Pick your poison: Anime or Wrestling

i've never seen wrestling sexualise pre-teen girls, so i am probably going to stick with that

Anime exemplefies the worst of the human race.

I used to be into anime, but for whatever reason I haven't really cared to watch any of it for like 3 years. On the other hand I just spent the vast majority of the last couple days watching wrestling so I guess my vote is pretty clear.

I voted anime but I think most people are comparing all of anime to a very small portion of wrestling and that's a bit unfair.

I dunno. Has Anime ever given people this kind of a reaction?

@clonedzero: Its complicated or at least it is for me because so much of it is tied to my childhood. As a kid I think the instant attraction is that these guys in the ring playing these outlandish characters are as close to real life superheros as there really is. Its a classic story. The good guy gets wronged gets beaten down and then comes back and defeats his nemesis. Its classic story telling. Being older now I think I continue being interested in it because I appreciate the athletic ability of these guys and gals doing what they do. I just find the business fascinating in general. At its core its about the emotional journey it can take you on. When you really want a guy to win and he is getting pinned for the 1...2... and then boom he kicks out your heart sinks and then explodes with excitement all within literally half a second. There is some awful wrestling and like a lot of things you get a lot of filler in between the really good stuff but when its REALLY good its REALLY good.

That is professional wrestling in a nutshell its marveling at athletic feats its story telling both in and outside the ring and its taking you on an emotional journey through all of that. That is why it doesn't matter if its scripted because even if you know its scripted even if you know logically so and so should be winning this match because it only makes sense the writers can STILL get you and throw swerves in that you never saw coming. I do think though that most people who are deeply passionate about it most likely got into it as a kid.

It's strange, for my entire life I never watched either but this year I decided to try a little of both with wrestling holding my interest more.

I've been keeping up with the weekly RAW's and pay per views since the royal rumble and a few months ago I decided to watch my first anime which was Redline.

Wouldn't even know where to go from there with anime, that's probably my problem, at least with wrestling I know when and what to watch as it happens every week.

If that's a sincere question, yes, actually.

Has it ever involved a buildup that's lasted for 22+ years?

Have you seen DBZ?

Also Gundam Build Fighters is essentially the end result of a buildup that has lasted 35 years.

Used to be into wrestling during the NWO and Attitude eras. Then lost interest and got into anime during the Toonami era. Now I'd have to say anime over wrestling. There is enough of it that the occasional movie or series is worth watching.

My friend (also a wrestling fan) tried to get me into it during Middle School and I watched a fair bit with him. I couldn't really get into it all that much.

I don't think anyone truly gets into it so much as they absorb it through osmosis.

Oh man, oh man. That is like choosing between two of your own children!

And by god I hate children... Can I choose neither?

Fine. I pick Anime then, it is the lesser of two dumb evils I suppose.

@turambar: See, I watch that and realize that it's super insane in many ways how the Venn Diagram of Anime fans and Wrestling fans have so few people in the middle (as a fan of both) because from a distance they're the same fucking thing.

I think a lot of anime fans are also wrestling fans. Many wrestling fans enjoy anime, as well. Wrestling has similarities to a good number of anime, and while you may not hear them talked about together too often, I've met plenty of fans who have liked both at one time or another.

I don't like wrestling. I like wrastlin'.

EDIT: I don't mind anime when it's actually good. I'm a huge fan of Cowboy Bepop. Anime and wrestling are actually really similar, you can even draw comparisons like Attack on Titan being exactly like the Reality Era of WWE, both are almost complete shit with only a few redeeming qualities.

Well, I can explain how it breaks down for me: only one of the two has giant robots.

I would've said both until Taker's match tonight! But I'm willing to say both again after the main event.

Anime no contest ... in fact I want to do that for the rest of my life and a big eff to all those who thinks it is the worst thing ever , pricks (not to the ones who just dont like it , I have no grudge against them ,as I dont like a lot of stuff either)

Bingo.

I've been fortunate enough to see quality wrestling and anime in my 21~ years of life, but I'd take wrestling over anime. I have fond memories of rushing home to see Toonami as a kid and staying up late at night to watch the mature series on Adult Swim, but those can't really compare to what wrestling has done to me. As a kid, I got emotionally invested in the stories that Vince and others put out on a weekly basis, but I was also caught up in the athleticism that they displayed. Between Stone Cold Steve Austin's attitude and the high-flying antics of the Hardy Boyz, I was completely invested in the WWF/E product. It's amazing how something as simple as SCSA's theme hitting is enough to give me goosebumps and bring out my inner child.

On a slightly unrelated note, it's not uncommon for my friends and I to bring up a random wrestler and get stuck reminiscing for 30~ minutes. Back in the day, everyone wanted to be The Rock/SCSA/Triple HHH, and Trish Stratus was the best combination of athleticism/attractiveness on the planet.

animation is my life, wrestling was a phase.

For me wrestling, especially what takes place in the ring, is baffling and utterly alien, whereas anime is actively repugnant. Having liked a handful of anime in the past only makes it easier to recognize the embarrassing, soul-deadening sewage it mostly consists of.

Old wrestling promos from the late 80s/early 90s, on the other hand, are fantastic and a proud product of our culture.

Man at least anime has the possibility of having good writing.

Anime I would guess?

Anime I lost interest in wrestling along time ago. Nowadays, its mostly Naruto and reading the manga of it. BTW...its funny in the latest manga chapters of Naruto where it reveals what Naruto and Sasuke really are...HUGE SPOILERS.

Wrestling isn't much of a thing (That I'm aware of) in the Land Down Under, I think I had one friend who was kind of into it, but mostly just played the games? On the other hand, I have plenty of friends who are into anime, so I ended up watching it just through proximity.

Actually, I wouldn't even know how to access wrestling here, I'd probably have to pay for tv like a bogan with too much cash...

Anime hands down.

Call me when wrestlers take out a Russian tank covered in composite meat armor.

All glory to Honnouji Academy!!

Also everything Macross and mecha.

I rarely watch anime, but I completely lost interest in wrestling soon after it became WWE.

i wouldn't consider myself an anime fan but some of my very favorite things are anime or can be tenuously grouped with them (Cowboy Bebop, GitS, Evangelion, Ghibli films... which are more generally awe-inspiring animation but w/e... Avatar: The Last Airbender/Kora?)

i have next to no familiarity with wrestling or its soap-operatic subplots, but i do find it endlessly hilarious in an outsider's viewpoint way. also Randy Savage is my hero (ok that's actually Carl Sagan and Macho Man is nowhere near that territory, but i do love the dude)..

..so wrestling hands down -_-

Man I can't believe I would ever say this. But wrestling is TOO stupid for me. And I like anime! Something is wrong here....

Anime is for people too stupid to appreciate the drama that is pro wrestling. Anime IS full of shit animation and animators, wrestling has some of the best athletes in the world #dealwithit

I like a bit of both every now and then. Both tend to have terrible writing, though, on very different levels. I'd love to see anime writers do some storylines for the WWE, however, that could lead to some neat innovations, like mid-match promos, prerecorded inner monologues playing during the more tedious "sleeper hold"-parts of a match. Lots of genius wunderkind-like characters would pop up, deconstructing each other's psyches on a weekly basis. Uncalled for ultra-violence. Suicides. And all the divas are secretly in love with the tall, androgynous, fragile fella in the roster--which would be the Undertaker by now, I guess. :P

I like both a great deal.

Never liked wrestling, tried to get into it twice (once during the 80s at school, then during the early 2000s with some college friends) but i never understood how everyone got so invested in the "storylines" and how excited they would get whilst watching it. Anime on the other hand has been a huge part of my life since age 5 when battle of the planets, Getter Robo and UFO Grendizer where doing the rounds so thats my choice.

I still pick anime.

Anime can actually be entertaining.

When you break it down, anime is just a regional art style (at least that's how I see it). How it's executed upon is entirely up to the creator working on the movie/show/manga utilizing that particular style. Wrestling is wrestling. It's always comically ridiculous, even when it's taking itself seriously. Its a bunch of roided up dudes playing ridiculous caricatures, while partaking in a macho ballet of suplexes and chokeslams. Not to mention that it happens live in front of a crowd.

Anime can be anything you want it to be. It can be a beautiful, action packed, funny, scary, melancholic, dramatic. Wrestling is very limited in that respect, which is why Anime is the clear winner. Really, it's pretty stupid to even compare the two. Anime is a genre unto itself. Wrestling is an esoteric pseudo sport/live performance that requires a stupid amount of suspension of disbelief to get enjoyment from its brand of absurdity. Personally, I think watching muscley guys play make believe is not interesting at all. It can be hilarious, but there's not enough there for me to care (there was during the nWo days, but thats long in the past).

At least anime has boobs.

I've always found the "you know it's fake right?" argument to be the weakest argument against wrestling. Especially since you can apply it to literally every other storytelling medium around. Bryan Cranston doesn't cook meth, Jason Statham doesn't go around everywhere wearing classy suits and beating the shit out of people, and Westeros doesn't actually exist. A little suspension of disbelief is how people buy into wrestling storylines because it's just another TV show. It hasn't even been presented as real for decades at this point so the argument is just kind of pointless.

"Wrestling is dumb because it's fake" is an argument that doesn't wash. Many pro wrestlers are great athletes and their bodies take a very real battering. I'm not much of a fan these days, but the Monday Night Wars were great fun. Anime I don't have nearly as much exposure to. From what I've seen there's lots of screaming, sweating, upskirts, demons and flying teddy bears.

Anime is more varied so it would entertain me longer so I picked that.

I grew out of wrestling at around age 10 and only got into anime at age 17, so... pretty sure wrestling is more childish than anime. They are still both for manbabies. Real men don't watch either, but real men are a rare breed these days. I wish I was a real man, with a beard and muscles and such.

Wrestling, no question.

Anime, but I will admit that anime has far fewer reaction gifs. So... Anime 1 wrestling 1?

I think ones interest in wrestling highly depends on it's effect on them as children. You need children to be attached to wrestling in order the business to grow. Then as you get older and smartened yourself up to the business more you come to really appreciate just how much those guys really destroy their bodies to entertain you. Then ones appreciation goes from their intruige or affection for certain characters to their respect for the workers.

Anime you can kinda approach that from any age or background and find something somewhere to appreciate. I like the art style of a lot but I tend to not like most animes. My all time favorite is sailor moon and...that's about as far as it goes for me.

Anime. It can be cool sometimes.