Anime and Manga

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LINKS:

Anime News Network

ANIME STUDIOS:

Central Park Media (U.S. Manga Corps)

FUNimation Productions

MANGA PRODUCERS:

SO,

EXACTLY WHAT ARE

ANIME AND MANGA?

NOW, CLASS, PAY ATTENTION!

THERE WILL BE A QUIZ ON THIS MATERIAL NEXT CLASS.

The word"anime" (pronounced "Annie May") comes from French and is simply Japanese for animation. In Japan, it would apply to any animated film; but here in America it would apply only to animated features made in Japan. The animation industry is a much comprises a much larger proportion of the cinema industry than it does here. While anime is entertainment, it offers much more than pure entertainment.. Its level of sophistication is generally far superior to that of the cartoon found in the rest of the world. Anime's range is diverse, ranging from the very silly to the very serious. Although it is produced primarily for children and young adults, it's level of sophistication is such that it often appeals to older adults as well. Anime has become a major way with which people outside of Japan become introduced to elements of Japanese culture.

Anime can appear in several different forms:

FULL-LENGTH FILM: These animes are made for the big screen. They feature some of the best artwork around. They can last anywhere from 60 minutes to two hours. They are sometimes tied to earlier series either as a condensation or as a separate episode.

TV EPISODES: These are the animes shown on TV in Japan. While the artwork may not always be as good, the number of episodes allow the anime more time to develop its characters. Twenty or more anime series may be running weekly on Japanese television.

ORIGINAL VIDEO ANIMATION (also known as OVA or OAV): These are animes that go directly to the video market. Their artwork is better than TV's, but they have much less time to develop the characters. OVA's are sometimes spinoffs of TV series, but others have more than one episode and stand on their own. They sometimes consist of material considered too much of a financial risk or too inappropriate contentwise for movie or TV release.

"Manga" is Japanese for comic books. Literally, it means whimsical pictures ("man"="whimsical" and "ga"="pictures").Again, as stated above, in Japan it would apply to any form of comics; but here in America it would apply only to comics from Japan. As with anime, Japanese manga is often more sophisticated than the comics found in the rest of the world. Originally, most anime was based on successful manga; although recently the reverse has sometimes occurred. In a sense, anime can be considered as "moving manga".Thus"anime" and "manga" are not synonyms as some uninformed people may think.

More Vocabulary Words for Your Next Quiz!

MY FAVORITE ANIME SERIES (AT THIS MOMENT!):

Blue Gender

Princess Nine

Vampire Princess Miyu

FYI, the definition of my favorite anime is that when I begin watching a disc from the series, I cannot turn it off until all the episodes on it have been completed. I would also be eager to rewatch a favorite anime at any time. As noted, my opinions are subject to change!

SOME OTHER ANIME SERIES I LIKE:

Battle Athletes Victory

Blue Seed

Bubblegum Crisis 2040

Cowboy Bebop

Crest of the Stars

Kurogane Communication

Maze

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

Now and Then, Here and There

Ramna 1/2

Saber Marionette