What is Anime?

Anime might sound like a scary thing, but it’s just animation that comes from Japan – and all the cool kids like it. Colorful pictures mark this animation and sharp images that are realistic, yet with a slightly cartoony twist. These images can be graphic or they can be tame, depending on the audience for which they are written. The more you learn about anime, the more you realize that regular cartoons will never be the same.

The Art of Anime

When you first get a look at anime, it can seem a little shocking. The cartoons move quickly and they seem to be more artistic than the cartoons you grew up with. Though the pictures are simple, they are also able to move more realistically than the ducks or the animals that you watched as a kid. Truth be told, the anime from Japan is able to create a more visceral experience because the images are based on reality.

Popular Anime

While this list’s order could certainly be disputed, here are some of the popular anime features available today.

• Death Note
• Naruto
• Ouran High School Host Club
• Fruits Basket
• Hunter x Hunter
• Bleach
• Code Geass
• Full Metal Alchemist
• Vampire Knight
• Inuyasha
• Elfen Lied
• Yu-Yu Hakusho
• Pokemon
• One Piece
• Dragonball
• Kyo Kara Maoh! (God! Save Our King)
• Dragon ball Z
• Naruto Shippuuden
• D.N.Angel
• Yu-gi-oh!
• Blood+
• Cowboy Bebop
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
• Gakuen Alice
• Sailor Moon
• Cardcaptor Sakura
• Full Metal Panic!
• The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
• Chobits
• CLANNAD
• Digimon
• Hellsing
• Eureka 7
• Shugo
• Chara
• Tsubasa Chronicle
• Trigun
• Karin (Chibi Vampire)
• Prince of Tennis
• Samurai Champloo
• Special A
• Claymore
• Shakugan no Shana
• Love Hina
• Fushigi Yuugi
• Lucky Star
• Wolf's Rain
• Soul Eater
• Fooly Cooly (FLCL)
• D. Gray-Man
• Ranma 1/2
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
• Rosario + Vampire
• Shaman King
• Fate/stay night

What’s Happening with Anime?

Many people wonder what the next step for anime is going to be. After all, if the anime is already cutting edge, where else can it go? Anime continues to evolve in response to the ability of computers. If the computer can make an image move and bend in more directions, then the artist has a responsibility to create images that can move and bend to fit these new parameters. At the same time, anime that was once drawn on paper first is now being installed into a computer program where it can be manipulated in far more ways than a pen might be able to do.

With anime, you can see something sort of lifelike, but not at all. And in this world where reality and fantasy are blurred, this animation makes perfect sense.