Anime Pulse

So you're here in the Anime Pulse Forum, you probably watch anime so here's a question. Why? There are many other things you could fill your free time with so why is it anime? What compels you to pop on an episode of anime over other mediums/forms of entertainment?

Anime just tends to go places other media doesn't. Or it tackles fairly normal subjects in new and unusual ways. Like, where else would you find a show about a punk schoolgirl with a sword-sized half-scissor fighting a school lead by a haughty swordswoman, both of which wear highly revealing transforming outfits? Or an existential drama about living gems fighting moon people that appear in giant rorschach tests in the sky? Or a girl in a feather bikini wielding a rake fighting against a psychotic chippendales necromancer ? Or a sci-fi adventure about a shape-shifting alien in a time-travelling phone booth... wait, that one's not anime.
I'm sure you get my point. There's just so much unique stuff coming out of anime, either in the writing or the execution, that I can't help but love it.
-Crooh

Hey anime - I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU!!!

Actually, I don't. Anime keeps me coming back because of the unique - sometimes bizarre - stories that capture my attention, the artistry of character designs/backgrounds/etc., and just the fascinating ways movement is represented in anime's varied styles. It's a cool medium and it seems to attract interesting storytellers as well! Obviously not every anime is gold, but the pieces that stand out in quality, or just in their own appeal to my tastes, make up for the occasional slog through mediocrity.

My reasons are simple: I have always loved the art of Animation.
I was the kid who studied the great animators and their studios, tried their hand at animating and stop-motion via film and video camera, wanted to work at Disney and became a discerning critic of cartoons. I am also old enough to live through the dark age nadir of American Animation during the 70's and 80's and relished its slow return in the 90's. I turned to Japanese Animation grudgingly at first, because the Americans had all but abandoned it, shamefully. In the early days of Anime the artwork was at times mindboggling intricate and yet the animation understandably atrocious. It was very hard to reconcile against the classic animation prowess by Americans during its golden age of the 40's and 50's. But I persisted with Anime because I could not stomach the travesty that was considered the norm by American studios in those days, much of it "live-action" programming and not even true animation. Meanwhile Japan persisted in improving its work. Miyazaki convinced me they still appreciated the true artform that the Americans had pioneered and abandoned. Likewise, there were few adequate examples of good storytelling that made good use of and brought the richness of the media forward. Bluth and Bakshi were passable, and they kept the light burning during the dark age of Western Animation, but they too were not telling stories on par with what interested me.
When American studios returned in the 90's, it was only fitting that Disney and Warner Brothers lead the way. But at the same time, the Japanese were beginning to come into their own. Anime had become its own genre within Animation and was more than capable of not only impressive visuals and skillful animation, but good storytelling and cinematography, often able to stand on par with what the West was then producing.
Suffice it to say, Anime, whether long-form or short-form, is now a key part of my Animaion interests. I appreciate that the Japanese audience recognize fully that Animation is capable of telling a wide variety of stories and capture multiple genres of fiction. I think they have awoken the West to the real potential for what Animation is capable of, and is not just "for kids" or "family-oriented" material.
So yeah, Anime, like all Animation, to me is just a given part of my life and that of my two kids.

i have watched anime for about 15 years and just love it a lot. i do watch other kinds of shows too but mostly watch anime because for me its more entertaining than other things available right now. I get so bored with current american tv that i watch A LOT of reruns if i don't have anime to watch. Plus i watch anime while im on lunch at work. it keeps me on time coming back from lunch because i have just enough time to get to the break room and heat up my food and watch 1 episode. So yeah

I'm not sure actually. I think I watch Anime because of the interesting art style and the wide range of subject matter. Western cartoons tend to be rather tame and limited in their subject matter while Anime can be vary between comedic and serious. It might also have something to do with the fact my relatives sent me tape recordings of Cantonese dubbed versions of Anime like "Doctor Slump" and "Doraemon" which may have influenced me.

Blame Dragin' Balls Z. Well, I saw Akira and Fist of the North Star before that, but Dragin' Balls Z was the domino that set me in motion as an anime fan. The number one reason I still watch anime is because of the diversity of stories and genres. I can't find worlds like these in live action. Animation, in general, can create worlds that you can't attempt in other entertainment- unless you have a high budget.