Why isn't anime critically analyzed like other forms of literature or entertainment?


In high school English classes, we read many _classics_ , such as Shakespeare,
Steinbeck, Lee, etc. In many other classes, popular TV shows and movies are
analyzed. Granted, these are also classics, such as Hitchcock's _Psycho_ or
Nichols' _The Graduate_.

Why is anime/manga not as critically analyzed by the general public, like
other works of written/illustrated art are? There are a lot of different
forums that review anime and many people on the internet who have their
opinions on different shows, but why is it not recognized by the _general
American public_ like other literary works? Is it its age (it is still
popular, and therefore not old enough to be considered a classic)? Is the fact
that it is seen as a _cartoon_ by many in the US? Is it due to negative
stereotypes in the west surrounding anime (many may consider all anime to be
hentai, for example, and therefore disregard it as an art form)?

**EDIT:** To explain this more...many, many anime have underlying themes and
meanings that stretch sometimes deeper than current novels/books that are
considered literary classics by the academic community. So, why aren't these
shows studied and analyzed in an _academic setting_? For example, if I am in a
high school/college film analysis class, why is the medium of anime not
considered when picking source material to analyze?

A few of these shows I think you can find deeper meaning in easily (and this
part is subjective, you may disagree), with similarities drawn to novels that
are considered _classics_ :

  * _Ping Pong: The Animation_ : allows the viewer to determine the definition of success (similar to [_Invisible Man_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Man))
  * _Attack on Titan_ : comments on the human experience, portrays reality with a hunter/prey dynamic (just like [_Lord of the Flies_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies))
  * _Fooly Cooly_ : coming of age story (just like [_Catcher in the Rye_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catcher_in_the_Rye))

Many others can be listed, and the above shows can be analyzed much, much
further.

Sorry for the poor tag, couldn't find one that was applicable.




I think the simplest answer is that **anime is just not that popular.** Though
immensely popular and gaining momentum, the anime community just isn't that
widespread. If you look at it critically MOST of the anime fans are limited to
the popular and mostly Shounen series such as Naruto, One Piece, Bleach,
Dragon Ball, Pokémon, Deathnote etc.

Compare it to the consumption of various books and movies and their
penetration into our society. The iconism resulting from this is what raised
them to the platform where it seems that more and more of such media is
critically analysed. As Hakase pointed out, if you go to an anime forum/blog,
you'll see plenty of critical analysis of anime, especially the history and
tropes.

Another factor is the **geography.** The popularity of anime and manga has
grown and they are an integral part of the Japanese culture. However, other
places are adapting and amalgamating the same later. This will automatically
lead to the feeling that anime as a medium is more targeted towards the
audience it sells for, i.e. the japanese. But as an "outsider" we're not in a
place to critically analyze it. The same may be true for various literary
works or other media.

A relevant example is the Indian epics "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana". I doubt
that many people know it on this community, but Indians have critically
analyzed each and every line of such epics as deep as it can go. Awareness of
them is just limited to the Indian subcontinent, but now the teachings are
spreading. The same is true with Anime.

Some food for thought:

[Anime popularity: Blogpost](http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/gen-
discussion-1/will-anime-ever-be-as-popular-as-comic-books-1538407/): A comment
that I liked

> Depends. Again sales you might make the case but in terms of iconism there's
> no chance. Everyone knows who Batman is. No one knows who Luffy is.

[A good blogpost about how to look at Anime as a medium of
entertainment](https://geekorner.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/anime-isnt-special-
and-neither-are-you-for-watching-it/)




I think the simplest answer is that **anime is just not that popular.** Though
immensely popular and gaining momentum, the anime community just isn't that
widespread. If you look at it critically MOST of the anime fans are limited to
the popular and mostly Shounen series such as Naruto, One Piece, Bleach,
Dragon Ball, Pokémon, Deathnote etc.

Compare it to the consumption of various books and movies and their
penetration into our society. The iconism resulting from this is what raised
them to the platform where it seems that more and more of such media is
critically analysed. As Hakase pointed out, if you go to an anime forum/blog,
you'll see plenty of critical analysis of anime, especially the history and
tropes.

Another factor is the **geography.** The popularity of anime and manga has
grown and they are an integral part of the Japanese culture. However, other
places are adapting and amalgamating the same later. This will automatically
lead to the feeling that anime as a medium is more targeted towards the
audience it sells for, i.e. the japanese. But as an "outsider" we're not in a
place to critically analyze it. The same may be true for various literary
works or other media.

A relevant example is the Indian epics "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana". I doubt
that many people know it on this community, but Indians have critically
analyzed each and every line of such epics as deep as it can go. Awareness of
them is just limited to the Indian subcontinent, but now the teachings are
spreading. The same is true with Anime.

Some food for thought:

[Anime popularity: Blogpost](http://comicvine.gamespot.com/forums/gen-
discussion-1/will-anime-ever-be-as-popular-as-comic-books-1538407/): A comment
that I liked

> Depends. Again sales you might make the case but in terms of iconism there's
> no chance. Everyone knows who Batman is. No one knows who Luffy is.

[A good blogpost about how to look at Anime as a medium of
entertainment](https://geekorner.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/anime-isnt-special-
and-neither-are-you-for-watching-it/)

