Japanese Animation Catching on in U.S.

AP via Yahoo ^ | Thu Dec 9, 3:30 PM ET | By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer

[JenB]

I think people just aren't afraid to admit their geekish tendencies.

Everyone I know, except my mother, is a geek. I love being a geek. And just watching anime doesn't make one a geek, any more than all geeks must watch anime.

Now, watching anime *and* singing the theme song, in Japanase, that's mildly geeky.

[avg_freeper]

Speaking of the cartoon network, I think that Samurai Jack is one of the best animated series out there. Some of the episodes are really pieces of art. They are done much better than any of the recent Disney movies.

[TalonDJ]

My favorites are the guys that think because the like sports it counter-acts all their geekiness and they are ok. The ones I know are all libs who make fun of people they think are 'real geeks' right after they finish discussing the merits of some new scifi movie. Kinda pathetic and very bigoted. I need more conservative geek friends.

[Chemist_Geek]

I liked Robotech, but couldn't get into Voltron.

Went into Battletech from there...

[avg_freeper]

Now, watching anime *and* singing the theme song, in Japanase, that's mildly geeky

One of the songs by the pop-starlet in Perfect Blue was stuck in my head for months.

[JenB]

One of my dating rules is "only date geeks". According to my mother, and a lot of other women, geeks make the best husbands.

I an trying very hard to restrain my "people who watch dubs from choice aren't real geeks" tendencies. There are a few valid reasons to put up with those pieces of crap. Like if you can't read.

[JenB]

I am practicing the second ending song from "Full Moon wo Sagashite" so I can enter the karaoke contest at the local anime con next year. I have about six hours of anime mp3s on my computer. I listen almost exclusively to J-pop and Christian contemporary music - what a strange blend!

[TalonDJ]

and? Why would you want to date someone that can't read?

[Brett66]

How would we define geek? Someone with specific intellectual interests that aren't mainstream pop culture? I guess I'm uber-geek then.

[TalonDJ]

6? For that last convention I setup my ipod the play anime music for two days straight as back ground music in a sitting area. It did not even take all my music. If I had included songs from japan that are in english and some otehr misc anime songs I could probable go for 5-7 days.

[JenB]

There's no definition. I know a geek when I see one.

An interest in science fiction, computers, Japanese animation, Spiderman comics, dressing as a Klingon, or making model battleships may be an indicator. Being able to communicate with others of your kind in a language mundanes don't understand it another. But there are no hard-and-fast rules.

[RosieCotton]

and? Why would you want to date someone that can't read?

I wuz gonna say...

[JenB]

Well, I only have so much hard drive space and I don't like to use over a gig for music.

See, I wouldn't date someone who prefers dubs, so there's no worries on the literacy side, right?

[TalonDJ]

Yeah that is an ok definition. There are many many sub categories of geek. I am mostly and anime & computer geek. but I dabble in other areas sometimes.

Geek it not to be confused with 'nerd' which is someone with less than no interpersonal skills and may or may not really be a geek.

[RosieCotton]

I have all the songs from that series in my head lately.

Not that that's a bad thing...

[JenB]

I just have "Myself" and "Eternal Snow", mostly, although the opener from the first season pops in now and then.

I like singing along with all the different versions of "Eternal Snow" and trying to match the singer.

[GunnyHartman]

I find it amazing that an advanced culture such as the Japanese can put out such crappy animation (anime) and movie effects (godzilla).

[JenB]

Crappy animation?

Good lord, you can't possibly be defending the lame art that passes for animation in this country? Have you watched a show on Cartoon Network in the last ten years?

[GunnyHartman]

"Have you watched a show on Cartoon Network in the last ten years?"

All I watch is Futurama reruns on adult swim on the cartoon network. That animation is head and shoulders above anything the Japanese have put out.

[JenB]

Futurama? I only saw the show once, but as I recall, the plot was interesting but the animation was nothing to write home about.

'Course, it didn't have any bishonen, which is a plus, IMO.