As we approach this coming week where we will discuss the anime genre, I would like to take this post to talk about anime in general. It’s definition, defining characteristics, and why I believe it to be the most entertaining. Lets start with the first question, “What is an anime?”. Merriam-Webster defines anime as, “a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes”. As great of a definition as this is, I have created my own. Anime is an animated depiction of real life emotions. What I mean by this is that anime, unlike any other genre, has the ability to convey emotion in a vivid, real, and personal manner. The style of anime makes it the perfect medium for amazing stories and characters to emerge that can bring rise to powerful emotions.
Let’s explain the defining characteristics of anime. There are three main features of an anime, the style, the characters, and the story. First, let’s look at the style. There are multiple styles an animator can use, it depends on the sub-genre of the animation. Romance, comedies ,and children’s animes usually have a more rounded style. The environment is usually colored with lighter colors, and the characters have more rounded features. In more dramatic animes the style is more angular, and obviously the color scheme is darker. The overarching characteristic is that exaggeration is a core technique used in anime. The exaggeration of facial expressions and character features is key to an anime.
The last two are very much intertwined. The characters and story of an anime are extremely different than those of other types of animation. They are often original stories, unlike those of early disney animation, and they are often set in an alternate or futuristic setting. The story usually involves some form of extravagant goal, usually the core battle of good versus evil. The often have some more mature language and themes, but only when it is necessary to add to the story. Characters are also incredibly different. They are usually young, early teens or 20’s. They often are incredibly driven and powerful, or are cunning and intellectual. The main character usually always has some sort of human element that makes it easy to relate to him or her. The main character almost always goes through some sort of personal transformation, showing character progression.
Overall, anime is an unique style of animation that holds a special place in my heart. If anyone needs suggestions for good animes, or wants to suggest one to me, please feel free to approach me and talk about it. The best animes are the ones that are shared anyway 🙂
titotot 
I agree with what you say about anime. What sets it apart from other cartoons, aside form the style, are the grittier action scenes, more mature language and themes, and more complex story lines. One of the most popular anime shows out of Japan, Dragonball Z, was pretty violent. There was blood, bone-breaking fights, and lots of death. Similar anime shows with lots of violence, blood, and more mature language included “Gundam Wing,” “Rurouni Kenshin,” and “Cyborg 009.” They would run these shows in the late afternoons every weekday on Cartoon Network, when younger audiences would watch after school. This was before most of those shows were moved to the “Adult Swim” block around midnight. Compare anime shows to shows like “Kids Next Door” or “Danny Phantom.” Those were not anime shows out of Japan, and so, were nothing like them. The violence was toned down, The storylines were silly and not complex whatsoever, there was no blood, and there was never any edgy language. Also in those kinds of shows, people never died, they were just defeated, knocked out, or, in Kids Next Door’s case, covered in ketchup from a ketchup gun.
Thank you, I enjoyed learning about characteristics of what makes anime, anime. I really enjoy the style of anime. I was wondering do you prefer the Western style of animation or the anime style?
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