The Japanese Animated artform or Anime dates back to 1917 when Oten Shimokawa created the first film which was a 5 minute feature which was called Mukuzo Imokawa the Doorman.

Today Anime is a huge part of Japanese Culture and in recent years has become popular in many countries around the world with the video game revolution and characters like Astro Boy and Pokemon.

The Japanese Anime has a distinct character and style which makes it stand out from other forms of animation.  The artform is an evolution of Manga and other Japanese comic forms.  Anime usualy deals with totaly fictionous storylines with science fiction, erotica or hentai as it is called and fantasy being the most popular forms and usually involve a strong action themed base.

Soundtracks used in Anime have become huge buisness in recent years with many of the A names of Japanese Pop and Rock writing songs for soundtracks. One of the most popular series in recent years has been Neon Genesis Evangelion where there has been several chart topping hits.

With the introduction of DVD in recent years Anime has become more popular than ever. Many of the collections come in special packaging and beautiful collector editon sets. Huge video stores in major centres have floors dedicated to this popular for of entertainment.

Anime is a fairly simplified form of animation, unlike the Disney or the other US movie houses the animation is kept fairly simple.  The artwork is very beautiful and quiet detailed but the movement is limited to small sections eg mouths and eyes.

Also on Happy Jappy
Japanese Cartoon Characters