Anime vs. Cartoons! How Are They Different? Settling The Age-Old Debate!

As an anime fan, I’ve spent a seemingly endless amount of time explaining to friends, siblings, parents, and relatives that I’m not watching cartoons but anime.

And every single time, the conversation ends along the lines of, ‘Well, they look the same.’ The internet, too, is full of heated debates and discussions that mostly end at a stalemate.

Sure, they’re both entertainment but anime can have an air of intellectuality and complexity that grouping it with cartoons takes away.

I have nothing against cartoons. In fact, I love re-watching Looney Tunes, The Simpsons, and even old gems like Mr. Bean and Oswald. But grouping my favorite cartoons and anime together doesn’t make much sense.

Anime simply refers to animation from Japan. Cartoons and anime are both essentially animation but have different target audiences, genres, plot progression, themes, and character designs.

Cartoons are satirical and cater to children, while anime cover various genres and cater to a wide range of people, both age and gender-wise.

1. Why Do People Mistake Anime For Cartoons?

They’re all animation, so what’s the big deal?

I’ve probably heard and seen this counter-argument a million times when discussing anime versus cartoons. But there is some truth to it…

Technically, anime are Japanese cartoons– the word ‘anime’ is just the Japanese word for animation. Hence, anime and cartoons are often mixed up or considered the same by many.

It’s easier to group all animation together than fuss over differentiating between the two despite them being very different.

2. Why Does The Mix-Up Offend People?

Anime fans dislike using or even hearing the word ‘cartoon’ when talking about anime because the word has a negative connotation. There’s a difference between the word’s dictionary definition and the cultural usage of the word. ‘Cartoon’ implies the show is childish or meant for kids.

Though there’s nothing wrong with enjoying cartoons or anything made for kids, it’s insulting to reduce what might be a nuanced masterpiece to shallow, childish entertainment by calling it a ‘cartoon.’

3. What Is The Difference?

Although anime and cartoons have differences, there’s no definitive dividing line between them.

There are exceptions to everything, with some shows that stray into the gray area in between. Shows like Avatar, which is heavily anime-inspired but not from Japan and is neither an anime nor a cartoon, and Doraemon, which is technically an anime but feels more like a cartoon, are prime examples.

I. Target Audience

Anime is produced in Japan and is mainly targeted towards a Japanese audience. Elements of Japanese culture are found in almost every anime. Still, anime can appeal to a universal audience which is why anime is so popular.

Within itself, anime has different target audiences and categories like kodomo(children), shonen (boys), shoujo (girls), etc. Anime can even be age-restricted.

Cartoons, on the other hand, are mainly targeted towards children in the west. Naturally, there are exceptions like South Park, The Simpsons, and Family Guy, which are not meant for children.

II. Genre

Anime in itself is a genre or a style of animation. In contrast, cartoons are mainly satire, anime centers around a wide range of genres and themes.

Most cartoons are comedies and for children, because for the longest time, the prevailing idea was that animation is just for children and satire would appeal best to them. No one believed there was a market for cartoons with serious undertones.

Since Japan has a broader market and anime and manga are very popular, the demand means more shows can be made than in the west, and different genres can be explored.

III. Continuity

Anime usually follows a consistent storyline or plot across episodes, seasons. Even adventure-focused anime like One Piece manages to have plot progression while keeping it fresh and famous for over 20 years.

Cartoons usually don’t follow a continuous storyline or plot. Instead, they follow an episodic format– each episode is often like a one-shot or standalone story. Mostly, only cartoons from the 90s to early 2000s like X-Men, Spider-Man, Kim Possible, Ben 10 have some plot development and continuity.

IV. Character Designs And Animation

While there’s a large amount of stylistic overlap between the two, cartoons are generally satirical, so they are rarely realistic. Features are often dramatized or exaggerated– characters may have three or four-fingered hands or weird skin colors and unusual face shapes.

Although anime proportions are far from realistic, they still have some semblance to reality and real humans. Characters still have typical skin colors, fairly human-looking arms, fingers, and toes.

Mainly older 90s and early 2000s anime had a distinct, very realistic style without the facial distortions seen in anime today.

Anime is also recently leaning towards hyper-realism, especially with backgrounds and scenery in movies like Weathering With You, Your Name, The Garden Of Words, and Demon Slayer: Infinity Train.

V. Exploring More Adult Themes

Both cartoons and anime have only recently started subtly expressing more adult themes like homosexuality. Cartoons like Adventure Time and anime like Given, Yuri On Ice, and Banana Fish come to mind.

However, cartoons usually cannot convey more complicated themes like trauma, death, morality, grief. Anime like Death Note, Attack On Titan, Orange, and even ones like Banana Fish and Your Lie In April do an excellent job at this.

Cartoons also usually don’t take chances killing characters because that could make the show ‘too graphic’ or ‘too heavy for children, and parents wouldn’t allow them to watch it.

VI. ROMANCE!

Anime has such an abundance of romance-centered shows that it’s a category in itself. Even typical shonen anime usually have at least some romantic development.

Although cartoons can hint at romantic development, it isn’t usually explored much. Cartoons just don’t have the same ‘doki-doki’ romance moments! Nor do they have the pining, the buildup, or the payoff fifty episodes later that still feels worth it.

4. Conclusion

Simply put, there are anime that can be called cartoons, but not all cartoons can be called anime.

Both anime and cartoons are at their core– animation. But, they’re pretty different, and it’s hard to compare which is better since they both cater to different audiences and preferences.

But don’t go around calling your friend’s favorite anime a cartoon just yet!