So this article was going to be a lament about how I am currently unable to watch "Infinity Train", an animated series I noticed in passing at my local Wal-Mart, and while I misread the title to read "Infinity Rain" (let's face it the font makes it very difficult to find the "T") it nonetheless caught my interest. But this article isn't going to be about that, this article rather is going to be about exactly what the title states. What brought this on is during my research of "Infinity Train" which now looks (pun intended) infinitely more interesting than I initially assumed, I came across an interesting quote from the series creator in regards to whether or not this series will receive a 4th season, and I quote;
“I strongly believe that we can push animation into a more mature direction outside of the purely comedy space. If adults were able to finally understand that comic books aren’t just for children, then they’ll also be able to learn that animation isn’t either. Whichever studio produces the show or movie that finally breaks through and teaches that lesson, then that studio just got their own Marvel,”
This gem coming from series creator Owen Dennis and thus begins this article. Let's dive in;
Anime has all but exploded here in the west, I can't speak for all parts of the West (no clue if Anime is big in The U.K. or not, but there was a group of Italian people holding a wake for Goku when "Dragon Ball: Evolution" came out...so...Goku's popular in Italy), but the question is why? For starters, we here in the West largely view animation as being primarily for children, this has much to do with Disney since they were the progenitors in the origins of cartoons and have been ruling the roost ever since creating light-hearted animated films since time immemorial, and while those films did deal with some mature themes and even featured death ("Lion King" and "Bambi") the musical numbers and goofy characters made it clear this was aimed at children.
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| Never finished this movie either... |
Animation, even in the 90s taught a few moral lessons here and there but largely were aimed at children, shows with live actors that showed at 8pm (usually prime time) were meant for adults as most kids would probably find some sit-coms boring until they were older, so cartoons where largely the way to go for kids. But a few things rocked that boat, at least in my opinion, "Batman: The Animated Series" and "X-Men: The Animated Series" 2 shows that dealt with very mature themes without being needlessly dark or gritty and kept it PG while doing so. There was an episode featuring Nightcrawler in which he openly talked about God, several attempted murders and guns appeared in "Batman: The Animated Series", things that shows these days wouldn't do were done.
Both shows are very beloved by fans and well-remembered, I currently own both and can say that they've stood the test of time perfectly. But why? What made them stand out? It was the unwillingness to dumb down the material. The material was presented in a way where kids can understand it and it didn't talk down to them. It told the story it wanted to tell and didn't alter it in a way to make it palatable for kids. How? Because the animators recognized that animation is simply a medium in which to tell a story and nothing more. Here's my point. Anime or Eastern animators figured this truth out a LONG time ago, which is why Hayao Miyazaki's films are right up there with Disney (some would say beyond).
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| Just as iconic as any Disney Princess... |
But Western animators don't always think of the children when producing an animated series, however, whenever Western animators create animation intended for adults its almost always sadly comedies that are the primary product, and not just comedies but raunchy, over the top comedy that involves elements that would be otherwise impossible with live action actors. "The Simpsons", "Family Guy", "BoJack Horseman", "South Park", you get the idea. These are animated shows and yet not intended for children and fall squarely within the realm of comedy. It seems as though Western animators can't view animation as anything that is meant to be taken seriously, and therefore if it's not for kids then it must be funny. But again Eastern animators have figured out that animation is just as valid as live-action. The reason being is that animation provides you with a different set of abilities to tell the story you wanna tell just like any other medium.
As an example just look at the difference between anime and manga. While the cover of a manga provides you with a grasp of what you're about to read, by maybe featuring a picture of a young man with a shield and armor looking at a castle in the distance with determination in his eyes, hearing the opening riff a guitar in an opening sequence will tell you that the series you're about to watch is gonna be fast-paced and energized, it set the tone for your viewing experience. Both are visual media, both one is able to incorporate motion and music to compliment the visuals. In a live-action setting, if you wanted to showcase the awkwardness of a character you'd have the actor do something to indicate their awkwardness, however animation would allow you to exaggerate their awkwardness using sound effects and a literal dark cloud hanging around them. True you can do that in live-action as well but not to the same degree.
Western animators do not view animation as another medium to tell a story the same way literature scholars don't view comic books as a medium worthy to stand on the same stage as Hemingway and Fitzgerald. And this is due in large part to these mediums being viewed as being specifically for children, but its not, it's simply a choice and Eastern animators have figured that out and Western animators are slowly figuring that out with shows like "Avatar" and "Teen Titans", "Samurai Jack" shows that one could argue are anime-influenced. But Western Animators used to understand this concept of animation simply being a means to tell a story, "Batman" and "X-Men" and heck, even "Batman Beyond" proved that and if more Western animators stopped making animation for mature audiences raunchy and funny and decided to make a show like "The Sopranos" or "24" but only animated, we'd see the animation landscape change here in the west. Anime features tons of genres and even animes devoted to a single sport, slice of life animes that just focus on a character's day to day life and so many more, all because it's just a way to tell a story and nothing more. Anyway, let me know what you guys think and hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on "Inifnity Train" until then I'll catch you later.
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