Anime

Anime is a form of animation invented by Osamu Tezuka originating from Japan, it's a popular style of film and television it's influence is rapidly spreading into other countries like the UK and the U.S.

He has the nicknames, "god of manga" and the "godfather of anime". People see him as a legend. His work and that of others help pioneer all the fundamental elements of anime today. Anime can represent most, if not all genres of fiction

Osamu Tezuka

Over the years utilising the techniques Tezuka introduced anime has changed for the better. With hit shows such as Demon Slayer And Attack on Titan being released and their ever growing fan base.

AstroBoy 1963 TV series directed by Osamu Tezuka

Gurren Lagann, 2007 series Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), 2019 series

Anime can represent most, if not all genres of fiction

Differences Between Anime and Cartoons

First there is origination, anime originated in Japan and cartoons first originated in the US.

Also there is the storyline, American cartoons are aimed towards children and tend not to have an actual storyline usually intended to induce laughter if otherwise they are mostly like more towards the educational side. Consequently western cartoons are infamous for not letting characters grow older, even if a series has gone on for years. Anime, by contrast, often allows characters to grow older and undergo a complete story arc. It's also rare for the characters of Western cartoons to start families of their own.

There is also the difference in how characters are drawn e.g.

Popular Shows:

The Top 3 anime by popularity according to myanimelist.net

• Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin). The plot of Attack on Titan centres on a civilization inside three walls. According to the knowledge propagated locally, it is the last location where humans still live. Due to past trauma the protaganist joins the military with the intent of murdering every Titan (Giant Humanoid creatures who have an insatiable lust for human flesh) from the planet.

An Attack on Titan attraction

• Death Note. Light Yagami founds a book called the Death Note, and it's content pertain, "Whoever name you right in this book shall die", Light Yagami assumes the role of a god in Modern civilisation killing as he sees fit. He is chased by the super intelligent detective "L".

• One Punch Man. A comedic anime based around a super hero, Saitama, with the strength to defeat anything in one punch.

Anime Dubbed and Subbed

There has been an internal war in the anime community outside of Japan, that has been ongoing since it's establishment, and it's all over whether you should watch anime in English Dubbed or with Japanese Dub and English subtitles. In my opinion I do not think it matters, but I would personally recommend Japanese dub with subtitles for various reasons.

Pros

• The English dubbed can be very bad in some anime, with very few exceptions. There are problems with voices not fitting the characters design or not enough energy put in during intense/violent/emotional scenes

• Voices do not match the characters animation

• You can learn various words in Japanese subconsciously (Do not expect to become fluent)

• Subtitles do not affect your viewing experience as you get used to it, you can watch and read simultaneously

Cons

• Can't watch and do something else as you won't be able to understand what's happening

Anime recommendations for beginners:

• My Hero Academia: The series is set in a world in which superpowers, or quirks as the anime refers to them, are held by around 80% of the population, which eventually leads to a hero/villain society. The series follows a young man named Izuku Midoriya who is given the quirk of the legendary hero All Might and joins the most prestigious hero school in Japan, UA. It is a lengthier watch at five seasons (and still going), but it's a fun watch that makes the time fly by.

• Parasyte: Parasyte tells the story of a young man named Shinichi who wakes up to find that his right hand has been eaten and replaced with an alien parasite. The alien, eventually called Migi, is part of an invading force that has been taking over various humans. Migi, however, was unable to take over Shinichi's brain and eventually forms a close bond with his host.

• Erased (2016):In a similar vein to Parasyte, Erased is one of the most underrated anime of the past decade. The 12 episode series is a dark and intense story that follows a 27-year-old man called Satoru Fujinuma, who possesses the ability to 'rewind' to avoid a tragedy. However, after a murder brings back forgotten memories of his childhood, Satoru rewinds to his childhood past. The series is as intense as it is heartwarming, with Satoru having to use his knowledge of the future in order to solve the murder in the future and catch the killer.

The top 3 anime listed earlier are also good watches.

About Me

My name is Uchenna, I am 17 years old and I am here at D31 Art Gallery as my placement for work experience. Art is something I've had the pleasure of experiencing throughout my life, and the place it occurs the most for me is within video games which could also be expressed as an art form in itself. In my spare time I play video games with my friends, and mess around with computers, programming and game development.