The word Anime comes from animation, as it is abbreviated in Japanese. The English dictionary explains it as a style introduced in Japan. However, anime as a whole represents all kinds of animation. Therefore, Japanese anime is used to distinguish it from animation in the rest of the world. Until recently, anime was called “Manga” in Western and European countries. But in Japan, Manga refers only to comics!
Anime is generally inspired by novels, manga, and local customs and traditions. Anime can be broadcast on television and is also distributed and published through other types of media such as video, the Internet, and DVD. Anime previously referred exclusively to Japanese animation as well, but is no longer considered that way.
Anime is watched and loved by children, adults, and women. It shows various stories and characters based on themes of science, fiction, sports, romance and horror, which are more created things and are far from reality. But there are some animes that depict a bit of realism like suffering, emotions, and death, which increases the value of the content but makes it unsuitable for children to watch.
Anime is becoming popular in terms of both audience and reach. The Pokémon craze among kids is more than just the series. They want to have the video games, collectibles, DVDs, T-shirts and costumes of their favorite character from the show. Another trend that has been experienced is watching anime movies originally made in Japanese after dubbing them into English.
These days, as watching it on CD and DVD has gained momentum, most of them already include subtitles and dubbed tracks. Due to the growing acceptance and charm of these animations, many universities, clubs, libraries, and high schools have started maintaining anime collections in their databases. Fans and appreciation for anime are flooding in every day.
Walt Disney’s “Spirited Away”, a Japanese film, which even grossed more than “Titanic” in Japan, revolutionized the animation industry in the Western world. Hayao Miyazaki, the best known name in anime, directed the film and was praised by fans around the world for putting emphasis on every detail of the film. Fox TV and Walt Disney, the top two distributors of anime movies and shows in the West, reported revenues of more than $ 2 billion in the industry. Some years before, there weren’t many TV shows and anime series, but now, almost every kid is familiar with Japanese animated movies and cartoons and the count is increasing by the minute.
Bandai Entertainment, a Japanese anime toy company, claimed to have produced 75 anime shows and movies in the past year in the United States, which explains the increased demand for anime.
Nowadays, animes are also growing rapidly in the DVD sector. Anime movies have the advantage of low-cost production, since all they need is a pen, paper, and a computer to work. The internet is also responsible for bringing anime to the place it is today!