6 Common Misconceptions About Anime (and Anime Fans) That Need To Be Corrected!

Written by Creator Zuleika on Creators.co

I'm a huge anime fan and you probably are too, but perhaps your best friend, boyfriend, girlfriend or parents aren't so keen on anime. They probably ask you the same questions we all face for being an anime fan; why do you watch cartoons, aren’t you too old for them? While our anime watching behavior piques their interest, non-anime fans are constantly asking us why we watch anime - and after a while, it can be a little maddening! Here's 6 of the most common misconceptions about anime that we, as fans, hear all too often.

Anime Is Just For Kids

Yeah, anime is just for kids. In fact, there are many series out there that discuss issues affecting our society, such as, death, rape, the environment and other mature social themes. I really don’t think that kids can handle such topics, showing that anime is a diverse genre that provides for many different audiences. Take Death Note, for example - would you really show this to your kids?

All Anime Are The Same

Anime fans boil inside when they hear this. We just want to shout "THEY ARE NOT ALL THE SAME". There’s anime for everyone out there! Just because one series is mainstream doesn't mean that it represents the hugely diverse genre and all of its shows, which can vary from anything from Cowboy Bebop to Sailor Moon!

Anime Is Weird

There are so many kinds of anime fans out there that even this statement is a little too broad. There are anime fans that watch an episode every now and then, and then there are fans who want to cosplay and head to conventions. Either way, the fandom shouldn't be referred to as 'weird' just because it may seem unusual to the casual viewer. And hey, a little bit of weirdness in your life isn't all that bad, is it?

Anime Is Basically Animated Porn

There is some truth in the fact that a lot of mainstream anime over-sexualizes women, making their breasts unrealistically ginormous or animating little girls wearing skimpy school uniforms. However, anime fans don't simply watch the show for a character's boobs. So, if you want to entertain yourself with a little animated action, who are we to judge.

Anime Is For Losers

Just like many '90s movies, school can be divided into cool kids, nerds, geeks, goth and so on - often based on your interests. The stereotype can often be that it is 'nerdy' to watch anime. Fortunately, if you already passed that awkward moment in your life you know that it doesn’t really matter what others think. You just do what makes you happy - and anime always makes us happy.

Anime And Cartoons Are The Same

The difference between cartoons and anime is similar to the difference between affect and effect. Although different, at the end of the day they both have characters that are animated. The major difference is that one originated in Japan and is influenced by Japanese culture. This can be seen throughout an entire series and makes anime unique from cartoons, and vice versa.

At the end of the day, if your anime-watching isn’t hurting anyone, who cares what others think? We know that anime is awesome for so many reasons, and these prejudices are simply misunderstandings. As the popularity of anime grows, we will see more and more anime fans who will realize that these misconceptions aren't true at all!

Horror Movies Don’t Have To Be "Scary"

Written by Creator Frank Anderson on Creators.co

Frank Anderson is the head film writer at The Renaissance Fan.

The lowest scores currently displayed on CinemaScore.com are the C minuses held by Hail, Caesar! and The Witch. A CinemaScore, determined by polls of audiences conducted on a film’s opening weekend, is rarely this low. In the case of Hail Caesar!, the movie just isn’t for everyone, people who don’t have an interest in classic Hollywood or the Coen Brother’s specific brand of winking cynicism aren’t likely to enjoy what the film has to offer. But with Robert Eggers’ The Witch, the problem seems to be that the film has been defined and marketed as a horror movie and it’s not scary. At least not in the way that most horror movies are scary.

The Witch is not what fans have come to expect from the horror genre, meaning it is not a delivery system for splatter and jump scares. While those elements do factor in at key moments, the film is not reliant on those tools to deliver scares. So, is it a horror film? Yes. But the horror is not of the visceral kind, it comes in the form of a palpable sense of dread, and in the way a family turns on one another when faced with a threat from outside. The viewer is not horrified by what they are seeing but by what they are feeling, dread.The Witch is not what fans have come to expect from the horror genre, meaning it is not a delivery system for splatter and jump scares. While those elements do factor in at key moments, the film is not reliant on those tools to deliver scares. So, is it a horror film? Yes. But the horror is not of the visceral kind, it comes in the form of a palpable sense of dread, and in the way a family turns on one another when faced with a threat from outside. The viewer is not horrified by what they are seeing but by what they are feeling, dread.

The Witch is far from the first horror film to rely on a sense of dread rather than visceral shocks. Take, for example, Rosemary’s Baby (1968) a film widely acknowledged as a classic of the horror genre without any “scares” to speak of. Director Roman Polanski creates horror by, as The Witch does, allowing the audience to know a little more than heroine Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) knows, the fate toward which she is unwittingly moving and forcing a feeling of dread that hangs over the entire film. The tension comes from knowing that there is a force operating against the lead character but not knowing the extent of that force’s power.

The Rich Social Commentary of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Written by Creator Michael Wilson on Creators.co

For those of you who are already fans of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, bless you. For those of you who are casual fans of the show: good job, you're almost there. For those who've only seen an episode or two: take a re-examination of your life. For those who have never seen it: stop reading this article and get thee to Netflix!

Anyways It's Always Sunny has now placed itself on a Seinfeld-level of greatness by somehow managing to be on the air for 11 seasons (with a 12th on the way). Dennis, Charlie, Mac, Dee, and Frank have managed to stay on the air not just because of their undeniable hilarity, but also because of their never-ending social relevance. Obviously you may not know people as sick and twisted as the Gang (at least I hope you don't), but that doesn't stop each character from being relatable in their own way.

What the Next Season of American Crime Story Should Be About

Written by Creator Alexander Koch on Creators.co

As the inaugural season of American Crime Story draws to an end, most viewers are probably thinking "What's next?" A good question, as America has a slough of seedy and sensational crimes to choose from. The People vs. O.J. Simpson was an obvious but brilliant choice to introduce us to and set the tone of the series.

But it seems like that tone is going to change next season. In January, about a month before the series premiered, it was announced that the next season would cover Hurricane Katrina. This isn't the direction that I saw the series going, and I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. The argument made by the creators is that they wanted to focus on substantial crimes that effected America. There is no doubt that Hurricane Katrina was a substantial event in recent American history. Crimes were committed, whether at the government or individual level, but the sheer scope of these crimes to me is too broad to be contained in 10 episodes of a series.

Monty Python's Life of Brian is a Comedy This Generation Needs

Written by Creator Michael Wilson on Creators.co

I recall talking to one of my friends about the movie Zoolander once. I believe Zoolander is a gut-splitting, hysterical, goofy satire of the fashion industry and a flat-out fun film to watch. My friend, however, said he couldn't get past the first 15 minutes because he found it too "stupid." My initial thought was: it's a comedy, isn't that partially the point?

Something I feel so many people forget about comedic films (or even shows for that matter) is they're not meant to be taken seriously. While there is a certain sense of realism behind most comedy, very rarely does it seem interested in painting you a realistic portrayal of everyday life.

Comedies can paint you this realistic portrayal in a way. Take the cult classic Office Space for example. I'm sure many people with office jobs related to the everyday bore of Initech Corporation. But no one could possibly take a bored cubicle worker becoming hypnotized, not showing up to work, and stealing money from his own company seriously. However, Office Space is still a prime example of a great comedy with a certain sense of realism to it.

The Misogyny is Strong With This One: The Case of Felicity Smoak

Written by Creator J. on Creators.co

Felicity Smoak has been an important part of Oliver Queen’s journey since the beginning of the show. What was supposed to be a one-shot character became a compelling, multi-dimensional and strong female character in the DC Universe. From what we learned about her background, Felicity has been affected by being constantly let down by different men in her life and suffers from abandonment issues. It has been portrayed with the resurrection of her ex-boyfriend Cooper and the pain caused by her father who left her and Donna at a young age. She is smart, witty , not afraid to speak up and a great feminist model on television. Throughout the seasons, it has been emphasized in her personality that it is important for her to be included in a decision making process when it directly concerns her.

5 Popular Franchises That Need To Die ASAP

As you may know, Hollywood has a twisted mindset of "If it ain't broke, don't fix anything." But as much money as they're making, they're also destroying the opportunity for fresh ideas. Sequels, sequels, and more sequels. And now everything has to be a franchise from the get go. Looking at you Fan4stic. Keep it up Fox! So today we're going to talk about 5 franchises that I think need to be flatlined. Disclaimer: This will offend many of you because I'm sure I'm going to name some movies a lot of you love. I don't care. Let me have it in the comments if you are appalled by anything I have to say. I can take it.

The Fast & Furious Franchise

Is this controversial? GOOD. I hate all of these movies (except 5, that one was alright). But it doesn't matter because they keep getting made and making boatloads of money. Why, you ask? Because these movies contain everything that will capture the attention of anybody of age. Buff dudes, women who look like models, nice cars, guns, explosions, beautiful environments in and out of America, and The Rock. This franchise is oversaturated and doesn't really have anything to offer. Can anybody give me a legitimate summary of every film's plot? No, because they're either non-existent or just straight up too dumb to remember. The fact that these movie are making more money as they go is telling Hollywood that this is all people want, which means that this is all we will get. So get ready for 50 more F&F movies (reboots not included).

The Taken Franchise

The first Taken was actually a pretty good action movie that used its platform to shed some much needed light on the tragedy that is human trafficking. This film also ushered in a genre strictly made up of aged actors kicking ass in movies. But this has turned into a terribly redundant franchise that makes you wonder if maybe this guy is a bad dad. This franchise has no hope left for it and isn't even that popular anymore. Kill it.

The Scary Movie Franchise

This franchise began as a fun parody of pop culture focused mainly on horror films. It has stayed true to that, but it is no longer funny, and hasn't been for awhile. Movies like Airplane and Naked Gun got parody right because there was real comedy with some slapstick thrown in as well. This franchise just focuses on what a 13 year old kid will laugh at, and the answer is literally anything. There are no longer any funny jokes in these movies, just bathroom humor and not much else. I watched the last one that came out (4 or 5? doesn't matter it sucked either way), and I was truly embarrassed for the people that had to make these movies. When a comedy isn't funny you have a problem. A big one. This franchise needs to be stabbed in the heart.

The Paranormal Activity Franchise

For a franchise that started so strong, it's been quite a journey to awfulness. When I saw the first of the series, there was legitimate suspense and tension. The second and third carried that on (not nearly as well). Then the plots became so convoluted that you couldn't figure out the connection between films until it was thrown in your face. Ugh, I just can't anymore with this. Tobey needs to murder this franchise.

Transformers

Ohhhhhhhhh man I can't even tell you how much I despise this series. Michael Bay has created an empire off of this and it makes me sick. I will say one positive thing about them is that there is some incredible CGI and that deserves to be recognized. But screw that. These movies are terrible. There is no plot. The Autobots act like petty children amongst themselves, yet they are apparently the superior species. And The latest film spent a substantial amount of time explaining the Romeo and Juliet law. There's just so much to hate about these movies. 

Written by Creator D.J. Nichols

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