Shadow treatment in anime.

[I.R Joey]

Yes I'm back your lives are worth living again J/K.

Get's up after being slapped*

Okay so there are a few things for me to talk about alright. Okay, first off how come anime charecters often have those strange slanted lines across their cheeks and noses? I'm guessing this is for the artists to simulate emotion, without drawing the muscles (thus making it easier to animate.) but often I see that regardless of whether the lines are there or not the same fascial expresions (and thus emotions) prevade the shot.

Secoundly, what's with the little shadow besides many of their noses. I understand that these are shadows do to lightsoarce (the sun for instance), but it seems to me to look like a hole ripped into their faces. Oh well maybe that's just a matter of personal opinion.

[I.R Joey]

I know I'm not the only one who's noticed these things right?

[Clayface]

*crickets chirping*

[DR. BELCH]

--and yes, the effect is rather odd, esp. with the shadowed noses. I've also noted that anime tends to highlight characters' lips with a heavy white light, which looks like...well...like they were eating and didn't wipe their darn mouths too well when they finished.
Lines are used on the cheeks, it seems, as a rudimentary shadowing--I've tried the technique myself and it adds a bit of depth to a face. Blue lines are used often to denote shock/surprise--not sure why that particular color, though....

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Really depends on what character designers you run into. The standard anime style would be the "Slayers" style, which is really exaggerrated and full of lines or zig-zags below their eyes. Pokemon, Outlaw Star and Tenchi all have adopted this style.

Then there are shows like The Big O, which is influenced by the retro "American" style.

There is also the hyper-detailed Toshihiro Kawamoto style (he was the character designer for both 08th MS Team and Cowboy Bebop, and is one of my favourites), and he tends to have his own look--smaller eyes on the women (as seen with MS Team's Aina, and Katarina in the first CB episode), and somewhat more attention paid to anatomy and proportions (though still stylized--his style runs more toward sexy and photogenic--his women tend to have a Catherine Zeta-Jones flavour to them).

I dunno, I really can't seem to make much out of this. When you think about it, The Simpsons looks weird. Cartoons are like that. You accept the irregularities in the given world it's in.

[Govan]

You accept the irregularities in the given world it's in.

Plus like it was said, it comes down to the designer and how they see their characters. Not all directing styles are alike, the same goes for drawing. OK, my stupid and pointless post is over now.