Anime's portrayal of guns

[Excalibur]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

I know that this wiki currently only allows wiki pages to be created for Japanese anime rather than western animation, because so far the Japanese currently have shown a more consistent respect for realistic depictions of the appearance of firearms (if not necessarily their physical capabilities), but in reality, all that separates Western animation and Japanese animation in terms of depicting realistic-looking firearms is simply a matter of budget and the animation teams' priorities. There is also the fact that in Japan, there are an inordinate amount of military-focussed otaku who regularly drool over military hardware and small arms (the latter usually in airsoft form), especially if the user is a "hot babe," so animation studios over there have another incentive to pander to them and thereby broaden their customer base that way.

If you look at Walt Disney's older work (such as "Two Gun Mickey") you'll see that the guns are serviceably modelled, if sadly bound by the laws of "cartoon physics," given the fact that the short was meant to be kiddie entertainment (minus the implied imminent rape that would have happened to Minnie had Mickey not intervened near the end). So the kiddiness is clearly a result of its time and its goals.

At the other end of the spectrum we have a title like Todd McFarlane's Spawn, which, despite occasionally showing its comic book roots in terms of how some of its violence is portrayed (somewhat unrealistically bloody, but well-grounded in its depiction of ballistic trauma) and how certain guns are depicted, actually pays a fair bit of respect to the realistic depiction of firearms at times. Anyone who hasn't seen the series should do him/herself a favour and buy the series on DVD, and aficionados of firearms in audio-visual media should definitely watch the last released episode (#18) and see just how much a Western animation team put into realistically depicting the workings of a snub-nosed revolver, for instance.

If we want to effect a "sea change" in the depictions of firearms in Western animation, all we have to do is make ourselves heard. We can buy genuine copies of Todd McFarlane's Spawn and its upcoming animated sequel. We can write to animation studios and ask that they not be so averse to depicting realistic small arms. We can help to defuse the moral panics that result whenever "shows meant for kids" (normally taken to mean almost anything animated in the West) show too much violence or too-realistic guns. I'm sure that well-made Western animation series like the 1994 animated Spider-Man TV series, or Batman Beyond, or even the original Batman animated series could have depicted realistic-looking firearms based off of real-life models, IF the possibility of moral panic among concerned parents AND the silly perception that "animation is for kids!" were NOT so entrenched in Western culture.

If nothing else, I'd definitely like to see a page for Todd McFarlane's Spawn to be made for this wiki by someone who has the DVDs.

If there is a western cartoon that can portray guns really well, there's nothing stopping any one of us to make a page of it.

Also the Two Gun Mickey existed in a time where it is allowed. You will never see any Disney good guy character with a gun. Also the guns drawn in the cartoon is very poor and not the emphasis of the cartoon.

With the 90s cartoons with guns in them, it isnt the moral code on why they are not drawn well, it's because the animators didn't care. Regardless if they were drawn real or not, they are still guns and parents will still tell their kids not to watch it.

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by Excalibur

With the 90s cartoons with guns in them, it isn't the moral code on why they are not drawn well, it's because the animators didn't care. Regardless if they were drawn real or not, they are still guns and parents will still tell their kids not to watch it.

I think the animators of Todd McFarlane's Spawn cared. Try watching this vid from 7:37 to 8:45, or another vid from 14:50 to 16:35. Do clips like those pass muster for this wiki, or not?

[Excalibur]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

I think the animators of Todd McFarlane's Spawn cared. Try watching this vid from 7:37 to 8:45, or another vid from 14:50 to 16:35. Do clips like those pass muster for this wiki, or not?

The first vid, I can't tell what kind of gun it's trying to be. The second one, I can see one's a 92 and some kind of snub nose revolver.

And because I feel like it. Here's some more

[BlackIce_GTS]

First thing I thought of:


Big versions are here.

[Excalibur]

Just felt like bringing this thread back