Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

I love animation because of the endless possibilites. Right now it seems as though Japan is producing the most (anime) but I'm curious as to why it all looks so similar (huge eyes, small mouths, crazy hair and pointy chins) . I can't get into it because of the way they draw people and the way their voices sound so goofy.

Why is this style of animation so popular and why is the style with which they are drawn so common? Is there a formal animation school in Japan that teaches it's students to draw the same way? There isn't enough variety in their style for me to enjoy it. Why is this?

Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

Well I like most other anime fans don't mine because we enjoy the story which are much more intriguing than the usual show in America. That's not to say that American shows are bad but the ones that aren't aimed at kids or aren't highly censored are hilarious but don't have a deep story where the characters age and grow i.e. Simpson, Family Guy, and South Park.

But people who are serious about art usually complain infact Hayao Miyazaki who created Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and other incredible anime has expressed his distaste with anime artist who copy each other calling them Mickey Mouse worshippers. This because anime was inspired by characters created by Walt Disney an American whose characters are loved in Japan. Miyazaki made this comment after Kindom Hearts, a video game which has several Disney characters became one of the most popular games in America.

Dr. Osamu Tezuka is the creator of Astro Boy he is called the "Father of Anime", and is often considered the Japanese equivalent to Walt Disney. Was inspired by Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop to draw large eyes on his characters to show more emotion.

Cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn argues that Japanese animators and audiences do not perceive such stylized eyes as inherently more or less foreign.

The majority of American cartoons are much more diverse in their drawing style such as South Park, The Simpsons, and Kim Possible look nothing alike. However it is now more common for American to use a more anime inspired styles with cartoons such as Powerpuff Girls, Teen Titans, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. In fact The Boondocks is a show that is sent to Korea for its animation.

Americans and Japanese artist have both made fun of each other.

Some American animated television series have singled out anime styling with satirical intent, for example South Park (with "Chinpokomon" and "Good Times With Weapons"). South Park has a notable drawing style, which was itself parodied in "Brittle Bullet", the fifth episode of the anime FLCL, released several months after "Chinpokomon" aired. Even cliches normally found in anime are parodied in Perfect Hair Forever.

Regerdless of what any artist think about anime are American cartoons it seems that in the end they are both influenced by each other. And lastly most of us don't care we just want to watch a kick *** show.

Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

Because the japs are fairly comformist in their outlook I reckon.

Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

I agree. You can always tell a cartoon that's Japanese. Even my boyfriend has commented to that effect on previews for some we've seen.

Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

Because it's perfect. I've watched all kinds of cartoons and animations for 30 years or more and I've never seen anything that betters the typical Japanese anime style when it comes to cartoon series and movies.

But they don't really all look the same, I suggest watching the movies Princess Mononoke, The Cat Returns and Spirited Away; they look quite different to each other and they're mesmerizingly good stories. it also helps if you know a few words of Japanese, I used to find the voices a little strange but now they seem completely natural; the exceptions being "funny" voices - comic relief characters often have deliberately quirky and silly voices.

edit* A thought just occurred to me; Do you watch the English dubbed versions or the original Japanese? I don't mind the English versions (though they are often rather dumbed down) but they can't compare to the quality of the originals.

Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

they don't...sure some do but not all... they created "anime" and "chibi" so it only natural that they draw in that form!

well for me anime is like an escape...

if you watch anime like death note, blood plus, blood the last vampire, ergo proxy... they are very serious... the drawing is more realistic. its according to what your watching... the older anime or the newer...also the "Adult" anime is more real looking because they are trying to make it sexual!

then there is kid anime with the crazy stuff... then there is the in between which is a mix... o its really according to what you watch...

hope i helped!!

Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

The anime usually come from Manga (the book counterpart of the story. Usually characters are designed manga-style).

And, like every drawing expression around the world, there are common traits that define the manga-style of drawing (huge eyes, dark pointy hair, etc). That's what make them differ than other styles (e.g. American western classic where women have sexy outfits and men are huge muscle bodies, etc.) But nevertheless, there are different ways to draw manga or anime. Depending on the style you have ways to draw the characters. The seinen (young boy) style usually look different than shoujo (girl type, where people are tall and thing) or shounen (boy type, where women have huge boobs). Seinen and others you even have realistic western-like drawings. check here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga

There are special styled animators (like the productions of Studio Ghibli, that are sweet, pastel colors, simple designed characters). There are also animations such as Ninja Scroll or Akira or Ichi the Killer... they are different.

The voices seems goofy? That's the way they talk, i guess. But as there are high-level pitched voices (Goku) also the "cool" guy voices, who are low-toned and dark voiced (X, Lelouch from Code Geass etc).

Regarding your questions:

My opinion, The style of animation is popular because they tend to focus more in the plot, story and characterization, maintaining a (kind of) steady pattern (usually the same artists continue and own the story) . There are also several schools (like Disney does) and having a career as "voice actors" really pays in Japan. That's quite a market they got out there! People buy them, not only children but young and old aduts (who have money to spend on anime and manga).

If you still want to learn more. You can learn drawing with many books, like, How to Draw manga (etc).

You don't have to like anime. But the interesting thing about that market is that, different than western types, you can find pretty much a huge variety of stories and styles to please almost everyone.

--sorry i wrote too much.

Why do all Japanese cartoons look the same?

They don't. Theres all types of styles out there. You've probably just been exposed to one part of it.

The generalization you're making would be like me saying I can't get into Americanized cartoons because they always draw their characters with disproportionate bodies and huge noses. They always make their characters sound a lot older than what they're supposed to be and the same voices show up everywhere. And the plot is usually generic and predictable.