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.
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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. |