Topic: Minor quibble over geek terminology in ``Airbender`` review.
Blayne Bradley
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``Anime`` in the West refers to any animated cartoon (CG or otherwise) from Japan, Western Animation for anything produced in North America and Europe and ``Animesque`` for anything that is done in an Anime style but still directed\written in a western country (regardless of where the actual production is outsourced to).
So Avatar The Last Airbender isn`t strictly speaking anime but a western animation production done in an Animesque style.
Now on the other hand in Japan they refer to every sort of animation cg or otherwise, western or domestic as ``anime`` as the shorthand for the word animeshon which to reiterate refers to everything.
Yay for reborrowing! However the distinction is important assuming you of course know that Avatar The Last Airbender is not from Japan because of the whole cultural divide between Otaku`s and other Geeks; who have thus far been fighting metaphorically a war over the interwebs on whether Western animation/cartoons have any cultural or artistic significance on par with anime from Japan.
The crux of the argument being that anime from Japan is `superior` to western animation due to darker and more mature themes, better plot, story, and generally are meant to be stand alone pieces of art, story and direction like novels while western animation is viewed by some Otaku`s as being shameless commercial edutainment aesop infested cashins whose artistic merit if any is accidental, and have ^bad voice acting to.
Obviously this uh, paradigm by a certain subset of hardcore Otakus falls apart under close scrutiny but the point is that the proper distinction should be maintained between what the western perception of anime is and what western animation is (regardless of whether its traditional, etc or animesque) so that we can point to it as evidence that Western studios DO have the talent and artistic vision to make thoughtful deep artistically fufulling shows and that ultimately Japan does not have a monopoly on worthwhile entertainment.
Like 9, Samurai Jack, Dexters Lab, Danny Phantom, Last Airbender, Magic Schoolbus, etc all as worthwhile western animated shows which are worth watching for their own sake and have inherent artistic merit.
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