Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-3124041-20130607221115/@comment-24631732-20141118170952

Darkcloud1111 wrote:

Moussman360 wrote: RWBY is an anime, end of discussion. I so tired of stubborn nerds refusing to admit that it's anime. I has just about every anime trope in the book and is being released in Japanese in Japan. That has to make it classify as an anime! Not really. Anime is released in America all the time in English, but that doesn't make it a cartoon. Japan even made a show awhile back called Panty and Stocking (stupid show, but not the point) that was made to resemble Western animation. However even if it uses an American style of animation, it is still an Anime. RWBY was made in America and is being dubbed for a Japanese release, but that doesn't mean it is Anime.

Personally, I just see it as an animated web-series; plain and simple. If I were to judge it like an actual show however, I would lean more to it not being an anime because it doesn't fit my definition. Not only is it not made in Japan, but it wasn't intended for a Japanese audience. Even if they show has a lot of shout-outs to anime, there is a lack of real Japanese culture within the show itself that makes it hard for me to see it as such.

Either way it all comes down to how you see it. Different groups of people have their own interpretations of words (the Supreme Court has to interpret the Constitution all the time). The problem is there is no concrete definition of Anime as any animation released in Japan is considered Anime, but outside of Japan the line gets a bit fuzzy. In America, any animation is called a cartoon, so RWBY would be an American cartoon going by that. I actually like the term Animetion LiveandSound mentioned above. I guess I see your point. The funny thing is that while there is a whole discussion on whether certain shows should count as anime, in Japan there would be no distinction between American and Japanese anime. This video gives a really good explination on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRfv5a9QFu8