Author: Henry Hsieh
Anime is one of the best things that could possibly happen to television. Since its debut outside Japan, anime has reeled in millions and millions of fans. However, there are those that remain skeptical of anime, thinking of it only as a glammed up version of the typical cartoons that we see on TV. They take one look at the too perfect faces, the out of his world costumes, and the quintessential talking animals and they immediately dismiss anime as childish. Well, we as watchers of anime know that there’s much more to anime beneath its cartoonish facade.
There are several hidden messages in anime, messages that speak directly to the soul, messages about life’s lessons and truths. They might be hard to see at face value but if you look past all the humor and all the drama, you’ll see that what the characters are going through, be it a robot invasion or one-on-one battle with a dragon, are essentially the same things that we’re going through… just translated into fantasy. And every obstacle they encounter, every moral dilemma they face, we can relate to in some way or another.
Take Naruto for example. He is a young orphan boy who has been ostracized by his village for having a demon fox sealed inside of him. Now, I doubt that any of you who are reading this have demon foxes sealed inside of you. But I can bet that some of you have felt ostracized, unwanted, underestimated, and utterly alone at some point in your lives. And even when all you want is a bit of acknowledgment, nobody seems to want to give it to you. And here’s where Naruto’s hidden message comes in even in Naruto Shippuden… it’s a challenge to all of us, to do what Naruto is currently doing: never giving up. It’s a challenge for us to take on his nindo and to never back out on our own words.
Almost all of the characters have hidden messages within their own stories and backgrounds. Take Zabuza, he is portrayed as a heartless killer, a villain, someone whom we are programmed to hate. And yet, at the final moments of his life, it is revealed that despite all his brusqueness, he is still human, like all of us. And he knows how to value and be grateful to those he loves. The message in this is clear, those who have done several misdeeds are still human, and we owe it to them and to ourselves to coax the humanity out of them.
And it’s not just the characters that are worth looking into either. The themes and plots of several anime deserve a lot of praise for their insight and ingeniousness. Look at the anime Deathnote, if you take it at face value, it’s nothing more than just a very well-written and well-portrayed thriller, complete with some of the best plot twists ever concocted in anime history. But if you look at its theme, you’ll see that it’s about the classic debate on justice… is it just to kill evil men for the sake of protecting those who are good? Or should we allow evil men to live on the premise that they’re human like all of us? It’s even reminiscent of the age-old debate about the death penalty. Do we really have the right to kill another human being?
Indeed, the hidden messages in anime are very thought provoking and it fosters self analysis at many levels. They might just change the way we view our lives if we take a more serious approach to them and utilize its life provoking lesson to make our society a better place. Yes, all in all it’s just anime but the power that it brings onto the table should never be underestimated.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/hidden-messages-inside-anime-396565.html
Showing posts with label Animation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animation. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Saturday, 3 May 2008
Star Wars: The Franchise That May Never Disappear
Author: Andrew Wills
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was the little sci-fi movie that could "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope". At the time, though, it was just known as Star Wars, and it created a franchise unlike anything seen before.
In 2005, Forbes magazine estimated that the Star Wars franchise, from the time it began in the late seventies, had generated more than twenty billion dollars in revenue, and with six big screen success stories, at least three spin-off films, five licensed television shows, and thousands of books, comic books, and toys, it's no surprise. What might be a surprise, though, is that by the time Star Wars creator George Lucas finished the first film, he was over-budget, out of time, and convinced the film would be a flop. Early screenings of the film did little to improve Lucas' ideas that the film would be any kind of success, but when it was finally released in the summer of 1977, the film earned nearly seven million dollars in its first weekend. It is considered to be the second highest profitable film of all time.
More than Great Films
Ask any Star Wars fan, though, and they'll tell you it's not just about the movies, it's also about the associated merchandise. The initial film was predicted to be a flop, so no merchandise was created to debut with the film's release. The toy company, Kenner, though had purchased the license to sell associate products By Christmas of 1977, demand was so high, Kenner created an "Early Bird Special" kit. The kit held a certificate fans could send in for four 3 inch figures as soon as they became available. On Christmas morning, thousands of kids got empty cardboard envelopes that held only a display stand, a Star Wars club card, a few stickers, and a certificate they could put their name and address on, mail in, and wait for several months for the first Star Wars toys ever produced to arrive. Months later, lots of kids did get Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2, and Chewbacca in the mail, and years later, these four figures are considered to be some of the most valuable action figures on the collectors' market today.
Explosive Industry Growth
As you can probably imagine, the Star Wars toy and merchandise franchise has grown considerably since the Christmas of 1977. Once Kenner geared up the production machine, it slowed for no one. From additional action figures to vehicles, playsets, and lightsabers, the vintage Star Wars toy market had everything. As Episodes V and VI were released, more toys hit the market. T-shirts, bed sheets, toothbrushes, combs, and watches were all part of the marketing campaign as well.
After the release of Return of the Jedi, though, the Star Wars marketing machine slowed considerably. People seemed to thing the Star Wars market was nearing the end. However, in the late 1990s, a new line of Star Wars action figures was released. Dubbed "The Power of the Force" line, these green carded figures created a whole new generation of collectors, and with the release of the special edition of the original trilogy, and the subsequent release of Star Wars Episode I, the marketing machine kicked back into high gear. From bubble bath to sandals, the Star Wars name can be found on almost anything these days, and with talk of additional television series, DVDs, and even other films, it's hard to tell when the franchise will ever slow down.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/star-wars-the-franchise-that-may-never-disappear-201138.html
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there was the little sci-fi movie that could "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope". At the time, though, it was just known as Star Wars, and it created a franchise unlike anything seen before.
In 2005, Forbes magazine estimated that the Star Wars franchise, from the time it began in the late seventies, had generated more than twenty billion dollars in revenue, and with six big screen success stories, at least three spin-off films, five licensed television shows, and thousands of books, comic books, and toys, it's no surprise. What might be a surprise, though, is that by the time Star Wars creator George Lucas finished the first film, he was over-budget, out of time, and convinced the film would be a flop. Early screenings of the film did little to improve Lucas' ideas that the film would be any kind of success, but when it was finally released in the summer of 1977, the film earned nearly seven million dollars in its first weekend. It is considered to be the second highest profitable film of all time.
More than Great Films
Ask any Star Wars fan, though, and they'll tell you it's not just about the movies, it's also about the associated merchandise. The initial film was predicted to be a flop, so no merchandise was created to debut with the film's release. The toy company, Kenner, though had purchased the license to sell associate products By Christmas of 1977, demand was so high, Kenner created an "Early Bird Special" kit. The kit held a certificate fans could send in for four 3 inch figures as soon as they became available. On Christmas morning, thousands of kids got empty cardboard envelopes that held only a display stand, a Star Wars club card, a few stickers, and a certificate they could put their name and address on, mail in, and wait for several months for the first Star Wars toys ever produced to arrive. Months later, lots of kids did get Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2, and Chewbacca in the mail, and years later, these four figures are considered to be some of the most valuable action figures on the collectors' market today.
Explosive Industry Growth
As you can probably imagine, the Star Wars toy and merchandise franchise has grown considerably since the Christmas of 1977. Once Kenner geared up the production machine, it slowed for no one. From additional action figures to vehicles, playsets, and lightsabers, the vintage Star Wars toy market had everything. As Episodes V and VI were released, more toys hit the market. T-shirts, bed sheets, toothbrushes, combs, and watches were all part of the marketing campaign as well.
After the release of Return of the Jedi, though, the Star Wars marketing machine slowed considerably. People seemed to thing the Star Wars market was nearing the end. However, in the late 1990s, a new line of Star Wars action figures was released. Dubbed "The Power of the Force" line, these green carded figures created a whole new generation of collectors, and with the release of the special edition of the original trilogy, and the subsequent release of Star Wars Episode I, the marketing machine kicked back into high gear. From bubble bath to sandals, the Star Wars name can be found on almost anything these days, and with talk of additional television series, DVDs, and even other films, it's hard to tell when the franchise will ever slow down.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/star-wars-the-franchise-that-may-never-disappear-201138.html
Friday, 2 May 2008
Who's Stronger Between Naruto and Sasuke?
Author: Henry Hsieh
One of the favorite topics of debate for Naruto fans is the matter of who the stronger one is; Naruto or Sasuke. Now, as you may know, Naruto and Sasuke are rivals. Naruto is the orphan boy who has never had a family and Sasuke is the orphan boy who saw his whole family murdered by none other than his own brother. Naruto was shunned and looked down upon by the villagers because he was the vessel for the Kyuubi, the monster that wreaked havoc upon Konoha 12 years prior. All Naruto wants is for people to acknowledge him. Sasuke, on the other hand, belongs to the Uchiha clan, the strongest and most prestigious clan in Konoha.
Naruto would do anything to have what Sasuke so haphazardly throws away; the respect of the villagers and the love of Haruno Sakura. Sasuke is everything that Naruto is not; he is handsome, well respected, and intelligent to the point of being a genius, powerful without even lifting a finger. Sasuke is the very image of perfection. But unlike Naruto, Sasuke is cold, aloof, and uncaring. He is arrogant and too obsessed with the past and the tattered aristocracy of his dead clan. He is single minded, so driven by the thought of revenge that he takes for granted everything he has left. And that is what Naruto cannot accept. Naruto cannot understand why Sasuke cannot see what he has right in front of him. Naruto cannot understand why Sasuke is never contented. As the series progresses, Naruto becomes stronger and he starts catching up. And this is what Sasuke cannot accept. He cannot understand why someone like Naruto who was dull and did not have a kekkei genkai could be so strong. He cannot understand why Itachi would be more interested in Naruto rather than him. Of course, Sasuke did not know about the Kyuubi back then.
And so they have a rivalry and it’s the age old debate between which would win: power and attitude or power and intelligence.
Naruto
Of course, power and attitude refers to Naruto. Naruto is pure determination. He might not be the brightest pea in the pod, but he sure is the most persevering. What he lacks in intelligence, he more than makes up for in raw power. Of course, Naruto owes his brawn to the Kyuubi who lends him a huge amount of chakra and stamina and this is a huge advantage in fights.
Sasuke
Sasuke, on the other hand is power and intelligence. He wields the Sharingan; the strongest doujutsu in Konoha. He is fast and powerful. And though he might not have as much stamina as Naruto does, he makes up for it with his ingenious strategies and techniques. Like Naruto, Sasuke is determined. But his determination is directed at all the wrong things.
Who is stronger?
So, in the end, who is stronger? Naruto who has his raw strength or Sasuke who has ingenious strategies? Perhaps the answer could be found if they fought. And fight they did. In the valley of the end, Naruto and Sasuke had a definitive fight. It was a grueling fight. They both had equal power ups, Naruto with his Kyuubi stage 2 and Sasuke with his Curse Seal 2. It was an extremely close fight but in the end, it was Sasuke who won. However, let’s not forget that Naruto only had a few tails out then from the Kyuubi and he’s still got up to 9 tails to go in terms of just Kyuubi’s side of power. Besides powers from Kyuubi, Naruto has been constantly been training very viciously in the Naruto Shippuden series and now in Kakashi’s own words “surpass” Akatsuki members by himself. Although Sasuke is more powerful then Naruto, in Shippuden if they were to have a fight today it’s tough to say that Sasuke would even have a chance to win the fight while on the other hand we would expect Naruto to win, bue only by a small margin.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/whos-stronger-between-naruto-and-sasuke-382274.html
One of the favorite topics of debate for Naruto fans is the matter of who the stronger one is; Naruto or Sasuke. Now, as you may know, Naruto and Sasuke are rivals. Naruto is the orphan boy who has never had a family and Sasuke is the orphan boy who saw his whole family murdered by none other than his own brother. Naruto was shunned and looked down upon by the villagers because he was the vessel for the Kyuubi, the monster that wreaked havoc upon Konoha 12 years prior. All Naruto wants is for people to acknowledge him. Sasuke, on the other hand, belongs to the Uchiha clan, the strongest and most prestigious clan in Konoha.
Naruto would do anything to have what Sasuke so haphazardly throws away; the respect of the villagers and the love of Haruno Sakura. Sasuke is everything that Naruto is not; he is handsome, well respected, and intelligent to the point of being a genius, powerful without even lifting a finger. Sasuke is the very image of perfection. But unlike Naruto, Sasuke is cold, aloof, and uncaring. He is arrogant and too obsessed with the past and the tattered aristocracy of his dead clan. He is single minded, so driven by the thought of revenge that he takes for granted everything he has left. And that is what Naruto cannot accept. Naruto cannot understand why Sasuke cannot see what he has right in front of him. Naruto cannot understand why Sasuke is never contented. As the series progresses, Naruto becomes stronger and he starts catching up. And this is what Sasuke cannot accept. He cannot understand why someone like Naruto who was dull and did not have a kekkei genkai could be so strong. He cannot understand why Itachi would be more interested in Naruto rather than him. Of course, Sasuke did not know about the Kyuubi back then.
And so they have a rivalry and it’s the age old debate between which would win: power and attitude or power and intelligence.
Naruto
Of course, power and attitude refers to Naruto. Naruto is pure determination. He might not be the brightest pea in the pod, but he sure is the most persevering. What he lacks in intelligence, he more than makes up for in raw power. Of course, Naruto owes his brawn to the Kyuubi who lends him a huge amount of chakra and stamina and this is a huge advantage in fights.
Sasuke
Sasuke, on the other hand is power and intelligence. He wields the Sharingan; the strongest doujutsu in Konoha. He is fast and powerful. And though he might not have as much stamina as Naruto does, he makes up for it with his ingenious strategies and techniques. Like Naruto, Sasuke is determined. But his determination is directed at all the wrong things.
Who is stronger?
So, in the end, who is stronger? Naruto who has his raw strength or Sasuke who has ingenious strategies? Perhaps the answer could be found if they fought. And fight they did. In the valley of the end, Naruto and Sasuke had a definitive fight. It was a grueling fight. They both had equal power ups, Naruto with his Kyuubi stage 2 and Sasuke with his Curse Seal 2. It was an extremely close fight but in the end, it was Sasuke who won. However, let’s not forget that Naruto only had a few tails out then from the Kyuubi and he’s still got up to 9 tails to go in terms of just Kyuubi’s side of power. Besides powers from Kyuubi, Naruto has been constantly been training very viciously in the Naruto Shippuden series and now in Kakashi’s own words “surpass” Akatsuki members by himself. Although Sasuke is more powerful then Naruto, in Shippuden if they were to have a fight today it’s tough to say that Sasuke would even have a chance to win the fight while on the other hand we would expect Naruto to win, bue only by a small margin.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/television-articles/whos-stronger-between-naruto-and-sasuke-382274.html
More Than Meets The Eye: The Future of Transformers
Author: Andrew Wills
With their unmistakable electronic changing noise and the tag line "Robots in Disguise" from the 80s cartoon, it's hard to ignore the Tranformers. As any true child of the 80s can tell you, Transformers were created by the toy company Hasbro after meeting Takara (a Japanese toy company) at the Tokyo Toy Show in 1983. By combining Takara's toy lines Diaclone and Micro Change, Hasbro created a product line unlike any other. The initial toys were released with the television series, and since then, nine different Transformers toy lines have hit American markets.
What Was. . .
The Transformer's storyline initially had the Autobots (the story's heroes) fighting the Decepticons (the ultimate villains) for control of Cybertron, their home planet. The eventually left their home in search of energy, which they found on Earth.
What is . . .
Because of the continued popularity of this story line and these toys, Producer Don Murphy looked into the possibility of creating a live-action film based on the franchise. Slated for release in July of 2007, the film brings together the creative minds of co-producer Adam DeSanto, Steven Spielberg, and screen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
A Closer Look
The film begins when Captain Archibald Witwicky lands on Decepticon leader Megatron's hand after he has fallen into an chasm during a voyage through the Arctic circle in the 1800s. Megatron creates a map to Allspark in Witwicky's glasses, which are handed down to his descendant Sam Witwicky in the present. Sam purchases his first car, the Autobot Bumblebee, which in turn, helps him meet Mikaela, a new love interest. As the Autobots search for Witwicky's glasses, the Decepticon's invade Sam's house, triggering a chain of events that leads Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Megatron to the ultimate battle.
One of the most surprising and refreshing aspects of the film promises to be the effects. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura wanted to keep things on the realistic side, so instead of going with a standard box like look for the main character Optimus Prime, he turned him into a Peterbuilt truck. Autobot Bumblebee was changed from a Volkswagen Beetle into a Chevrolet Camero, and other Autobots were all shifted to GM vehicles as part of contract negotiations. The transformation sound effect many fans heard as children was reused throughout the movie, and motion capture points were used to create many of the effects movie-goers will see on screen.
Given that the internet trailers received more hits than any other movie trailer online, the new Transfomers movie promises to be a great success and a wonderful addition to the family.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/more-than-meets-the-eye-the-future-of-transformers-201297.html
With their unmistakable electronic changing noise and the tag line "Robots in Disguise" from the 80s cartoon, it's hard to ignore the Tranformers. As any true child of the 80s can tell you, Transformers were created by the toy company Hasbro after meeting Takara (a Japanese toy company) at the Tokyo Toy Show in 1983. By combining Takara's toy lines Diaclone and Micro Change, Hasbro created a product line unlike any other. The initial toys were released with the television series, and since then, nine different Transformers toy lines have hit American markets.
What Was. . .
The Transformer's storyline initially had the Autobots (the story's heroes) fighting the Decepticons (the ultimate villains) for control of Cybertron, their home planet. The eventually left their home in search of energy, which they found on Earth.
What is . . .
Because of the continued popularity of this story line and these toys, Producer Don Murphy looked into the possibility of creating a live-action film based on the franchise. Slated for release in July of 2007, the film brings together the creative minds of co-producer Adam DeSanto, Steven Spielberg, and screen writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
A Closer Look
The film begins when Captain Archibald Witwicky lands on Decepticon leader Megatron's hand after he has fallen into an chasm during a voyage through the Arctic circle in the 1800s. Megatron creates a map to Allspark in Witwicky's glasses, which are handed down to his descendant Sam Witwicky in the present. Sam purchases his first car, the Autobot Bumblebee, which in turn, helps him meet Mikaela, a new love interest. As the Autobots search for Witwicky's glasses, the Decepticon's invade Sam's house, triggering a chain of events that leads Autobot leader Optimus Prime and Megatron to the ultimate battle.
One of the most surprising and refreshing aspects of the film promises to be the effects. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura wanted to keep things on the realistic side, so instead of going with a standard box like look for the main character Optimus Prime, he turned him into a Peterbuilt truck. Autobot Bumblebee was changed from a Volkswagen Beetle into a Chevrolet Camero, and other Autobots were all shifted to GM vehicles as part of contract negotiations. The transformation sound effect many fans heard as children was reused throughout the movie, and motion capture points were used to create many of the effects movie-goers will see on screen.
Given that the internet trailers received more hits than any other movie trailer online, the new Transfomers movie promises to be a great success and a wonderful addition to the family.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/more-than-meets-the-eye-the-future-of-transformers-201297.html
Thursday, 1 May 2008
What Makes Anime Popular
Author: Scott Brady
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/what-makes-anime-popular-42159.html
What is it that makes Japanese animation popular, not only to the young but to adults as well? I remember a few years ago when I was a freshmen and sophomore in university I was addicted to the Japanese anime "Dragon Ball Z". In fact, it even gave the famous American cartoon "The Simpsons" a run for its money in my book.
What I find odd is that "Dragon Ball Z" has about 39 episodes per season but if you want to write an overview of the entire season you can do so in just about one paragraph. And I mean you can add all the meat of the entire season into just that one paragraph. Here is basically what I mean...
Episode 1-10ish: Bad guy arrives and starts terrorizing the fictional planet. Minor super heroes fight the villain and lose (perhaps one even dies). Main hero who was conveniently not able to combat said villain for whatever reason finally arrives for the ultimate showdown. Episode 10ish - 38: Half of the time verbal fists are being thrown between said hero and villain while the other half goes to physical fists. Sprinkle in some dialogue from the minor heroes like, "Wow! He is at full power!", and you have yourself about 600 minutes. Episode 38 ending: Hero kills villain. Episode 39: Everyone is happy and life returns to normal.
And there I was, in my late teens, with my eyes glued to the television. I even knew nothing of importance was going to happen for about 25 episodes but there I sat unable and unwilling to move. "Dragon Ball Z", which aired in Japan from 1989 - 1996 did not first air in America until 1996. By the time I started watching this anime it was already 10 years old. And this length of time for an animated series is a long time when compared to the new techniques and styles of animated characters. But "Dragon Ball Z" was at the top of the charts for a cartoon series for its duration in America.
So back to the original question, what makes Japanese animation so popular? It may be this humble author's opinion but I would have to say the action, and to a further extent the deadly violence. As a prime example "The Simpsons" being probably the most popular America cartoon is a comedy based cartoon. In fact most of the newer American cartoons are based on comedy or to some extent mystery (Yes, Scooby Doo, I am looking at you).
In the 1980's America had its share of action cartoons like "Transformers", "Thunder Cats" and "He-Man" but as the end of the 80's came so did most of the American action cartoons. And with the release of the great "Akira" on video in 1990 and the subsequent mind blowing action/gore that came with it, most American cartoon lovers immediately turned their eyes to Japan. The movie stuck its "geta" in the door and made the debut for Japanese animation in the west.
In the 1990's newer American cartoons such as "Batman" and "Superman" came out and were enjoyed by most American action cartoon lovers, but with only these few American cartoons there left a lot of time for other action animation from Japan to fill the gap. With the amount of older Japanese anime being translated along with Japan's fresh anime, there is quite a lot of the Japanese component in the western market. So, this author's opinion is that Japanese anime happened to come along to the west at just the right time, and now that it's here it won't be leaving anytime soon. S.B.
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