My little post about Kappa Mikey stirred up quite a bit of controversy…good! The NY times has a Kappa Mikey review article that provides a more favorable view of the show, but it still brings up the same points I mentioned. The burning question remains: is this really Anime?

I still don’t think it is. Anyone seen Adult Swim’s Perfect Hair Forever? It’s very similar to Kappa Mikey (though the humor is much more adult in nature), but I don’t hear anybody calling that an Anime. Adult Swim knows better, as they air quite a few real Anime series.

Will Kappa Mikey be a decent show? Maybe. But that’s not what I’m talking about here. The issue at hand is whether the show should be placed in the Anime category, a genre that is still trying to gain popularity and respect in North America. Misclassification can and has done damage to the Anime industry. Some parties have been grouping all Anime as Hentai, including the Canadian National Child Exploitation Centre, though they’ve recently fixed that error.

Cheap designer clothing knockoffs aren’t accepted as the real thing, no matter how well they are manufactured or how closely they mimic the real thing. The same principles should apply with Anime. That’s my opinion, I’m more than happy to hear yours.

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