An Introduction to Anime and why do people like it

Words anime– pronounced “ah-knee-may”– is an abbreviation of the word animation. In Japan, the word is used to refer to all animation. However, outside of Japan, it has actually become the catch-all term for animation from Japan.Many Internet site are dedicated to anime. Anime is the widespread style in Japanese comics or manga.

In Japan, the comic book is a prominent type of home entertainment for grownups as well as for younger target markets. Story lines are typically really sophisticated and also intricate as well as prolong right into episodic series.Typical anime themes or genres include Ninja and other martial arts; the supernatural or horror story; the romance; and science fiction including robots and space ships.

What are the differences between types of anime?

The terms “shoujo”, “shounen”, “seinen”, and “josei” are used to classify anime/manga. I know that the general meanings are as follows:

  • Shoujou: for girls
  • Shounen: for boys
  • Seinen: for men
  • Josei: for women

What are the more technical definitions of those terms?

  • ShōjoThe word itself (少女) is used to refer to a young woman, approximately 8-17 years old. Right as you might think, Shōjo manga and anime have them as target audience. Shōjo isn’t limited to any particular style or styles, it’s only defined by the target demographic.
  • ShōnenThis kanji (少年) is used to refer to boys from elementary school to grade school age. Shōnen manga and anime are obviously designed for them as target audience.
  • SeinenSeinen manga and anime are designed for male audience too, but this subset of manga and anime is made for people of older age, usually from 18 to 30, but the real audience can be even older than this with some manga. Such manga and amine usually emphasise the story and the character’s personalities instead of action.
  • JoseiJosei manga and anime are for women aged between ~15 and ~45. They tend to be about everyday experiences of women living in Japan.

There are also sub-types of anime/manga, which tend to be more specific, for example, mahō shōjo is a sub-type of shōjo that focuses on young girl heroes with supernatural abilities (magic girls, right…).

What makes anime so popular?

Anime and manga have long been at the heart of Japanese culture, with a consistent wave of popularity between the generations. Over recent years, the popularity for anime and its comic strip counterpart manga has grown considerably in the UK and the West.


1. Fan-Service

2. Storytelling

3. Beautiful animation and art-style!

4. Great fight/action scenes

The obvious shows that come to mind are:

Dragon Ball Super

Akame Ga Kill

Taboo Tattoo


Code Geass

5. Relatable characters

6. Anime is HILARIOUS

Honorable Mentions For Why Anime Is Popular:

  • Unrealistically cute characters.
  • Wide range of genres, topics and subjects.
  • Piracy websites (let’s be honest).
  • Easy to access because of the internet.

Why Do People Like Anime?

There are so many misconceptions about anime. Some people believe anime is meant for children. Some people think anime is pornographic. Some people think every anime is exactly like Pokemon. And none of that is the truth.Anime is for all ages and can fall under the category of comedy, drama, adventure, or action. There is something for everyone.



So why do people like anime? The list goes on and on.


1. Because it has the BEST fan-service

2. Because it’s philosophical and DEEP

3. Because it’s DIFFERENT by “design”

4. It’s so emotional and relatable

5. Because the MAIDS cuteness is over 9000!

6. Because the characters are UNREALISTICALLY perfect

7. Because it’s COLORFUL

8. Because it’s beautiful

9. Because the storytelling is out of this world

10. The “action” is too good to be compared

11. Anime has comedy no “realistic” film could ever pull off

12. The facial expressions are just ridiculous

13. The music is special

14. The characters are “badass”

15. We all love a “hero of justice” which anime is the BEST at doing

What differentiates anime from regular cartoons?



Cartoons are mainly produced for kids, with topics about friendship, fun, exploration and similar things.

Anime / manga and related media mainly are produced for targets of all ages (except for Hentai and Ecchi series, of course). They can of course contain the “kids content”, but there are much more serious ones out there, e.g. ones about love, death, conflicts, and wars. They’re simply much deeper. The drawing and character art of cartoons is often vastly deformed / otherworldly to emphasize the disconnect from reality and the fun part of it.

Another difference is the way characters evolve. In most comics I’ve read, you have episodic experiences which are, at most, loosely connected, and so characters don’t really evolve / grow up. I’m sure there are counter-examples out there, but I think we can agree that the characters are not the focus.

What’s the Difference Between Subbed and Dubbed Anime?

Subbed is short for subtitled which means that the anime is likely available to watch with the original Japanese audio and with English subtitles placed over the footage.

Dubbed means that the anime has been redubbed with a language different from that of the original Japanese. More often than not, this means that it has an English language version with English-speaking voice actors. Occasionally this can also mean that the songs have also been replaced with English versions.

Most popular anime series and movies will have both subbed and dubbed versions available to watch on streaming services such as Crunchyroll and on their official DVD and Blu-ray releases.

What are the differences between Anime and Manga?

Anime and Manga are two different storytelling media. They both originate in Japan, and are closely related, but are ultimately two different things. The confusion between the two arises mostly because it’s often the case that the same story will have both an anime and a manga version. The terminology will vary a little bit depending on whether the person you talk to is a Japanese person or a westerner; I’ll try to point out where this happens.

Anime (アニメ, a shortened form of アニメーション, which is literally “animation” when written as a loanword in Japanese) are Japanese animated cartoon videos. These air on television or are released to home video. Producing an anime is a large undertaking, and requires the work of an animation studio with a large number of people.

Manga (漫画, which could be literally read as “whimsical drawings”) are Japanese comics. Unlike anime, they’re typically black and white. Manga are often used as the basis for anime, but not every anime is from a manga and most manga are never made into anime. Manga usually only require a small number of people to produce, at minimum a mangaka (who is the author, illustrator, and all other major roles) and an editor. Unlike western comic books, most manga are read right-to-left.

Is Anime Okay For Children?

Not all anime is suitable for children but some of it is. There are anime series and movies made for all age demographics, with series like Doraemon, Glitter Force, and Pokemon targeting the under seven-year-old age bracket, and others like Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, and Naruto Shippuden being made to appeal to teenagers and older.

Much Anime Is Appropriate

Not all anime shows are full of nudity and violence. Much anime is appropriate no matter what age your children are. To be sure they’re seeing only the stuff you want them to see, watch a few episodes with them. Most of what’s on during the daytime and early evening hours has been edited with younger ones in mind, omitting sexually explicit and graphically violent content.

Some good ones include “Case Closed,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Pokemon,” “Cardcaptor Sakura,” “Tenchi Muyo!,” “Yu-Gi-Oh!,” and the films of Studio Ghibli such as “Spirited Away.” For older kids—say, 12 and up—”Naruto,” “Fullmetal Alchemist,” “Dragon Ball Z,” and “Yu Yu Hakusho” are fine.

Anime shows have age ratings like movies and DVDs, so it’s easy to pick appropriate shows. Keep in mind that cultural differences between America and Japan appear in anime—namely, sexual content and the occasional death of a “good guy.”

Where to watch Anime online

Anime series and movies are often aired on numerous TV channels around the world and are also available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray. Several streaming services such as Hulu and Amazon Video also provide users with a large number of anime franchises to stream, while Netflix has invested heavily in the anime genre and has exclusive rights to some series like Glitter Force. Netflix is even producing several anime films and series in Japan for global releases on its platform.

There are quite a few streaming services that focus exclusively on anime, with Crunchyroll, FUNimation, and AnimeLab being three of the most popular. Each has its own official app for streaming its content, which can be downloaded on smartphones, video game consoles, tablets, computers, and smart TVs. These three anime streaming services also offer free ad-supported viewing options or free 30-day trials.

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