Anime

Anime (written as アニメ) is a word that is used to refer to Japanese animated films/series. It comes from a shortened form of the word Animation in Japanese, which is animēshiyon. Similar to manga (Japanese comic books), anime has an enormous audience in Japan, as well as established recognition throughout the world internationally.

Though it is essentially a cartoon, many animes do not aim for children as their main target audience. Emphasizing on how different animes can be from each other, they can either be suitable for younger audiences (such as Pokémon), or aim for a much more mature crowd (Elfen Lied, Akira, etc).

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary, anime is defined (yes, there's an actual definition!) as "a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes." Although this may have been true when anime was first created in 1917, nowadays this style of animation has exceeded all boundaries of genre. No longer confined to only science fiction and fantasy, there are now romantic comedies, school dramas, horror, and pretty much any other genre you can imagine.

Brief History

Anime started at the beginning of the 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers were experimenting with the animation techniques used in the United States, France, Germany, and Russia. By the 1930s, animation became the alternative form of entertainment to the live action industry in Japan. The first feature length anime film was Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors, directed by Seo in 1945. It was Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that influenced many Japanese animators. By the 1970's, there was a huge surge in the popularity of manga, which later many of them became animated. Osamu Tezuka, a famous manga artist, has been called a "legend." His work has inspired characteristics and genres that remain fundamental in animes of today. The giant robot genre, known as "Mecha" outside of Japan, took shape under Tezuka and influenced many famous animes such as Gundam and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross. They became instant classics in the 1980's and mecha anime is still one of the most common in Japan and worldwide today. Some recent mecha animes are Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and Code Geass: Lelouche of the Rebellion, both titles receiving wide popularity and positive reception. In turn, anime has gained increased acceptance overseas in the 1990's and even more so at the turn of the 21st century.

Visual Characteristics

Many people refer to anime as an art form. Being a visual medium, it can emphasize visual styles of the specific artist or studio. Some titles make extensive use of common stylization. For example - One Piece, a very popular manga/anime to this day, has a reputation for a very wild, exaggerated style of drawing. Other titles such as Kare Kano, a realistic high school drama, take on a more girly, feminine approach when it comes to animation art. Pokémon uses drawings which specifically do not distinguish the nationality of characters.

Even though different titles and different artists have their own unique, artistic styles, many stylistic elements have become so common that audiences describe them as definitive of anime in general. However, this does not mean that all modern anime share one common style of art. Generally, the most common form of anime drawings may include "exaggerated physical features such as large eyes, big hair, and elongated limbs..."Anime also tends to take many elements from Manga, such as text in the background and panel layouts.

Shōnen vs Shōjo

There have been new genre terms created to classify certain anime/manga called shōnen and shōjo. These terms help to classify anime easier by lumping together same sex interests or age groups into a genre, rather than the content of the anime itself.

Shōnen anime refers to a title that’s marketed to a male audience, roughly between the ages of 10 and 18. Some examples of shōnen anime include Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Bleach, and Fullmetal Alchemist. Typically, these titles are characterized by high-action, often humorous plots featuring male protagonists. Camaraderie between boys, men, or sports teams, fighting squads, and the like is often emphasized. Attractive female characters with exaggerated features are also common, but not a staple. (Example: Rangiku Matsumoto of Bleach).

The term shōjo anime refers to just the opposite: it’s marketed to a female audience also between the ages of 10 and 18. Both shōjo manga and anime cover many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction – often mixed with a strong emphasis on human and romantic relationships and emotions. Like mentioned above, shōjo anime doesn’t comprise a specific style or genre per se, but rather indicates a target demographic. Some examples of shōjo anime are Fushigi Yuugi, Romeo x Juliet, Sailor Moon, and Kare Kano.

Although both shōnen and shōjo anime are marketed towards a younger demographic, many older men and women alike still enjoy watching them.

Recommendations (films)

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Princess Mononoke is a period drama set in the late Muromachi period of Japan with numerous fantasy elements. It concentrates on the struggle between the supernatural guardians of the forest and the humans who continue to consume its resources. “Mononoke” is not a name, but a term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster.

Hayao Miyazuki has often been referred to as the Walt Disney of Japan, and he’s made many of genre defying anime movies. Princess Mononoke was what thrusted him into the spotlight in the western world. It was the highest grossing movie in the Japanese box office until Titanic, which shows not only Japan’s love for anime, but also how popular the movie was in its homeland.


Ghost in The Shell (1995)

Directed by Mamoru Oshii

Adaptation of the manga Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirou

This was one of the first films to popularize cyberpunk as an art style and vision of the future along with Akira. This film has been a visual inspiration to countless Hollywood action movies over the last decade, and was also a direct influence to the famous movie The Matrix. There are countless references to Ghost in The Shell in The Matrix, such as the way they are plugged into the Matrix, to the virtual world itself.

Grave of The Fireflies (1988)

Directed and written by Isao Takahata

This film tells a story about a boy and his young sister who struggle to survive in WWII Japan after their mother dies during the U.S. firebombing of their city. Grave of The Fireflies was the film that made many realize that anime can be used to tell serious, heart-felt stories and was not something that was just for children. Roger Ebert considered it to be one of the most powerful anti-war movies ever made. Ernest Rister compared it to the film Schindler’s List by Steven Spielberg, saying that “it is the most profoundly human animated film I’ve ever seen.”

Spirited Away (2001)
Directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki

Another famous Miyazaki film, Spirited Away revolves aaround a 10 year old girl who is in the process of moving to a new town with her family, and chronicles her adventures in a world of spirits and monsters. She struggles to fight to keep her spirit, and fight to release the spirits of the ones she loves. The film was hailed by critics all over the world and won many awards, including an Oscar for best animated feature film. This movie eventually even surpassed Titanic to become the highest grossing movie of all time in Japan.

sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Mononoke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell_(film)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirited_Away
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shōnen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shōjo