The Cartoon Boon
Since ages past, humans have been trying to find various means to keep themselves entertained when not working or just to help alleviate their troubles. Reading, of course was a novel pastime which existed since the birth of man itself, when he inscribed cave walls. Was man literate back then? Did he write entire novels and his life history on those rough, hard cave walls? Excavations and discoveries of such caves say otherwise. All that we can see are paintings after paintings of prehistoric life. Pictures often convey a lot more at a time than words, though not something specific, which is an exclusive attribute of words and the reason for the success of literature. Yet, in today’s fast paced world where the time to sit back in an armchair with a steaming cup of coffee is a treat, most of us are not able to reserve time exclusively for reading novels for sheer pleasure, nor for any academic purpose.
Comics were born out of the need to provide a simple and yet effective means of expressing ideas to people through images which appealed to their visual senses, and hence could be comprehended by them easily. Earlier they were prevalent in newspapers for satirical and humorous purposes, but soon they outgrew their purpose and entered the core of entertainment. Comics were developed in parallel by Europe, America and Japan each in their own unique way. American comics publishers like Marvel and DC revolutionized the comics industry with their immense fan base. After all, even today it is a highly-debated topic, almost a cold war, which is better-Marvel or DC? Some hard-core fans must have already started yelling their lungs out by now. Hulk smashing his foes into smithereens, Superman the classic superhero, the sleek and modern Iron Man, the Dark Knight Batman are characters (just to name a few) who rule the hearts of endless fans. Japan also has its own version of comics, which was and is still called ‘manga’, which is more refined and elegant than most other comics, and has these gorgeous characters designed by the skilled cartoonists of Japan, interact with each other in a complex plot which leaves you hanging on the edge for the next episode. In this regard, even India was not to be left behind with its classics like Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle, which most of us grew up with and will still love to read again.
As technology advanced, so did the magical world of cartoons. It would not be wrong to say that the creative and innovative human mind breathed life into the cartoons, and this gave rise to the well-known ‘animations’. The cartoon industry bloomed when their characters began moving and entertaining viewers in real time. The pioneer of this movement was our very own adorable Mickey Mouse, the brainchild of Walt Disney, an animation enthusiast who was one of the first of his kind. The story after that; you know better than anyone. Television took maximum advantage of the success of cartoons and began airing many of them. Tom and Jerry’s antiques were an inseparable part of our childhood, weren’t they? Marvel and DC comics also animated their comic book characters in the form of numerous movies and TV series that had their fans in awe. India came up with its own animated series like the all-time kids favorite Chhota Bheem. After all, all that you need to bash up goons is a fistful of laddoos, right?
The Japanese were not about to be left behind. Out of their incredible creativity and talent was born the ‘anime’, subtly different from all other animations in that it portrayed the characters to be more realistic and less cartoonish, despite being a cartoon itself. Dragonball-Z, Pokemon and several other animes made our childhood colourful, while newer ones like Death Note and Fairy Tail continue to intrigue both youngsters and adults alike. These have such breath taking visuals and unpredictable storylines that the end of every episode is a siren’s call for you to watch the next one. Many people who are ignorant to this marvelous universe often question those who are traversing it, but fail to differentiate between anime and regular animated cartoons. They truly miss the experience of watching an anime series simultaneously with a friend and all the delicious plot discussions and quarrels which follow!
Though cartoons today are majorly used for entertainment, they have other applications too. Printed media often uses humorous and satirical cartoons in the form of small comic strips to expose certain facets of society. Still, most of us will look for the ‘Tea-time’ section of the newspaper for a quick laugh after reading Garfield or a similar comic. Since young children constitute a major section of animated cartoon viewers, several educational TV series like ‘Dora The Explorer’ have been designed so that they learn while watching their favorite cartoons. So, after getting acquainted with cartoons and their history, did you recognize yourself? Not as a cartoon, but perhaps as a cartoon enthusiast!
