The following is an excerpt from The Anime Cafe's Anime Encyclopedia. Visit the site for a more comprehensive Anime Information.
Texts were written by Bryan Pfaffenberger c/o the Anime Cafe
(All respect and credit should be given to HIM... so, please don't accuse me of plagiarism)
What is Anime?
The term anime refers to a distinctive tradition of Japanese
animation that is almost immediately recognizable by its superior
artistic quality as well as by the somewhat mannered artistic
conventions anime artists employ, such as the preference for
child-like, large eyes. But it's not just the art that grabs one's
attention.
In contrast to the flat, Good vs. Evil plots in U.S. cartoons, many anime stories deal with complex, thought-provoking themes, presenting complex characters that change as the stories progress. There's a ready acceptance of the reality of death. In some anime, even those intended for kids, main characters sometimes die. Although there's as much silliness and trash in anime as in any other popular medium, it's a fair generalization to say that it's a more intelligent genre than American cartoons. For anyone used to Disney's predictable plots and platitudes, one's first encounter with anime produces shock, followed by fascination. It's serious stuff.
Anime alo provides a window into another culture. In ways that many anime fans scarcely guess, anime draws strongly from Japanese and wider Asian mythology and symbolism generally, and specifically from the rich Japanese traditions of Shinto, the martial arts, and Zen.
Some of the most interesting anime explore the implications of technologies that blurs the distinctions between machine and person, male and female, good and evil, leaving the characters groping to find their moorings. In contrast to American explorations of advanced technology (as in Star Wars and the Terminator films), which subsume all the issues under the "absolute good vs. absolute evil" and "happy ending" tropes, anime deeply explores the moral and spiritual ambiguities of life and culture in a world pushed over the edge by rampaging technological progress.
What is Manga?
Japanese comics are called manga. Many anime series got their start as popular manga. An industry with $3 billion annual sales in Japan, manga account for as much as 60 percent of all printed materials sold in that country, and are very avidly read--so much so, in fact, that addiction is something of a problem. Japanese smile wryly when they refer disparagingly of otaku, over-the-top manga fans whose filthy, cluttered homes are stacked to the rooftop with manga.
Rurouni Kenshin is a very popular manga series in Japan
Why is a parents' guide to Anime Needed?
Some anime are expressly designed for
children, and some can be enjoyed by the entire family. Others--including
many series originally broadcast on Japanese television--contain
material that some parents will find objectionable, even though
other parents wouldn't hesitate to share these videos with their
kids. And some are explicitly designed for adult audiences and
shouldn't be shared with children.
Another point parents should bear in mind about anime is that, in Japanese culture, casual nudity isn't considered to be harmful to children. Many quite innocent anime videos, designed for broadcast on Japanese TV, contain brief nudity in non-sexual situations (for example, in public baths, which are very much part of traditional Japanese culture). Non-Japanese parents will need to decide for themselves whether this content is appropriate for their children.
Unlike American animated films intended for children's audiences, anime tends to deal much more realistically with evil and death. The classic American villain--wholly evil, and not very believable--gives way to complex characters with whom one can partly sympathize. Anime is often thought-provoking and provides an excellent foundation for raising important issues with your children.
What about gender and sex roles? Parents should realize that Japan isn't as "liberated" as the U.S. with respect to the presence of women in the professions, and some anime reflect this and portray women in traditional, submissive roles. This isn't necessarily a liability; evidence of this difference could provide an occasion for discussing cultural differences and historical change with your kids. On the whole, though, anime authors are probably more liberal than Japanese society, and one finds many anime with strong, independent female characters. The best anime transcend stereotypes by exploring the complexity of characters' emotions regarding relationships.
