You have grown out of many things during your time on this earth. You grow out of clothes, out of beds, out of childish ideas and concepts until suddenly it is decided that you are now an adult. But why are the things you did in your childhood deemed as ‘less valuable’ now that you are an adult? Is it because you have grown in intellect and are now too smart to enjoy what you used to or is it something else? Human beings are constantly growing and evolving, but how do we decide what is in the past and what is correct to pursue? Why do we treat the things we used to enjoy as things not worthy of enjoying? A prime example of this thought process can be examined when viewing the world’s perspective on cartoons. When most adults think of cartoons the immediate thought is ‘thing for kids’ but why is that? Well, they are bright and colorful, and you used to watch it when you were a kid so it makes sense. But what if I told you that that is in no way the case, I mean, just because you listened to Barney as a kid, doesn’t mean you think all songs are for kids. That would be ridiculous, and it would stop you from ever experiencing the music you love today. Instead, you understand that there are just different genres and styles of music for different audiences but that idea doesn’t translate into cartoons and animation. Animation is just another way to tell stories through a visual medium, same as any painting, live action movie or cartoon. Animation is a beautiful and rich art form. It’s a way to tell stories without the constraints that bar us in our real world, the only limit is truly your imagination and that is such a wonderful thing.
Lighthearted Animation
Just like any other form of media there will be things that are directed at children, but that does not make them any less worthy of genuine praise, and it doesn’t mean they need to be dumbed down for children.
Avatar the Last Airbender is an American cartoon directed at children. It is bright and colorful and whimsical all the same. The characters are expressive and fluid and just overall goofy. The characters are larger than life in both screenshots and in actual animation. It’s a fun time for the whole family, but that does not mean that it is not enjoyable for adults or that it is just dumb fighting. Avatar tackles very real and important issues like the horrors of war, redemption, loss, death, manipulation, corruption, sexism and misogyny among others. None of these topics are played for laughs, but rather progress the story in a way that children can comprehend but does not speak down to them. That means that for the adults either watching with their kids or watching the show by themselves, there is a lot to keep you entertained both visually and mentally.
Even just looking at the animation style it is obvious to tell a lot of work went into it.
Each ‘bending’ style (which is basically a way which characters can manipulate one of the elements: Fire, Earth, Water and Air) is represented with its own martial arts type and that is reflected in how the animators present each punch, strike, and volley.
So much thought went into what many would consider ‘just another kids show’, but animation is just another form of storytelling.
Middle Ground Animation
There are also many animated shows directed at teens and young adults. Violet Evergarden is a Japanese anime tackling what happens to soldiers after a war is over and how they deal with these issues. The show switches between very bright and vibrant colors and scenes with very dark and unsaturated colors to portray the differences between the time of war and the peace time the story switches between. It is a very real and hard hitting story about a soldier that only knew war now lost without someone giving her orders or even her commander with her. This vibrancy is something that would look fake and jarring in a normal show but here it is beautifully done.
Dark Animation
But if that is not enough for you there is also shows with even darker themes of the psychology of crime and justice. Death Note is a Japanese anime about a college student names Light Yagami wanting to rid the world of crime by killing all of the criminals in the world using a notebook that kills people just by writing down their name and the team of investigators led by a man named L trying to stop him. The show’s main focus is on the diametrically opposed views of justice between the two male leads as they basically play a very long game of cat and mouse until one defeats the other. Death Note is always in a perpetual state of dark and gloomy. Contrary to the other two shows, this one has very muted colors and its facial expressions are a lot more realistic. It aids the darker and more gruesome nature of the show and makes it all feel a lot more real, regardless of it being a cartoon. Even if you were to compare just the eyes, you can tell the colors are a lot more muted, and the shape is a lot more realistic in this show than the two previous ones. However, it still makes the best use of its animated nature by using symbolism in a very natural way that doesn’t feel forced because of the genre. Many times the two leading men are colored in with red and blue respectively instead of in their normal dull and realistic colors, representing their diametrically opposed viewpoints and putting them on different ends of the spectrum of justice. Then when one of the characters beats the other one (I won’t say who for spoiler reasons) they get colored in the opposite’s color symbolizing their defeat.
Even if none of that is enough to persuade you, think of the popular adult shows that were made in America. Now staples of our pop culture, but extremely mature shows: Rick and Morty, The Simsons, Family Guy and South Park. All of these are extremely popular but nevertheless absolutely intended for adult audiences. Most would believe that these types of shows are the exception to the rule that animation is only for kids, but that’s just wrong. Animation is simply another vehicle to tell stories, just as much as a book, movie or painting is. No one should determine what has value to you as an adult or as a child. It is up to you to decide what you enjoy watching regardless of societal norms. If you want to give cartoons and animation a try I would say go right ahead. Every work of animation might not be up to your standards, but just like everyone doesn’t like every movie or book you will find something for you. There is no need to grow out of thinks that you still love and enjoy, regardless of your age.
