# Great, American Anime?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-american-anime/357716>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 22, 2006, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-american-anime/357716 "2006-05-22T06:00:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-american-anime/357716/21 "2006-05-23T01:33:57Z")

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[QUOTE=Dubious Weasle]  
Next, is it simply a term for animated movies originating in Japan. I suppose if you wished you could even extend this definition to “animated movies originating in asia.”

If this is the case then the question is meaningless as by definition, there can be no American anime.  
[/QUOTE]

Thank god I’m not the only one whose thoughts immediately got caught in this loop.

That aside, I can’t think of a better American series than **Batman Beyond**. I pre-ordered season one for my brother as a Christmas gift (it was released the last week of March) and I’m thinking maybe I should have ordered it for me too.  
If you’re looking for funny on the other hand, **Daria** reruns on The-N just about every night.

Does anyone know if **The Maxx** , **The Head** or **Liquid Television** are out on DVD as seasons or complete series yet? The only reasons to forgive MTV for delving into things other than music.

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-american-anime/357716/22 "2006-05-23T02:40:22Z")

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_Mighty Max_ had it’s moments.

The Cartoon Network has some gems, on Adult Swim and otherwise. (There are also some dadaist stinkers, too, so be careful.)

The Brits have a number of good ones, too. Like _Count Duckula_ and _The BFG_.

As movies go, Don Bluth produced some great stuff…until about the early 90s. (His last film had Joss Whedon as the writer and alien designs by Wayne Barlowe. And it still ended up looking like “Walt Disney’s Heavy Metal.”)

Speaking of which, _Heavy Metal_ weren’t too bad. Neither is _The Mouse and his Child_, if you can find a copy.

I’d suggest Rankin Bass, but a lot of their animated work—like _The Hobbit_, and _The Last Unicorn_, not to mention the breathtaking alternate-history epic _The First Easter Rabbit_—was subcontracted out to Japan, with noticable artistic influences, so I don’t know if they’re disqualified. Ditto for _G.I. Joe_, _The Real Ghostbusters_, and to a lesser extent, _Dennis the Menace_.

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**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-american-anime/357716/23 "2006-05-23T18:44:07Z")

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[QUOTE=elfkin477]  
Does anyone know if **The Maxx** , **The Head** or **Liquid Television** are out on DVD as seasons or complete series yet? The only reasons to forgive MTV for delving into things other than music.  
[/QUOTE]

How could we have forgotten **Aeon Flux**? That seems exactly the sort of thing the OP is looking for. And it’s out on DVD now. The original Peter Chung animated series is far, far better than the recent lame live-action movie.

As far as I know **The Maxx** has only been released on VHS.

BTW, the guy who voiced Mr. Gone on \*\*The Maxx \*\* has done the English voices for a lot of anime characters … .

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