Anime (アニメ - /ˈænɪmə/ ) is the Japanese word for animation. Within the confines of Japanese culture, the term refers to any animated material; elsewhere, "anime" tends to refer specifically to Japanese animation or cartoons. There are two technical definitions that may be given to anime, both of which are the subject of some dispute over what is "really anime."

Definition by Origin: "It has to be Japanese."

This is a very black-and-white definition, as it completely disregards the potential influence that Western animation may draw from Japanese style, as well as the mixture of styles that may come, for instance, from Korean or Chinese animation work. It can also be problematic in instances where Japanese companies only do a portion of the work on an anime, such as the scripting or the character designs, when other aspects such as the overall production and key framing are done elsewhere. Currently, Japan produces 60% of the animated series in the world.

Definition by Style: The Dark Path of Contradiction

Defining anime by style is also very problematic, but in the opposite way. "Style" may simply mean a drawing style (stereotypically: big eyes, small mouth, crazy hair) or the technical aspects of film aesthetic (camera angles, directing cuts), or even the style of storytelling. On top of all this grey area, there are also the cases where an animation produced within Japan does not adhere to the traditional drawing, directing, or narrative style of other Japanese animations, making it a Japanese animation that is not, in fact...anime.

Anime as Art

Anime possesses a distinctive visual style that manages to be simultaneously versatile. The aesthetic is not limited to the limited ideas of the style indicated above. Styles of art and animation may vary from studio to studio, from character designer to character designer.

Themes of any given anime can vary as much as manga, from magical girls to giant robots, romance stories (between a girl and a boy, a girl and a girl, a boy and a boy), sports, horror, pornography, humor, samurai, children's, shounen (for younger boys) or shoujo (for older girls), seinen (for the young male adult), josei (for the young female adult), drama, supernatural, historical, harem, et cetera. Each genre employs its own style of story telling; for instance, in a satire, a character may exhibit what is called a "face fault": this may manifest itself as a giant, throbbing vein to denote anger, a huge sweatdrop to indicate embarrassment, a bloody nose to indicate some form of arousal, or a deep blush over the nose for repressed romantic feelings. These face faults are not, however, at all universal.

Anime as a Culture

Anime is very closely linked with manga; the two share a sprawling culture that crosses over so much that they are almost synonymous. Many manga are adapted into anime, and sometimes, vice-versa. The most important aspect of either, however, is the fans. The "otaku" is the Japanese stereotype of the obsessive fan (usually male) and, within Japanese culture, the word carries a very negative connotation. In America, however, the term has lost much of its "pathetic loser" vibe and, surpisingly, is more closely synonymous with "savvy geek."

Countless anime conventions are held around the world every year--they provide an opportunity for anime fans to gather, socialize, cosplay, or buy official (sometimes imported) goods from licensed dealers. Artists may set up tables in Artists Alley to sell their art, or enter it into an art show or auction. Con-goers may attend panels run by Japanese or English voice actors or other staff such as the animators themselves, video screenings, workshops, or enter contests. Commonly, the conventions are held at convention centers, hotels, or college campuses.

In the world outside of Japan, anime has had a profound effect. For instance, Nintendo's Pokémon franchise is worth multiple billions of dollars, and its spin-off anime series from the 1990s still broadcasts worldwide. Anime is credited with boosting interest in Japan and Japanese culture; in 1984, the Japanese Language Proficiency Test was created in order to meet growing demand.

Seiyuu

Due to the prolific nature of Japan's animation-culture, the voice actors, or seiyuu, may become national stars through nothing more than their voices. The profession of being a seiyuu began in the radio drama era of the first half of the 20th century, and then the industry experienced booms in the 1960s, 1970s, and then again in the 1990s. An actor may become a seiyuu from being a member of a drama troupe, from being a child actor, from being a theatre actor, from being a seiyuu training school student, or from some other aspect of the entertainment industry. (For example: Tomoya Nagase, voice of Nanashi in Sword of the Stranger, is a member of the well-known J-Rock group TOKIO.)

Seiyuu jobs are not limited to voice-acting in anime. There are also opportunities in providing voice-work in video games, dubbing a foreign film into Japanese, being a radio personality, narration, theater acting, singing, or puppet shows.

Outside of Japan, voice actors are simply called voice actors. Largely, non-Asian companies that distribute anime are concerned with dubbing an English language track and whatever alterations to the design of the original packaging may be necessary. A rare exception is cases such as that of Afro Samurai, which was animated in Japan, but the original language track is, in fact, English. I

Distribution and Licensing

While the anime industry is increasingly widespread and Western companies have a wide selection of titles licensed for distribution outside of Japan, some fans draw issue from either the anime released or how it's released (editing and censorship, et cetera), and the use of fansubs are widespread. Fansubs refer to an anime that has been ripped digitally and translated, with fans adding their own subtitles. It is a violation of copyright law, but many fans argue that without their support through fansubs (which are often faster and sometimes more accurate translations than the Western releases), some series would never have the level of interest that would eventually get them licensed and released, thus creating profit for the Western company that does the releasing. (The real dispute, naturally, is whether fans who watch the fansubs will actually invest in the series and buy it when the long-suffering company has finally licensed and released it; some fans say they would to show their support for the series they love, but it's doubtful that fans go out and spend hundreds of dollars on DVDs for series that they may or may not have enjoyed, simply to show their support for the distribution process.)

Despite the ethical dispute, however, the fansub community does have its standards. In 2005, Media Factory Incorporated requested that their material not be fansubbed, and the community has largely respected the request. Similarly, though perhaps not as altruistically, in 2007, the animation studio Gonzo requested through the American company Funimation to issue a cease-and-desist order to a fansub group that was releasing episodes of Romeo x Juliet. The group complied, and about a month later, the series was available again through another fansub group.

The internet has been revolutionary in the distribution of anime to the world at large. Sites such as Youtube, which host low-quality videos of everything under the sun, host countless anime. (Occassionally, videos are removed for copyright infringement, such as the case with Viacom and Full Metal Alchemist, but realistically, a legally pristine version of Youtube is impossible.) Other sites, such as Crunchyroll.com, attempt to counteract fansub culture and have a legal distribution license, and users may watch streamed anime for free.

See also: Manga, Manga Culture, Akira Toriyama's Legacy

Sources: Anime News Network, Japan Foundation, TIMEasia, Wikipedia

C.D.