The Differences Between Anime and Cartoon

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Cartoon is a term that once referred to fine art during the renaissance period. Somehow, though, the term’s meaning evolved (or devolved, depending on how you look at it) into humorous and witty illustrations and, finally, into animated programs meant to entertain people, mostly children. For, clarity, the term ‘cartoon’ in this article shall be referring to the animated programs. Recently, however, a new term has been coined: Anime. And the distinction between these two has caused much confusion.

Strictly speaking though, there should be no distinction between anime and cartoon. Anime is a term used by the Japanese to refer to animated cartoons, from their own country and from others as well. Somehow, though, the world started using the term anime in reference to Japanese cartoons exclusively. Japanese animation was once called japanimation, but this term was aptly discarded when the term ‘Anime’ was put into use.

Some say that they see absolutely no difference between the two, even going so far as to classify both cartoons and anime as ‘childish’ because of the nature of how they are presented, much to the woe of anime fans. Technically, there’s no official difference and they are somewhat correct. But you only have to watch a single episode of any anime series and you’ll see that anime is far more than your usual slapstick comedy man-tripping-on-a-banana-peal early morning cartoons. There is a real and profound difference between the two besides their spellings: Anime is so much more than ‘just a cartoon’.

Storylines/Plots

Cartoons usually have a simple and defined plot. And they’re usually about the good guys fighting the bad guys. Cartoons rarely go beyond that old cliché. Most Anime series, on the other hand, are also about the same good vs. evil but the plots are rarely simple and rarely predictable. You’ll find an element of politics, religion, humanity, and a score of several other abstract concepts within an anime. Whereas cartoons are just about ‘evil’ cats chasing ‘innocent’ mice or a hero defending himself and others from a very evil bully. Anime can blur the lines between good and evil so much that you’ll be left wondering which side is really right. Look at the plot of Gundam, there aren’t any good guys or bad guys. They’re both fighting for a cause – a worthy one, and both sides are prepared to do good and evil to achieve their goals. Look at the Wave Country arc of Naruto which is now at Naruto Shippuden. Zabuza, evil as he was, had evoked more sympathetic tears than any of the typical Disney antagonists. There are, however, few exceptions to the ‘cartoons are simple’ rule. There are cartoon series that are far advanced like X-men.

In terms of humor, anime goes beyond the slapstick comedy that cartoons offer. There won’t be any corny joke about the chicken crossing the road with anime. There won’t even be the quintessential banana peal. Anime humor is deep and witty. However, it is to be noted that cartoons are mostly for kids. Anime can be for an adult audience; it mostly is, actually. There are even times when anime plots are hardly suited for children.

Characters

In cartoons, there’s a protagonist, an antagonist, and a damsel in distress. Their roles are well-defined and clear and the characters always act according to their roles. In anime, however, the damsel in distress may very well become the antagonist, leaving the protagonist in distress. There’s no knowing what to expect in anime. Anime characters, a lot of times, are developed overtime through trials and growth, while cartoon characters remain the same from when the show started. (Of course, there are exceptions such as Spiderman.) Since there’s an ongoing plot, Anime characters actually grow up and may even produce the next generation for the series. Anime fans tend to get into the characters a lot deeper because of the characters’ depth and charm. Consider Naruto; viewers see him growing up from an infant to a young powerful ninja, the way he relates to people, the way he learns new techniques, and the way he evolves visually. That is one of the chief reasons for popularities of anime over plain cartoons.

Henry Hsieh

Posted in: comedy April 2010


9 Responses to “The Differences Between Anime and Cartoon”

  1. RayBie!!! Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 11:33 am

    what are the differences between anime and cartoon?
    any examples of a cartoon or anime that differs?

  2. Patricia E Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:35 pm

    I ThinK

    aniME–japan

    cartoon—CANADa?

    HEHE(-^_^-)
    References :

  3. zankokunoyami Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:37 pm

    They are basically the same… anime is just short for animation. Really, its just a term used to tell the difference from American animation (cartoon) and Japanese animation (anime).

    Though, one clear difference is: American cartoons have a much bigger buget and they take the time to do things like…make the mouths move with the words. Where as pretty as anime can be, they often times have steal pictures or repeated ones with the a flap. Good example of what i mean? Kappa Mikey. It shows american animation mixed with Japanese animation and its quite a funny series~
    References :

  4. SIO Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    Here is the place to learn about what Anime and Cartoons are…
    References :
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon
    Cartoon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
    Anime - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  5. Sasuke Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:41 pm

    anime is japan short for animation
    cartoons is what america and europe refers as their animation
    References :

  6. mello Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:43 pm

    umm…

    cartoon stinks and anime’s great??

    you usually can just look at their eyes… anime characters usually have this huge eyes while cartoon is just plain like humans…
    References :

  7. Betty B Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    For me, anything on the Toon Channel is a cartoon.
    Then you have those Disney cartoons, good for the little kids and hopefully not boring for the adults having to take those kids in the movie theater.

    Then, you have "anime" which is animation but not a cartoon. They come mostly from Asia (Japan), and as an adult, I enjoy those movies like "Princess Mononoke" (Hayao Miyazaki).

    Those are not cartoons for kids but animation for adults as well.
    References :

  8. raina_1820 Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:47 pm

    Animes are basically japanese cartoons! The characters are drawn up so it’s the same but the real difference is in the style! You really see the difference in cartoon and anime then! Cartoons mostly are for kids plus they are very boring some of them while animes are cool more action-packed than cartoons!
    References :

  9. Sherly Says:
    April 18th, 2010 at 4:49 pm

    Anime refers to Japanese animation, while cartoon can be used as general name for animation, but usually used to refer western animation. Also, when cartoon often used to refer animation made for children’s consumption, anime is actually have ratings that varies from toddler to adults’ consumption
    References :

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