To the world outside Japan, the word anime refers to animation of cartoon or comic-style illustrations that are of Japanese origin. These may either be hand drawn, computer-assisted animated illustrations, or a combination of both. For the Japanese however, the word anime refers to all things animated, regardless of origin. Anime is a constriction or abbreviation of animation.

In the early 20th century the live action show industry in Japan, due to a small market, was plagued by several major problems such as a lack of budget and production resources, a lack of talents and personalities suited for non-Asian stories and movies, and a lack of suitable locations for portraying western scenes. As such, the industry embraced animation as a perfect solution to their unique situation. Through animation, they could tell their stories without the constraints of the real world imposed on them. Imagine being able to tell a story about space travel without actually having to build a realistic shooting area. Or being able to tell western context stories without needing western looking actors at all? Everything you needed, you just drew as you went along.

Anime Genres

As with other forms of entertainment, anime features nearly all genres typical of current norms. Among the common ones are: children's stories, martial arts, action and adventure, fantasy, romance, and erotica.

And then there are the more popular genres such as the “mecha” or robot-based story lines, which has spawned an entire generation of robot shows. Another popular one are the sci-fi's, of which there are many fine examples.

Manga, a term often interchanged with anime in the west, actually refers to printed material or comic books. Popular manga are often are turned into full length movies or television series. Occasionally, stories that have started out as anime, are also turned into manga.

Hentai features traditional and non-traditional erotic and relationship storylines. Hentai in Japanese means abnormal or perverted, but the term is used in the west to refer to all forms of anime erotica.

Visual styles

There are many visual styles commonly associated with anime that are already deemed definitive of the Japanese style of animation. The use of large exaggerated eyes, a very popular visual staple in anime, serve to more easily convey expressions felt by the character. Another style is the use of improper body component ratios such as large heads paired with small bodies. When used in conjuction with large exaggerated eyes, large heads and small bodies, the new anime character is often imbibed with the “cute” factor and is almost a sure hit specially with the juvenile crowd.

Anime influence around the world

Because of their popularity and success worldwide, Japanese anime has made its mark on the animation stylebook throughout the world. Full length animation movies and television series have been produced that showcase a very strong visual and thematic connection to those made in Japan.

The influence of anime has spread far and wide, and has gone beyond the traditional borders of art and design. Anime, in its own little way, has been responsible in bringing about a renewed curiosity and desire to learn more about Japanese culture.