows
- ongoing-plot setup in some T.V. shows
- some fictional characters have more than one version of their lives throughout their series/multiseries
- political dictators
- spaceship navy
- death
- 3-D animation
- abstract illustration
- good vs. evil
- sense of morality
- violent youths
- manga-style drawing
- abstract character designs
- great animated classics
- character development in some stories
- format genres (TV, movie, made-for video, webanimation, shorts, etc.)
- lethal weaponry
- laser guns
- swords
- funny fat guys
- funny senior citizens
- smart youngsters
- magic
- war themes
- parody
- anti-heroes
- good guys who murder people (including bad guys)
- armageddons
- terrorists
- historical references
- aliens
- horror
- cowboys and western
- romance
- issues of discrimination
- immoral/unethical/illegal actions
- politically incorrect behaviour
- drama
- comedy
Once people see this list, it should give them the thought that despite differences between Anime and U.S. Cartoons, there are things both sides have that can make them equally fun to watch for any audience, and yes, I have a feeling that they're sharing a great deal of success in not only attracting viewers worldwide, but also having huge loyal fanbases. Hopefully in the future, there will be conventions entirely dedicated to animations from all over the world as well as conventions entirely dedicated to U.S. cartoons, just like how there are conventions entirely dedicated to Anime.
For fun, I'll end this post with a list of the types of merchandising both animations use:
- model kits
- toy lines
- sometimes Music CD albums
- posters
- stickers
- video game spin-offs
- collectable/trading cards
- board/rpg game spin-offs
- action figures
- die-cast figurines
- plusshies
- clothing wear
- school supplies
- bag products
Now, you have seen the eelments both animation types share. If you feel that there are common aspects I left out, please add it to your comments.
