Japanese Animation

INTRODUCTION

Japanese Anime

Anime, which is short for (animēshon) from the English word "animation", in the western world most popularly refers to the medium of animation originating in Japan, with distinctive character and background aesthetics that visually set it apart from other forms of animation (e.g. Walt Disney films, Warner Bros. short cartoons). (Baricordi, Andrea; Pelletier, Claude (2000). Anime: A Guide to Japanese Animation (1958-1988). Montreal, Canada: Protoculture).

In Japan, the word anime is used to refer to all forms of animated film from around the world. While some anime is entirely hand-drawn, computer assisted animation techniques are, in recent years, quite common. Storylines are typically fictional; examples of anime representing most major genres of fiction exist. Anime is broadcast on television, distributed on media such as DVD and VHS, or included in computer and video games. Anime is often influenced by Japanese comics known as "manga".

The American market for anime and related products has been growing by leaps and bounds: in 1999 it was estimated to be $10 million a year business in 2000 it passed $100 million, and in 2002 it reached $500 million. In 2001 an all anime cable channel hit the airwaves. The current number of releases range from 20 to 450 videos a month. Most anime are based on manga, Japanese comics, which may also be available in English translation. Be aware that anime is not to be equated with kid's cartoons. There are as many genres in anime as there are in cinema and fiction, with plenty of material for all ages. With title for teens or adults, the content is no more extreme than what would be in American video for the same age group.

Anime is release in three ways in Japan: theatrical features, TV series, and OVA (Original Video Animation). OVA is direct - to - video distribution which have been proven to be the successful way to release title in a niche market. The quality is usually quite high, better than TV and often as good, or better than theatrical features. Features are single video product, and OVA may be one or few videos, a TV series is several video and usually 13 or 26 episodes, occasionally longer. Any labeling should indicate which volume a video is within a set as the only other indication may be the description on the package. Because of this type of publishing that comes from comic and enter into the broadcasting makes it becomes one of the unique art that have attract the whole world. Anime not only been known as a child reading stuff but it also become one of the collections and hobby by an adult.

Japanese 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.)

First of all, though an outsider might think Japan "stole" comics from the West, this is not true. Japan has been making cartoon art for a very long time (there are humorous ink drawings of animals and caricatured people from hundreds of years ago, bearing striking resemblances to modern manga). True, some aspects of Japanese manga are taken from the West (Osamu Tezuka, the "father" of modern manga, was influenced by Disney and Max Fleisher), but its main features, such as simple lines and stylized features, are distinctly Japanese. It may be that Chinese art had more influence than Western.

Secondly, Japanese manga and Japanese anime come in all types, for all sorts of people. Unlike the U.S., which generally seems to believe that "comics are for kids" (though this has been changing recently), Japanese manga-ka (manga writers) write for everyone from innocent young children to perverted sex-starved men (there is even a category for ex-juvenile delinquent mothers!). But even the kids stuff tends not to be as simple-minded as the American versions (not including intelligent American comics, but more thinking of TV shows). Children's manga and TV anime shows in Japan will sometimes depict death --- while the U.S. (on children's TV) seems determined to run away from such realities of life (note how the U.S. version of "GoLion" ("Voltron") deleted all references to one of the protagonist's death). And, not surprisingly, much of Japanese manga and Japanese anime includes scenes of students in class or doing homework, or of people working in their offices. The work ethic seems omnipresent in the background. Japanese manga and Japanese anime also tend to portray technology sympathetically, while some U.S. comics seem almost to avoid it, or revile it, or simplify it as much as possible.

A third major difference is the unique Japanese manga and Japanese anime style, which is distinctive and fairly easy to recognize. This is not to say the style is limiting. Within this broad common stylistic ground, each Japanese manga artist's technique is distinct and unique. The stereotype is of characters with huge hair and large eyes, but there are many, many variations, from L. Matsumoto's seemingly unevenly drawn squash-shaped "ugly" protagonists, to the soft-edged figures in Miyazaki's work. And, of course, there is less emphasis on the "superhero" world of the U.S.. In most Japanese manga, the men and women aren't necessarily exaggerated extremes of their gender stereotypes, and they wear things other than skin-tight costumes. In fact, Japanese manga and Japanese anime characters tend to have unique and aesthetic tastes in fashion. (It's also true that many modern U.S. comics have thankfully broken this stereotype, and serious-matter cartoonists like Alan Moore or Art Spiegelman have always been around.)

History

The history of anime begins at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers experimented with the animation techniques that were being explored in France, Germany, United States and Russia. During the 1970s, anime developed further, separating itself from its roots. This occurred as a result of the growing popularity of manga comics, which were often later animated, especially those of legendary master of the art, Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989). As a result of his work and that of other pioneers in the field, anime developed unique characteristics and genres that are fundamental elements of the