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Convention Events and Programming => Anime, Manga, and Japanese Media and Culture => Topic started by: Radien on November 19, 2004, 09:16:40 pm

Title: Animatrix - cultural mixing and crossovers
Post by: Radien on November 19, 2004, 09:16:40 pm

I just thought I'd bring up something I found very interesting: Animatrix.

Did all of you watch this one? It's technically anime. :) But in a way, it's not.  It was produced for an American audience, with an American budget, and originally in English.

Now, other people can go ahead and bring up the different mini-films that the release consisted of, but I've always founded the "Haunted House" one the most interesting.

My reasons? Well, I first saw the Animatrix a little while after returning from Japan. So I got a few of the cultural references that most Americans won't get. There's a lot of symbolism, for example when they show the crosswalk. The little tune that plays is something you'll hear at every Japanese crosswalk. It means "get across the street by the end of this song!"

Then there's the phone conversation. It's really freaky hearing someone who is most definitely Japanese, talking about life in Tokyo, over the phone to a friend who also lives in Tokyo, and all of it it is entirely in English. And not as though it'd been dubbed over, either. Her mouth movements are very accurately synched to the English words, and so are her movements and the lingo she uses. It's sorta freaky. 8O

Anyone here visited Japan? Seen Animatrix? Want to comment? :)

Title: Animatrix - cultural mixing and crossovers
Post by: princessfrodo on November 21, 2004, 02:45:07 am

I liked most of the Animatrix, though you could see some really forced eps during the entire movie.

The weird one with the white haired chick was actually supossed to be done by Production IG I think, but they gave the ANimatrix people the finger, and finished making Innocence instead. ^.^

But yeah, there are some bizarre cross culture refrences in some of those eps, especially Haunted House, and the one about the Detective. ^.^

Title: ^^
Post by: shadowfox on April 22, 2005, 07:50:54 am

i've seen animatrix, but i'm not so quick on catching the symbolism in it ^^ what other symbols are in there? ^^

Title: Animatrix - cultural mixing and crossovers
Post by: Neko_Chan on April 22, 2005, 11:13:17 am

Ohhh. I love the Crosswalk song. xD Everytime I see a crosswalk in an anime I get all excited and yell at the TV.
I saw it... and it wa slike 2 in the morning so I had to scream into a pillow.
o--o; Yeah. I'm weird. Don't introduce me to your parents.