Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Anime shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Anime offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Anime at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Anime? Wrong! If the Anime is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Anime then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Anime? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Anime and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Anime wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Anime then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Anime site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Anime, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Anime, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

/ in Japanese language, but typically // or // in English language--> (plural anime) is an abbreviation of the word "animation". Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation originating from Japan; and to the Occidental way of thinking, not all animations are considered anime. Anime is therefore usually considered to be a subset of animation.

Anime is traditionally hand drawn, but like in most animation Computer animation techniques have become quite common in recent years. The story-lines of anime represent most major genres of fiction and most motion-picture media (television broadcast, DVD and VHS distribution, and film). History The history of anime begins at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese Film director experimented with the animation techniques that were being explored in France, Germany, the United States, and Russia. The oldest known anime is in 1907, a short 3 second clip of a sailor boy.

By the 1930s, animation became an alternative format of storytelling compared to the underdeveloped live-action industry in Japan. Unlike America, the live-action industry in Japan remained a small market and suffered from budgeting, location, and casting restrictions. The lack of Western-looking actors, for example, made it next to impossible to shoot films set in Europe, America, or fantasy worlds that do not naturally involve Japan. The varied use of animation allowed artists to create any characters and settings.

Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film), Disney demonstrated animation's potential as a medium. The success of Disney's works influenced Japanese animators. Osamu Tezuka adapted and simplified many Disney animation precepts to reduce the budget costs and number of frames in the production. This was intended to be a temporary measure to allow him to produce one episode every week with an inexperienced animation staff. Some animators in Japan overcome production budgets by utilizing different techniques than the Disney or the old Tezuka/Otsuka methods of animating anime.

During the 1970s, there was a surge of growth in the popularity of manga— which were often later animated — especially those of Osamu Tezuka, who has been called a "legend" and the "god of manga". As a result of his work and that of other pioneers in the field, anime developed characteristics and genres that are fundamental elements of the art today. The giant robot genre (known as "mecha" outside Japan), for instance, took shape under Tezuka, developed under Go Nagai and others, and was revolutionized at the end of the decade by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Robot anime like Gundam and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross became instant classics in the 80s, and the robot genre of anime is still one of the most heard of in Japan and worldwide today. In the 1980s, anime was accepted in the mainstream in Japan, and experienced a boom in production (it should be noticed that manga has significantly more mainstream exposure than anime in Japan). The mid-to-late '90s, on into the 2000s, saw an increased acceptance of anime in overseas markets.

Terminology In Japanese language, the English term animation is written in katakana as アニメーション (animēshon, pronounced ). The shortened term, anime (アニメ), emerged in the 1970s. Animation, as well as anime, come from the Latin, "animare" meaning "to breathe life into" thus "animated" means to be full of activity, or moving pictures.http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/animation "Animation \An`i*ma"tion\, noun. expression animatio, from animare.."http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=animation&searchmode=none "animate (v.) 1538, 'to fill with boldness or courage,'from L. animatus pp. of animare 'give breath to,' from anima 'life, breath' (see animus). The adj. meaning 'alive' is from 1605. Animated 'full of activity' is from 1585. In ref. to 'moving pictures' it dates from 1895; animation in the cinematographic sense is from 1912." Both the original and abbreviated forms are valid and interchangeable in Japanese, but as could be expected the shorter form is more commonly used.

The pronunciation of anime (pronounced ) in English differs significantly from Japanese. The first vowel is further forward in English than Japanese: // is more likely than //. As English stress (linguistics)es words differently than Japanese, the second vowel is likely to emerge as an unstressed schwa // or // in English, whereas in Japanese each mora (linguistics) carries equal stress. As with a few other Japanese words such as Pokémon and Kobo Abé, anime is sometimes spelled as animé in English with an acute accent over the final e to cue the reader that the letter is pronounced as a Japanese . However, this accent does not appear in any commonly used system of Romaji, and English native speakers may produce .

Definition Linguistically, the anime definition is subject to interpretation. In Japan, the term does not specify an animation's nation of origin or style; instead, it is used as a blanket term to refer to all forms of animation from around the world. In English, main dictionary sources define anime as "a Japanese style of motion-picture animation" or "a style of animation developed in Japan". Thus, non-Japanese works are sometimes called anime-influenced animation if they borrow stylistically from Japanese animation.

In western countries the word is used usually only to refer to animated programming of Japanese origin, with the term "cartoon" or "animated series" used for most other visual styles. The online anime database AniDB generally defines anime (in the wikt:singular#Noun form) as "an animated, professionally produced, feature film created by a Japanese company for the Japanese market". However, some anime are co-productions with non-Japanese companies like the Cartoon Network and Production IG series IGPX. Thus, anime is no longer specific to the Japanese market.

Anime can be used as a common noun, "Do you watch anime?" or as a suppletive adjective, "The anime Guyver is different from the movie Guyver." It may also be used as a mass noun, as in "How much anime have you collected?" and therefore is never pluralized "animes" (nouns are never pluralized in Japanese). However, in other languages where anime has been adopted as a loan word, it is sometimes used as a count noun in singular and in plural as in Danish (language) "Jeg tror, jeg vil se en anime" ("I think I'll watch an anime") and "Hvor mange anime'er har du nu?" ("How many animes do you have now?").

Synonyms Anime is sometimes referred to as Japanimation, but this term has fallen into disuse. Japanimation saw the most usage during the 1970s and 1980s and had continued use up until before the mid-1990s anime resurgence. In general, the term now only appears in nostalgic contexts. The term is much more commonly used within Japan to refer to domestic animation. Since anime or animēshon is used to describe all forms of animation, Japanimation is used to distinguish Japanese work from that of the rest of the world.

In more recent years, anime has also frequently been referred to as "manga" in European countries, a practice that may stem from the Japanese usage: In Japan, manga can refer to both animation and comics (although the use of manga to refer to animation is mostly restricted to non-fans). Among English speakers, manga usually has the stricter meaning of "Japanese comics". An alternate explanation is that it is due to the prominence of Manga Entertainment, a distributor of anime to the US and UK markets. Because Manga Entertainment originated in the UK the use of the term is common outside of Japan. The portmanteau "animanga" has been used to collectively refer to anime and manga, though it is also a term used to describe comics produced from animation cels.

Visual characteristics

As an art form, anime places a large emphasis towards visual styles. They can vary from artist to artist or by studio to studio. Some titles make extensive use of common stylization: FLCL, for example, is known for its wild, exaggerated stylization. In contrast, titles such as Only Yesterday (film) or Jin-Roh take much more realistic approaches, featuring few stylistic exaggerations.

While different titles and different artists have their own artistic styles, many stylistic elements have become so common such that they are described as being definitive of anime in general. Another stylistic element is that use of lines. In anime the lines are often influenced more from a stylistic look from brush work, rather than that of the calligrapher's pen. This may be due to the fact that Japanese was traditionally written with a brush and has had a large influence on Japanese art, thus how the lines are treated tend to be different from the Western art. Western lettering was done with a calligrapher's pen. the influences of these things can most influentially be seen in the amount of tapering and thickness of the lines involved.

Anime also tends to borrow many elements from manga including text in the background, and borrowing panel layouts from the manga as well. For example, an opening may employ manga panels to tell the story, or to dramatize a point for humorous effect. This is best demonstrated in the anime Kare Kano.

Character design Body proportions emulated in anime come from proportions of the human body. The height of the head is considered as the base unit of proportion. Head heights can vary as long as the remainder of the body remain proportional. Most anime characters are about seven to eight heads tall, and extreme heights are set around nine heads tall. In comparison, Marvel characters are proportional by eight heads.

With regard to the limbs, both the arms and legs have their joints, the elbows and knees respectively, at the midpoint of their total lengths. The arms range from the shoulders to the midpoint of the thigh. Leg lengths are at least the same as from head to hips. Naturally, the lengths and proportions remain consistent regardless of a characters position and orientation.

Variations to proportion can be modded. Chibi or super deformed characters feature a non-proportionally small body compared to the head. Sometimes specific body parts, like legs, are shortened or elongated for added emphasis. Mostly chibi are three or four heads tall. Some anime works like Crayon Shin-chan completely disregard these proportions. It is enough such that it resembles a Western cartoon. Then, early anime works did not have guidelines on body proportions at all. At the time, the main frame of reference were American cartoons, particularly Disney. For exaggeration, certain body features are increased in proportion.

A common approach is the large eyes style drawn on many anime and manga characters. Osamu Tezuka was inspired by the exaggerated features of American cartoon characters such as Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, and Disney's Bambi. Tezuka found that large eyes style allowed his characters to show emotions distinctly. When Tezuka began drawing Princess Knight, the first manga specifically targeted at young girls, Tezuka further exaggerated the size of the characters' eyes. Indeed, through Ribbon no Kishi, Tezuka set a stylistic template that later shōjo artists tended to follow.

Coloring is added to give eyes, particularly the cornea, some depth. The depth is accomplished by applying variable color shading. Generally, a mixture of a light shade, the tone color, and a dark shade is used.

Cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn argues that Japanese animators and audiences do not perceive such stylized eyes as inherently more or less foreign.

However, not all anime have large eyes. For example Hayao Miyazaki is known for not having large eyes and having realistic hair colors on his characters. In addition many other productions also have been known to use smaller eyes. This design tends to have more resemblance to traditional Japanese art. Some characters have even smaller eyes, where simple black dots are used.

A wide variety of facial expressions are used by characters to denote moods and thoughts. Anime uses a different set of facial expressions in comparison to western animation.

Other stylistic elements are common as well; often in comedic anime, characters that are shocked or surprised will perform a "face fault", in which they display an extremely exaggerated expression. Angry characters may exhibit a "vein" or "stressmark" effect, where lines representing bulging veins will appear on their forehead. Angry women will sometimes summon a mallet from nowhere and strike someone with it, leading to the concept of Hammerspace and cartoon physics. Male characters will develop a bloody nose around their female love interests (typically to indicate arousal, based on an old wives' tale).The concept of a bloody nose is supposedly due to blood rushing to the face in an exaggerated blush. Sometimes the character will even be propelled up into the air by a fountain of blood. (See Nosebleed#Nosebleeds in fiction.) Embarrassed characters either produce a massive sweat-drop (which has become one of the most widely recognized stereotype motifs of anime) or produce a visibly red blush beneath the eyes, especially as a manifestation of repressed romantic feelings.

Some non-human characters further diversify the array of characters. Some include robots, animals, spirits, and demons. Also, hybrid beings such as catgirls or hanyō are also created. Non-humanoid characters have a very wide variety of shapes and sizes, which can range from miniature characters to those the size of skyscrapers. The use of size proportions will vary.

The typical style for non-humans is a dramatization of size for most, or a drastic shrinkage for others. Typical spirits and demons as well as robots and some animals will be shown out of proportion and sometimes the size of skyscrapers and buildings. Often for the purpose of giving the impression of great power or often synched with mecha-anime series in which the main character uses a giant robot to defeat another giant robot or creature. Some robots and animals though are shown to be accurate sized or even miniature for the sake of comical or story important reasons.

Animation technique The basics of anime is based on traditional animation. While anime is considered separate from cartoons, anime still uses multiple still images in rapid succession to produce the animated visual effect. Like all animation, the production processes of storyboarding, voice acting, character design, cel production, etc. still apply. With improvements in computer technology, computer animation increased the efficiency of the whole production process.

Anime is often considered a form of limited animation. That means that stylistically, even in bigger productions the conventions of limited animation are used to fool the eye into thinking there is more movement than there is. Many of the techniques used a comprised with cost-cutting measures while working under a set budget.

Anime scenes place emphasis on achieving three-dimensional views. Backgrounds depict the scenes' atmosphere. For example, anime often puts emphasis on changing seasons, as can be seen in numerous anime, such as Tenchi Muyo. Sometimes actual settings have been duplicated into an anime. The backgrounds for the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (anime) are based on various locations within the suburb of Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.

Camera angles, camera movement, and lighting play an important role in scenes. Directors often have the discretion of determining viewing angles for scenes, particularly regarding backgrounds. In addition, camera angles show Perspective (graphical). Directors can also choose camera effects within cinematography, such as panning, zooming, facial closeup, and panoramic. Lighting effects are used in conjunction with camera effects. For additional three-dimensional effects, various shades of lighting are used.

Genres (1989) is a popular shōnen anime based on the Dragon Ball which spanned 291 episodes and 13 movies.Anime has many genres typically found in any mass media form. Such genres include action film, adventure, children's stories, comedy, drama, erotica (more specifically ecchi or hentai), medieval fantasy, occult/Horror film, Romance (genre), and science fiction.

Most anime includes content from several different genres, as well as a variety of thematic elements. Thus, some series may be categorized under multiple genres. For example, Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) might be considered to fall into the genres of post-apocalyptic, science fiction, mecha, and drama. A show may have a seemingly simple surface plot, but at the same time may feature a far more complex, deeper storyline and character development. It is not uncommon for an action themed anime to also involve humor, romance, and even social commentary. The same can be applied to a romance themed anime in that it may involve an action element, or in some cases brutal violence.

The following is a list of the major genres and designations that are specific to anime and manga.



Demographic Demographic describes the intended target audience.

Thematic

Distribution While anime had entered markets beyond Japan in the 1960s, it grew as a major cultural export during its market expansion during the 1980s and 1990s. The anime market for the United States alone is "worth approximately $4.35 billion, according to the Japan External Trade Organization". Anime has also been a commercial success in Asia, Europe and Latin America, where anime has become even more mainstream than in the United States. For example, the Saint Seiya video game was released in Europe due to the popularity of the show even years after the series has been off-air.

Anime distribution companies handled the Anime licensing of anime beyond Japan. Licensed anime is modified by distributors through Dubbing (filmmaking) into the language of the country and adding language subtitles to the Japanese language track. Using a similar Regional lockout as Hollywood, the world is divided into Anime industry.

Some edited movie of cultural references may occur to better follow the references of the non-Japanese culture. Certain companies may remove any objectionable content, complying with domestic law. This editing process was far more prevalent in the past (e.g. Robotech), but its use has declined because of the demand for anime in its original form. This "light touch" approach to localization has favored viewers formerly unfamiliar with anime. The use of such methods is evident by the success of Naruto, and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, both of which employ minor edits.

With the advent of DVD, it was possible to include multiple language tracks into a simple product. This was not the case with VHS, in which separate VHS media were used and with each VHS cassette priced the same as a single DVD. The "light touch" approach also applies to DVD releases as they often include both the dubbed audio and the original Japanese audio with subtitles, typically unedited. Anime edited for television is usually released on DVD "uncut," with all scenes intact.

TV networks regularly broadcast anime programming. In Japan, major national TV networks, such as TV Tokyo broadcast anime regularly. Smaller regional stations broadcast anime under the UHF anime. In the United States, Cable TV channels such as Cartoon Network, Disney, Sci-Fi, and others dedicate some of their time slots for anime. Then the Anime Network specifically shows anime. Sony based Animax and Disney's Jetix channel broadcast anime within many countries in the world.

Although it is a violation of copyright laws in many countries, some fans add subtitles to anime on their own. These are distributed as fansubs. The ethical implications of producing, distributing, or watching fansubs are topics of much controversy even when fansub groups do not profit from their activities. Once the series has been licensed outside of Japan, fansub groups often cease distribution of their work. In one case, Media Factory Incorporated requested that no fansubs of their material be made, which was respected by the fansub community. In another instance, Bandai specifically thanked fansubbers for their role in helping to make The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya popular in the English speaking world.

The Internet had played a significant role in the exposure of anime beyond Japan. Prior to the 1990s, anime has had limited exposure beyond Japan's borders. Coincidentally, as the popularity of the Internet grew, so did for anime. Much of the fandom of anime grew through the Internet. The combination of internet communities and increasing amounts of anime material, from video to images, helped spur the growth of fandom. As the Internet gained more widespread use, Internet advertising revenues grew from 1.6 billion yen to over 180 billion yen between 1995 to 2005.

Influence on Western culture Anime has become commercially profitable in western countries as early commercially successful western adaptations of anime, such as Astro Boy, have revealed. The phenomenal success of Nintendo's multi-billion United States dollar Pokémon franchise was helped greatly by the Pokémon (anime) that, first broadcast in the late 1990s, is still running worldwide to this day. In doing so, anime has made significant impacts upon Western culture.

Since the 19th century, many Westerners have expressed a Japanophile. Anime dramatically exposed more Westerners to the culture of Japan. Aside from anime, other facets of Japanese culture increased in popularity. Worldwide, the number of people studying Japanese increased. In 1984, the JLPT was devised to meet increasing demand.

Anime-influenced animation refers to non-Japanese works of animation that emulate the visual style of anime. Though most of these works are created by studios in the United States, Europe, and non-Japanese Asia. They generally incorporate stylizations, methods, and gags described in anime physics. They may also incorporate Asian themes, like Avatar: The Last Airbender. Critics and the general anime fanbase do not consider them as anime. Often times, production crews either are fans of anime or are required to view anime.

Some American animated television series have singled out anime styling with satirical intent, for example South Park (with "Chinpokomon" and "Good Times With Weapons"). South Park has a notable drawing style, which was itself parodied in "Brittle Bullet", the fifth episode of the anime FLCL, released several months after "Chinpokomon" aired.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343314/trivia Even cliches normally found in anime are parodied in Perfect Hair Forever.

Anime conventions began to appear in the early 1990s, starting with Anime Expo, Animethon, Otakon, and JACON. Currently anime conventions are held annually List of anime conventions across North America, Asia, and Europe. Many attendees participate in cosplay, where they dress up as anime characters. Also, guests from Japan ranging from artists, directors, and music groups are invited.

References

See also ::Category:Anime of the 1910s, :Category:Anime of the 1940s, :Category:Anime of the 1950s, :Category:Anime of the 1960s, :Category:Anime of the 1970s, :Category:Anime of the 1980s, :Category:Anime of the 1990s ::Category:Anime of the 2000s

::Category:Anime series, :Category:Anime films, :Category:Anime OVAs, :Category:Anime and manga by genre

:List of anime companies :List of anime conventions :List of anime theatrically released in America

External links

/ in Japanese language, but typically // or // in English language--> (plural anime) is an abbreviation of the word "animation". Outside Japan, the term most popularly refers to animation originating from Japan; and to the Occidental way of thinking, not all animations are considered anime. Anime is therefore usually considered to be a subset of animation.

Anime is traditionally hand drawn, but like in most animation Computer animation techniques have become quite common in recent years. The story-lines of anime represent most major genres of fiction and most motion-picture media (television broadcast, DVD and VHS distribution, and film). History The history of anime begins at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese Film director experimented with the animation techniques that were being explored in France, Germany, the United States, and Russia. The oldest known anime is in 1907, a short 3 second clip of a sailor boy.

By the 1930s, animation became an alternative format of storytelling compared to the underdeveloped live-action industry in Japan. Unlike America, the live-action industry in Japan remained a small market and suffered from budgeting, location, and casting restrictions. The lack of Western-looking actors, for example, made it next to impossible to shoot films set in Europe, America, or fantasy worlds that do not naturally involve Japan. The varied use of animation allowed artists to create any characters and settings.

Starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film), Disney demonstrated animation's potential as a medium. The success of Disney's works influenced Japanese animators. Osamu Tezuka adapted and simplified many Disney animation precepts to reduce the budget costs and number of frames in the production. This was intended to be a temporary measure to allow him to produce one episode every week with an inexperienced animation staff. Some animators in Japan overcome production budgets by utilizing different techniques than the Disney or the old Tezuka/Otsuka methods of animating anime.

During the 1970s, there was a surge of growth in the popularity of manga— which were often later animated — especially those of Osamu Tezuka, who has been called a "legend" and the "god of manga". As a result of his work and that of other pioneers in the field, anime developed characteristics and genres that are fundamental elements of the art today. The giant robot genre (known as "mecha" outside Japan), for instance, took shape under Tezuka, developed under Go Nagai and others, and was revolutionized at the end of the decade by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Robot anime like Gundam and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross became instant classics in the 80s, and the robot genre of anime is still one of the most heard of in Japan and worldwide today. In the 1980s, anime was accepted in the mainstream in Japan, and experienced a boom in production (it should be noticed that manga has significantly more mainstream exposure than anime in Japan). The mid-to-late '90s, on into the 2000s, saw an increased acceptance of anime in overseas markets.

Terminology In Japanese language, the English term animation is written in katakana as アニメーション (animēshon, pronounced ). The shortened term, anime (アニメ), emerged in the 1970s. Animation, as well as anime, come from the Latin, "animare" meaning "to breathe life into" thus "animated" means to be full of activity, or moving pictures.http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/animation "Animation \An`i*ma"tion\, noun. expression animatio, from animare.."http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=animation&searchmode=none "animate (v.) 1538, 'to fill with boldness or courage,'from L. animatus pp. of animare 'give breath to,' from anima 'life, breath' (see animus). The adj. meaning 'alive' is from 1605. Animated 'full of activity' is from 1585. In ref. to 'moving pictures' it dates from 1895; animation in the cinematographic sense is from 1912." Both the original and abbreviated forms are valid and interchangeable in Japanese, but as could be expected the shorter form is more commonly used.

The pronunciation of anime (pronounced ) in English differs significantly from Japanese. The first vowel is further forward in English than Japanese: // is more likely than //. As English stress (linguistics)es words differently than Japanese, the second vowel is likely to emerge as an unstressed schwa // or // in English, whereas in Japanese each mora (linguistics) carries equal stress. As with a few other Japanese words such as Pokémon and Kobo Abé, anime is sometimes spelled as animé in English with an acute accent over the final e to cue the reader that the letter is pronounced as a Japanese . However, this accent does not appear in any commonly used system of Romaji, and English native speakers may produce .

Definition Linguistically, the anime definition is subject to interpretation. In Japan, the term does not specify an animation's nation of origin or style; instead, it is used as a blanket term to refer to all forms of animation from around the world. In English, main dictionary sources define anime as "a Japanese style of motion-picture animation" or "a style of animation developed in Japan". Thus, non-Japanese works are sometimes called anime-influenced animation if they borrow stylistically from Japanese animation.

In western countries the word is used usually only to refer to animated programming of Japanese origin, with the term "cartoon" or "animated series" used for most other visual styles. The online anime database AniDB generally defines anime (in the wikt:singular#Noun form) as "an animated, professionally produced, feature film created by a Japanese company for the Japanese market". However, some anime are co-productions with non-Japanese companies like the Cartoon Network and Production IG series IGPX. Thus, anime is no longer specific to the Japanese market.

Anime can be used as a common noun, "Do you watch anime?" or as a suppletive adjective, "The anime Guyver is different from the movie Guyver." It may also be used as a mass noun, as in "How much anime have you collected?" and therefore is never pluralized "animes" (nouns are never pluralized in Japanese). However, in other languages where anime has been adopted as a loan word, it is sometimes used as a count noun in singular and in plural as in Danish (language) "Jeg tror, jeg vil se en anime" ("I think I'll watch an anime") and "Hvor mange anime'er har du nu?" ("How many animes do you have now?").

Synonyms Anime is sometimes referred to as Japanimation, but this term has fallen into disuse. Japanimation saw the most usage during the 1970s and 1980s and had continued use up until before the mid-1990s anime resurgence. In general, the term now only appears in nostalgic contexts. The term is much more commonly used within Japan to refer to domestic animation. Since anime or animēshon is used to describe all forms of animation, Japanimation is used to distinguish Japanese work from that of the rest of the world.

In more recent years, anime has also frequently been referred to as "manga" in European countries, a practice that may stem from the Japanese usage: In Japan, manga can refer to both animation and comics (although the use of manga to refer to animation is mostly restricted to non-fans). Among English speakers, manga usually has the stricter meaning of "Japanese comics". An alternate explanation is that it is due to the prominence of Manga Entertainment, a distributor of anime to the US and UK markets. Because Manga Entertainment originated in the UK the use of the term is common outside of Japan. The portmanteau "animanga" has been used to collectively refer to anime and manga, though it is also a term used to describe comics produced from animation cels.

Visual characteristics

As an art form, anime places a large emphasis towards visual styles. They can vary from artist to artist or by studio to studio. Some titles make extensive use of common stylization: FLCL, for example, is known for its wild, exaggerated stylization. In contrast, titles such as Only Yesterday (film) or Jin-Roh take much more realistic approaches, featuring few stylistic exaggerations.

While different titles and different artists have their own artistic styles, many stylistic elements have become so common such that they are described as being definitive of anime in general. Another stylistic element is that use of lines. In anime the lines are often influenced more from a stylistic look from brush work, rather than that of the calligrapher's pen. This may be due to the fact that Japanese was traditionally written with a brush and has had a large influence on Japanese art, thus how the lines are treated tend to be different from the Western art. Western lettering was done with a calligrapher's pen. the influences of these things can most influentially be seen in the amount of tapering and thickness of the lines involved.

Anime also tends to borrow many elements from manga including text in the background, and borrowing panel layouts from the manga as well. For example, an opening may employ manga panels to tell the story, or to dramatize a point for humorous effect. This is best demonstrated in the anime Kare Kano.

Character design Body proportions emulated in anime come from proportions of the human body. The height of the head is considered as the base unit of proportion. Head heights can vary as long as the remainder of the body remain proportional. Most anime characters are about seven to eight heads tall, and extreme heights are set around nine heads tall. In comparison, Marvel characters are proportional by eight heads.

With regard to the limbs, both the arms and legs have their joints, the elbows and knees respectively, at the midpoint of their total lengths. The arms range from the shoulders to the midpoint of the thigh. Leg lengths are at least the same as from head to hips. Naturally, the lengths and proportions remain consistent regardless of a characters position and orientation.

Variations to proportion can be modded. Chibi or super deformed characters feature a non-proportionally small body compared to the head. Sometimes specific body parts, like legs, are shortened or elongated for added emphasis. Mostly chibi are three or four heads tall. Some anime works like Crayon Shin-chan completely disregard these proportions. It is enough such that it resembles a Western cartoon. Then, early anime works did not have guidelines on body proportions at all. At the time, the main frame of reference were American cartoons, particularly Disney. For exaggeration, certain body features are increased in proportion.

A common approach is the large eyes style drawn on many anime and manga characters. Osamu Tezuka was inspired by the exaggerated features of American cartoon characters such as Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, and Disney's Bambi. Tezuka found that large eyes style allowed his characters to show emotions distinctly. When Tezuka began drawing Princess Knight, the first manga specifically targeted at young girls, Tezuka further exaggerated the size of the characters' eyes. Indeed, through Ribbon no Kishi, Tezuka set a stylistic template that later shōjo artists tended to follow.

Coloring is added to give eyes, particularly the cornea, some depth. The depth is accomplished by applying variable color shading. Generally, a mixture of a light shade, the tone color, and a dark shade is used.

Cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn argues that Japanese animators and audiences do not perceive such stylized eyes as inherently more or less foreign.

However, not all anime have large eyes. For example Hayao Miyazaki is known for not having large eyes and having realistic hair colors on his characters. In addition many other productions also have been known to use smaller eyes. This design tends to have more resemblance to traditional Japanese art. Some characters have even smaller eyes, where simple black dots are used.

A wide variety of facial expressions are used by characters to denote moods and thoughts. Anime uses a different set of facial expressions in comparison to western animation.

Other stylistic elements are common as well; often in comedic anime, characters that are shocked or surprised will perform a "face fault", in which they display an extremely exaggerated expression. Angry characters may exhibit a "vein" or "stressmark" effect, where lines representing bulging veins will appear on their forehead. Angry women will sometimes summon a mallet from nowhere and strike someone with it, leading to the concept of Hammerspace and cartoon physics. Male characters will develop a bloody nose around their female love interests (typically to indicate arousal, based on an old wives' tale).The concept of a bloody nose is supposedly due to blood rushing to the face in an exaggerated blush. Sometimes the character will even be propelled up into the air by a fountain of blood. (See Nosebleed#Nosebleeds in fiction.) Embarrassed characters either produce a massive sweat-drop (which has become one of the most widely recognized stereotype motifs of anime) or produce a visibly red blush beneath the eyes, especially as a manifestation of repressed romantic feelings.

Some non-human characters further diversify the array of characters. Some include robots, animals, spirits, and demons. Also, hybrid beings such as catgirls or hanyō are also created. Non-humanoid characters have a very wide variety of shapes and sizes, which can range from miniature characters to those the size of skyscrapers. The use of size proportions will vary.

The typical style for non-humans is a dramatization of size for most, or a drastic shrinkage for others. Typical spirits and demons as well as robots and some animals will be shown out of proportion and sometimes the size of skyscrapers and buildings. Often for the purpose of giving the impression of great power or often synched with mecha-anime series in which the main character uses a giant robot to defeat another giant robot or creature. Some robots and animals though are shown to be accurate sized or even miniature for the sake of comical or story important reasons.

Animation technique The basics of anime is based on traditional animation. While anime is considered separate from cartoons, anime still uses multiple still images in rapid succession to produce the animated visual effect. Like all animation, the production processes of storyboarding, voice acting, character design, cel production, etc. still apply. With improvements in computer technology, computer animation increased the efficiency of the whole production process.

Anime is often considered a form of limited animation. That means that stylistically, even in bigger productions the conventions of limited animation are used to fool the eye into thinking there is more movement than there is. Many of the techniques used a comprised with cost-cutting measures while working under a set budget.

Anime scenes place emphasis on achieving three-dimensional views. Backgrounds depict the scenes' atmosphere. For example, anime often puts emphasis on changing seasons, as can be seen in numerous anime, such as Tenchi Muyo. Sometimes actual settings have been duplicated into an anime. The backgrounds for the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (anime) are based on various locations within the suburb of Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.

Camera angles, camera movement, and lighting play an important role in scenes. Directors often have the discretion of determining viewing angles for scenes, particularly regarding backgrounds. In addition, camera angles show Perspective (graphical). Directors can also choose camera effects within cinematography, such as panning, zooming, facial closeup, and panoramic. Lighting effects are used in conjunction with camera effects. For additional three-dimensional effects, various shades of lighting are used.

Genres (1989) is a popular shōnen anime based on the Dragon Ball which spanned 291 episodes and 13 movies.Anime has many genres typically found in any mass media form. Such genres include action film, adventure, children's stories, comedy, drama, erotica (more specifically ecchi or hentai), medieval fantasy, occult/Horror film, Romance (genre), and science fiction.

Most anime includes content from several different genres, as well as a variety of thematic elements. Thus, some series may be categorized under multiple genres. For example, Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) might be considered to fall into the genres of post-apocalyptic, science fiction, mecha, and drama. A show may have a seemingly simple surface plot, but at the same time may feature a far more complex, deeper storyline and character development. It is not uncommon for an action themed anime to also involve humor, romance, and even social commentary. The same can be applied to a romance themed anime in that it may involve an action element, or in some cases brutal violence.

The following is a list of the major genres and designations that are specific to anime and manga.



Demographic Demographic describes the intended target audience.

Thematic

Distribution While anime had entered markets beyond Japan in the 1960s, it grew as a major cultural export during its market expansion during the 1980s and 1990s. The anime market for the United States alone is "worth approximately $4.35 billion, according to the Japan External Trade Organization". Anime has also been a commercial success in Asia, Europe and Latin America, where anime has become even more mainstream than in the United States. For example, the Saint Seiya video game was released in Europe due to the popularity of the show even years after the series has been off-air.

Anime distribution companies handled the Anime licensing of anime beyond Japan. Licensed anime is modified by distributors through Dubbing (filmmaking) into the language of the country and adding language subtitles to the Japanese language track. Using a similar Regional lockout as Hollywood, the world is divided into Anime industry.

Some edited movie of cultural references may occur to better follow the references of the non-Japanese culture. Certain companies may remove any objectionable content, complying with domestic law. This editing process was far more prevalent in the past (e.g. Robotech), but its use has declined because of the demand for anime in its original form. This "light touch" approach to localization has favored viewers formerly unfamiliar with anime. The use of such methods is evident by the success of Naruto, and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block, both of which employ minor edits.

With the advent of DVD, it was possible to include multiple language tracks into a simple product. This was not the case with VHS, in which separate VHS media were used and with each VHS cassette priced the same as a single DVD. The "light touch" approach also applies to DVD releases as they often include both the dubbed audio and the original Japanese audio with subtitles, typically unedited. Anime edited for television is usually released on DVD "uncut," with all scenes intact.

TV networks regularly broadcast anime programming. In Japan, major national TV networks, such as TV Tokyo broadcast anime regularly. Smaller regional stations broadcast anime under the UHF anime. In the United States, Cable TV channels such as Cartoon Network, Disney, Sci-Fi, and others dedicate some of their time slots for anime. Then the Anime Network specifically shows anime. Sony based Animax and Disney's Jetix channel broadcast anime within many countries in the world.

Although it is a violation of copyright laws in many countries, some fans add subtitles to anime on their own. These are distributed as fansubs. The ethical implications of producing, distributing, or watching fansubs are topics of much controversy even when fansub groups do not profit from their activities. Once the series has been licensed outside of Japan, fansub groups often cease distribution of their work. In one case, Media Factory Incorporated requested that no fansubs of their material be made, which was respected by the fansub community. In another instance, Bandai specifically thanked fansubbers for their role in helping to make The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya popular in the English speaking world.

The Internet had played a significant role in the exposure of anime beyond Japan. Prior to the 1990s, anime has had limited exposure beyond Japan's borders. Coincidentally, as the popularity of the Internet grew, so did for anime. Much of the fandom of anime grew through the Internet. The combination of internet communities and increasing amounts of anime material, from video to images, helped spur the growth of fandom. As the Internet gained more widespread use, Internet advertising revenues grew from 1.6 billion yen to over 180 billion yen between 1995 to 2005.

Influence on Western culture Anime has become commercially profitable in western countries as early commercially successful western adaptations of anime, such as Astro Boy, have revealed. The phenomenal success of Nintendo's multi-billion United States dollar Pokémon franchise was helped greatly by the Pokémon (anime) that, first broadcast in the late 1990s, is still running worldwide to this day. In doing so, anime has made significant impacts upon Western culture.

Since the 19th century, many Westerners have expressed a Japanophile. Anime dramatically exposed more Westerners to the culture of Japan. Aside from anime, other facets of Japanese culture increased in popularity. Worldwide, the number of people studying Japanese increased. In 1984, the JLPT was devised to meet increasing demand.

Anime-influenced animation refers to non-Japanese works of animation that emulate the visual style of anime. Though most of these works are created by studios in the United States, Europe, and non-Japanese Asia. They generally incorporate stylizations, methods, and gags described in anime physics. They may also incorporate Asian themes, like Avatar: The Last Airbender. Critics and the general anime fanbase do not consider them as anime. Often times, production crews either are fans of anime or are required to view anime.

Some American animated television series have singled out anime styling with satirical intent, for example South Park (with "Chinpokomon" and "Good Times With Weapons"). South Park has a notable drawing style, which was itself parodied in "Brittle Bullet", the fifth episode of the anime FLCL, released several months after "Chinpokomon" aired.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343314/trivia Even cliches normally found in anime are parodied in Perfect Hair Forever.

Anime conventions began to appear in the early 1990s, starting with Anime Expo, Animethon, Otakon, and JACON. Currently anime conventions are held annually List of anime conventions across North America, Asia, and Europe. Many attendees participate in cosplay, where they dress up as anime characters. Also, guests from Japan ranging from artists, directors, and music groups are invited.

References

See also ::Category:Anime of the 1910s, :Category:Anime of the 1940s, :Category:Anime of the 1950s, :Category:Anime of the 1960s, :Category:Anime of the 1970s, :Category:Anime of the 1980s, :Category:Anime of the 1990s ::Category:Anime of the 2000s

::Category:Anime series, :Category:Anime films, :Category:Anime OVAs, :Category:Anime and manga by genre

:List of anime companies :List of anime conventions :List of anime theatrically released in America

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