Ask John: Why Isn’t Anime Considered Art?

Question:
Anime, by far, is the most controversial brand of art I have seen being both defended and slashed by those who are in favor or against this new art style. What I can’t seem to understand is why those who hate anime don’t consider it art. I mean, people practically praise cubism, futurism, or serialism for being innovative for its time, why can’t people praise anime the same way? Is the West too stuck up in itself to notice another non-Western form of art?

Answer:
The question of why some people don’t consider anime an art form is a complex one, requiring some discussion of the acceptance of anime in Japan, and the acceptance of anime in America. However, the major explanation common on both sides of the Pacific, is because anime is a commercial product ultimately designed to be sold for a profit, unlike what many people think of as fine or high art, which involves a Romantic notion of art for art’s sake.

In Japan, anime is recognized in the dual respect that American film is seen in by Americans. Because anime is so commonplace in Japan, and has been a part of everyday Japanese culture for more than a half century, there’s a great tendency to simply not think of anime in terms of “art.” Americans may be aware that technically the films playing at their local cineplex or the programs on evening TV are theoretically “art,” but because they’re so commonplace, and many of them so lowbrow or devoid of what we consider artistic merit, we unconsciously don’t think of them as art. The same holds true in Japan. To most Japanese viewers, anime isn’t art; it’s just anime. However, the Japanese government does issue national recognition and awards to deserving anime and manga titles and creators. Likewise anime artists and illustrators frequently have art exhibits in Japan, and studios including Ghibli and Tezuka Productions have their own museums. In the same way Americans recognize that Hollywood produces both art and commercial crap, Japan recognizes a similar variance in output from its own animated film industry.

However, and I’ll admit to being biased, there’s a fundamental difference between anime and the American film industry. I personally believe that it’s legitimate to call anime, as a single medium, a form of contemporary Japanese art because all anime must be created from scratch. Live action film, not to downplay its qualities or the effort of its creators, begins with live human actors. Live action always has a basis in reality to begin with. Anime is 100% artificial, created reality. When we think of what constitutes “art,” we think of that which humans create. If art is, in fact, created expression of fantasy or emotion, then by definition anime is art. Being the rabid anime fan that I am, and having such a fevered respect and appreciation for anime, I’m personally inclined to always think of all anime as “art.” Certainly not all of it is good, but I doubt there’s any form of contemporary art in which every example is outstanding.

From an American perspective, anime isn’t often considered art because it’s too frequently misunderstood. Mainstream America, to a large degree, still thinks of anime as either children’s cartoons or pornography- neither of which the average American tends to think of as “art.” Part of the traditional goal of Western anime fans has always been the enlightenment of Westerners to the culture and integrity of anime. Not only do Western anime fans want to promote anime in order to make it more commonly available, Western fans want anime to be respected. However, the traditional domestic anime distribution industry has done little to consciously emphasize the artistic nature of anime. Altering titles, changing character names, emphasizing deluxe packaging as seemingly more important than the animation itself, dub scripts that partially or totally disregard the original Japanese dialogue and stories: actions like these common in the American anime industry have only solidified the impression that anime is not art- it’s merely a commercial product to be modified and altered to be more suitable to American tastes and expectations, and thereby more profitable.

Anime fans themselves are also partially to blame for the impression of anime in America. Among those who know something of anime, it’s common to take a reactionary stance to some fans’ rose colored view of anime by accusing anime of being nothing more than extended toy advertisements or product created for the express purpose of selling television advertising time. To a large degree these claims are valid, but there’s no reason to assume that anime shouldn’t be considered “art” in spite of its commercial nature. I hope it won’t be necessary for me to point out examples of anime, even highly commercial products like the Pocket Monsters or Gundam TV series, which do exist to sell toys, but still convey a significant degree of artistic creativity and expression. Even in the case of the most blatantly commercial anime productions, and in spite of the anime industry’s increasing use of time and money saving digital animation, all anime is still fundamentally created by artists who devote themselves to low pay and long hours drafting original art by hand. If this isn’t the prototypical definition of art, what is?

In my personal opinion, anime is contemporary Japanese art. All anime is art. Not all of it is good, and not all of it expresses the same degree of creativity or originality. But all anime is the result of devoted artists that create everything we see on screen, beginning from nothing but ideas in their heads. However, there is still a great deal of ignorance and misunderstanding about what anime is and consists of within mainstream American society. It’s up to devoted anime fans to educate the public about anime. It’s not until anime is understood that it will be recognized for what it is.