Good point. In Japanese there are really no swear words. You express the same vulgarity in tone of voice and by using a superior register when speaking. For example when you talk to elder people you should use a humble register, but if you were to talk to them with a superior register like when you would talk to a child it would be extremely rude. Because English does not have honorifics it is impossible to show this in a translation. So vulgar swear words are thrown in to emphasize the point.

There was a guy in my Digital Effects and Animation class who carried external hard drives of not porn, but anime, in his bookbag. I also felt like giving him a bar of soap last Christmas because he needed to wash his greasy and smelly self.

And in Japan, they DO have pillow people dolls (life-sized ones). My friend from Canada told me that when she went to Japan for a trip. Plus they have certain pillow people dolls that have life-like boobs and...er, well...you know...for you to have fun with...

Oh, and this thread is full of W ! Try to guess what that means in Japanese

I think the main reason it's so popular is it bridges the gap between TV for male children and male adults.  What is there really for male teens?  Not much.  Look at the subject of most anime and it's stuff that appeals to young males (regardless of culture): action and boobs.

Not all anime is like that though.  There's obviously stuff for girls considering the large female fan base anime has in America.  At the same time, there's some really great shows/movies that can butt heads with any of the greats of American TV and cinema.  Cowboy Bebop is a masterpiece among masterpieces.  Planetes, Bakemonogatari, and ToraDora are incredible examples of story telling within their genres.

5 CM Per Second deserves its spot among with the great pieces of cinema.  It's both beautiful to look at and a sophisticated examination of the way people grow apart through life.  Grave of the Fireflies is just as powerful as any other war movie.  Studio Ghibli has been recognized globally many times over.  I could go on.  Point is, there's great stuff to watch coming out of Japan.  Calling any one culture the best is stupid, I agree, but being able to appreciate stuff from all over the world is a good thing, I'm sure you'll agree.

In regards to subs vs. dubs, anyone who speaks multiple languages can tell you that it's impossible to properly convey meaning across language.  Sure, you can get the gist of things, but there are expressions, concepts, etc. that are entirely foreign to someone not familiar with the language and culture.  For example, the word bishounen describes an incredibly attractive young man, usually slender and tall.  The closest concept in English is a pretty boy, but the two words aren't really the same at all.  Bishounen has a positive connotation.  It's not a bad thing to be a bishounen, whereas pretty boys have this perception of only being good for their looks (i.e. they have no other redeeming qualities).  The meaning of the word bishounen is completely lost in translation.  THAT is why I watch subs any time I watch something foreign (Japanese, Spanish, French, German, etc.).

If it means anything i love dubs i dont read what i watch unless i have to lol.

I suppose it's because the west has a habit of viewing animation as kind of throwaway material. Most western animation refuses to take itself seriously, which is good for comedy but doesn't allow much depth.

A heap of Pixar stuff and Avatar: The Last Airbender are the two most obvious exceptions to this that I can think of. So a lot of people watch anime because it is truly different to most western animation.

The obsessives are just weird though.

Way to kill my boner :p

Yep the pillows are quite common here, and even women buy them. They are called dakimakura or hugging pillows. Here is one with a gravure idol on it. Many have anime characters too, some even really young for the lolita sickos out there.

I don't like Japanese pop culture at all. For me it's like watching French movies, it has such an awkward mindset which doesn't pull any strings with me. It's not realistic, it doesn't portray people's emotions of real life, it doesn't have a relevant message and it's usually not a grappling fantasy world either. Japanese cartoons, their music, their humor, the movies. They all plain suck - to me.

The only exception is games, to some extent. Some Japanese games are good but not very many. Castle vania, Zelda and the Arcade coin-ops of the '80s.

Japanese old culture and history is a completely different thing though. I like that a lot and it shouldn't be mixed with modern Japanase culture (not that anyone does, I'm just saying).

lol we realized, you've always made it very obvious lawl

LOOOOOOOOL

SO FUNNY and Insulting!!!!