So you ask, "What is anime anyway?" Japanimation, or I prefer anime, is just as it sounds like, Japanese styled cartoons. Japanese animation goes places and does things that American animation rarely dares to do. Japanese animators take on tough subjects (wrenching drama, death, sex, and sorrow) and the tough settings (the high-tech, far future sci-fi) that Hollywood seems comfortable using only in live action. People who have seen the cartoons in Japanese and then watched the English dubbed version felt the shows were "butchered" because so much of the story was changed or taken out. That's why many of the uncut versions are only suitable for adults. Personally, I haven’t seen many of the Japanese original animation videos (OAV), so I don't really have an opinion on that.
Another popular form of anime in Japan is manga. Manga is the Japanese word for comics. It's quite similar to American comic books, except sharing the same qualities as anime. Mangas go through a long creation process. First, the cartoonist has to have an idea in mind and share his ideas with the publisher. Then the script is written and sketches are made. If the publisher sees anything he doesn't like, the cartoonist has to start from scratch. If it passes, he will call his assistants. They work hard, and the manga is finished at last. That's generally how mangas are created.
Are cartoons just for children? Not at all. In my opinion, I think cartoons should be appreciated by adults just as much as they are by kids. Whenever me and my brother watch cartoons in the living room, my dad always changes the channel after we're done so it won't be cartoons the next time the TV's turned on. He sees us watching Toonami day after day, and I finally convinced him to watch Gundam Wing. He got hooked, and now watches Dragon Ball Z and Tenchi Muyo with us often. I think adults just judge most cartoons too harshly before they get a chance to understand them. But that's why I love anime so much. It aims more towards teenagers and adults rather than just kids.
My ultimate goal is to become an animator in Japan. I love drawing cartoon characters, and I'm trying to get better and better at it. Often people ask me how I draw the way I do, and I know this is said a lot, but practice makes perfect. Really, it does. I had to practice a lot before I could draw as well as I can now, and I still have a lot to learn.
I hope I've made my point clear, and helped whoever is reading this understand anime somewhat better. What anime and manga is, and how it has affected me. That it should not be considered something just for kids.
-Jaz, Webmaster of Saiyan Anime Planet
