GervaisGreenwood673

So what is anime, precisely? The word anime -- pronounced "ah-knee-might" -- is an abbreviation of the word animation. In Japan, the word's utilized to refer to all animation. Outside of Japan, it is become the catch-all term for animation from Japan. For decades, anime was developed by and for Japan -- a regional product, with a distinct look-and-really feel to not just the artwork but the storytelling, the themes, and the concepts. More than the last forty years, though, it's become an international phenomenon, attracting millions of fans and becoming translated into a lot of languages. A entire generation of viewers in the West have grown up with it and are now passing it on to their personal youngsters. What is it that tends to make anime so specific? Most anime fans can sum this up in two words: "It really is diverse." Anime is as in contrast to most American cartoons as, say, Batman and Spider-Man are different from the comics that run in everyday papers. The differences show up in many ways. details Artwork. Anime art types range from the flamboyant and outlandish (Samurai Champloo, FLCL) to the easy and direct (Azumanga Daioh!). That said, even shows with more "standard" artwork can nonetheless be visually striking anime finds ways to make every little thing appear fresh and new. Storytelling. Anime doesn't shy away from epic storylines, which can run for dozens (at times hundreds) of episodes. The very best anime, though, no matter what their length, all demand excellent emotional involvement from the viewer. Breadth of material. The sheer range of anime shows out there implies a viewer of most any other sort of Television or movies can discover an anime series that reflects her interests: hard SF (Planetes), romantic comedy (Fruits Basket), CSI-style crimefighting (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), female empowerment (Nana), even adaptations of classic literature (Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo). Cultural nuances. Japan's history, language and worldview are woven into a great deal of anime on many levels. Some shows are takeoffs on Japanese background (Sengoku Basara) or raid Japanese mythology for story suggestions (Hakkenden, Hell Girl). Even shows that are outwardly non-Japanese in their presentation (Claymore, Monster) have tinges of a Japanese sensibility to them. What's most striking is how anime's impact is coming total circle. Some recent American cartoon productions, like Avatar: The Last Airbender, are openly inspired by anime itself, and reside-action English-language versions of anime titles are starting to come into production.