This is the most debated topic in the Animeblogosphere and Anime forums alike, is Anime really for kids because it’s implied that cartoons are for kids? Not really, but shows like Pokemon, Naruto, Dragonball Z and others make it seems like that. However, most anime are not meant for children, but teenagers or even adults.
The difference between a typical cartoon and Anime is that Anime focuses more on culture, art and often have deeper plots than a typical cartoon. Also, Anime ranges more in genres like action, romance, drama, slice of life, etc than a typical cartoon that usually focuses on comedy. Most cartoons are stereotyped as for children because a great deal are made are for children and most wouldn’t enjoy it because of it (with some exceptions). Although there are some Anime series that are targeted to children, a vast majority isn’t. These are shows that usually have intense violence with murder scenes (for example: Death Note, Higurashi, Elfen Lied, etc), which no parent would show this to a child (unless you have bad parents).
Another problem is that some shows are not understandable by young children. These are usually a drama/romance show that focuses on deeper feelings of people and different situations that a 13 year old or higher will understand more. It’s pretty much like making a 8 year old child watch a drama show like Kanon and expect them to understand it… Most likely the 8 year old would get bored and won’t appreciate it opposed to a 16 year old who watches it and will most likely appreciate it more. The child who won’t appreciate it is because the child haven’t mature enough in life and would likely enjoy something like Naruto…
Depending on the show, most shows are not suitable for children, but does it mean that Anime is not really for children? In some cases, no… as mentioned before, there are Anime that are geared towards children
What is your take on this? Do you really think that Anime is really for children or not? ¶
To cut to the heart of the matter, yes, Anime is for children, but it is for everyone else too, which is where I think American cartoon culture gets hung up on. To contrast, the Japanese view of animation is very similar to the western attitude towards feature films; with enough skill, care, and imagination, it can be made about anything for anybody, limited only by the production budget and the creators’ talent.
There may be tendencies, like Hollywood’s susceptibility to create shallow big budget action films or anime to be shallow erogame teen angst fests, and there are examples abound of empty entertainment in both mediums, but there also exist great rewards for those who are willing to look for something a little bit more.
Anime is for kids as far as movies are for adults. Your answer one, you answer the other…and Americans already know the answer to the latter.
I dunno, it sells itself™
Anime is not a genre. It is a medium. It is for everyone, children and adults alike. Saying that it’s only for one or the other is like saying that music is only for one or the other. It’s ridiculous.