Tags: animation | anime | Japan | manga

I love cartoons. When I was young, I watched Ultraman, Astroboy, Voltron... any of these ring a bell?

These were cool. Ultraman would take a hit, and then cross his hands, and the bad person would die. Wow! Transformers were the best. More than meets the eye.

Not Tellytubbies, or that bloody gay dinosaur Barney. But it's getting harder and harder to justify watching cartoons when you're in your twenties.

So now I watch the adult cartoons. I'm talking about the non-pornographic ones. Well, usually. Japanese anime aren't strictly cartoons.

Although the word 'anime' itself suggests the idea of caricature and drawing, anime is much more than just a cartoon. Often, anime deals with very deep and thought-provoking issues, and situations that require an adult to understand and appreciate.

And different anime fits into different genres, though I suspect most guys only know one genre: hentai. I'm serious. I have a Malay friend who knows a lot about that particular type, and once he starts, he can't stop. And another Chinese friend of mine will chip in just as animatedly (pun here; Anime, animated. Get it?). There's nothing like hentai to overcome racial boundaries huh?

But we're not here to talk about cartoon sex. Anime has developed to such skill and artistic beauty that no longer can the word of cartoon suit it, or suffice it. And while often anime artists have a tendency to emphasise on the huge Japanese eyes and big boobs, it has become not so much of an exaggeration and emphasis, than just a style. In fact, there are few Western cartoons that can come close to the depth of Japanese anime, except perhaps X-men, but its story just got too convoluted and dragged out.

With a stroke of success in the 80's, the Robotech: Macross series still has a place for many fans today and shares a strong cult following. Being a fan of the series as a kid, I decided to buy the whole Robotech: Macross series, but I came across the overwhelming amount of editions to the series. I didn't know which to buy, so I watched them all. There are the differences between to different boxsets (all offered through Amazon).

Anime began in the early 20th century as Japanese filmmakers experimented with Western filmmaking techniques. Today, most of it is CGI, and the quality of each episode can be seen. Don't believe me? Check out Macross Zero. Five episodes took almost a year to produce. Every frame is the painstaking effort of hundreds of people, and it shows.

In fact, the increasing appreciation for anime has become rather obvious, that more and more people are getting on the anime bandwagon. There are now Chinese anime, and Korean anime (Wonderful Days).

And it's not just appearing on TV anymore. Movies (that started with Final Fantasy), DVDs, the anime explosion is happening not only in Singapore, but all over the world. So next time you consider giving these "cartoons" a miss, think again. You might be pleasantly surprised. Definitely better than Seven Swords, at any rate.