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I heard Punpun is kinda depressing so I want to be in the right mood to read it but I had no idea there was philosophy in it so I have it now higher in my priority list. As for GTO I only watched 2 episodes but I havent completely dropped it, I might get around to it in the future. And of course Berserk is one my favorite manga

Do u know any philosophical anime/manga? I dont think there is an actual anime that its just straight philosophy and thats it, what I mean is an anime/manga that philosophy is a somewhat main focus of the series. Idk if I am any making sense, I am just asking for a recommendation. And yes I know there are many many anime and manga that have philosophy as a minor subject, I want something where its more prominent than the "usual"

Philosophy... nice! 👍

Wow didn't expect this long of an answer xD, thnx haha! But like this i don't think existentialism automatically will give people the issue that you're presenting here. So i "practice" existentialism becasue i've always found it hard to actually find a meaning in life and i haven't always wanted it but with existentialism i've found a lot of guidance to actually do that if that makes sense. The thing is i'm a sad mf, i have anxiety and i have been depressed at times. Now i won't say that existentialism was any sort of "life saver" or "life changer" but it has to atleast some extent helping me to realize "watching anime 24/7 won't make you a happy ass mf". Wether existentialism causes overthinking i would unfortunately agree to some extent lol, i have been up maaaany nights thinking bout the pourpose of life.
Well i'll have to agree with you hehe, i need to fucking do something lol. I have the tendencie i guess to give up all my life to something and then expecting it to get solved lol. I actually haven't seen Soul guess i'll check it out!
Sorry for the spelling errors and if some of this makes no sense lol!

"ngl" lol. That is how you recognize Americans and people who are too used to read their forums :p

I see i see! I've always found stoicism very intresting especially because of how it divide stuff we can't understand and stuff we can understand wich i think is a very "healthy mindset" when it comes to looking at the world. I think you can safely say that i practice existentialism lol, because i think we aren't really born with a pourpose of life we need to find it in ourselfes because we are all difirent xD. It's also the philosophical school wich i can standby most things lol!

Yoo i saw you liked philospohy i like philospohy NANI??? Haha in all seriousness do you have any philosophers that you "like"?

I certainly will.

Oh forgot to mention it, but there's also Youjo Senki if you want a good, historically based, action anime. It reminded me very much of an alternate first world war scenario, moving into the Second world war. Hope you like my reccs!

Noticed you liked the Seinen genre. Why not try Ex-Arm? It's a modern masterpiece that will have you laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the entire show! (Also this is a joke, don't die by the horrible Ex-Arm please!) Anywho, an actual good recommendation for you would be Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu. It's a pretty old show but probably one of the best sci-fi anime I've seen.

Intelligence is only of importance if the person agrees with establishment, or does not use it to question the purpose of things. Anyone who does not accept things as they are and needs more than having so-called truths fed to him/her bears a type of intelligence that society does not need. And this is not something one can chose. This is tied to what people are at chore. That is because there is more than one type of intelligence. I am crappy at maths. Is that what you call calculus? As soon as i started functions at school, and geometry as a whole, my scores dropped. Because i couldn't just fathom the answer. I had to demonstrate the answers. In France, we do not have these MCQs. We have something like f(x)= 3x² +c and we are asked to "study the function". That's it. This means, the whole thing has to be developped from scratch. I could never do that. At all. But knowing how to do this is more useful in our societies that the ability to feel or understand the unsaid. Unfortunately.

I still don't have the time to answer everything, but i will come back to it soon.

Upvoted :p. I probably won't be able to answer before a few days. Probably won't have the time. I will read it again and answer when i can :).

" but I have assignments that are due"

Heya.. Time and assignements. The two sides of the first alienation. Although, oftentimes, an unavoidable one. But i think that maybe... just maybe... your brain works too well for some people to follow you, or to be willing to try. I was told once, when i came back to school at age 30, buy a teacher, because i questionned things i apparently shouldn't: "You are too intelligent for your own good". Society does not need people who know how to use their brain, right? I was amongst the top of the class but got ousted during my 2nd year anyway ^^.

Tina is just fine. I didn't ask for your last name, adress or whatever ^^. It would be too much out of the blue, but more than anything, i don't have much use for these informations right now. I am in SW France after all. Well, i am sure you can find photos of pretty much all the town i live in if you are curious. It is Pau, Nouvelle Aquitaine, Postal code is 64 000. It is pretty different compared to the US. This is the capital city of Navarre, an old french region that is now in the "Pyrénées Atlantiques", where one can find the castle of King Henri IV. Well the castle is old, but nothing that special. There are plenty of those. By the way, my name is Jérémy. Only fair for me to give mine away, too.

You are on social medias... ah yes, i guess one can look up names on Google. I didn't think about that. I don't have social media, like Facebook, Twitter, insta or whatever. I always thought that they made money with your private life. And i never felt the need to use them anyway. To my reply now...

I am sure you can note things about me that may feel unusual to you, but not to me. Granted, i traveled a bit, so i get how this could happen. The massive difference between a gun and a knife, aside from the power and ability to kill at a distance, is that purpose of the object. Knifes are meant to cut vegetables or whatever ^^. Knives have plenty of different purposes. Guns have only one and were perfected for that exclusive usage. But yeah... talking about guns in Europe will earn you weird looks. You may find gun lovers used to them (my father) but most of us are not like that. But this is Europe, so chances are people won't say anything. Just think about how a Japanese may react politely, and you would not be too far. Even me probably wouldn't say anything, unless the bragging goes too far. I would probably nod, say something like "well, we don't have those here.." and try to change topic. I only realised we were like that by watching videos of Americans living in France. Actually, being American may already be a disadvantage, so adding bragging about guns on top would hurt. Now, many people would not judge others on that solely. I am unsure in my case.

"Kids can be terribly rash with certain objects at times."

I don't think kids can be rash about those in France. Because we don't grow around guns. So no one would manipulate those as if it was a sandwich. Unless they are super used to them. I saw the comments of french people under a Youtube video where an American talked about the fact she wanted to have her father's gun in the house, as a heirloom. Her husband refused flatty, he would have guns in his house under no condition, even locked away with no ammunitions stored anywhere. In the comments, for 10 comments i remember, there was 1 "guns are totally fine". 2 "If it is a heirloom, it is about making concessions for her sake". And 7 "I would refuse the same, ammunitions or not, guns are not a debatable topic. There won't ever be any gun in my house, especially if there are children." I believe this is pretty representative.

The terrible thing in "Black Lagoon" is that yes...one grows attached to Revy. Even though she is that disguting. That is why this is so perverted. As for understanding them... It is not necessarily too difficult to understand some criminal or murderers. We are all humans. We may be able to find the logic behind. So, understanding is one thig, yes. Legitimating is another, as you say.

I didn't try any of the series you mentionned. I stopped watching TV in 2005. I don't have Netflix either. Many talented people lose their sensibility pretty fast in the US. James Cameron is a joke. Regarding games, i still try to play some at times... But i play independent games, RPGs mostly. Most RPGs these days tend to consider than writing a scenario or using text... would bother the player. So, they transform RPGs into cheap, nonsensical, way too easy shooter, with a bland scenario only meant to be an excuse for "paw paw" crap. Right now, InXile's Wasteland (US), Larian's Divinity (Belgium) or Owlcat's Pathfinder (Russia) are pretty much all that is left. Aside from Inxile, which will get corrupted soon, too, there is nothing interesting to look at in the US anymore. Yeah, to use a word your family seems to like, everything in the US is laughably childish. I am not 15 anymore. Hell, even at 15 i hated the same shallow crap. People called me many names over time, but childish was never one of those ^^. I don't have a problem with a company that means to make money. But when you see that "Alita" (film) was considered not profitable enough by making 404 millions dollars worldwide... you can see what "profitable" means in the US. I think your rant is a realistic take of our future, yes.

"There's the good part, people of like-mind in contact with one another free of consequences, and then there's the bad part, people of like-mind in contact with one another free of consequences. "

Exactly :)

"Just like the Da Vinci or Michelangelo. You know these two most influential artists throughout centuries will not be so successful in our modern-day world, because of money."

Exactly :). But it is necessary to consider that Michel Angelo, Donatello, Titien, and many others up to Monet, Rembrant or Van Gogh were not rich. They lived thanks to patrons, mostly. So, were they sucessful at their time? Somehow, but americans would say they were not. They did what they loved, but only got recognized later on. Fun fact, these days, their work is like real estate.... People buy their work to invest money. The vast difference between nowadays and the time when Michel Angelo decorated the Cappella Sistina is that artisitcs refusing to use the capitalistic system and trying to sell their work in the street would never see the light of the day. Hence, they all wish to be noticed on TV. These days, a talented guy who never got featured in the media would never get the recognizance he deserves, even after his death. And artists are bound to want people to see their work. So, they became merely another business, willingly or not.

"America? Or just any modern-day bs? "

Anti-intellectualism in media, cinema, video games and arts as a whole. The idea that art is a business and has to be dumbed down to be sold massively to the masses. The fact that it cultivates generalized idiocy and kills constructive criticism. The fact that this blandness becomes a synonym of quality merely because what sells the most is bound to be seen as good. You know, like in "normality is defined by the majority". The fact that many idiots defend the crap they are served, believing that it is deep or even remotely good. The fact that talking cinema these days entails mostly talking about crap with people who don't have a clue about anything. The idea that this aseptized blandness that kills brain cells is seen as the future by cretins that were born with a malfunctioning central nervous system. The fact that Mickael Bay made millions while relentlessly exploiting and even nurturing the general downfall of civilization. And that everyone one hails him as creative genius. The fact EA still exists, like a putrescent pustule, and that they are free to do their crap only because they are in the US and that their are no laws or regulations in hte US to prevent them from being obnoxious. Lying is a fine marketing mean in the US. In France, it is called "publicité mensongère" and condemned by law.

"I just start knowing that everything we are meant to learn, we are coerced to learn, is the make us into another product of workforce for that currency."

Exactly. And this is the case in the US more than anywhere else. You are not made to live there. What you talk about is what we call an aleniation. My best friend can't suffer that. He hates it to no end. In my case, i just can't handle it. Because of who i am, alienation can become really damaging for me. I am grateful for the Universal Healthcare. The only answer i found is that, by being one's own boss, and living in a place where one doesn't have to make millions to survive, this aleniation becomes something under control. When working for something you are passionate about, your own project, money is not the goal anymore, only something that comes along the way. Gosh, it took me more than 30 years to understand that. And i don't know how many more it would take for that find this particular inspiration and project. One example would be, maybe, opening a french café in Japan. Or creating a "holographic cinema" to put people in the center of a short movie meant to tell through symbolism. Or converting a church into an antechristic, porno-chic style of night club, riddled with anti catholic and anti religious symbolism. The point is finding something that is like you, that you could develop and sell. It is super complicated though. I still have to find the idea or anything that remotely motivates me. And obviously, i wouldn't sell it for 3 millions after 3 years. Because i am not American. The project itself is more important than the money. A purpose in life is not someting that can be bought or sold.

"human civilization has come to. 300,000 years of evolution"

Depends how you count. The first civiization probably dates back from 10 000 BC, when agriculture was developped and the people settled down (omg, english is so boring... we have a word for that in french: "Sédentarisé". Doesn't seen to exist in english. I noticed the same thing many times. I have to use such imprecise words, it is annoying). The first civilization dates back form 4000 BC i guess. Or was it the first empire? Well anyway... human civilization has come to an end. Strangely, the capitalistic system drove us into a corner. The world is decaying. Maybe a new civilization will rise. I don't know. It all depends of how the last chapter of this one is written.

"My freedom is somehow dependent on my bank balances. "

This is mostly exclusive to the "land of the free", the US. Because we have social nets here... we don't have this problem to such an extent. And the problem in the US is that people often have no clue how to handle their money, and live through credits. We don't have credit cards, only debit cards. We learn at a young age here. Even though my parents were pretty rich, i only had "20 francs" or a few euros per month. I had to learn what i could do with that and when it was worth spending it and when it wasn't. In the end, i hardly bought anything and i mostly spent it for Christmas and making gifts, and always spared some year to year. This money helped later on when i ended up in a terrible situation. Nowadays, i live in a 52m² appartment in center town. There are 2 rooms (one with a kitchen)+ a bathroom + toilets. One of the room is almost entirely empty. There is only a little bookcase in the whole room. I don't have a sofa (never used mine, so never replaced it), have very few furniture, and hardly have any accessory. I don't have a microwave, i don't have a washing machine, i hardly have anything :p. I really like how this vast space is empty. It puts my mind at ease. It is relaxing. Cluttered spaces are stressful. So, not only i won't buy things i don't need. I won't even buy things i need. I am probably a bit extreme, but from what i gather, people in the US buy so many mysterious crap i can't even tell what they buy those for. An American said that: when she came back to the US, she was shocked by the agressive adds that tried to sell you countless useless crap and making it look like you can't have a fulfilling life if you don't have those. She gave the example of a product for washing machines that made the dishes dry faster. WTF?? What is unblievable is that people seem to actually by those. LOL. The truth is... people do not need much money to live. What they need is a purpose.

"I see people bringing up skip beat a lot. Maybe I should actually check it out. I know it's no normal shoujo show."

The anime is about the first 65 chpaters i guess. It skips a secondary arc that is not super important (about Kotonami), and it ended up being better than i thought. I like how the MC would give a middle finger to the male MC. Although the author does not understand the US and when she depicts this American guy, there are times when she fails. Or maybe it is because he tries to pose as a Japanese and thus consider japanese ways to explains things in an overly tolerant way. Like in "normally i would be shocked by that, but this is Japan, so, maybe this awful mother who rejected her daugter actually thinks about her future?". All in all, i still follow the manga from time to time. It is SUPER slow. The author makes the story drag A LOT. There are very interesting story arcs about how the MCs creates her characters, about acting, and she is super good at writing scenarios for those TV series and characters. She is extremely efficient with her storyboards, too. The downside, aside from the story that lacks developments, is that she is 50 by now, and she doesn't have much connection with the topic she tackles. "Skip Beat" is first and foremost about a romance (unfortunately) but she probably doesn't have much connection to youth romance anymore. And it is about showbiz, acting, music and such. Even though she made thorough researches and depicts all this wonderfully, she was never interested in showbiz, and it shows in the way she will skip some parts, like when the MC is invited on TV, or how people and critics see her acting and performances, or, sometimes, how acting is meant to be show to a public. I personally need to be inspired by a success story (if well written), so i tend to be frustrated by how our exceptional MCs tends to be unexceptional at the same time.

I don't think the honest actor is merely honest. To feel the feelings a character feels takes more than mere honesty. As i said, i takes empathy and the ability to let completely different perspectives permeate one's personality on top of understanding these perspectives. Becoming a completely different person on all regards. At this point, it is less acting that metamorphosing into someone else and letting this person do the job. I believe that "Skip Beat" depicts that well. This is the part i like the most about the manga (not the romance). That is why i would like the author to put more emphasis on the MC's acting career and less on the romance. Well, even what you talked about, the "acting in real life" part is tackled in the manga. Super interesting. Only japanese can be that subtle when tackling a topic. It is sensible, detailed, and goes deeply into psychology and personality, even while not looking like doing it that much. Damn, Japanese have a brain and assume their audience has a brain, too... Goodbye American. I will remain a manchild, thanks :)

"there are stories that change drastically depending on how the actors/actresses play the characters."

So true. And sorry, but again, "Skip Beat" tackles this :p. The "Dark Moon" arc. The "Box-R" arc, too. When an important character is played very differently, it influences everything, including other actors' acting. Overall i completely agree with everything you wrote about animation and live-acting. This is true, and seeing it like that is mature in my opinion. I believe japanese seiyus rely heavily on technique rather than interpretation. One can't really go deep into creating a character that is not a blood and flesh one. An actor has an envrionement too, the set, to get more immersed into the role. It is kind of an heresy to have an actor act before a green panel (for post prduction incrustations)... Animation and live-action allow for very different experiences and serve different purposes. But to me, the one thing that is important in both is the writing. Whether you set your story in a realistic set or a completely fantasized one.

"I feel like a change and maturity only comes when you met certain kinds of experience. "

Again, exactly. I personally found out that the most interesting people i met in my life had gone through terrific personal dramas. When they manage to survive this, their take on reality becomes vastly different. They were forced to consider things and pespectives normal people never had to consider. They know that judging an alcoholic and telling him "Get a grip, stop this crap, it's lame" will only make the problem deeper. They know that depression is not a matter of will and guts. They know that facts have more aspects to them that the fact itself. They deeper, they understood how nothing is simple. THey know that the truth is never something that one can grab merely by having opinions. I believe i am like that too. Although, again, i didn't come through all this unscathed, so i always have to put myself under control, and sometimes, i fail ^^. I am sure that on a few occasions, i failed to simply write objectively in a dispassionate way. People who would go in the street because there are too many traffic jams in their town are happy people. But tey can't see through the Matrix.

"They just called you a manchild lol. "

Yeah, well, i know how the US can be super old fashioned. My parents are 71 and 69 right now. They are considered ultra old fashioned and what they did in the past could shock other people of roughly the same age. But they still seem more progressive that yours ^^. Or maybe... my mother became more progressive. Maybe because i ended up leaving and cutting all contats with everyone in 2005. I meet my mother once a year since 2017. But there is no parent-children feel remaining. She is... well, a friend? I have seen my father once in 2018, and he never changed. But i havent seen my sister, cousins, uncles, grand parents or whoever else for 13 to 20 years. The conflict went super far, and telling about it would shock probably anyone. Even though my mother refused my last invivation in 2005, she sent me a card in 2017. This was our first contact in 12 years. Maybe she learned? Maybe she was more old fashioned that your parents, i can't tell for sure, mostly because i don't know your family. But they can call me a manchild if they want. I was never called that in my life. If anything, it would be the opposite. But i am sure they watch very mature things on US TV :p So, i won't take it in a bad way :D

"Age are less definitive than they actually are. Life experience is the only thing that defines maturity to me."

Again, exactly. One example i can use is that one of my ex was 15 years older than me, and i was the one who had to take care of everything for her, because she was immature. While another one was 13 years younger than me (she was 20 and i was 33), and she ended up being much more mature, and a better fit for me.

"A rich and privileged person will never grow up with the hardship of a poor person to understand the depth one can face in life."

Yeah, pretty much what i said. Agreed. But drama does not discriminate between rich and poor.

"My parents would call you a child for not getting married at your age and have a family."

My 2 best friends are 40 and 32 and they are unmarried with no children. A third one is 31, is in couple but is unmarried with not children. My sister is 44, unmarried with no children. My cousins are 41 (unmarried with no children), 39 (unmarried with no children) and 45 (she died 2 months ago, unmarried with no children). The last two, which are children of the cousins of my mothers' cousin i guess, or something like that, are are in their 30's... one is single with no children, and i guess the other one is pregnant? not sure anymore. So yeah, childish people are a thing here i guess. Our whole family is going extinct :). Many of these people consider marriage as a hassle. Some consider having children the same as dying (i do, to some extent. In some very specific circumstances i may consider commiting the crime of giving death by giving life).

"To me, people who can sit and think and consider all the possibilities of life are much more mature than those who just sit by and let the course of life and the flow of people decide how they should go about."

Exactly. But if you dig a bit deeper, you will realize that this whole thing is mostly tied to critical thinking. Those who do not exert critical thinking will just spout things they were told as children as it was a fundamental truth. They were taught that, so it has to be true, and it is much more confortable to not question anything. People these days consider others who question things and use their brains as "prise de tête" (annoying, bothersome, i guess? Again, i don't have the right word in english). In France we say "Les idiots sont bénis" (Idiots are blessed). Living one's life without ever questioning anything is the best way to make it through the whole hurdle. But those people who lived a good life, what do they think on their death bed? Are they in peace? I hope so. In my case, by following these norms and rules i can't relate with, i know i will end up panicked because i would feel like i totally threw my life to the trash bin. I know that i have to act before it is too late. Mark my beliefs and aspirations rather than trying somehow to compose with those and what is expected from me. Time is short, i know it. The earlier you undertand what you really need, the best it is. If i had one advice for you, it would be that: do not try to be who you are not, or to live a life that is not yours. You will fail in all cases. I failed hard. Sometimes, in order to find one's rightful place in this world, things need to be abandonned. It is a give and take principle. Being afraid of giving in order to take is the best way to half ass one's life and regret it later. That is what i do myself, and i hate it. I am the half-assing king. I managed to make big decisions in the past... and right now, without really knowing what i need, i wander through life with no real purpose. Find what you need. Once you find it, the most difficult part of the job is done.

"Love, forgiveness, reconciliation, truth, eternity,
miracles... these are all things that are easy to speak of with
contempt. Being cynical about everything is easy, just as easy
as believing things blindly. What's hard is to find a middle
ground. Even most adults can't manage to do that."

I am unsure why "cynical", but it is true that these are all things people talk about lightly. Love is not something you can exert control over, forgiveness and reconciliation are probably the same. Accepting excuses and forgiving are two different things. Truth can't exist if one's knowledge is not absolute, so one could argue that truth is merely a vague concept that was never proven to exist. Eternity can't be comprehended, and miracles are only a construct of the mind meant to explain things one can't understand. The more stupid a person is, the more miracles this person will see. So, i guess all these are notions one needs to tackle with care, and where nothing is definitive or absolute. And one can only consider those within the array of grays, rather than using definitive and absolute black or white. Gray is about interpretation and can vary wildly. Black and white are as definitive as the concept of truth or absolute. And damn, i struggle with english...

PS: i spent more than 3 hours on this one ^^. There are quite a few englishmistakes, but i am too lazy to correct them.

I don't have the time to reply right now, i will do so tomorrow. I post merely to say that 4 or 5 times, i was like... "Yeah, right, that is exactly it". I am somehow impressed that you could come up with all that at age 22. It took me much more time ^^. And because of that, i wanted to ask you your name. It may be nonsensical to you, but right now, i feel the need to put a name on your writing.

In my previous post, i did not mean to judge guns in the US (since i did it already ^^). I only talked about how seeing guns every day from a young age make people desensitized to them, thus preventing them from grasping fully the purpose of some non American pieces of media which present them. It would be like seeing ET everyday since you were born. When the movie "ET" comes out, chances are you won't be grabbed by the weirdness of the encounter the movie relies a lot upon. Pure logic. You can do what you want with your guns. I have my opinion about them, but it is merely an opinion. As long as i don't live with you, i won't berate you for owning them. But it is true that if i were to live with a gun fan someday, i would obviously present this person with a choice. And it would be definitive. But yeah, my purpose here, is talking about the impact of some animes and series like "Black Lagoon", or "Gunslinger Girls" or whatever, and how the impact of such series may be much heavier for non americans. In some regard, being too used to guns may prevent some people to fully experience the purpose of some animes.

"Never put your finger on the trigger unless you wish to use it. Never point your gun at anyone, serious or not. Always point your gun up or down if you deploy it. And always make sure the gun is unloaded when finish using."

Here is another superb example you give. All these rules are obvious. They exist everywhere. In my case, i never needed anyone to tell me any of those. Because it is obvious, instinctual. I would instinctively put my finger as far from the trigger as possible. Always directing it to the ground. I would always keep it unloaded unless i was about to use it in the conventionned shooting range in the following minute or so (actually it is the law i think, you can't have a loaded gun i guess, whatever the circumstances). And, as it happened, if i ended up, while manipulating it (while unloaded), pointing it to someone 10m away, even for a split second, i was overwhelmed by a feeling of urge and panic that urged me to drop the gun on the table as if it burned my hands. The simple idea of having a living being (even a damn dog) on the other side of the gun is utterly stressful and i hate it. Having a gun around would always raise my alterness and stress level to tremendous extents and would leave me with a feeling of uneasiness and stress for the rest of the day. I actually didn't like much going to the shooting range. I did it with my father, and it was not exactly uninteresting to compete together using targets (with points from 1 to 10 if i remember well). But i always felt, at 14 and later at 16, that i was dealing with something that i was not meant to deal with. I can't really describe this feeling. I didn't feel powerful. I felt sullied. Stressed out. Worried. And i believe it is pretty natural. This should show the difference in perception between the US and the rest of the world. And hence, the difference in weight gun imagery bears.

When i see Revy merely having a gun in hand... I see a person surrounded by darkness, sullied. The gun is the symbol of her perversion, of the fact that she is long gone into darkness and can't be met anymore. To an American, she is merely a girl with a gun, a character that is criminal, right? That is why the contrasts on the poster for "Requiem of a Phantom" works so well. The contrast is dire, between the gun + the blood and the cute girl + her caring attitude. Again, the gun sullies the girl to the point where her caring attitude makes her look cute and disgusting.

Yeah, i like japanese animes for the same reason. They tackle things our western crap doesn't. Many animes are copy/pasted from others, but even the average ones introduce some things, some point of views that one won't see at all in the west. Although i can't watch the average ones anymore. But the fact productions in the west are so insultingly bland these days... Again... it comes from the US. This trend... In order to sell to the masses, make sure you find the lowest common denominator amongst them all and cater to it. More and more, the artists and writers and ruled by money grabbers. One doesn't need talent anymore these days, only the capability to bring together shallow crap skillfully tailored for idiots. This is the capitalistic American Dream. And because they are very good at cultivating idiocy, because the average guy feels like he is a genius somehow, and buys more crap and becomes more stupid himself...they sell well. And compete with actual good pieces of work, forcing those to do the same crap to survive. It has been 10 years since i started to check the yearly financial results of Electronic Arts (The Symbol of Great America >>> meaning how to make people puke in disgust), and wishing hard they would go bankrupt... To no avail. They destroyed countless companies, threw countless people on the streets, but the shareholders are very happy. Same with Mickael Bay. The most disgusting anti-director in History. Even though his Transformers crap fails now, it doesn't matter to him. The US, land of the anti-intellectualism... reason number 93 for me hating this country. This one, i ranted so much about it these past 12 years, that my best friends tend to avoid some topics by now, because i can't help it and they know it ^^. Major source of anger in my everyday life. Maybe the biggest one. I watched Avatar. I don't remember it. Only that it was pretty decent, but that i wouldn't rewatch it. I would have to rewatch it in order to know why i feel like i don't want to. Talk about a paradox.

"I believe there are cinematic achievements you can only create through artistic lenses that are seemingly impossible to achieve through films and real-life actors."

Agreed. I kind of get what you say regarding acting. To me, there are 2 types of actors. The most common one... will rely on experiences, study and techniques to mimic a character. Ian Holmes is great at this. The 2nd type of actor is the actor who can create a character so deeply and have such affinity with emotions and empathy, and capability to use personal experiences and understanding of humans, that they can become, literally, their character. This type is super rare, and these are geniuses. Joaquin Phoenix is that type (when he was interviewed just before filming "Joker", my best friend, who is fan of his, noticed how his speech, voice, and mannerism were not his... but those of his character). Amusing to see how "Skip Beat" adresses this, too. The 2 MCs are the second type. But most Japanese are the first type, yes. And if you watched anime adaptations... chances are you saw the worst. Crappy actors that use exaggerated mannerism to inspire this very "anime" feel for young people. Animes use drawings and expressivity, so it is only a theory, but to manage the same impact, they have to compensate for the fact that live-acting can't usually bring as much facial expressions as animation, maybe. Maybe, anime and manga fans can't forgive actors for not being able to convey efficiently what was a strong scene in the original work. Since Japanese tend to think about their audience first, rather than how they feel they should do things... It is not far fetched to think that they merely act as they think the fans expect them to. This is no new behavior in Japan. You should watch Takeshi Kitano's films, like "Zaitochi". You won't see this over exaggerated acting there. You will see some of this in his Yakuza films, but it is more tied to the interactions between characters stuck in a traditional, hierarchical relationship.

"I think I should travel to Japan to experience the real Japanese to determine whether the acting and the so portrayed demeanor is actually real to life."

I share that kind of strange curiosity. I believe curiosity is something precious. Even when it is about such peculiar things. Or rather, especially when it is about such peculiar things.

"I wish to explore the same medium in the west- where animation is largely viewed as childish, "it's for children, grow up and watch a real show for once" is always my parents' reply to anime."

LOL ! Tell them i turned 40 recently and that many animes are much less childish that News on American TV ^^. However they may look like. When you see 1 minute of a random anime, even me can't help but think "woaaa... this looks so stupid". But thankfully the value of an idea, a concept, a tentative... is worth much more than the title that makes the headline for a project. Actually... i am shocked when i state my age... I mean at 11 i used to check stock exchange rather than playing like others. Empirically, my life and way to think and do things hasn't changed that much these past 20 years. Gosh... i am probably much more mature than older people. I remember how a friend of mine (she was 44 at the time) just played around with her roomate in the hospital and decorated all the room with toilet paper in a toilet paper battle... Or how another one, in her 50's... chased after snails in the forest, and failed to lace the plastic bag properly, and found out, while coming back to her room, that all the snails had escaped and were racing on the walls of her room... There were dozens of them. She was LOL ! And we were, too. Even my grand mother has her silly, childish moments. And you are right... So many animes tackle more mature topics and questions in a more mature way than Hollywood these days... Actually, dang, animes tackle matters Hollywood will never tackle because they believe it is too complicated for their audience. The way they butchered "Gunm" with the adaptation, "Alita, Battle Angel", is exactly that.

"What you said about the angles, the cinematic directions, how lighting can portray certain emotions and scenes."

It is everything. Or almost. But add to that the costumes, the set, the objects that are scattered in the background. Each and every last one of them tells a story relevant for the film or a character. Especially in Japaneese animation, elements of the narratives are showed or hinted rather than told. i often spend 1 or 2 hours on a single anime episode. Admittedly, it is partly beause i watch in Japanese with english subtitles and i try to get used to both, and end up istening the same senteces a lot sometimes (ti understand without subtitles). But this is not the only reason. Really, i look to details in frame in animation, and the narration that is told through character expressions or elements in the background. Missing those does not prevent from understanding the situation, but it always nice, yummy little bits i don't want to miss.

"If guns are used as another narrative tool then it may have missed over my head."

Yeah, i am sure it did :)

"However, if the setting takes place where handling guns are completely lawless and creates havoc,"

That is every gun appearance. I already told how the association of guns and characters or situations can totally shift the meaning or feeling of a scene or image. If i had to think about symbols worth using to introduce the idea of corruption in an artistic imagery... i would think of blood, first and foremost (fantastiscally used for this purpose in "Vampire Knight". There is a reason why blood is often associated to Dark magic and Demonology, too). Second place would be guns, when placed in the right context. Iit is efficient, explicit and straightforward (used in "Black lagoon" and "Gunslinger GIrls", and others i can't remember...). Third place would be twisted sexual representations, even more so when conveyed through a charater type meant to be innocent in common imaginary (This is often used to tell the story of a female character going down in hell). 4th would be drugs. Hard drugs. Like syringes or stuff. Again, mostly used in the context of a character meant to be likeable or innocent. 5th would be... maybe porcelain dolls... since it can suggest the idea of a corpse, or a feeling deprived person... but this one would need a nudge to translate corruption... colors like black or red could work, or green in some contexts, or merely by tweaking slighty the doll's face. Certainly, others i fail to think about right now. But again, When it comes to guns, i am sure you can't really see it. ET lived in your house since you were born. No surprise you wouldn't be shocked when meeting him today. But i never met ET. Nor did most people.