Anime in a nutshell

Everyone has heard of anime before, and people usually associate it with either cartoons or weird Japanese porn. But what is anime, exactly?

The word anime is an abbreviation of the word animation. In Japan, the word's used to refer to all animation. Outside of Japan, it's become the catch-all term for animation from Japan.

For decades, anime was produced by and for Japan - a local product, with a distinct look-and-feel to not just the artwork but the storytelling, the themes, and the concepts. Over the last forty years, though, it's become an international phenomenon, attracting millions of fans and being translated into many languages. A whole generation of viewers in the West have grown up with it and are now passing it on to their own children.

What is it that makes anime so special?

Most anime fans can sum this up in two words: "It's different." Anime is as unlike most American cartoons as, say, Batman and Spider-Man are different from the comics that run in daily papers. The differences show up in many ways:

-Artwork. Anime art styles range from the flamboyant and outlandish (Samurai Champloo, FLCL) to the simple and direct (Azumanga Daioh!). That said, even shows with more "basic" artwork can still be visually striking; anime finds ways to make everything look fresh and new.

-Storytelling. Anime doesn't shy away from epic storylines, which can run for dozens (sometimes hundreds) of episodes. The best anime, though, no matter what their length, all demand great emotional involvement from the viewer.

-Breadth of material. The sheer range of anime shows out there means a viewer of most any other kind of TV or movies can find an anime series that reflects her interests: hard SF (Planetes), romantic comedy (Fruits Basket), CSI-style crimefighting (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), female empowerment (Nana), even adaptations of classic literature (Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo).

-Cultural nuances. Japan's history, language and worldview are woven into a great deal of anime on many levels. Some shows are takeoffs on Japanese history (Sengoku Basara) or raid Japanese mythology for story ideas (Hakkenden, Hell Girl). Even shows that are outwardly non-Japanese in their presentation (Claymore, Monster) have tinges of a Japanese sensibility to them.

What's most striking is how anime's impact is coming full circle. Some recent American cartoon productions, like Avatar: The Last Airbender, are openly inspired by anime itself, and live-action English-language versions of anime titles are starting to come into production.