Anime and genre

[tim.iles@utoronto.ca]

Quoting Todd Brown <todd at twitchfilm.com>:

> I think there are certainly distinctions within anime and a lot that
> certainly doesn't stand up to cinema standards - though you could say the
> exact same thing about a huge number of films -


I agree with this to a large degree--the question should not be in  
which medium (live action or animation) a film exists, but to what  
extent it's a good work of art. Thematically, narratologically,  
ideologically, perceptually, an animated film can have the same or in  
some cases a stronger impact than a live action work--and certainly,  
the skill required to create a good animation is absolutely worthy of  
critical attention and respect.

Daisuke Miyao has an interesting article in _Japan Forum_ on the  
relationship between animation and the Pure Film Movement of the  
Taisho period (Japan Forum14(2) 2002:191?209) which, as I recall,  
addresses the initial enthusiasm for animation as a means whereby a  
director could more completely realise his cinematic vision. This is  
also a contention with which I can agree--some things are possible in  
animation that simply aren't in live action film... And even  
Eisenstein appreciated the way in which good animation could "fool"  
the brain into believing it was watching a "real" film.

For me, whether a film is live action or animated is not an indicator  
of the "seriousness" of the work--it's just not an important  
consideration, beyond the question of artistic merit.

Best,


Tim Iles
University of Victoria