• the217
• Life
• Comics get anime-ted

Related Media

Cartoons are the foundation of our childhood. Most college students are familiar with the same animated programs from our youth ­­— it’s part of our cultural heritage.

But it’s no secret that the cartoons of our past no longer hold as much importance with the youth of today. Japanese cartoons (anime) such as Naruto or the American look-a-like Avatar are as popular with youth today as Batman: The Animated Series and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were with us.

Recently, in an attempt to repackage comic book characters for this new generation, networks such as Cartoon Network and Kids WB! have borrowed the anime artistic style for their shows. Batman, Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes, The Spectacular Spider-man, and Legion of Super Heroes are all tailored after anime, and Teen Titans goes so far as to replicate the genre with all its intricate quirks.

While many comic purists and members of our generation grew up with more “realistic” X-Men and Batman cartoons, these new shows, while pandering to recent marketing trends, do introduce the characters to the next generations. Franchises only have power if the characters are widespread and known.

And is this a bad thing, that is, to adapt comics into something they haven’t been before? Take Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes, for example, which debuted to coincide with the release of the second Fantastic Four movie. The series draws the characters slightly like those from anime, and while the action is epic and slightly humorous, the core center of this group is the same as its original. Mr. Fantastic is a know-it-all, The Thing and Human Torch bicker and the Invisible Woman has to hold it all together. Likewise, the show does the same thing the ’90s series did — synthesizes the ludicrous plots of 40 to 70 years of comics into a cohesive whole.

For fans of the “classic” shows and the comic, you still have those to enjoy. These “anime” cartoons are a jumping board to get new consumers interested in those mediums. Comics are like drugs — and we’ve got to hook kids when they’re young.