What is anime? Anime means animation in Japanese. Japanese animation is a special style of storytelling and filming. In the United States, animation and filming are two different things, but in Japan they are both the same. Unlike the U.S., cartoons aren't only made for children; it is also made for all types of audiences such as, children, teenagers, and even adults. There are all types of topics, from history, fantasy, drama, science to fiction, popular culture, cyber-reality, and more. In other words, for every category that there is for live action movies, there are one for anime.Anime is a thing that has taking over the internet also, more then half of the websites on the world wide web has been talking over by anime site. I have also been taking to the anime craze, by making my on website called Anime8 (http://anime8.cjb.net). The history of anime! First of all, though the public might think Japan "stole" comics from the West, this is not true. Japan has been making cartoon art for a very long time. There are humorous ink drawings of animals and caricatured people from hundreds of years ago, bearing striking resemblance to modern manga, a type of Japanese comicbook. The earliest Japanese animation were created by individual film hobbyists inspired by American and European pioneer animators. The first three Japanese cartoons were one to five minutes each, in 1917. Animation of the 1920s ran from one-to-three reels. These gradually reflected the growing influence of Japanese militarism, such as Mituyo Seo's 1934 11-minute cartoon. In 1943, the Imperial military government decided Japan needed its first animated film. Mituyo Seo was authorized to assemble a team of animators for the job. Their 74-minute Momotaro's "Gods-Blessed Sea Warriors" was released before the war's end. In the 1970's TV anime was dominated by dozens of giant-robot adventure serials. By the mid-1980s, anlime had been dominated by TV production for two decades. Recently, one anime cartoon called Pokemon took over in the U.S. Today, many of the titles and concepts that are stale in Japan are still fresh to American audiences, so anime still has an encouraging growth ahead of it in the U.S. How do they make anime cartoons? Japanese animators use practically the same material to make a cartoon as American animators. It is a long and tiring process. After the producer has determined the idea, the writers outline the plot and prepare a shooting script. The script is then broken down into sequences and scenes and their continuity illustrated step by step through a series of sketches. The script is then given to an animation director. Working from the storyboard, the director assigns each of the scenes to a particular animator, who is responsible for the key positions of the characters in his particular scene. Junior animators, or in-betweeners fill in the intermediate drawings, who round out the details of motion. Backgroundmen prepare the settings against which the actions are to take place. The drawings are then passed on to the inkers and painters, who transfer them to sheets of transparent plastic (celluloid is no longer used) and outline the drawings in pen and ink. If color is to be used, it is applied to the reverse side of the celluloid. The cameraman then shoots the drawings one frame at a time with the help of a special camera. Finally, the sound track-composed of dialogue, music, and sound effects-is adjusted with the pictures. So, what's the difference between anime and U.S. animation? One of the major differences between anime and U.S. animation is the quality of story telling and level of understanding at which the story develops. Though things are starting to change in the U.S., the majority of animation is set towards young children, But even the childish things tend not to be as simple-minded as the American versions. Surprisingly, much of Japanese manga and anime includes scenes of students in class or doing homework, or of people working in their offices. The work ethic seems omnipresent in the background. Manga and anime also tend to portray technology sympathetically, while some U.S. comics seem almost to avoid it, or simplify it as much as possible. Anime expand on regions that were only explored by live action films, by mixing heavy themes of drama, powerful emotional conflicts, and character development. In a way anime is also a state of mind; a state of understanding that many American animators have trouble getting to. The perception that anime is an acceptable medium for dramatic story telling and it is not only something meant for children and political satire. It is a concept that the American public may have a problem reaching, which is why it hasn't struck powerfully in the U.S. The other reason is that the media has a weird perception that anime is all violence (the opposite of children's animation in the U.S). For example, look at CNN: "…the standard cartoon genre in Japan … usually involves a series of … battle scenes in futuristic space settings." Battles in space? It is these perceptions that have kept anime very much underground. Parts of anime that most people don't see. Some people think that anime is all violence, but it is not. Just look at the magna, ME GUMI NO DAIGO. Daigo is a young firefighter who has a special talent to find people trapped in burning buildings. He uses this ability to help the society in more ways than one. This series usually has a lot of action and suspense, but there is no combat. There is blood, but only on those injured in the fires or accidents. There is no robots or space scenes, but this is everyday Japan. There is no weird science fiction in this series; the strangest it gets is when his mysterious impulses put him in situations in which he rescues and saves lives. There is however much emotional drama in this series. As he tries to exercise his impulses he learns more and more about himself. There is also the Playstation anime game FINAL FANTASY VII. It contains many different elements: action, mecha (robots) and more. But just to focus on these elements would be an insult to the game. The events revolve a boy named Cloud. He starts out a cold and almost heartless young man, yet inside he is small and frightened. You don't see it at first but some of his worst failures are because of his own fears. As you get into the game you start to find out that with the help of his friends he able to selflessly care for others. By doing this he can finally look inside himself and conquer what ever is holding him back before he can really succeed in his mission. It is these parts of anime and more, which make anime what it truly is. What am I saying ? What it comes down to is this. Anime isn't just science fiction, the sword and sorcery. Not just the heavy drama or historical accounts. It is a state of mind and a feeling shown through art. Points of understanding that many American animators have a problem getting to. Anime is that and a lot more. So the next time you see an anime cartoon come on your television don't look at it the same way. For it is more than entertainment, it is a way of life.