Why Art Schools Hate Anime [Solved!]

Anime is a Japanese art style popular worldwide, which includes a lot of colorful scenes and characters. Individuals of all ages enjoy anime. However, while many people claim that this is a specific art form, art schools do not agree with this notion. So, why do art schools hate anime, and why do they reject it as an art form? 

Anime is a Japanese art form that requires drawing scenes with vibrant colors and characters with big eyes. However, many art schools and art teachers consider this art form too easy and believe that students do not develop their own style this way but simply imitate the work of others. 

In this article, I will provide a brief insight into the notion of anime and the reasons why art schools hate this art form and style. Once you read my review on this topic, I believe that you will clearly understand what art schools really require from their students. Furthermore, you will know how they treat anime and what they think of it. 

Why Do Art Schools Hate Anime?

If you are an art student or a potential art student, you have probably heard that art schools don’t like anime. Art schools do not consider anime to be a distinct form of art, and they do not encourage their students to pursue it. Since many people enjoy anime and are anime enthusiasts, this notion can be quite strange and confusing. 

It is odd to think that something so popular worldwide would not be recognized by institutions that should support different kinds of art. However, art schools have their reasons for this, even though some might not agree with them. The way art professionals perceive anime tends to differ from those that support anime as an art form. 

Art schools do not encourage anime because they believe that is not a good start for the students. Art schools are places where people learn various forms of art, but they believe they should do it step by step. Therefore, art professionals encourage the students to create firstly from real life, then from their imagination. 

Furthermore, art teachers believe that anime is a style that does not require much effort, i.e., it is way too easy. They claim that anime is a style that is very easy to imitate, and imitation does not allow the artist to grow. In other words, if students learn how to replicate even from the beginning, they will make a habit out of it, and they will not consider trying something new on their own. 

Some art teachers consider that drawing figures, characters, and scenes in an anime style is standardized, so the students would not try different concepts. They might get stuck in drawing and painting using only one method, and that would be it. Art instructors believe this is not how art students should learn, especially not in an art school. 

It is the teacher’s job to point out different styles and encourage the students to be open to various methods and techniques. Only this way will the students develop into good artists and will be able to produce different pieces of art. For students’ to improve, it is very important they learn different styles to discover which of them suits their work best. 

Do Art Schools Accept Anime?

Art teachers discourage the creation of anime because they believe students do it just because anime is popular. As such, many art schools will not accept anime during the application process or as assignments once a student is accepted to the school.

In the beginning, art students tend to imitate something that has already been done. Therefore, they opt to emulate the already existing standards rather than illustrating something from real life in their own style. 

Some art teachers claim that when students produce anime works, it is challenging to recognize one from the other. In other words, the teachers believe that by creating anime, the students cannot become independent artists with their own particular style. In other words, if the teacher can’t recognize the student’s work, no individual artistic style is present. 

Lastly, art schools believe that real art is recognizable to the human eye but later reconstructed into something impossible. Anime works the other way around, i.e., something created from imagination in which some elements of real-life are inserted. Anime does not allow the development of shadows, body structures, and realism, and beginners need those concepts in order to become well-rounded artists.  

Is Anime Considered An Art? 

Since art is a delicate notion, it cannot really be defined. Different people regard art in various ways; therefore, we do not have one definition by which we can express what art is. 

For some people, art is the expression of the human imagination in different ways and forms, while for others, it is about the representation of different forms. The latter consider that art is the meaning of a certain painting, not just what you see on the canvas. 

In the same way, the same thing applies to anime. Some people regard it as a form of art, while others do not think that it has the concepts and features that art should possess. 

Those who consider anime as art believe that it is created in the same way as a painting and that it takes the same amount of passion and imagination. They also believe that art teachers are not familiarized enough with the concept of anime; therefore, they do not recognize it in class, and they do not encourage it. However, there are students who still aim to become experts in anime, despite the opinions of their art teachers. 

https://youtu.be/VGmRQEMvQAA

Conclusion: Anime & Art Schools

As you can see, there are different opinions about the concept of anime work. There are reasons why art schools hate anime, and they seem pretty valid. However, it is up to your artistic standards to decide whether anime is art or not.

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