Anime

   On one rainy afternoon on a hot summer’s day, I was bored out of my mind and decided I needed something to keep me entertained. I knew it was time for me to bring out my special friend, YouTube. I thought perhaps I would spend my time watching funny videos and getting teary-eyed from seeing soldiers being reunited with their families; little did I know that destiny had something else planned for me. Funny videos were not the only thing that popped up on my laptop screen that day, there was also a video of a thing called anime. Next thing I knew, I was waving my social life goodbye.  

   Unless you live under a rock, I’m sure you’ve heard at some point someone mention anime and/or manga. Incase you’re wondering, anime and manga are not the same. Anime is an animation, while manga are comic books. Manga and anime are extremely popular in the Japanese culture. Manga is usually in black and white, and sometimes have bonus colored pages. They are read from right to left, so to some of us it would look as if it were being read from the back to the front.

   Their earliest known animation was produced in 1917 called Namakura Gatana, which was about a samurai being defeated. All anime isn’t necessarily for children, like manga, anime is marketed across all demographics, from young children to middle-aged men. What interested me about anime is (aside from being entertaining) the fact that I’ve been able to learn about a new culture and I anime also provides a sense of escapism (plus, there are usually innuendos in anime which I completely live for). Anime contain several conventions (norms) for how they design a character and display their emotions, and personality. Some of them being:

1) Exaggerated Eye Size: Character’s eyes are usually very big and somewhat detailed, while their nose and mouth (when closed) are just a line and some shadowing. Character’s also have big hair and elongated limbs. 

2) Excessive Nosebleed: A nosebleed symbolizes that the character is being sexually aroused. A great preview of this is Sanji’s nosebleed in an anime called One Piece.

3) “Growing mushrooms” : Mushrooms are grown in dark and damp places so usually in anime it means the character is feeling somewhat upset.  

4) Popping vein: The popping vein occurs when a character is irritated or angry.

5) Cat Mouth/Fangs: Characters (usually female) appear with a cat mouth or fangs which means she’s feeling “catty.” Cat fangs or mouths just show the character is feeling mischievous. 

5) Music: The opening and ending credits of most anime episodes are accompanied by Japanese pop or rock songs. Music throughout the show expresses character feelings and actions.

This episode from anime called Ouran HighSchool Host Club is a great example of several visual images used to convey character’s emotions, thoughts and personality. Popular genres of anime are:

1)Action

2) Comedy / Slice-of-Life

3) Drama / Tragedy 

4) Psychological

5) Historic

6) Mecha / Military

7) Supernatural / Magic

8) Romance

If you would like to learn more about these genres you can check them out here. YouTube shows several anime but usually only up to the 26th episode, if you’re interested in learning more about different anime shows you can check out these two sites to find anime you may be interested in watching. 

Well, see ya!