Artform's fans at gaming convention worry about going mainstream

By KYLE ODEGARD
Gazette-Times reporter

Max Brown, 19, has taken two years of Japanese at Linn-Benton Community College for a simple reason n he loves anime, Japan's highly stylized and hyperkinetic cartoons.

He isn't alone. Anime, once a cult phenomenon, is becoming mainstream.

"It's been on a constant rise for about 10 years now," said Matt Ashland, owner of Matt's Cavalcade of Comics.

"Five years ago, it was a small thing you could only find in comic shops. Now you can find it in Fred Meyer," said Lucie Sky, a Crescent Valley High School senior. "Cheerleaders and other types who you wouldn't expect are into it."

On Sunday, Sky, Brown and some friends watched anime DVDs at the Benton County Fairgrounds, which was hosting a gaming convention over the weekend.

Anime's newfound popularity seems both a source of pride and concern for devotees, who worry the unique cartoons may lose their essence.

"More American shows are starting to copy styles, but they're still missing the point," Sky said. "It's not just for kids. Here, we're trying to market it for seven to 10-year-olds. There, it can be made for teens or adults."

And it can be made for a male or female audience, as well. Though anime can come in a variety of styles, Brown summed up the genre's basic stereotype with a grin: "Big eyes, small mouth," he said.

Though Brown still isn't great at Japanese, he prefers watching anime in that language, albeit with subtitles.

"I think that sounds the best," he said.

Sky doesn't really know any Japanese, but she cringed at watching dubbed and edited versions of her anime favorites late at night on the Cartoon Network. Sometimes things aren't translated well for an American audience, she said.

And there probably will be more misinterpretations as networks rush forgotten Japanimation classics to the small screen in the United States, Sky added.

"It's good that it's getting mainstream, but…"

People also gathered at the gaming convention to play Dungeons & Dragons, other role playing games and board games, and some battled it out on computers.

Matt's Cavalcade of Comics, which sponsored the convention, has a wide selection of anime videos for sale and rent. Most of the business's anime customers are 15-20-year-olds.

"A lot of them take Japanese culture or Japanese language classes in college," Ashland said.

Kyle Odegard covers Philomath and rural Benton County. He can be contacted at 758-9523 or kyle.odegard@lee.net.