I've heard what people ussually think about someone who likes anime or manga: A loser, a geek, a non normal person. The fact is, that watching anime doesn't make you a geek and a poor 20 years old desperate virgin, as liking cats doesn't make you a 50 years old single woman. I know, stereotypes sucks.
I used to read manga because is art (the drawings, the stories). I started watching anime when i started learning japanese, i liked it.
I hope this post and the information i compilated can change the way you see manga and anime, and people who likes it. Otaku is an incorrect word, you'll know why...
Early History.
The first known piece of anime dates from 1917. It is a short cartoon by an anonymous animator that tells a story with Japanese cultural associations, namely a comedy involving a samurai warrior. This dates anime as slightly younger than the animation traditions of Europe and America, which were probably influential to the first Japanese animators. In 1933, Kenzō Masaoka produced "Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka," which was the first piece of anime to use synchronized sound, following Walt Disney's talkie "Steamboat Willie" by 4 years.
Anime is, in fact, an abbreviated pronunciation of Animation in Japan. Just like Manga, Anime is quite well known around the world. The distributors can release Anime through video, TV broadcasts, theater and even internet.
Anime Style.
Anime can be computer animated or hand drawn. They both exist. The oldest anime that existed was first screened in 1917. It was about two minutes and was about a Samurai testing his sword on a target but fails in that. It was around that animation became another way of telling the live stories. But there was so much competition for that animation because the others produced excellent story telling techniques with a cheaper cost.
It is difficult to define anime in terms of its style since it incorporates so many different ways of visualizing animated images. In its most traditional form, anime resembles American animation and grew in terms of realism throughout the 20th century. However, anime is also sometimes much more stylized and relies on overlapping patterns or the scale of objects rather than the western notions of perspective to define a three-dimensional space. In this way, anime is influenced by classical Japanese art such as watercolor or ink scroll paintings.
Evolution.
Something that's become noticeable with the rise of Japanese pop culture in America (The continent) is the tendency for mainstream news sources to go to bizarre places when reporting about anime. Chances are good that if you're reading an article about anime or manga in your local paper, you should be prepared for random, barely-formed facts to be pulled out of the air.
As anime grew into a worldwide phenomenon during the twentieth century, traditional Japanese subject matter was gradually replaced by more broad storytelling that could be enjoyed by a wider audience. The advent of television in the 1950s gave anime a new outlet, and some of the most well known anime characters are actually from serialized television programs. Anime also grew in terms of realism, partly due to new techniques for reproducing images, especially by using computers to add complexity.
Key Figures.
The first Japanese animator with a work attributed to him is Oten Shimokawa, who made "Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki" in 1917. In the late-1910s, Kitayama Seitaro founded his own animation studio in Japan and pioneered many techniques, including the reuse of background images. Seitaro's studio spawned an entire generation of anime practitioners that included Noburō Ōfuji, Murato Yosuji and Kimura Hakuzan. Today, many of the best-known modern Japanese animators are products of the Toei studio, which was founded in 1948. They include Go Nagai, Hayao Miyazaki and Yoichi Kotabe.
Key Films and Franchises.
One of the most important anime works was "Akira," which was released internationally in 1989. Distributed by Orion pictures and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, "Akira" brought anime to the attention of the American public at large. In 1985, Studio Ghibli was founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, who would themselves become known internationally. Today, Miyazaki is among the best-known animators around the world, famous for his films such as "My Neighbor Totoro," "Castle in the Sky," "Princess Mononoke" and "Ponyo."
Anime is still treated like a bemusing mystery in most mainstream American publications. Most writers are generally disinterested on the topic and often confused by what their kids (if applicable) see in Pikachu. This has given rise to rumours about the medium that are mostly harmless, but can get twisted over time by news sources that do thrive on scare tactics. Some of those rumours include:
“What's acceptable on Japanese children's television would be considered pornographic in America.” Not really. What's considered pornographic in America is pornographic in Japan, too. It's true that Japan's a little more liberal than America with certain content on kids' shows: Some character might cross dress (you know, like Bugs Bunny used to?) and there will almost definitely be poop and fart jokes that are a little more gratuitous than what we're used to. A female character might have her boobies grabbed through her clothes.
Japan is undeniably well-known for its, er, erotic cartoons, but those are hardly considered appropriate for children. Not to say dad's stash always remains undiscovered.
Magazines and newspapers are also fond of proclaiming that manga and anime has swear words steaming on every page. That's a little trickier to determine, since Japanese is a funny language where the speaker's tone counts more than the words he chooses. “Kuso” is a common curse that translates roughly as “Damn,” and things rarely get worse than that. In fact, Japanese is an interesting language with disappointingly bland curses. Look them up someday.
“Anime fans refer to themselves as 'otaku.'” Er, some do. Most regularly the fans who have no idea what's behind the word. In Japan, “otaku” carries a very negative meaning: It refers to an obsessed loser who may or may not be homocidial. American anime fans use the word to (attempt to) refer to themselves in a less negative way. Overall opinion of the world's usage depends on whom you're talking to.
“Anime is all big-eyes, small-mouth.” Anime and manga has enough genres to put America's comic industry to shame, and the art varies greatly in between each. Shonen (boy-oriented action manga) and shojo (girl-oriented action manga) are two of the most common genres, and not surprisingly it's shonen that Americans are most familiar with: Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Pokemon, Digimon, and even going as far back as Voltron and Speed Racer. Shonen and shojo most definitely employ the big-eyes and small-mouth style, but lately Americans have seen what else Japan has to offer. Seinen series such as Death Note and Mushishi are made for adult audiences and offer character designs that are far less glittery than what we're used to.
Some Anime and Manga facts.
1.The word "anime" (pronounced ahn-e-may) is synonymous with, and often used to describe the art of Japanese animation.
2.Anime is not synonymous with 'cartoon' despite the popular belief held by the uneducated masses. Anime is considered to be an art form by those who appreciate it, and is not specifically intended for children like American cartoons often are. A wide range of audiences are targetted with complicated, indepth, and emotional storylines.
3. In Japan, there are more than 40 new animes appear on television per week.
4.In Japan more paper are used to print manga than toilet paper.
5.Anime began in 1917 by Japanese artists: Shimokawa Oten, Jun’ichi Kouchi, and Seitarō Kitayama.
6.In Japanese manga means 'whimsical pictures'.
7.All manga is drawn by hand.
8.Tezuka Osamu is the most famous manga artis in Japan.
Finally, some of my favorites OP and Endings. (I love music)
[quote]watching anime doesn't make you a geek and a poor 20 years old desperate virgin, as liking cats doesn't make you a 50 years old single woman[/quote]
Yay! Hahaha
Great post, as usual :D
[quote]The fact is, that watching anime doesn't make you a geek and a poor 20 years old desperate virgin, as liking cats doesn't make you a 50 years old single woman. I know, stereotypes sucks.[/quote]
great that you made that post! i found it so interesting!
The fact is, that watching anime doesn't make you a geek and a poor 20 years old desperate virgin, as liking cats doesn't make you a 50 years old single woman. I know, stereotypes sucks.
great that you made that post! i found it so interesting!
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9 comments
Yay! Hahaha
Great post, as usual
great that you made that post! i found it so interesting!