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The English word transliterates a Japanese term. General etymological belief traces it in its turn to an abbreviation of the Japanese transliteration of the English word "animation" (shortened, as many foreign words appear in Japanese). Some anime fans claim the Japanese word comes from the French animé, ("animated"). Most Japanese do not believe this derivation.
The voice actors for anime usually bear the Japanese equivalent designation: seiyuu.
Anime features a great variety of genres, unique artistic style and deep, emotional stories. As with live-action cinema, it spans: adventure, science fiction, children's stories, romance, medieval fantasy, erotica (hentai) and others. Anime has become an expressly commercial art form; producers and marketers aim for very specific audiences, with well-defined categories for shonen (boys) and shoujo (girls) genres, as well as for teenagers and adults.
Critics contend that the name "anime" seems very appropriate, for the cartoons appear "almost animated". Anime features an almost miserly animation compared to the American style of animation, such as that of Disney. Anime studios have perfected techniques to draw as little new animation as possible, such as scrolling or repeating backgrounds, still shots of characters sliding across the screen and dialogue which involves only animating the mouths while the rest of the screen remains absolutely still. Others argue that the best anime emphasize sophisticated direction over actual animation (character movement), providing an illusion of motion where none exists.
Traditionally, boys and young men comprise the main audience outside Japan, so most translated anime tends to belong to the shonen style, such as Bubblegum Crisis, Tenchi Muyo and Gundam. However, shoujo anime has had some recent success in the West in the form of Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Anime fans hope that the positive publicity surrounding Hayao Miyazaki's acclaimed film Spirited Away winning the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature may spur further mainstream acceptance of the form.
In North America public reaction to anime remains mixed, with lingering stereotypes of television series like Speed Racer combining with sensationalized reports of the more risqué adult entertainment productions. However, anime series have become a staple of cable television such as the Cartoon Network for both their children's and adult programming blocks, and now on the dedicated Anime Network. Anime has in the last few years become an extremely strong seller on home video, with many major retailers now carrying and displaying anime as a distinct genre.
Strong North American sales of anime (such as Spirited Away) have encouraged Disney to announce the video release of two more Hayao Miyazaki features in late 2003 (after years of that company seemingly ignoring them).
North Americans now have ready access to anime works. Local networks in the United States, such as Fox and the WB, have imports from the east in their Saturday morning children's television blocks. One can find an even greater selection of anime on the Cartoon Network. The Action Channel also shows anime movies frequently. YTV and Teletoon in Canada also have a few anime programs on their schedules. Last but not least, the VOD service "Anime Network", the first channel in North America wholly dedicated to anime, started operations in late 2002.
Print publications focused on the world of anime have also become increasingly popular in the United States, with Newtype USA (the English-language version of the Japanese magazine Newtype) the circulation leader.
Many of the more serious anime, and many of the direct-to-video productions called OVA (Original Video Animation), originate with an American anime fan audience in mind. In Japan these more serious animes lack the popularity of the more children-focused productions — although in Japan adults also greatly appreciate these seemingly children-oriented animes.
Anime conventions form an important focus for the anime fan base. Often annual, these conventions allow fanss of anime to come together and socialize on a large scale. Many conventions invite guests from overseas. Some of the longer-established and larger conventions include:
Anime characteristics
Outside Japan
Growth in North America
Notable names in Anime
Types of Anime
by Target audience
Genres
(lolicon/Shota/yaoi/yuri are also used to talk about pornographic material)List of Japanese Animation Studios
List of non-Japanese Anime Distributors
See also
External links
General sites
Specific pages/articles
Specific anime companies