Ask John: Are American Cartoons Copying Anime?

Question:
Why does it seem recently that American cartoons are copying Japanese anime? From shows like Dexter’s Lab, Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack, and the recently released Teen Titans, every aspect of anime has been used. Is this blatant disrespect, or genuine admiration?

Answer:
My ability to answer this question will be very limited because I simply don’t watch much television. I watch Japanese language anime and occasionally movies, and that’s about it. I know what programs like Dexter’s Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack and Teen Titans looks like, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a full episode of any of these series before. At least in the case of Teen Titans, I’ve never even seen a partial episode; only one TV commercial.

So based on my very limited exposure, I can think of three possible reasons why recent American cartoons may show some anime influence. One reason has to do with market viability. The second reason may have to do with technical simplicity. And the third reason may be genuine artistic influence. First, programs like Dexter’s Lab and Teen Titans are designed to appeal to a very specific market: young teens. These target viewers are also one of the primary target audiences for anime. Although anime hasn’t proven successful enough in America to threaten domestic produced cartoons, television executives are, I’m sure, smart enough to realize that the small market for anime in America is very devoted and growing every day. Considering the steadily increasing popularity of anime in America, it’s natural to want to think progressively and incorporate elements of this increasingly popular product into existing cartoons. In effect, there’s a possibility that business executives are telling animators, “This Japanese stuff is getting popular. Make your stuff like this Japanese stuff, just don’t go overboard and make it too Japanese.”

While this possibility, I imagine, is certainly believable, it’s probably more likely that something similar, but slightly different, is occurring in the domestic animation industry. The Japanese animation industry is based on the principles of creating good looking animation quickly and cheaply. The stylized look of anime can be reproduced quickly, and practices of re-using backgrounds and the use of multiple cel layers and digital animation contribute to saving time and effort. It’s very possible that some American animated series are adopting technical characteristics of anime in an effort to emulate the Japanese method of producing attractive, inexpensive animation.

Both of the aforementioned possibilities are technical reasons why some American animation may be emulating Japanese animation. The third reason I can pose is a pure artistic one. Doubtlessly American animators and professionals are aware of, and probably interested in Japanese animation. It’s difficult to imagine someone being a professional animator and not being a fan of animation. It’s improbable that Genndy Tartakovsky didn’t intentionally create Samurai Jack in homage to Japanese animation. Likewise, it seems unlikely that Craig McCracken wasn’t aware of the soft, round features and big eyes of anime characters when he created his Powerpuff Girls. These creators, and the animators that work on these new programs, are almost certainly aware of anime, and are possibly anime fans. Their shows are distinct and original but may express some influence from anime because it’s difficult for any creator to not put his or her creative influences into a creation. Based on what little I know of shows like Teen Titans and Powerpuff Girls, it seems likely that their creators have fermented and recapitulated anime, and their perceptions of anime, into new and original artworks. There may be both subconscious influence and intentional tribute in these American cartoons, but these works seem original and distinct enough to me to totally rule out any inkling of plagiarism or artistic disrespect.