Anime is a type or style of animation that originated in Japan. The word anime is an abbreviation of the word animation and is written “アニメ” in Japanese. Anime are usually TV shows or movies. The very first Japanese animation was called Katsudō Shashin and lasted about four seconds. In those four seconds, a boy took off his sailor hat and bowed. It was created in 1907. Although it was extremely simple, it was thought that the rich kept this little animation on a small film because it was revolutionary for the Japanese of the time. He is considered by some to be the “father of anime”. The first very popular anime in Japan was called Astro Boy and debuted in 1963. This is important because you can start to see the unique Japanese style that the anime uses even to this day. Astro Boy is based on a manga, a Japanese comic book. This would soon be a trend that many animation studios would follow. For example, “Naruto,” a popular anime, was also based on a manga. Anime is animation with a truly unique background. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay At first glance, the anime is just like any other Western cartoon, but there is a stunning difference. As I said earlier, anime is still a cartoon, but it's the style that gives anime the flavor it needs to please countless fans around the world. If you wanted to make an anime, you would focus more on the details, especially the characters, rather than the fluidity of the animation, which is what Western anime seems to focus on. By reducing movement, anime lets you focus on the art and setting. To better understand the concept, if Steamboat Willie from the early Disney films were drawn in an anime style, he wouldn't move as much but he wouldn't be rigid either. Similar to how we move when we perform simple actions. It would also be closer to human proportions. Anime has a very particular style that can be easily recognized and is unique in many ways. Anime is endlessly integrated into our society and pop culture in many ways. Anime has managed to become popular all over the world, but how and why? One reason is that anime can be enjoyed at any age. From anime aimed at children, like Pokémon, to anime aimed at a more mature audience. This is different from most Western cartoons, as they are considered childish once one grows up. To add to this, anime can be as serious as live-action TV shows, as anime can have genres such as romance or horror. Fantasies that real-life actions cannot fulfill can easily be created in the form of an anime. Nowadays you can find anime anywhere, on Netflix, on YouTube, on streaming sites and much more! Animation really opens up a lot of possibilities.