Anime, which is also known as Japanese animation, is viewed quite differently from its counterparts in America and other countries. In Japan, it is an industry equivalent to the movie business in the US, with categories ranging from science fiction and action adventure to romance and "magical girl" shows. The only thing that separates it from regular television shows is that it is animation, and therefore capable of creating fantastic scenes and effects not possible in real life. Anime plays a major part in Japanese culture - directors like Hayao Miyazaki gain national recogntion, voice actors are celebrities, and anime characters can become instant pop icons.

Instead of catering to younger audiences with overly simple storylines and relationships and ending with a "happily ever after," anime encompasses all ages and types. It can bring up philosophical questions concerning the future and human nature, but at the same time, it can also be light-hearted and downright weird, with a sense of humor that is unique to Japanese culture. Also, characters display realistic emotions and reactions - the attention to detail is incredible at times. Characters in anime have as much depth and personality as real people, and when paired with the complex relationships that come about in the course of a series, the analyses and character development animators must have done is staggering.

Anime is also famous for its fluidity and deceptively simple coloring techniques. Although the quality of animation can vary depending on the studio and type of production, it is usually smooth and very realistic, using sophisticated camera work and exaggerated motions. The coloring consists of the highlight, midtone, and shadow of each hue used. The result is a highly colorful yet lifelike image.

Anime comes in three forms of production - television series, OAV series, or feature-length films. Generally, the television series have average animation and run from 26 to hundreds of episodes. They focus on the complexity of the storyline rather than the animation. Conversely, OAV series, or original animated video series, are shorter in length, running from 3 to 13 episodes, but feature higher quality animation. These series are often derived from TV shows. Lastly, the feature-length films have the most stunning animation, often with involved plots and extremely detailed action sequences.

We could go on and on, but would never completely be able to describe the anime experience completely. If you would like to learn more about anime, check out the links at the bottom of this page, but the best way to learn about it is to watch it yourself!

Common Anime Terms

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These are words you'll see or hear a lot in reference to anime. Most are used to describe types of anime or fans and other anime/manga-related subjects. If you have any questions, or would like to add to this list, please contact us!

anime: a Japanese word derived from a French term for animation; also known as Japanese animation.
doujinshi: a fan-produced work of an existing anime/manga; makers range from professional artists to regular anime fans.
fansub: a fan-subtitled video of anime not yet released anywhere except Japan; the legality of it is questionable, but you can get shows cheaply and accurately subtitled this way.
manga: Japanese comic books; usually the source for many anime series.
otaku: basically, an extremely dedicated fan, usually of anime; has a bad connotation in Japan, but used with pride in the US.
OAV/OVA: original animated video; these are short series that sometimes come from TV series or manga, and sometimes have TV series or manga made from them; animation is usually superior to that of TV series.
seiyuu: voice actor or actress for anime shows; they can reach celebrity status in Japan.
shoujo: literally means "young girl"; when applied to anime, it refers to shows aimed toward young girls, with an emphasis on beautiful characters, high melodrama, and often some sort of magical transformation.
shounen: literally means "young boy"; when applied to anime, it refers to shows aimed toward young boys, with an emphasis on action and teamwork, and usually features super powers.
super-deformed: a term used to describe anime characters whose features include a squat body and an overly large head; characters go into this mode to indicate surprise, happiness, discontent... anything, really; SD is generally considered very cute.

Anime Vocabulary

These are words you'll see or hear a lot of in anime. They are mostly greetings and formal phrases. If you have any questions or if you know of any others that should be here, please contact us!

ohaiyou (gozaimasu): Good morning.
konnichiwa: Good afternoon.
konbanwa: Good evening.
oyasumi (nasai): Good night.
jaa (mata/ashita/ato de): See you (again/tomorrow/later).
(doumo) sumimasen: Sorry/Excuse me.
gomen (nasai): Sorry (varying levels of formality).
(doumo) arigatou (gozaimasu): Thank you (varying levels of formality).
onegai (shimasu): Please.
chotto matte (kudasai): Wait a moment (please).
irrashaimase: Welcome (used to greet customers into a store).
itte kimasu: I'm going.
itte rasshai: See you/Take care.
tadaima: I'm home.
okaeri nasai: Welcome back.
kawaii: Cute.
genki: Energetic, healthy, full of life.
baka: Stupid, dumb.
ganbatte: Good luck.

For more information on anime, we recommend: Neo-Anime: Writings, Forums, Chatrooms, and a section called "Wind Called Akira" dedicated to the "best Anime of all time!" Anime Academy: "Established in 2001 following the dreaded shounen-fan-service-anime invasion of the late 20th century, the Anime Academy's mission is to provide a learning experience conducive to obtaining vast amounts of knowledge of the Japanese art. Students who enroll at the Academy eagerly await the challenges associated with seeking such knowledge." The Anime Agency: It proclaims to be "The Only Source for Anime Information!" And it may be true... check it out! Bakasei: Search thousands of Anime pages! Saiyajin Madhouse -- One of the best DBZ sites on the net: over 5000 images, full episode listing, tons of clips, music videos, forums, Topsites, and a whole lot more... AnimeInfo.org: A general anime site for all things anime, with sections geared towards you, the fans of anime. Submit your own reviews, fanfics, fanart, and links to us for posting on the webpage, as well as stop by our Message Board to meet and talk with anime fans just like you! The site also contains a wealth of anime information for both the novice anime fan and the veteran, featuring, among other things, comprehensive information on featured anime series, an "anime university" with classes on the basics and fundamentals of anime, an otaku dictionary with a listing of common anime terms, and more! J-Fan: Read through their database of anime reviews. You can even submit your own reviews to the database! If you've seen an anime and you have something to say about it, this is where you can be heard! WiredAnime.net: A site devoted to Anime movie, series, OAV, and product reviews. Anime Cafe: "Your complete source for anime reviews!" Featuring reviews, trivia, cross-referenced encyclopaedia and more. Bubblegum Crisis 2040 is a site devoted to the popular Anime series. Tropical Anime is a Japanese Anime site devoted to the genre. Filled with images, reviews, and even an awards section on the best Anime sites, Tropical Anime should not be looked over. Anime Unleashed is a fan site which feature fan art, fan fiction, and fan manga and other fan related Anime stuff. Planet Plastica is your planetary Anime entertainment community. All your news, information, and other Anime interests can be found here. Anime Critic is a site dedicated to providing high-quality anime reviews and anime information. It originally began as a small reviews site back in February 1997 hosted by FortuneCity. After about a year, the site moved to Anime-Manga.Net and became known the Anime Critic. One year after that, it moved again to animecritic.com. Anime On TV is your definitive source for finding out what stations and what time anime airs on television in the US and Canada.