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:''This article is about Japanese animation. For the oleo-resin, see [[Animé (oleo-resin)]].''
[[Image:Cowboy_bebop01.jpg|frame|right|A scene from ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' (1998)]]
'''Anime''' (アニメ) is [[Japan]]ese [[animation]], often characterized by stylized colorful images depicting vibrant characters in a variety of different settings and storylines, aimed at a variety of different audiences. Anime is influenced by the drawing style of [[manga]], or Japanese comics.
== Terminology ==
The [[Japanese language|Japanese]] term for animation is アニメーション
(''animēshon'', pronounced: {{IPA|/ɑnimɛːʃɔn/}}), written in [[katakana]]. It is a direct transliteration of the English term "animation." The Japanese term is abbreviated as アニメ (''anime'', pronounced: {{IPA|/ɑnimɛ/}} ). Both the original and abbreviated forms are valid and interchangeable in Japanese. The term is a broad one, and does not specify a animation's nation of origin or style.
In turn, the [[English language|English]] word ''anime'' is a [[transliteration]] of the abbreviated version of this [[Japanese language|Japanese]] term, and it is typically pronounced as {{IPA|/ˈænɪˌmei/}}. As with a few other Japanese words such as ''[[Pokémon]]'' and [[Kobo Abé]], anime is sometimes spelled as ''animé'' in [[English language|English]] with an [[acute accent]] over the final ''e'' to cue the reader that the letter is pronounced as {{IPA|[e]}}. For example, "Abé" can be mistaken as a nickname for Abraham without the accent, which wouldn't pronounce the last letter.
Internationally, anime once bore the popular name ''Japanimation'', but this term has fallen into disuse. It saw the most usage during the [[1970s]] and [[1980s]], which broadly comprise the first and second [[waves]] of anime [[fandom]]. The term survived at least into the early [[1990s]] but seemed to fade away shortly before the mid-1990s anime resurgence. In general, the term now only appears in nostalgic contexts. The term ''Japanimation'' is much more commonly used in Japan to refer to domestic animation. Since ''anime'' or ''animeshon'' is used in Japan to describe all forms of animation regardless of national origin, ''Japanimation'' is meant to distinguish Japanese work from that of the rest of the world.
In more recent years, anime has also frequently been referred to as [[manga]] in Europe, a practice that may stem from the Japanese usage. In Japan, manga refers to both animation and comics. Among English speakers, manga usually has the stricter meaning of "Japanese comics". An alternate explanation is that it is due to the prominence of [[Manga Entertainment]], a distibutor of anime to the US and UK markets. This term is much more common in Europe since Manga Entertainment started out in the UK.
The [[voice actor]]s for anime usually bear the Japanese equivalent designation, ''[[seiyu|seiyū]]''.
== History ==
[[Image:Astroboy.png|right|thumb|Astro Boy, star of the long-running [[science fiction]] series ''[[Astro Boy]]''. (1963-1966)]]
:''Main article: [[History of anime]]''
Though filmmakers in Japan had been experimenting with animation beforehand, the first widely popular anime series was [[Osamu Tezuka]]'s ''[[Astro Boy]]'' in [[1963]]. During the [[1970s]], anime developed further, separating itself from its Western roots, and developing unique genres such as giant robots (popularly known among English-speaking fans as [[mecha]]). Notable shows in this period include ''[[Lupin III]]'' and ''[[Mazinger Z]]''.
In the [[1980s]], anime found itself accepted in the mainstream in Japan, and experienced a boom in production. The start of the [[Gundam]] franchise, and the beginnings of [[Rumiko Takahashi]]'s career have their roots here. ''[[Akira (film)|Akira]]'' set records in [[1988]] for the production costs of an anime.
The [[1990s]] and [[2000s]] saw the increased acceptance of anime in overseas markets. ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' was widely popular in Japan and attracted attention in the West. ''[[Spirited Away]]'' shared the first prize at the [[2002]] [[Berlin Film Festival]] and won the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature]] in [[2003]], and ''[[Innocence: Ghost in the Shell]]'' was featured at the [[2004 Cannes Film Festival]].
== Characteristics ==
Anime features a wide variety of [[genre]]s and unique artistic styles which varies from artist to artist. It can have as many genres as [[live action]] cinema, including [[adventure]], [[science fiction]], children's stories, [[romance]], medieval [[fantasy]], [[erotica]] ([[hentai]]), occult/horror, action. Most anime includes a variety of thematic elements. For example, it is not uncommon for strongly action-themed anime to involve humor, romance, and even poignant [[social commentary]], and romance-themed anime may involve a strong action element.
Anime is often an explicitly commercial art form; producers and marketers aim for very specific audiences, with focused categories for [[shonen|shōnen]] (boys) and [[shojo|shōjo]] (girls) genres, as well as for teenagers and adults.
[[Osamu Tezuka]] adapted and simplified many [[Disney]] animation precepts to reduce the budget and number of frames. This was intended to be a temporary measure to allow him to produce one episode every week with inexperienced animation staff. Anime studios have since perfected techniques to draw as little new animation as possible, using scrolling or repeating backgrounds, still shots of characters sliding across the screen, and dialogue which involves only animating the mouths while the rest of the screen remains absolutely still, a technique not wholly unfamiliar to Western animation. The overall effect of these techniques—reduced [[frame rate]], many still shots, scrolling backgrounds—has led some critics to accuse anime of choppiness or poor quality in general. (See also [[limited animation]].)
However, there are often scenes where the frame rate of the animation far exceeds the norm of the rest of the work. These are commonly called "money shots" outside Japan, where more effort is put into the animation of one scene to give it emphasis over the rest of the work. Animator [[Yasuo Otsuka]] was the pioneer of this technique.
Exceptions to these rules are big budget films, such as those produced by the enormously successful Studio Ghibli. These movies have much higher production values, due to their anticipated success at the box office. Some animators in Japan can overcome production values by utilizing different techniques than Disney or the old Tezuka/Otsuka norms of anime. Directors such as [[Hiroyuki Imaishi]] (''RE: Cutey Honey'', ''Dead Leaves'') simplify backgrounds so that more attention can be paid to character animation. Other animators like Tatsuyuki Tanaka (in [[Koji Morimoto]]'s ''Eternal Family'' in particular) use [[squash and stretch]], an animation technique not often used by Japanese animators; Tanaka makes other shortcuts to compensate for this. Some higher-budgeted television and OVA series (Original Video Animation) also forego shortcuts found in most other anime.
In short, anime tends to be dominated by a school of animation thought that emphasizes direction over character motion as means to save money. Other schools of thought in animation do exist in Japan but these works are less common.
[[Image:Lum-Uresei-Yatsura.png|thumb|250px|left|Lum from ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' is one of the most iconic anime characters]]
Anime has been available in the [[North America]] and [[Europe]] for some time. Anime releases there are usually [[dubbing|dubbed]] into the language of the country in which they are released. Anime series are also sometimes edited by [[Western world|Western]] distributors to remove what they feel local audiences would consider to be objectionable content. This is especially true with series that are marketed to children, such as the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! (second series anime)|Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' anime (''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters'' in Japan) produced by [[Nihon Ad Systems]] and ''[[Pokémon]]''. In other cases, editing is done to change content to make it easier for Western viewers to understand. Some anime enthusiasts object to one or both forms of editing. Those viewers often watch anime titles in [[DVD]] format, because DVD releases are typically unedited and often include both the dubbed audio and the original Japanese audio with [[subtitle]]s. Another advantage of DVD releases is that there are no [[Television commercial|commercial]]s, unlike in [[television]] releases. Although it is a violation of [[copyright]] laws in most countries, some fans also watch ''[[fansub]]s'', recordings of anime series that have been subtitled by fans. The ethical implications of producing, distributing, or watching fansubs is a topic of much controversy. ''See [[fansub]] for further discussion of those ethical issues.''
Mainstream anime is often very stylized. Because of this stylization certain features or concepts have become so common that they have been given names of their own. Often in comedic anime, characters that are shocked or surprised will perform a "face fault", in which they take an extremely exaggerated expression. Angry characters may exhibit a "vein" or "stressmark" effect, where four lines representing stylized bulging veins will appear on their forehead. Angry women will sometimes summon a mallet from nowhere and strike someone with it, leading to the concept of [[Hammerspace]]. Embarrassed characters will invariably produce a massive sweat-drop, which has become something of a stereotype of anime.
More auteuristic schools of anime don't use such shorthands or find different but similar ways to express the same thing. [[FLCL]] is known for more wild exaggerated stylized emotions than in most mainstream works. In contrast an [[Isao Takahata]] film like [[Only Yesterday]] takes a much more realistic approach emphasizing realism over stylization.
Another unique aspect of anime not found in other commercial animation markets is the lack of a directoral system. In most animation produced around the world animators are all forced to conform to a set style by the director or animation director. In Japan starting with the animation director [[Yoshinori Kanada]] (as a means to save time and money) each animator brings his/her own style to the work. The most extreme examples of this can be found in ''[[Mindgame]]'' or ''[[The Hakkenden]]''. ''The Hakkenden'' is particularly extreme showing constanly shifting styles of animation based upon the key animator that worked on that particular episode. This approach combined with Otsuka's "money shots" make key animators important individuals in the style and production of an anime film.
Many non-Japanese cartoons are starting to incorporate mainstream anime shortcuts and symbols as a result of the tremendous growth of the art form.
=== The "large eyes" style ===
Large, saucer-like eyes are a striking and common feature of anime characters. This is mainly due to the influence of Osamu Tezuka, who was inspired by the exaggerated features of Western cartoon characters such as [[Betty Boop]] and [[Mickey Mouse]] and from [[Disney]]'s [[Bambi]]. Tezuka found that large eyes allowed his characters to better express their emotions. Some Western audiences have interpreted such stylized eyes as more Caucasian, but Japanese animators and audiences do not perceive them as being inherently more or less foreign. Kyoto Seika University associate professor and translator Matt Thorn examines these perceptions as an anthropological issue in [http://www.matt-thorn.com/mangagaku/faceoftheother.html The Face of the Other] essay.
When he began drawing ''[[Princess Knight|Ribbon No Kishi]]'', the first manga specifically targeted at young girls, Tezuka further exaggerated the size of the characters' eyes. Indeed, through ''Ribbon No Kishi'', Tezuka set a stylistic template that later ''shōjo'' artists tended to follow.
== Notable names in anime ==
The following section is devoted to those artists who made an impact through direct contributions to anime as opposed to other artists who were in manga and other fields that had an impact on the development of Japanese animation.
=== Production of anime ===
*[[Osamu Tezuka]] directed the first fictional anime [[television]] series ''[[Astro Boy]]'' and pioneered many conventions of the Japanese style of animation. He is also known for his highly acclaimed work in [[independent animation]]. His iconic work ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' may have been an influence on [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s ''[[The Lion King]]''.
*[[Leiji Matsumoto]] is commonly credited for starting the [[Golden Age of Anime]] in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He achieved fame for creating several interconnecting [[space opera]] series.
*[[Yoshiyuki Tomino]] was the principle creator of the various [[Mobile Suit Gundam]] series which re-defined the giant robot genre in the 1970s and 1980s.
*[[Hayao Miyazaki]] has achieved general respect as director and producer of many important anime works such as ''Kaze no Tani no Naushika'' (''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind]]''), ''Majo no Takkyuubin'' (''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]''), ''Mononoke Hime'' (''[[Princess Mononoke]]''), ''Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi'' (''[[Spirited Away]]''), and ''Hauru no Ugoku Shiro'' (''[[Howl's Moving Castle]]''). His works typically feature elaborate and painterly background drawings combined with animation that has higher framerates (and budgets) than most anime productions.
*[[Shoji Kawamori|Shōji Kawamori]] is a renowned [[mecha]] designer, having received awards even from Japanese industries and companies.
*[[Yoshitaka Amano]]'s flowing artwork has spread widely in the west; as well as being responsible for anime features such as ''[[Angel's Egg]]'' and ''[[Vampire Hunter D]]'', he has produced concept art for [[Squaresoft]], including character designs for the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series of games. He has also collaborated with [[Neil Gaiman]] on ''Sandman: The Dream Hunters''.
*[[Image:Ghostintheshell.jpg|thumb|250px|Still from the movie ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' (1995)]][[Mamoru Oshii]] gained notoriety and worldwide popularity through his two ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' movies. He also created ''[[Dallos]]'', and was a former member of [[Headgear]] involved in creation of the ''[[Patlabor]]'' series. Considered a "genius" by [[Stanley Kubrick]] himself, he has directed a number of anime projects and live action films including ''[[Avalon_%28Japanese_film%29|Avalon]]'' in 2001. His film ''[[Innocence: Ghost in the Shell]]'' (''Inosensu: Kokaku Kidotai'') was selected to compete at the [[2004 Cannes Film Festival]].
*[[Hideaki Anno]], a controversial figure, directed the ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' series and three live-action movies. He also directed the first part of the television adaptation of the manga ''[[His and Her Circumstances]]'' (''Kareshi Kanojo no jijou'').
* [[Shinichiro Watanabe]] is a well-known young director who has overseen such projects as ''[[Macross Plus]]'' and ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]''.
*[[Kon_Satoshi|Satoshi Kon]], director of ''[[Perfect Blue]]'' and ''[[Millennium Actress]]'', is often seen as the most promising young director of anime.
* [[Shinichi Watanabe]], also known as "Nabeshin", directed and appeared in the popular parody anime ''[[Excel Saga]]'', and is well-known for his gonzo animation style.
=== Manga artists ===
The work of prominent [[manga]] (Japanese comics) artists often has an impact on anime, even when they are not themselves directly involved in anime.
*[[Go Nagai]]'s contributions to anime and manga compare with [[Jack Kirby]]'s work in [[comic book]]s. Nagai pioneered several genres and for years many producers imitated his style. His action-packed [[science fiction]] series featured among the first anime widely broadcast in the United States (under the American titles ''[[Force Five]]'' and ''[[Tranzor Z]]''). Most of these works were originally written by Nagai as manga.
*[[Rumiko Takahashi]], one of the wealthiest women of Japan, is the mind behind the popular ''[[Maison Ikkoku]]'', ''[[Ranma 1/2]]'', ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' and ''[[InuYasha]]'' manga. These titles were brought into anime to enjoy even more success. Nearly all of her series are long-running, spanning many volumes and episodes upon television adaption.
*[[Akira Toriyama]] is the author of the ''[[Dragon Ball]]'' manga, which was later adapted into the incredibly popular ''Dragon Ball'' and ''[[Dragon Ball Z]]'' anime series. He is also known for his character design in [[Chrono Trigger]]. His work has also inspired other manga artists in their creations.
*[[CLAMP]] is a team of four female manga artists whose distinctive work has contributed to the development of the ''shōjo'' genre. Their influential output includes ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'', ''[[Chobits]]'', ''[[X/1999]]'', and ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]''.
*[[Kenichi Sonoda]], the creator of ''[[Gunsmith Cats]]'', has lent his skills as a character designer to several anime, including ''[[Gall Force]]'', ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'', and ''[[Otaku no Video]]''. He was also the production designer on ''[[Wings of Honneamise]]''.
*[[Masamune Shirow]] is the artist behind the original manga of ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'', basis of the renowned film adaptation by Mamoru Oshii.
=== Others who have influenced anime ===
*[[Satoshi Tajiri]]'s game series, ''[[Pokémon]]'', inspired the famous anime series of the same name, with over six seasons on television and seven movies.
*[[Yoko Kanno]] is a celebrated composer/musician and is well-known in the anime community. She has arranged musical scores for many different anime, working with the most prominent names in the industry, including: Shinichiro Watanabe on ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]''; Mamoru Oshii on ''[[Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]''; and Shōji Kawamori on ''[[Macross Plus]]'' and ''[[Earth Girl Arjuna]]''.
*[[Megumi Hayashibara]] is a highly-prolific ''[[Seiyu|seiyū]]'' ([[voice actress]]) who has played the roles of a great many important anime characters, including [[Hello Kitty]], Rei Ayanami (''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''), female Ranma ([[Ranma ½]]), Faye Valentine (''[[Cowboy Bebop]]''), Lina Inverse (''[[Slayers]]''), Lime (''[[Saber Marionette J]]''), and others—too many to mention.
== Notable and popular works ==
Any names cited beside a title refer to the original creators, unless otherwise noted.
[[Image:Lupin III.png|thumb|250px|right|''[[Lupin III]]'']]
=== Pioneer works ===
*''[[Astro Boy]]'' (1963), [[Osamu Tezuka]]
*''[[Gigantor]]'' (1963), [[Mitsuteru Yokoyama]]
*''[[Speed Racer]]'' (1967), [[Tatsuo Yoshida]]
*''[[Cyborg 009]]'' (1968), [[Shotaro Ishinomori]]
*''[[Lupin III]]'' (1971), [[Monkey Punch]]
*''[[Gatchaman]]'' (1972) aka ''[[Battle of the Planets]]'', Tatsuo Yoshida
*''[[Devilman]]'' (1972), [[Go Nagai]]
=== [[Space opera]] anime ===
*''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' (1974) aka ''Star Blazers'', [[Leiji Matsumoto]]
*''[[Captain Harlock]]'' (1978), [[Leiji Matsumoto]]
*''[[The Super Dimension Fortress Macross|Macross]]'' (1982), [[Shoji Kawamori|Shōji Kawamori]]
*''[[Gunbuster]]'' (1988), Hideaki Anno (director)
*''[[Legend of the Galactic Heroes]]'' (1988), Noburo Ishiguro (director) and [[Yoshiki Tanaka]] (original story)
*''[[Crest of the Stars]]'' (1999), based on novels by [[Morioka Hiroyuki]]
=== [[Mecha|Giant Robot (Mecha)]] anime ===
[[Image:EvaUnit02Still.jpg|thumb|right|A mecha from ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''.]]
*''[[Mazinger Z]]'' (1972), Go Nagai
*''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' (1979), [[Yoshiyuki Tomino]]
*''[[Patlabor]]'' (1983), [[Masami Yuuki]]/[[Mamoru Oshii]] (director)
*''[[Transformers series|Transformers]]'' (1984)
*''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'' (1987), [[Kenichi Sonoda]] (character design)
*''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' (1995), [[Hideaki Anno]] (director)
=== Later classics ===
[[image:EG_Arjuna.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''[[Earth Girl Arjuna]]'']]
*''[[Angel's Egg]]'' (1985), Mamoru Oshii/Yoshitaka Amano (character design)
*''[[Wings of Honneamise]]'' (1987), Hideaki Anno (director)
*''[[Akira]]'' (1988), [[Katsuhiro Otomo]]
*''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' (1995), Mamoru Oshii (director)
*''[[Perfect Blue]]'' (1997), [[Satoshi Kon]]
*''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'' (1998), [[Chiaki J. Konaka]]
*''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' (1998), [[Shinichiro Watanabe]]
*''[[Trigun]]'' (1998), [[Yasuhiro Nightow]]
*''[[FLCL]]'' (2000), [[Kazuya Tsurumaki]]
*''[[Earth Girl Arjuna]]'' (2001), Shōji Kawamori (director)
*''[[Metropolis (2001 movie)|Metropolis]]'' (2001), Osamu Tezuka
*''[[Hellsing]]'' (2002), [[Kohta Hirano]]
*''[[Naruto (manga)|Naruto]]'' (2002), [[Masashi Kishimoto]]
=== [[Studio Ghibli]] works ===
[[Image:1totoro.jpg|thumb|250px|right|''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'']]
*''[[Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind]]'' (1984), Hayao Miyazaki
*''[[Castle in the Sky]]'' (1986), [[Hayao Miyazaki]]
*''[[Grave of the Fireflies]]'' (1988), [[Isao Takahata]]
*''[[My Neighbor Totoro]]'' (1988), [[Hayao Miyazaki]]
*''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'' (1989), [[Hayao Miyazaki]]
*''[[Only Yesterday]]'' (1991), [[Isao Takahata]] (director)
*''[[Princess Mononoke]]'' (1997), [[Hayao Miyazaki]]
*''[[Spirited Away]]'' (2001), [[Hayao Miyazaki]]
*''[[Howl's Moving Castle]]'' (2004), [[Hayao Miyazaki]]
=== [[History of Japan#Feudal Japan|Samurai-era]] anime ===
*''[[Ninja Scroll]]'' (1995), [[Yoshiaki Kawajiri]]
*''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' (1996), [[Nobuhiro Watsuki]]
*''[[Samurai Champloo]]'' (2004), [[Shinichiro Watanabe]] (director)
=== Fantasy anime ===
*''[[Dragon Ball Z]]'' (1989), [[Akira Toriyama]]
*''[[Record of the Lodoss War]]'' (1990)
*''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' (1994), CLAMP
*''[[The Vision of Escaflowne]]'' (1996)
*''[[InuYasha]]'' (1997) [[Rumiko Takahashi]]
*''[[One Piece]]'' (1998) [[Eiichiro Oda]]
=== Comedy anime ===
*''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' (1981), [[Rumiko Takahashi]]
*''[[Kimagure Orange Road]]'' (1987), [[Izumi Matsumoto]]
*''[[Ranma ½]]'' (1989), [[Rumiko Takahashi]]
*''[[Tenchi Muyo!]]'' (1991), [[Masaki Kajishima]]
*''[[Kare Kano|His & Her Circumstances]]'' (1998), [[Masami Tsuda]]/Hideaki Anno (director)
*''[[Excel Saga]]'' (1999), [[Ando Ken]]
=== [[Shojo|Shōjo]] anime ===
*''[[Princess Knight|Ribbon No Kishi]]'' (1967), [[Osamu Tezuka]]
*''[[Aim for the Ace!]]'' (1973), [[Sumika Yamamoto]]
*''[[The Rose of Versailles]]'' (1979), based on the manga by [[Riyoko Ikeda]]
*''[[Sailor Moon]]'' (1992), [[Naoko Takeuchi]]
*''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]'' (1997), [[Kunihiko Ikuhara]] (director)
*''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' (1998), CLAMP
[[Image:DRMN 01.jpg|thumb|250px|right|''[[Doraemon]]'']]
=== [[Kodomo]] (child) anime ===
*''[[Panda! Go, Panda!]]'' (1972), [[Isao Takahata]]
*''[[Doraemon]]'' (1979), [[Fujiko F. Fujio]]
*''[[Anpanman]]'' (1988), [[Takashi Yanase]]
*''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' (1997), [[Satoshi Tajiri]]
=== Sports anime ===
*''[[Ashita no Joe]]'' (1970), [[Osamu Dezaki]] (director)
*''[[Touch_%28manga%29|Touch]]'' (1985), based on the manga by [[Mitsuru Adachi]]
*''[[Princess Nine]]'' (1998)
*''[[Prince of Tennis]]'' (2001)
== Types of anime ==
=== Production types ===
Most anime can be categorized as one of three types:
*'''[[Film]]s''', which are generally released in theaters, represent the highest budgets and generally the highest video quality. Popular anime movies include ''[[Akira (film)|Akira]]'' and ''[[Spirited Away]]''. Some anime films are only released at film or animation festivals and are shorter and sometimes lower in production values. Some examples of these are ''[[Winter Days]]'' and [[Osamu Tezuka]]'s ''[[Legend of the Forest]]''. Other types of films include '''[[compilation movie]]s''', which are television episodes edited together and presented in theaters for various reasons, and are hence a concentrated form of a television [[serial]]. These may, however, be longer than the average movie. There are also theatrical shorts derived from existing televisions series and billed in Japanese theaters together to form feature-length showing.
*'''[[OVA]]''' ('''Original Video Animation'''; sometimes '''OAV''', or '''Original Animated Video''') anime is often similar to a television [[miniseries]]. OVAs are typically two to twenty episodes in length; [[one-shot]]s are particularly short, usually less than film-length. They most commonly released directly to video. As a general rule OVA anime tends to be of high quality, approaching that of films. Titles tend often have a very regular, continuous plot which is best enjoyed if all episodes are viewed in sequence. Popular OVA titles include ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'' and ''[[Tenchi Muyo]]''.
*'''Television series''' anime is [[Television syndication|syndicated]] and broadcast on television on a regular schedule. [[Television series]] are generally low quality compared to OVA and film titles, because the production budget is spread out over many episodes rather than a single film or a short series. Most episodes are about 23 minutes in length, to fill a typical thirty-minute time slot with added [[Television commercial|commercials]]. One full season is 26 episodes, and many titles run half seasons, or 13 episodes. It is common for subsequent episodes to be completely unrelated to each other (as seen in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), so viewers can enjoy the show even if an episode is missed. All TV series anime episodes will have [[opening credits]], [[closing credits]], and often an "eyecatch", a very short scene, often humorous or silly, that is used to signal the start or end of the commercial break. "Eyecatch" scenes are only found in TV series anime. Opening credits may be found in OVA releases, but that is not a certainty. These features are not found in movies.
It is very common for one title to spawn several different releases. A title that starts as a popular television series might then have a movie produced at a later date. A good example is ''Tenchi Muyo''—originally an OVA, ''Tenchi Muyo!'' spawned three movies, three television series, and several spinoff titles and specials.
=== By target audience ===
'''[[Shojo|Shōjo]]''' anime is intended for girls. Most anime is assumed to be '''[[shonen|shōnen]]''', intended for boys, so it is usually not necessary to label it. While '''[[seinen]]''' (intended for men) and '''[[josei]]''' (intended for women) anime does exist, anime that fall specifically and exclusively into those genres is rare. The only one of these terms in common use is ''shōjo''.
=== Genres ===
The following are genres and designations that are specific to anime and manga. (For other possible genres, see [[list of movie genres]].)
*[[Shonen|Shōnen]] (intended for boys)
*[[Shojo|Shōjo]] (intended for girls)
*[[Magical girl|Mahō Shōjo]] ('Magical Girl', like Sailor Moon or Tokyo Mew Mew)
*[[Moé]] (Cute girls, romance)
*[[Mecha]] (Giant robots)
*[[progressive anime|Progressive]] ("art films")
*[[Shounen-ai|Shōnen-ai]] (male homosexual romance, literally 'boy-love')
*[[Shoujo-ai|Shōjo-ai]] (lesbian romance, literally 'girl-love')
*[[Bishonen|Bishōnen]] (literally 'pretty boy')
*[[Bishojo|Bishōjo]] (literally 'pretty girl')
*[[Hentai]]/[[Ecchi]] ([[erotica]], literally 'perverted')
**[[Yaoi]] (gay)
**[[Yuri]] (lesbian)
**[[Shota]] (as in 'shotaro complex' - young boys)
**[[Lolicon]] (as in 'lolita complex' - young girls)
*Spiritual warfare (intended for spiritually thirsty [[young adult]]s)
==Several well-known Japanese animation studios==
[[Image:Laputa-robot-ghibli.jpg|thumb|250px|A life-size model of a [[robot]] from the animation ''[[Laputa - The Castle in the Sky|Laputa]]'' on top of the Ghibli Museum in [[Mitaka]], [[Tokyo]]]]
*[[Anime International Company|AIC]]
*[[Bandai|Bandai Visual (Emotion)]]
*[[Bee Train]]
*[[BONES (studio)|BONES]]
*[[Broccoli (Animation Studio)|Broccoli]]
*[[Cloverleaf (Animation Studio)|Cloverleaf]]
*[[Enoki Films]]
*[[GAINAX]]
*[[GONZO|GONZO Digimation (GONZO)]]
*[[J.C.STAFF]]
*[[Kyoto Animation]]
*[[Madhouse Production]]
*[[Nippon Animation]]
*[[OLM / Oriental Light and Magic]]
*[[Geneon Entertainment]] (Formerly [[Pioneer LDC]])
*[[Production I.G]]
*[[Studio 4˚C]]
*[[Studio Ghibli]]
*[[Studio Pierrot]]
*[[Sunrise (Japanese company)|Sunrise]]
*[[Tatsunoko Productions]]
*[[Toei Animation]]
==List of non-Japanese anime distributors ==
*[[ADV Films]] ([[United States|U.S.]], [[United Kingdom|U.K.]])
*[[AN Entertainment]] (U.S.)
*[[AnimEigo]] (U.S.)
*[[Bandai Entertainment]] (U.S., owned by [[Bandai]] of Japan)
*[[Central Park Media]] (U.S.)
*[[Dark Horse Comics]] (U.S.)
*[[Disney]] (U.S.)
*[[FUNimation]] (U.S.)
*[[4Kids Entertainment]] (U.S.)
*[[Geneon]] (U.S.)
*[[Madman Entertainment]] ([[Australia]])
*[[Manga Entertainment]] (U.S.)
*[[Media Blasters]] (U.S.)
*[[Miramax]] (U.S., owned by [[Disney]])
*[[The Right Stuf International]] (U.S.)
*[[TOKYOPOP]] (U.S.)
*[[US Manga Corps]] (U.S., part of [[Central Park Media]])
*[[Viz Communications|Viz]] (U.S., owned jointly by [[Shogakukan]] and [[Shueisha]], of Japan, but it is run independently)
== See also ==
{{wikicities|anime|The Anime Wiki}}
*[[List of anime]]
*[[List of anime conventions]]
*[[Anime in the United States]]
*[[Progressive anime]]
*[[Cartoon physics]]
*[[Anime game]]
*[[Cosplay]]
*[[Fansub]]
*[[Otaku]]
*[[Catgirl]]
*[[Chibi]]
*[[Omake]]
*[[AMV]]
*[[Manga]]
*[[Dojinshi]]
*[[Dorama]]
*[[J-Pop]]
==References==
*Clements, Jonathan and Helen McCarthy. ''The Anime Encyclopedia''. Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, 2001. ISBN 1880656647.
*Poitras, Gilles. ''Anime Companion''. Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, 1998. ISBN 1880656329.
*Poitras, Gilles. ''Anime Essentials''. Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, 2000. ISBN 1880656531.
*Baricordi, Andrea and Pelletier, Claude. ''Anime: A Guide to Japanese Animation (1958-1988)''. Montreal, Canada.: Protoculture, 2000. ISBN 2980575909.
== External links ==
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ Anime News Network]: one of the premiere anime news sources on the net. Also has weekly columns, an extremely extensive encyclopedia of series, companies, and industry professionals, lexicon, forums and a chat room.
*[http://www.animeondvd.com/ Anime on DVD]: a site with extensive reviews of anime DVDs. Their web forums are also frequented by industry professionals.
*[http://www.anidb.net/ AniDB]: database of anime series, files (hashes), fansub groups, DVD rips, etc.
*[http://www.animenewsservice.com/ Anime News Service]: news site dedicated to offering news items, press releases and interviews.
*[http://www.crystalacids.com/database/ Crystal Acids: English Voice Actor & Production Staff Database]: database logging the English production staff who work on anime titles.
*[http://tvwiki.sytes.net/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnimeTrope Anime Tropes]: common cliches and visual cues.
*[http://www.anime-source.com/ Anime-Source]: a major anime community. has almost regular previews of DVDs to be released, hosted scanlation of manga and highly active forums.
*[http://www.animesp.net/ Anime Stockpile]: a major anime resource for anime avatars, gifs, and wallpapers.
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[[Category:Cinema]]
[[Category:Japanese culture]]
[[Category:Japanese terms]]
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