Definition: Anime is essentially Japanese animation and in fact, the word 'anime' is a shortened version of the word 'animation'.
Anime is believed to have officially began back in 1963 with the debut of Testuwan Atom by Osamu Tezuka, but there are some works that go back earlier than that. The first known 'anime' style cartoon actually originated back in 1917 and consists of only fifty frames. The resulting production lasted about 3 seconds and depicts a young boy wearing a sailor suit writing kanji that is translated to mean 'moving pictures'. He then turns to the viewer and offers a salute. The creator of this production is not known.
By the 1980's, anime had become a mainstream form of entertainment in Japan and its appeal quickly spread to other countries around the world, becoming a widely popular genre with a loyal and widespread fan-base.
Anime has a very distinct drawing style that makes it relatively easy to identify and is part of what makes anime such a fun genre to watch. Characters typically have wild hair and big eyes and wear a wide variety of outlandish clothing. This is not the rule of course - there are plenty of anime characters without big blue hair or that wear normal looking clothes - but this unique look is considered the norm.
Like the relationship between Western cartoons and comic books, many anime series are either based on or directly tied to popular manga, the Japanese version of the comic book.
You can learn more about anime here:
What is anime?
Is it anime or cartoons?
Guide to Anime Genres and Themes
Anime is believed to have officially began back in 1963 with the debut of Testuwan Atom by Osamu Tezuka, but there are some works that go back earlier than that. The first known 'anime' style cartoon actually originated back in 1917 and consists of only fifty frames. The resulting production lasted about 3 seconds and depicts a young boy wearing a sailor suit writing kanji that is translated to mean 'moving pictures'. He then turns to the viewer and offers a salute. The creator of this production is not known.
By the 1980's, anime had become a mainstream form of entertainment in Japan and its appeal quickly spread to other countries around the world, becoming a widely popular genre with a loyal and widespread fan-base.
Anime has a very distinct drawing style that makes it relatively easy to identify and is part of what makes anime such a fun genre to watch. Characters typically have wild hair and big eyes and wear a wide variety of outlandish clothing. This is not the rule of course - there are plenty of anime characters without big blue hair or that wear normal looking clothes - but this unique look is considered the norm.
Like the relationship between Western cartoons and comic books, many anime series are either based on or directly tied to popular manga, the Japanese version of the comic book.
You can learn more about anime here:
What is anime?
Is it anime or cartoons?
Guide to Anime Genres and Themes
Pronunciation: a'nim-äe • (noun)
Also Known As: japanimation, animation
Common Misspellings: anieme, anemae
Examples: Dragonball Z is a great anime show.
