Cuteness

[Sanity Panda]

Naiveness, Shyness, Moe... Just some of the few things that can help create the cute factor, that we are constantly exposed to in anime. Characters that are adorable, pretty and you just feel like giving them a hug.

On a more serious note: What is it about cuteness? Why do you like it?

Personally I wouldn't be surprised to find out if a psychological study carried out where anime fans were attracted more to cute than their non viewing counterparts. However I can't tell whether anime induces cuteness attraction or people who like cute are more attracted to anime. However would people disagree with me if I claimed that there's a dark sub-culture behind all of above?

So lets start again - Why are you attracted to cute?

Open to all explanations or suggestions regarding the human mind.

 

[Dalriada]

What do you call cute ?
Why do you fell that anime watchers are more attracted to cuteness than other people ?

About cuteness itself... I'd say it's a childlike quality, and we're used (biologically or culturally, it doesn't matter) to see children as something innocent, that must be protected.
If you ask people to name something cute, I bet most answers would be babies, kittens and puppies.

About cuteness in animes... If you call cute a cute anime character ("Big eye, small mouth"), then of course anime watchers will like it more than the rest of the humankind, because a lot of people are completely uninterested by anime characters.
It has nothing to do with cuteness.

 

[monsta666]

QUOTE (Sanity Panda @ Jul 03 2008, 01:31 PM)Naiveness, Shyness, Moe... Just some of the few things that can help create the cute factor, that we are constantly exposed to in anime. Characters that are adorable, pretty and you just feel like giving them a hug. 

Anime is Japanese animation. So it stands to reason that Japanese animation will be influenced by Japanese culture. The Japanese seem to make a big thing about cuteness so it should come as no surprise that anime contains a lot of cute or "kawaii" things.


QUOTE (Sanity Panda)On a more serious note: What is it about cuteness? Why do you like it?
But why are we attracted to cute things? Will if we look at the features of being cute they tend to remind us of children/babies etc and show a vulnerable side to people. We show a basic instinct to care about the young and helpless and this is probably one of the reasons why we like cute characters.


QUOTE (Sanity Panda)Personally I wouldn't be surprised to find out if a psychological study carried out where anime fans were attracted more to cute than their non viewing counterparts. However I can't tell whether anime induces cuteness attraction or people who like cute are more attracted to anime. However would people disagree with me if I claimed that there's a dark sub-culture behind all of above?
As for the comment about whether anime fans are more attracted to cute things. This is probably true but then it is like saying people who become doctors are more interested in medicine than the rest of the population. People becomes fans in the first place because of these qualities. So there will always be a bias.

 

[Dalriada]

QUOTE
As for the comment about whether anime fans are more attracted to cute things. This is probably true but then it is like saying people who become doctors are more interested in medicine than the rest of the population.

It's probably wrong, except if you restrict animes to some shojo or kodomo animes.

I mean, what's cute in Dragon Ball, Grendizer or Naruto ?

It's also true in the Western World by the way, if you restrict cartoons to the Carebears and My Little Pony, it's full of cuteness.

 

[Chuuko]

I think some people are also attracted to the behavior of the anime characters (mostly female characters). I mean look at Ayu tsukimiya from Kanon2006, one of her characteristics is the repeated utterance of her catch phrase "ugū" which she uses as an expression of various negative emotions.
I think some people find that especially cute and are attracted to that kind of cute behavior...

 

[monsta666]

QUOTE (Dalriada @ Jul 03 2008, 04:20 PM)It's probably wrong, except if you restrict animes to some shojo or kodomo animes.

Many people are attracted to anime because of the style of animation. Typically the eyes of characters are large while the noses/mouth are small. Typical features that are associated with being cute. Off course people don't watch anime just for the characters (violence and ecchi also helps) but it's still an important factor in why people watch anime.


QUOTE (Dalriada)I mean, what's cute in Dragon Ball, Grendizer or Naruto ?
Dragonball Z: Gohan and some of his mates
Naruto: That little pig, Kakashi's dog, Akamaru

Haven't seen Grendizer.

moved to general discussion