Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #150

Originally Posted on 05/01/2007 by Jeff Harris

I like Family Guy and Ren and Stimpy. I love The Simpsons. And, heaven help me, I'm kind of fond of Robot Chicken and Spongebob Squarepants.

I'm just a big a fan of the works of Production I.G. as I am of the works of Termite Terrace. I'm one of a few people that can say that they liked The Animatrix and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (which was MUCH BETTER than Space Jam). On a related front, I also liked Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, though it was surprisingly disconnected from the video game franchise and would have been a better movie with the Gaia title they had originally wanted.

I can appreciate The Batman and Legion of Super Heroes as I can Batman: The Animated Series and Superfriends.

I like Avatar more than Naruto, but like Dragon Ball more than Avatar. Not Z or GT. Dragon Ball.

I don't get The Dot and The Line, but I like it.

I'm not ashamed to say that I was a huge fan of some of Disney's intitial animated series (Wuzzles, Gummi Bears, DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, and Gargoyles).

Some people feel that I'm a living contradiction. A being that doesn't and shouldn't exist.

Truth be told, I'm a fan of animation. I don't put borders or country-specific labels behind my tastes in animation. I like animation. I like the characters, the stories, the studios, the creators, and the fun, something a lot of viewers, studios, critics, and network executives tend to ignore.

I'm not a fan of the term "anime." It's basically a truncated version of "Japanimation," which is truly and appallingly racist. Plus, it makes it as if Japanese animation is a separate entity from animation from around the world. Sure, Japan treats animation better than the US, but that's the case throughout the world. Look at Canada, England, France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and other points of the globe, and you'll see how animation is treated with respect. Japan has catchy programs and movies, but it's clearly no different than what we have in the US.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm not an "otaku" either. When I see otaku spout out things like "Well, I know what happens 300 episodes from what we're seeing in the US" or speak Japanese for no apparent reason other than to make themselves more arrogant than they should be, I want to rip out their fingers and stick them in a place that I can't mention on a somewhat family-friendly site. It's annoying and pompous. I like those shows and movies as well, but at times, otaku tend to ruin things for me. Otaku also tend to believe that anything that isn't made in Japan nor in the original language is beneath them, to which I say, it's just a cartoon.

I'm not the flipside of an otaku either. You know. THOSE fans. There isn't even a name for fans like these. Fans that feel that older cartoons are the bees knees and anything made after 1969 that isn't made by John Kricfalusi, independent animators, Pixar, or Aardman should be catapulted into the sun and removed from our consciousness via the same kind of treatment as seen in Endless Sunshine of the Spotted Mind. It's annoying and pompous. I like the those shows and shorts that they like as well, but variety is the spice of life. You don't have to like everything, but don't discount newer shows from today's creators either so easily. And to those fans that feel otherwise, I'll repeat my message to the otaku to them. It's just a cartoon.

I'm open-minded when it comes to animation. What I like, I like. What I don't, I don't. I don't gush over the shows and programs I like too much just like I don't harp over the ones I despise. Seriously, I see articles from the same writers saying "I hate Family Guy" in so many ways online that you almost believe that their hate for the series is an essential element that keeps them alive and gives them a reason to wake up.

I run a site that has a particular viewpoint that is kind of different than any other animation site. It's not a classic animation site nor a modern animation site. It's not a Japanese animation-oriented site nor one that's dedicated solely to American titles. It's not connected to any particular studio, and I try to keep an independent viewpoint, which is hard to do when everybody wants to be your friend at one particular moment. You don't know how hard it is to get review material for this site, especially since I criticize EVERYBODY fairly. As I said earlier, what I like, I like, and what I don't, I don't.

This is an alternative animation site. And I'm an alternative animation fan. I shouldn't exist, but I do.

And this is my site. Welcome.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
The X Bridge Creator/Webmaster
May 1, 2007