What is Anime?

To put it simply, anime is Japanese cartoons or "animated artwork." But keep in mind, these are nothing like the typical American Saturday-morning cartoons. Anime is distinct from American cartoons in their depth of characterization and plot (among other things). For the most part, the quality of animation in anime far surpasses that of American cartoons. Anime spans many genres, from silly romantic comedies (Marmalade Boy) to fantasy adventures (Vision of Escaflowne and Fushigi Yuugi), high-tech science fiction (Macross Plus), and much more. The most distinctive quality of anime is the subject matter: much of anime deals with "real-life" topics that American cartoons wouldn't touch with a 30-foot pole. For instance, the death of major characters is common in anime, as are complex relationships between characters.

Unlike cartoons from the US and many other countries, anime is not geared for any age group or audience in particular. Different anime target different viewing audiences.

What is Manga?

Many people might say "Manga are Japanese comics, and Anime is the Japanese version of animation. Anime is usually, but not always, the animated version of popular manga." That's partially true, but it can be misleading. (Note that "anime" in Japan technically means any animated film, and "manga" is any printed cartoon, but people in the rest of the world take them to mean animated films or comics from Japan.)

Anime is now a general Asian phenomenon, not just Japanese. I understand there are many fine works of manga and anime being produced in many places around the world. However, the roots are in Japan, and Japan is still considered, at least here in the US, the center of the anime world. This may well change in the future. More about Manga and Anime.

There are a number of websites devoted to providing free access to Anime and Manga graphics... Just be sure to give them the credit. This lovely drawing was found on a beautiful site called: Night Frost.

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