Modern day children's cartoons seem diabolical

[Tenofovir]

There’s only one real moral code, and Japan strikes closer to some areas of it than western media does. Most Miyazaki stories have simple morals about growing up and taking responsibility for your actions, helping people come to peaceful solutions, and caring for the environment and the larger communities we find ourselves in. Many show the importance of family and friendship, and most lack any sort of romantic subplot. They’re very good for children to see. The main concern would be violence in some movies and foreign mythology in others, but I don’t see it as any more harmful than what you’ll find in western fantasy.

My Neighbor Totoro is about two little girls growing up in the country with possibly-imaginary forest creatures. There’s no conflict for a good 2/3 of the movie, apart from their mother being sick. Then a little girl goes missing, and the humans and forest creatures work together to find her. There’s just almost nothing in the movie that could possibly be construed as objectionable.

Never mind the respect for adults and elders. Never mind the respect for tradition. Never mind the need to live at peace with nature and other people.

In Kiki’s Delivery Service for example, Kiki struggles hard to make it on her own. She perseveres in her tasks and does not give up. She corrects her mistakes. She’s humble and modest. Kiki’s there for everyone she meets and when the time comes for her to need others, they reciprocate. Community? Subsidiarity? Seems more close to that than Hollywood made garbage.

Similar story in Spirited Away. Sen is offered gold. But she does not want it. She just wants to work hard to save her parents who were turned into pigs because of their gluttony. She treats her elders with respect. She forgives the bad witch at the end. Etc.

Oh and the magical creatures in these shows don’t talk like rappers or Seinfeld. In the English version of Kiki’s her cat is much more cocky than in the Japanese version. But unlike Western cartoons, in Totoro for example the creatures are lovable, cute and cuddly. The cat bus is welcoming and reminds us of innocent childhood without cocky Hanna Montana lyrics and other Hollywood nonsense.

Studio Ghibli heroines:
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[edwest2]

There’s only one real moral code, and Japan strikes closer to some areas of it than western media does. Most Miyazaki stories have simple morals about growing up and taking responsibility for your actions, helping people come to peaceful solutions, and caring for the environment and the larger communities we find ourselves in. Many show the importance of family and friendship, and most lack any sort of romantic subplot. They’re very good for children to see. The main concern would be violence in some movies and foreign mythology in others, but I don’t see it as any more harmful than what you’ll find in western fantasy.

My Neighbor Totoro is about two little girls growing up in the country with possibly-imaginary forest creatures. There’s no conflict for a good 2/3 of the movie, apart from their mother being sick. Then a little girl goes missing, and the humans and forest creatures work together to find her. There’s just almost nothing in the movie that could possibly be construed as objectionable.

I’ve been following Japanese animation for some time now. For example, I was at a con and found a table filled with Japanese porn manga. I asked the owner of the booth what the signs meant and I discovered manga for about every sexual perversion you could think of.

It is not unheard of to watch Japanese cartoons where a naked or partly clothed female appears. I am familiar with Miyazaki and a whole bunch of talented Japanese animators, but the sheer tonnage of what is available and the weird, to Westerners, titles are no help. Bubblegum Crisis? Great art. Great designs. Ken-Ichi Sonoda can really draw but the stories? I was so underwhelmed. And some of his art books contain images inappropriate for kids.

Peace,
Ed

 

[suko]

I’ve been following Japanese animation for some time now. For example, I was at a con and found a table filled with Japanese porn manga. I asked the owner of the booth what the signs meant and I discovered manga for about every sexual perversion you could think of.

Yes, it is the same with Western media, too. You have some things for kids (I think ^^; ), for teens, adults, those into perverted things, and the list goes on.

Although, I will say that nudity (especially in bath scenes) in animes are little more common than they should be.

 

[Kamaduck]

I’ve been following Japanese animation for some time now. For example, I was at a con and found a table filled with Japanese porn manga. I asked the owner of the booth what the signs meant and I discovered manga for about every sexual perversion you could think of.

It is not unheard of to watch Japanese cartoons where a naked or partly clothed female appears. I am familiar with Miyazaki and a whole bunch of talented Japanese animators, but the sheer tonnage of what is available and the weird, to Westerners, titles are no help. Bubblegum Crisis? Great art. Great designs. Ken-Ichi Sonoda can really draw but the stories? I was so underwhelmed. And some of his art books contain images inappropriate for kids.

Peace,
Ed

Well, yes. Just as you can find all of that in western media. The only difference is that western porn is rarely animated, which arguably makes it worse.

Anime is not a monolith. It wouldn’t make any sense to dismiss every live-action American movie ever just because the same country makes porn with the same medium. Likewise, the existence of hentai doesn’t make stories like Digimon or the Miyazaki movies any less child-friendly.

You can find some really awesome stuff (for children and adults), it just requires a certain degree of research. The same is true of American cartoons, but following more than one country’s animation industry gives people more options in general.

People who aren’t going to look up story content ahead of time shouldn’t be surprised if they find things they don’t like. That’s the world we live in, like it or not.

 

[Tenofovir]

I’ve been following Japanese animation for some time now. For example, I was at a con and found a table filled with Japanese porn manga. I asked the owner of the booth what the signs meant and I discovered manga for about every sexual perversion you could think of.

It is not unheard of to watch Japanese cartoons where a naked or partly clothed female appears. I am familiar with Miyazaki and a whole bunch of talented Japanese animators, but the sheer tonnage of what is available and the weird, to Westerners, titles are no help. Bubblegum Crisis? Great art. Great designs. Ken-Ichi Sonoda can really draw but the stories? I was so underwhelmed. And some of his art books contain images inappropriate for kids.

Peace,
Ed

Studio Ghibli, i.e. Takahata and Miyazaki stuff is unlike typical manga, especially doujin (home brew - amateur) manga. The latter is usually porn based, but not always.

Miyazaki is actually himself quite opposed to sexualisation of characters especially his own. He gave at least one interview where he also criticised anime fans - ones who often just want animated porn. The guy is good. Studio Ghibli does not produce pornography.

In Totoro, there is a scene where the little girls bathe with their father - this scene is non-sexual -what sort of a father or even a man would consider a little girl sexual- and is typical of Japanese culture. Heck, it’s also typical of European culture where in parts of Europe walking around naked at home is often no big deal - even among Catholics. Go to France or Italy to see that.

There is no sexual stuff in Studio Ghibli anime. There is some violence. In some films people actually die. There is occasionally some stuff which can introduce kids to Japanese Shinto religion - in Spirited Away we have a pantheon of Shinto-like gods for example. I don’t think this is bad per se. It can show kids that they should not be ashamed of tradition. That countries like Japan are not afraid or embarrassed of their traditions, unlike many people in the modern West. These things are closer in terms of morality than the current crop of nihilistic Hollywood produced nonsense.

(Note that Shinto or any other non-Christian religion is not imposed on anyone.)

(Reading Greek mythology is not considered anti-Christian.)

 

[Tenofovir]

Although, I will say that nudity (especially in bath scenes) in animes are little more common than they should be.

It depends on the viewer. Sex (gender for the progressives) segregated hot springs with nude bathing are a rule in Japan. Portraying that, non-sexually, is not exactly porn. And they never show full nudity.

 

[suko]

It depends on the viewer. Sex (gender for the progressives) segregated hot springs with nude bathing are a rule in Japan. Portraying that, non-sexually, is not exactly porn.

Porn, or not porn, it’s unnecessary (but I understand it’s a different culture so things are seen differently), especially bathroom scenes within a person’s home; Anyway, it’s something I’d rather not see, and generally isn’t something I don’t agree people should be so easily be able to watch.

 

[Tenofovir]

It’s unnecessary (but I understand it’s a different culture so things are seen differently), especially bathroom scenes within a person’s home; Anyway, it’s something I’d rather not see as well, and generally isn’t something I don’t agree people should be normally watching.

For those who see them as porn, sure. For those who see them as just slice of life stuff, and where there is no complete nudity I don’t see much of a problem.

So often in anime, there is a scene with a girl in the bathtub or two girls. And often the scene if solo, involves the character pondering the events of that day. Often people do that in baths, the hot water relaxes us and allows us to ponder the events of the day. Sometimes the girl cries. Sometimes she laughs. Sometimes she is confused. Sometimes she is embarrassed by what happened. Sometimes it’s a guy in a bath. That’s rare.

Of course if you’re getting into territory where there is sexual stuff going on, although without actual sex, I’d agree that that is making a soft core porn production of the anime. But in most anime, the bath scenes are usually ones where steam obscures most things and the girl is usually thinking about something, followed by the typical submerging of the head. If people get excited by this then that’s their problem.

So one has to discern I guess. And it depends on the viewer. As said, if a fashion catalog makes you sexually excited and you view that to satisfy your tastes, that’s a sin. If seeing a partially nude (in mainstream anime they are never nude) does not excite you but you wait for that inevitable comic moment, it’s not bad. Only the viewer (and God) can know one’s intentions.

I also think bathing is quite ritualistic in Japan. It’s quite an important part of one’s daily life. In the west we just jump under a shower but over there they seem to pay more attention and they tend to wash themselves differently in general. The whole wet yourself with water, lather on that little plastic chair, then submerge in a bathtub which then overflows is a common way of washing. And people tend to lie for a long time in these baths … reminiscing or thinking or just relaxing. I haven’t myself taken a bath in years, it’s all showers for me.