The Concept of Animated Attraction

Hey everyone!

It's been a little while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, though I would like to blame my lack of posting partially on laziness and mostly on my lousy internet connection (seriously, the internet at our apartment sucks).

Today I'm talking about the concept of attractive cartoon characters. For many of us that are avid fans of anime and cartoons, there is that phenomenon of the attractiveness of a cartoon character, or in other words, the idea of an animated character being "hot." This is an idea that can be completely foreign to most people who don't watch much anime or cartoons in general.

I think the biggest reason why people find the idea of attractive animated characters strange is the fact that the characters aren't real. What could be so attractive about someone that doesn't even exist except on a piece of paper? This is the question that I've struggled to answer as my friends sometimes wonder about me drooling over anime guys. So here are some my thoughts on the matter. Keep in mind that most of my examples will refer to male animated characters, since that's what I'm the most familiar with.

Example of stylized anime male character

First of all, attractive animated characters are idealized, like works of art. They represent an ultimate form of beauty in our minds. You may say that's shallow, but what about the beautiful sculptures that we admire, especially Greek and Roman sculptures? Those works of art all depict the ideal human body.

I feel that animated characters do this as well to a certain extent. It's not real and that's the point. Part of the purpose of animation is to create art and beautiful things. That's probably why most characters in anime shows are stylized to this type of beauty that is beyond realistic portrayal, (hence the large wet eyes and very angular feminine facial features of the men, or the very large breasts and tiny waist on a female). It's less of a romantic attraction perhaps to these characters and more of an artistic attraction.

Mori from Ouran High School Host Club

On a related note, I know that for me personally, my attraction to the characters isn't really one of a sexual or romantic nature. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. When I look at an attractive animated character, I'm not thinking that I want to have sex with him, or even that I want him to be my boyfriend, or if I do, it's a very small desire.

It's more like I'm just admiring his beauty. I like looking at his expressive eyes, or his muscled body, but to me, it's not really that sexual. It's more like looking at a work of art. That's why I don't mind that sometimes the characters may be portrayed unrealistically to me, because the idea of it being real isn't important to me. I know it's not real, and I don't really care. I see the beauty in that these characters have been stylized to something a little out of the ordinary.

Now for those who are attracted to animated characters on a sexual or romantic level, I think it's because the characters are probably seen as the ultimate fantasy. We all fantasize about dating and love, etc. Why not make those fantasies even more fantastic?

Just like the physical body of an animated character can be idealized, the romantic aspect of him can be as well. I think (hope) that most of the girls know that this fantasy isn't real; that's the whole point of a fantasy. It's fun to speculate what it'd be like to date your favorite character from a show, and I think animated characters just add to that fantasy by being the ultimate unrealistic romance.

Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist

Granted, I'm not saying that this behavior is always healthy, and it can go too far. We anime fangirls should definitely understand the difference between reality and fantasy, but I see nothing wrong with having a little fun squealing over attractive anime guys. As long as I don't end up looking at a real person and wishing he looked more like insert anime character here, then I think I'm fine.

As long as we understand that these characters aren't real, then it's not a problem if we think that one of the guys from an animated show is hot. As for those that don't get the concept, don't think that we're less connected with reality or that we're weird because we think animated guys are hot. Well, I know I'm weird, but for way better reasons than that.

Alright, well that's my thought. Hot anime characters are just fun to look at and if you don't get it, that's fine. Just don't judge the others that do like it. That's all I've got to say.

Until later, folks!