Anime is a form of Japanese animation that includes films and television shows. While anime means any form of a cartoon in Japan, to the Japanese, it means a form of animated shows made in Japan. These films trace their origins back to Osamu Tezuka, a Japanese who created these animations to entertain and to let the world know a little of Japanese culture. He borrowed some of his ideas from Disney characters, to create the Japanese anime. Having presented them in multiple languages, Japanese being the primary language, these animations shows have gained a lot of popularity the world over. If you are an anime fan, you probably know a lot about this genre by now. But even then, here are a few things you probably did not know.
In Japanese, the term anime is used as a blanket term to refer to all forms of animation from around the world. In English, anime (/ˈænəˌmeɪ/) is more restrictively used to denote a “Japanese-style animated film or television entertainment” or as “a style of animation created in Japan”.
The Longest One Has 7400 Episodes
If you were thinking that animes are just short films with a few episodes, well, then you couldn’t be more wrong. An anime called Sazae-san, has been going on like forever. So far, it has clocked 7400 episodes, and it is not showing any signs of coming to an end. However, it is comprised of short episodes about six minutes each. Either way, it still clocks the longest time of any anime.
Anime is Not for Children Only
Contrary to a lot of anime watchers’ beliefs, anime are not for children entertainment alone. There is a variety of adult content. You may be surprised to find out that most anime are adult and family-oriented, though there is a considerable amount of children content. There are also a variety of genres that target a diverse audience. So, next time you find your friend enjoying his or her show, do not think of them as crazy. Anime covers a lot of genres including comedy, horror, drama, romance, and action among other genres.
Japan Anime Comprise 60% of All the World’s Animations
With more than 430 production studios, Japan has been able to take a huge proportion of the animation industry. Major production studios now include Gainax, Studio Ghibli, and Toei Animation among others. Japanese anime shows have gained a lot of popularity among the American youth. They now sell the most DVDs and Blue-ray versions than any other genre in Japan.
Anime Come in Two formats: Dubbed and Subbed
You will find a lot of anime in either of these two formats. You can find them in subbed or dubbed formats. The subbed format has a Japanese vocal track, where the characters speak in Japanese, but with a language of your choice translation. This format is an excellent way of learning a little of the Japanese language. The dubbed format, on the other hand, features a voice-over English cast. The characters still speak Japanese, but you will not hear any of it. Subbed versions give you close to the original version, and are more interesting to watch. The dubbed versions are not as bad, but you do not get the original version, and the characters’ mouths might be out of sync when speaking.
Random Facts About Anime That Might Just Blow Your Mind
✔ The art of anime wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Disney
✔ 60% Of The World’s Animation Is Anime
✔ Space Brothers features the first ever voice acting recorded in outer space.
✔ Real-Life Japanese Astronaut Recorded His ‘Space Brothers‘ Cameo From The ISS
✔ The longest ever running anime has over 7400 episodes!
✔ Studio Ghibli Is Named After A WWII-Era Aircraft
✔ Don’t feel betrayed but…Anime uses product placement.
✔ Everyone In ‘Code Geass‘ Loves Pizza Because The Series Was Funded By Pizza Hut
✔ ‘Sazae-san‘ Is The Longest Running Animated TV Series
✔ Studio Ghibli got its name from an airplane.
✔ The name Gundam is a blend of two words, “Gun” & “Freedom”.
✔ 50 New Colors Were Created For ‘Akira‘
✔ ‘Death Note‘ Inspired Chinese Children To Write Down The Names Of Their Teachers
✔ The unusual inspiration behind the Titans in Attack on Titan? Some random drunk dude.
✔ The First Magical Girl Anime Aired In The ’60s
✔ The Authors Of ‘Sailor Moon‘ And ‘Yu Yu Hakusho‘ Are Married
✔ This ONE anime character has 22 voice actors
✔ Anime has been around way longer than most people realize. The early 1900’s to be exact.
✔ If you can believe it…The average Japanese animator earns below minimum wage!
✔ ‘Bleach‘ Almost Didn’t Happen
✔ ‘Your Name‘ Is The Highest Grossing Anime Film Worldwide
✔ ‘Naruto‘ Characters Inspired By Japanese Film Industry
101 Anime Facts!
Anime has grown from strength to strength to strength to strength to strength over the past few decades, spreading is animated awesomeness around the world!
Anime History That You Should Know
The history of anime can be traced back to the start of the 20th century, with the earliest verifiable films dating from 1906 . Origins of anime (early 1900s–1922). Before the advent of film, Japan already had a rich tradition of entertainment with colourful painted figures moving across the projection screen in 写し絵 (Utushi-e), a particular Japanese type of magic lantern show popular in the 19th century. Possibly inspired by European phantasmagoria shows, utushi-e showmen used mechanical slides and developed lightweight wooden projectors (furo) that were handheld so that several performers could each control the motions of different projected figures.
The first generation of animators in the late 1910s included Ōten Shimokawa, Jun’ichi Kōuchi and Seitaro Kitayama, commonly referred to as the “fathers” of anime. Propaganda films, such as Momotarō no Umiwashi (1943) and Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei (1945), the latter being the first anime feature film, were made during World War II. During the 1970s, anime developed further, with the inspiration of Disney animators, separating itself from its Western roots, and developing distinct genres such as mecha and its super robot subgenre. Typical shows from this period include Astro Boy, Lupin III and Mazinger Z. During this period several filmmakers became famous, especially Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii.
In the 1980s, anime became mainstream in Japan, experiencing a boom in production with the rise in popularity of anime like Gundam, Macross, Dragon Ball, and genres such as real robot, space opera and cyberpunk. Space Battleship Yamato and The Super Dimension Fortress Macross also achieved worldwide success after being adapted respectively as Star Blazers and Robotech.
The film Akira set records in 1988 for the production costs of an anime film and went on to become an international success, with a live action edition planned for 2021. Later, in 2004, the same creators produced Steamboy, which took over as the most expensive anime film. Spirited Away shared the first prize at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival and won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, while Innocence: Ghost in the Shell was featured at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.