Introduction

Cartoons

Is THAT What They Call Anime?

Anime in the U.S.A. 

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Anime is hardly new to America. It has been lurking here for quite some time in one clandestine form or another, occasionally making its unannounced appearances not only in children's programming, but also more recently in television commercials and music videos, not to mention its growing cult following of American otaku (as it is used in the U.S., obsessed fans of Japanese animation, or what I like to call "rabid anime fans"). Yet as anime starts to move into the American entertainment spotlight, it becomes more and more apparent that the success of this art form, at least for a little while, is here to stay.

Since the success of the early 1990's blockbuster hit Akira, a futuristic animated movie based on a manga (Japanese comics) series of the same name, Japanese animation has been steadily gaining popularity in America. According to John O’Donnel, managing director of Central Park Media, which distributes many Japanese animated films in the United States, "The market has exploded over the past five years. There is an audience out there that wants intelligent animation. These are not cartoons in the traditional sense" (qtd. in Atwood). Today, unlike five years ago, a person is free to consume Japanese animation in relatively small, controlled doses through mail order video clubs, certain television stations, and the Internet. There is even a small selection of Japanese films available at most large chain video rental stores.

What is it about Japanese animation that intrigues American society? Is it the style, the story, or the opportunity for cultural exchange? Where did it come from? How does it affect or influence us? Is anime here to stay, for good? Or is it just a fad? These are some of the questions I aim to answer.

Today, unlike five years ago, a person is free to consume Japanese animation in relatively small, controlled doses through mail order video clubs, certain television stations, and the Internet.

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