Anime What is Anime?

[Idiot2.0]

See, this question has been on my mind lately. Especially when I see the anime forum.
My question is what is anime. If anime stands for animation than shouldn't anything that is animated count as Anime? Sorry if this confuses anyone it's just been on my mind lately.

[QuincyArcher]

"Anime" is just a common word used in japan to refer to any cartoon or animation. But when we use the term "anime" here in america, it refers specifically japanese-made animation.

[Naota 愚人クーリ]

Basiclly it's a style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by stylized colorful art, futuristic settings, and violence. And there are aslo certain cartoons that cant be qualified as anime. Also I am not really sure if a cartoon created by an American in America can be anime. But I know a couple of shows that are close to an anime style. Like For example the lates show on Nickelodeon known as Avatar. Thats kinda close.

Hope that helps :animeswea

[Kuraineko]

It's also called japanamation in some parts. It's kindof like a word that seperates the american cartoons from the japanese cartoons. But you can already tell the difference with the styles, even with the shows like the Avatar and Teen Titans.

[Twilight_Kioku]

simple question: what is anime?
simple answer: japanese cartoons.
complicated answer:those animated shows from japan that are characterized by elaborated violence, wacky hairdoos and colors, long legs, and in some, those strange, gravity defying breasts.(example: magical shopping arcade abenobashi)

[Black Moon]

The term [I]actually[/I] derrives from the French word animé ... or is it animè? Never the less, in fact, several Japanese words come from French. Anyway, it's a common misconception thank the word "anime" comes from "animation". But, anyway, like many have stated before, anime is a style of art creacted by Japanese in Japan, that can include many different styles of art. It can be called
"cartoons" but many hard-corse anime fans will lash out at the term.

[Guest Alchemist]

Anime...why it is source of all power the judger of good and evil, anime is law. Just joking.
Though anime is just the translation for cartoons, they are differnet. Cartoons are like short skits and each epsode usually is not related to the last. Anime is continuing from the last episode, ya miss an episode then technically you are clueless to what is happening (but the real otaku has a story outline on standby :D )

[AzureWolf]

[COLOR=blue]Like most words, anime varies based on where you are. In the US, it's [i]technically[/i] any anime from Japan. In Japan, it's [i]technically[/i] any animated show.

However, the US meaning constantly has different connotations, and while no person is necessarily wrong, what anime means depends on who you ask. To some, it's a particular art style, and so shows like Teen Titans can be included (and if not, are still considered "anime-ish"). To others, anime is an epic story told through animation, and so people brush off anything that doesn't fit the bill.

And still to others, anime is considered animated porn. ^^[/COLOR]

[EVA Unit 100]

[quote name='Sepiroth']Though anime is just the translation for cartoons, they are differnet. Cartoons are like short skits and each epsode usually is not related to the last. Anime is continuing from the last episode, ya miss an episode then technically you are clueless to what is happening (but the real otaku has a story outline on standby :D )[/quote]

That is a complete misconsception. American cartoons can be full half-hours or even hours on length (2 hours at most if you are counting movies) and can have continuity in it. A great example would be the ongoing serial of Mask of Phantasm/Batman: The Animated Series/Superman: The Animated Series/SubZero/The New Batman Adventures/Justice League/Mystery of the Batwoman/Starcrossed/Justice League Unlimited/Awakening/Return of the Joker/Batman Beyond. While some episodes are standalones, the continuity is so intense most of the time that you'd be 200% clueless watching some episodes of Justice League Unlimited or Batman Beyond if you hadn't seen certain episodes of Batman the Animated Series that probably aired not long after, if not before, their target 9-14 audiences were born! And anime can be episodic. Not only would you not miss any plotpoints if you came in at any random point through the series of Azumanga Daioh, you wouldn't even miss any plotpoints if you came in at any point through an [I]episode[/I] of Azumanga Daioh! I bet you wouldn't even know the rest of the series/episode existed if you started watching when you did! You wouldn't even know there was a plot! Wait, there [I]was[/I] a plot!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! But the plot doesn't matter because you'll laugh your *** off even without any plot whatsoever! America has its Animaniacs and its Batman: The Animated Serieses, Japan has its Azumanga Daiohs and its Full Metal Alchemists. It's that variety that creates great, fresh, interesting, and fun shows!

[Sara]

[color=indigo]Interestingly enough, many of the 'signature' aspects of anime (freezes, rotating one image, animating only one part of a scene--say, a moving mouth or blinking eyes, etc.) were simply a result of low production values, and have been retained as an aesthetic choice.

I mean, some of it looks really lame in older shows, and you're not surprised it was a cost-cutting move. But you see some of the same stuff (if not as blatantly) today in various anime that simply puts the older stuff to shame. [/color]

[Lord Dante]

*adops yoda-like voice* simple answer i have, yes yes.


anime is anime. simple as that.