Anime (Japanese:アニメ,IPA:[aꜜɲime]ⓘ[a]; derived from a shortening of Englishanimation) ishand-drawn andcomputer-generatedanimation originating fromJapan. Outside Japan and in English,anime refers specifically to animation produced in Japan.[1] However,anime, in Japan and in Japanese, describes all animated works, regardless of style or origin. Many works of animation with asimilar style to Japanese animation are also produced outside Japan.Video games sometimes also feature themes and art styles that are sometimes labelled as anime.
The earliest commercial Japanese animation dates to 1917. A characteristic art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of cartoonistOsamu Tezuka and spread in the following decades, developing a large domestic audience. Anime is distributed theatrically, through television broadcasts,directly to home media, andover the Internet. In addition to original works, anime are often adaptations of Japanese comics (manga),light novels, orvideo games. It is classified into numerous genres targeting various broad and niche audiences.[2]
Anime is a diverse medium with distinctive production methods that have adapted in response to emergent technologies. It combines graphic art, characterization, cinematography, and other forms of imaginative and individualistic techniques.[3] Compared to Western animation, anime production generally focuses less on movement, and more on the detail of settings and use of "camera effects", such as panning, zooming, and angle shots.[3] Diverse art styles are used, and character proportions and features can be quite varied, with a common characteristic feature being large and emotive eyes.[4]
As a type ofanimation, anime is an art form that comprises manygenres found in other mediums; it is sometimes mistakenly classified as a genre itself.[8] In Japanese, the termanime is used to refer to all animated works, regardless of style or origin.[9] English-language dictionaries typically defineanime (/ˈænɪmeɪ/)[10] as "a style of Japanese animation"[11] or as "a style of animation originating in Japan".[12] Other definitions are based on origin, making production in Japan a requisite for a work to be considered "anime".[13]
The etymology of the termanime is disputed. The English word "animation" is written in Japanesekatakana asアニメーション (animēshon) and asアニメ (anime,pronounced[a.ɲi.me]ⓘ) in its shortened form.[13] Some sources claim that the term is derived from the French term for animationdessin animé ("cartoon", literally 'animated drawing'),[14] but others believe this to be a myth derived from the popularity of anime in France in the late 1970s and 1980s.[13]
In English,anime—when used as a commonnoun—normally functions as amass noun. (For example: "Do you watch anime?" or "How much anime have you watched?")[15][16] As with a few other Japanese words, such assaké andPokémon, English texts sometimes spellanime asanimé (as in French), with anacute accent over the finale, to cue the reader to pronounce the letter, not to leave it silent as English orthography may suggest. Prior to the widespread use ofanime, the termJapanimation, aportmanteau ofJapan and animation, was prevalent throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In the mid-1980s, the termanime began to supplantJapanimation;[17] in general, the latter term now only appears in period works where it is used to distinguish and identify Japanese animation.[18]
Emakimono andshadow plays (kage-e) are considered precursors of Japanese animation.[19]Emakimono was common in the eleventh century. Traveling storytellers narrated legends and anecdotes while theemakimono was unrolled from the right to left in chronological order, as a moving panorama.[19]Kage-e was popular during the Edo period and originated from the shadow plays of China.[19]Magic lanterns from the Netherlands were also popular in the eighteenth century.[19] The paper play calledkamishibai surged in the twelfth century and remained popular in the street theater until the 1930s.[19] Puppets of theBunraku theater andukiyo-e prints are considered ancestors of characters of most Japanese animation.[19] Finally, manga were a heavy inspiration for anime. CartoonistsKitzawa Rakuten andOkamoto Ippei used film elements in their strips.[19]
Pioneers
Namakura Gatana (1917), the oldest surviving Japanese animated short film made for cinemas
Animation in Japan began in the early 20th century, whenfilmmakers started to experiment with techniques pioneered in France, Germany, the United States, and Russia.[20] A claim for the earliest Japanese animation isKatsudō Shashin (c. 1907),[21] a private work by an unknown creator.[22] In 1917, the first professional and publicly displayed works began to appear; animators such asŌten Shimokawa,Seitarō Kitayama, andJun'ichi Kōuchi (considered the "fathers of anime") produced numerous films, the oldest surviving of which is Kōuchi'sNamakura Gatana.[23] Many early works were lost with the destruction of Shimokawa's warehouse in the1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[24]
By the mid-1930s, animation was well-established in Japan as an alternative format to thelive-action industry. It suffered competition from foreign producers, such asDisney, and many animators, includingNoburō Ōfuji andYasuji Murata, continued to work with cheapercutout animation rather thancel animation.[25] Other creators, includingKenzō Masaoka andMitsuyo Seo, nevertheless made great strides in technique, benefiting from the patronage of the government, which employed animators to produce educational shorts andpropaganda.[26] In 1940, the government dissolved several artists' organizations to form theShin NipponMangaka Kyōkai.[b][27] The firsttalkie anime wasChikara to Onna no Yo no Naka (1933), a short film produced by Masaoka.[28][29] The first feature-length anime film wasMomotaro: Sacred Sailors (1945), produced by Seo with a sponsorship from theImperial Japanese Navy.[30] The 1950s saw a proliferation of short, animated advertisements created for television.[31]
Modern era
Frame from the opening sequence of Tezuka's 1963 TV seriesAstro Boy
In the 1960s,manga artist and animatorOsamu Tezuka adapted and simplified Disney animation techniques to reduce costs and limit frame counts in his productions.[32] Originally intended as temporary measures to allow him to produce material on a tight schedule with inexperienced staff, many of hislimited animation practices came to define the medium's style.[33]Three Tales (1960) was the first anime film broadcast on television;[34] the first anime television series wasInstant History (1961–64).[35] An early and influential success wasAstro Boy (1963–66), a television series directed by Tezuka based onhis manga of the same name. Many animators at Tezuka'sMushi Production later established major anime studios (includingMadhouse,Sunrise, andPierrot).
The 1970s saw growth in the popularity of manga, many of which were later animated. Tezuka's work—and that of other pioneers in the field—inspired characteristics and genres that remain fundamental elements of anime today. The giant robot genre (also known as "mecha"), for instance, took shape under Tezuka, developed into thesuper robot genre underGo Nagai and others, and was revolutionized at the end of the decade byYoshiyuki Tomino, who developed thereal robot genre.[36] Robot anime series such asGundam andSuper Dimension Fortress Macross became instant classics in the 1980s, and the genre remained one of the most popular in the following decades.[37] Thebubble economy of the 1980s spurred a new era of high-budget and experimental anime films, includingNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984),Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987), andAkira (1988).[38]
In 2021, the anime adaptations ofJujutsu Kaisen,Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba andTokyo Revengers were among the top 10 most discussed TV shows worldwide on Twitter.[45][46] In 2022,Attack on Titan won the award of "Most In-Demand TV Series in the World 2021" in the Global TV Demand Awards.Attack on Titan became the first ever non-English language series to earn the title of World's Most In-Demand TV Show, previously held by onlyThe Walking Dead andGame of Thrones.[47] In 2024,Jujutsu Kaisen broke theGuinness World Record for the "Most in-demand animated TV show" with a global demand rating 71.2 times than that of the average TV show, previously held byAttack on Titan.[48][49]
Anime differs from other forms of animation by its art styles, methods of animation, its production, and its process. Visually, anime works exhibit a wide variety of art styles, differing between creators, artists, and studios.[50] While no single art style predominates anime as a whole, they do share some similar attributes in terms of animation technique and character design.
Anime is fundamentally characterized by the use of limited animation, flat expression, the suspension of time, its thematic range, the presence of historical figures, its complex narrative line and, above all, a peculiar drawing style, with characters characterized by large and oval eyes, with very defined lines, bright colors and reduced movement of the lips.[51][52]
Technique
Modern anime follows a typical animation production process, involvingstoryboarding,voice acting,character design, andcel production. Since the 1990s, animators have increasingly usedcomputer animation to improve the efficiency of the production process. Early anime works were experimental, and consisted of images drawn on blackboards,stop motion animation of paper cutouts, andsilhouette animation.[53][54] Cel animation grew in popularity until it came to dominate the medium. In the 21st century, the use of other animation techniques is mostly limited to independentshort films,[55] including the stop motion puppet animation work produced byTadahito Mochinaga,Kihachirō Kawamoto and Tomoyasu Murata.[56][57] Computers were integrated into the animation process in the 1990s, with works such asGhost in the Shell andPrincess Mononoke mixing cel animation with computer-generated images.[58]Fuji Film, a major cel production company, announced it would stop cel production, producing an industry panic to procure cel imports and hastening the switch to digital processes.[58]
Prior to the digital era, anime was produced withtraditional animation methods using a pose to pose approach.[53] The majority of mainstream anime uses fewer expressivekey frames and morein-between animation.[59]
Japanese animation studios were pioneers of manylimited animation techniques, and have given anime a distinct set of conventions. UnlikeDisney animation, where the emphasis is on the movement, anime emphasizes the art quality and let limited animation techniques make up for the lack of time spent on movement. Such techniques are often used not only to meet deadlines but also as artistic devices.[60] Anime scenes place emphasis on achieving three-dimensional views, and backgrounds are instrumental in creating the atmosphere of the work.[20] The backgrounds are not always invented and are occasionally based on real locations, as exemplified inHowl's Moving Castle andThe Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.[61][better source needed] Oppliger stated that anime is one of the rare mediums where putting together an all-star cast usually comes out looking "tremendously impressive".[62]
The cinematic effects of anime differentiates itself from the stage plays found in American animation. Anime is cinematically shot as if by camera, including panning, zooming, distance and angle shots to more complex dynamic shots that would be difficult to produce in reality.[63][64][65] In anime, the animation is produced before the voice acting, contrary to American animation which does the voice acting first.[66]
The body proportions of human anime characters tend to accurately reflect the proportions of the human body in reality. The height of the head is considered by the artist as the base unit of proportion. Head to height ratios vary drastically by art style, with most anime characters falling between 5 and 8 heads tall. Anime artists occasionally make deliberate modifications to body proportions to producechibi characters that feature a disproportionately small body compared to the head; many chibi characters are two to four heads tall. Some anime works likeCrayon Shin-chan completely disregard these proportions, in such a way that they resemblecaricatured Westerncartoons.
A common anime character design convention is exaggerated eye size. The animation of characters with large eyes in anime can be traced back to Osamu Tezuka, who was deeply influenced by such early animation characters asBetty Boop, who was drawn with disproportionately large eyes.[67] Tezuka is a central figure in anime and manga history, whose iconic art style and character designs allowed for the entire range of human emotions to be depicted solely through the eyes.[68] The artist adds variable color shading to the eyes and particularly to the cornea to give them greater depth. Generally, a mixture of a light shade, the tone color, and a dark shade is used.[69][70] However, not all anime characters have large eyes. For example, the works ofHayao Miyazaki are known for having realistically proportioned eyes, as well as realistic hair colors on their characters.[71]
Hair in anime is often unnaturally lively and colorful or uniquely styled. The movement of hair in anime is exaggerated and "hair actions" is used to emphasize the action and emotions of characters for added visual effect.[72]Gilles Poitras traces hairstyle color to cover illustrations on manga, where eye-catching artwork and colorful tones are attractive for children's manga.[72] Some anime will depict non-Japanese characters with specific ethnic features, such as a pronounced nose and jutting jaw for European characters.[73] In other cases, anime feature characters whose race or nationality is not always defined, and this is often a deliberate decision, such as in thePokémon animated series.[74]
Anime and manga artists often draw from a common canon of iconic facial expression illustrations to denote particular moods and thoughts.[75] These techniques are often different in form than their counterparts in Western animation, and they include a fixediconography that is used as shorthand for certain emotions and moods.[76] For example, a male character may develop anosebleed when aroused.[76] A variety of visual symbols are employed, including sweat drops to depict nervousness, visible blushing for embarrassment, or glowing eyes for an intense glare.[77] Another recurring sight gag is the use ofchibi (deformed, simplified character designs) figures to comedically punctuate emotions like confusion or embarrassment.[76]
The opening and credits sequences of most anime television series are accompanied byJ-pop orJ-rock songs, often by reputed bands—as written with the series in mind—but are also aimed at the general music market, therefore they often allude only vaguely or not at all, to the thematic settings or plot of the series. Also, they are often used as incidental music ("insert songs") in an episode, in order to highlight particularly important scenes.[78][better source needed]
Since the 2020sanime songs have experienced a rapid growth in global online popularity due to their widened availability on music streaming services likeSpotify and promotion by fans and artists on social media.[80] In 2023, the opening theme "Idol" byYoasobi of the anime seriesOshi no Ko topped theBillboard Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts with 45.7 million streams and 24,000 copies sold outside the U.S. "Idol" has become the first Japanese song and anime song to top the Billboard Global chart as well as taking the first spot on theApple Music's Top 100: Global chart.[81][82]
Genres
Anime are often classified by target demographic, including children's (子供,kodomo), girls' (少女,shōjo), boys' (少年,shōnen), young men (青年,Seinen), young women (女性,josei) and a diverse range of genres targeting an adult audience. Shōjo and shōnen anime sometimes contain elements popular with children of all genders in an attempt to gain crossover appeal. Adult anime may feature a slower pace or greater plot complexity that younger audiences may typically find unappealing, as well as adult themes and situations.[83] A subset of adult anime works featuring pornographic elements are labeled "R18" in Japan, and are internationally known ashentai (originating from pervert (変態,hentai)). By contrast, some anime subgenres incorporateecchi, sexual themes or undertones without depictions ofsexual intercourse, as typified in the comedic orharem genres; due to its popularity among adolescent and adult anime enthusiasts, the inclusion of such elements is considered a form offan service.[84][85] Some genres explore homosexual romances, such asyaoi (male homosexuality) andyuri (female homosexuality). While often used in a pornographic context, the termsyaoi andyuri can also be used broadly in a wider context to describe or focus on the themes or the development of the relationships themselves.[86]
Anime's genre classification differs from other types of animation and does not lend itself to simple classification.[87]Gilles Poitras compared the labeling ofGundam 0080 and its complex depiction of war as a "giant robot" anime akin to simply labelingWar and Peace a "war novel".[87]Science fiction is a major anime genre and includes important historical works like Tezuka'sAstro Boy andYokoyama'sTetsujin 28-go. A major subgenre of science fiction ismecha, with theGundammetaseries being iconic.[88] The diversefantasy genre includes works based on Asian and Western traditions and folklore; examples include the Japanese feudal fairytaleInuYasha, and the depiction of Scandinavian goddesses who move to Japan to maintain a computer calledYggdrasil inAh! My Goddess.[89] Genre crossing in anime is also prevalent, such as the blend of fantasy and comedy inDragon Half, and the incorporation of slapstick humor in the crime anime filmCastle of Cagliostro.[90] Other subgenres found in anime includemagical girl, harem, sports, martial arts, literary adaptations,medievalism,[91] and war.[92]
Formats
Early anime works were made for theatrical viewing, and required played musical components before sound and vocal components were added to the production. In 1958,Nippon Television airedMogura no Abanchūru ("Mole's Adventure"), both the first televised and first color anime to debut.[93] It was not until the 1960s when the first televised series were broadcast and it has remained a popular medium since.[94] Works released in a direct-to-video format are called "original video animation" (OVA) or "original animation video" (OAV); and are typically not released theatrically or televised prior to home media release.[95][96][better source needed] The emergence of the Internet has led some animators to distribute works online in a format called "original net animation" (ONA).[97][better source needed]
The home distribution of anime releases was popularized in the 1980s with the VHS andLaserDisc formats.[95] The VHSNTSC video format used in both Japan and the United States is credited with aiding the rising popularity of anime in the 1990s.[95] The LaserDisc and VHS formats were transcended by the DVD format which offered the unique advantages; including multiple subtitling and dubbing tracks on the same disc.[98] The DVD format also has its drawbacks in its usage ofregion coding; adopted by the industry to solve licensing, piracy and export problems and restricted region indicated on the DVD player.[98] TheVideo CD (VCD) format was popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but became only a minor format in the United States that was closely associated withbootleg copies.[98]
A key characteristic of many anime television shows is serialization, where a continuousstory arc stretches over multiple episodes or seasons. TraditionalAmerican television had an episodic format, with each episode typically consisting of a self-contained story. In contrast, anime shows such asDragon Ball Z had a serialization format, where continuous story arcs stretch over multiple episodes or seasons, which distinguished them from traditional American television shows; serialization has since also become a common characteristic of Americanstreaming television shows during the "Peak TV" era.[99]
Anime has to be licensed by companies in other countries in order to be legally released. While anime has been licensed by its Japanese owners for use outside Japan since at least the 1960s, the practice became well-established in the United States in the late 1970s to early 1980s, when such TV series asGatchaman andCaptain Harlock were licensed from their Japanese parent companies for distribution in the US market. The trend towards American distribution of anime continued into the 1980s with the licensing of titles such asVoltron and the 'creation' of new series such asRobotech through the use of source material from several original series.[107]
In the early 1990s, several companies began to experiment with the licensing of less child-oriented material. Some, such asA.D. Vision, andCentral Park Media and its imprints, achieved fairly substantial commercial success and went on to become major players in the now very lucrative American anime market. Others, such asAnimEigo, achieved limited success. Many companies created directly by Japanese parent companies did not do as well, most releasing only one or two titles before completing their American operations.
Licenses are expensive, often hundreds of thousands of dollars for one series and tens of thousands for one movie.[108] The prices vary widely; for example,Jinki: Extend cost only $91,000 to license whileKurau Phantom Memory cost $960,000.[108] Simulcast Internet streaming rights can be cheaper, with prices around $1,000–2,000 an episode,[109] but can also be more expensive, with some series costing more thanUS$200,000 per episode.[110]
The anime market for the United States was worth approximately $2.74 billion in 2009.[111] Dubbed animation began airing in the United States in 2000 on networks likeThe WB andCartoon Network'sAdult Swim.[112] In 2005, this resulted in five of the top ten anime titles having previously aired on Cartoon Network.[112] As a part of localization, someediting of cultural references may occur to better follow the references of the non-Japanese culture.[113] The cost of English localization averages US$10,000 per episode.[114]
The industry has been subject to both praise and condemnation forfansubs, the addition of unlicensed and unauthorized subtitled translations of anime series or films.[115] Fansubs, which were originally distributed on VHS bootlegged cassettes in the 1980s, have been freely available and disseminated online since the 1990s.[115] Since this practice raises concerns for copyright and piracy issues, fansubbers tend to adhere to an unwritten moral code to destroy or no longer distribute an anime once an official translated or subtitled version becomes licensed. They also try to encourage viewers to buy an official copy of the release once it comes out in English, although fansubs typically continue to circulate through file-sharing networks.[116] Even so, the laid back regulations of the Japanese animation industry tend to overlook these issues, allowing it to grow underground and thus increasing its popularity until there is a demand for official high-quality releases for animation companies. This has led to an increase in global popularity of Japanese animation, reaching $40 million in sales in 2004.[117] Fansub practices have rapidly declined since the early-2010s due to the advent of legal streaming services whichsimulcast new anime series often within a few hours of their domestic release.[118]
Since the 2010s, anime has become a global multibillion industry setting a sales record in 2017 of ¥2.15 trillion ($19.8 billion), driven largely by demand from overseas audiences.[119] In 2019, Japan's anime industry was valued at $24 billion a year with 48% of that revenue coming from overseas (which is now its largest industry sector).[120] By 2025 the anime industry is expected to reach a value of $30 billion with over 60% of that revenue coming fromoverseas.[121]
Markets
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) valued the domestic anime market in Japan at¥2.4 trillion ($24 billion), including¥2 trillion from licensed products, in 2005.[122] JETRO reported sales of overseas anime exports in 2004 to be¥2 trillion ($18 billion).[123] JETRO valued the anime market in the United States at¥520 billion ($5.2 billion),[122] including$500 million inhome video sales and over$4 billion from licensed products, in 2005.[124] JETRO projected in 2005 that the worldwide anime market, including sales of licensed products, would grow to¥10 trillion ($100 billion).[122][124] The anime market in China was valued at$21 billion in 2017,[125] and is projected to reach$31 billion by 2020.[126] InEurope the animemerchandising market was valued at about $950 million with thefigurine segment accounting for most of the share and is expected to reach a value of over $2 billion by 2030.[127] The global anime market size was valued at $26.055 billion in 2021 with 29% of the revenue coming frommerchandise. It is expected that the global anime market will reach a value of $47.14 billion by 2028.[128][129] In 2023 the anime industry generated a $19.8 billion in total global revenue, including $5.5 billion from streaming and $14.3 billion from merchandising sales. North America and Asia contributed a combined $14.3 billion in total revenue, accounting for over 72% of anime's global impact.[130][131] By 2030 the global anime market is expected to reach a value of $48.3 Billion with the largest contributors to this growth beingNorth America, Europe,Asia–Pacific andThe Middle East.[132] The global anime market size was valued at $25.8 Billion in 2022 and is expected to have a market size of $62.7 Billion by 2032 with aCAGR of 9.4%.[133][134][135]In 2019, the annual overseas exports of Japanese animation exceeded $10 billion for the first time in history.[136]
In recent years, the anime industry has been accused by both Japanese and foreign media of underpaying and overworking its animators.[138][139][140] In response the Japanese Prime MinisterFumio Kishida promised to improve the working conditions and salary of all animators and creators working in the industry.[141] A few anime studios such asMAPPA have taken actions to improve the working conditions of their employees.[142] There has also been a slight increase in production costs and animator pays during the COVID-19 pandemic.[143] Throughout 2020 and 2021 the American streaming serviceNetflix announced that it will greatly invest and fund the anime industry as well as support training programs for new animators.[144][145][146] On April 27, 2023,Nippon Anime Film Culture Association (NAFCA) was officially founded. The association aims to solve problems in the industry, including the improvement of conditions of the workers.[147][148]
Anime has become commercially profitable inWestern countries,[150][151][152] as demonstrated by early commercially successful Western adaptations of anime, such asAstro Boy andSpeed Racer. Early American adaptions in the 1960s made Japan expand into the continental European market, first with productions aimed at European and Japanese children, such asHeidi,Vicky the Viking andBarbapapa, which aired in various countries.Italy,Spain, andFrance[153][154] grew a particular interest in Japan's output, due to its cheap selling price and productive output. As of 2014, Italy imported the most anime outside Japan.[155] Anime and manga were introduced to France in the late 1970s and became massively popular in spite of amoral panic led by French politicians in the 1980s and 1990s.[156] These mass imports influenced anime popularity inEast Asian,[157][158][159]Southeast Asian,[160]South Asian,[161]Latin American,[162][163]Arabic[164] andGerman markets.[165]
The beginning of 1980 saw the introduction of Japanese anime series into the American culture.[166] In the 1990s, Japanese animation slowly gained popularity in America. Media companies such as Viz and Mixx began publishing and releasing animation into the American market.[167] The 1988 filmAkira is largely credited with popularizing anime in the Western world during the early 1990s, before anime was further popularized by television shows such asPokémon andDragon Ball Z in the late 1990s.[168][169] By 1997, Japanese anime was the fastest-growing genre in the American video industry.[170] The growth of the Internet later provided international audiences with an easy way to access Japanese content.[117] Early on, online piracy played a major role in this, through over time many legal alternatives appeared which significantly reduced illegal practices. Since the 2010s streaming services have become increasingly involved in the production, licensing and distribution of anime for the international markets.[171][172] This is especially the case with net services such asNetflix andCrunchyroll which have large catalogs in Western countries, although until 2020 anime fans in multiple developing countries, such as India[173] and thePhilippines, had fewer options for obtaining access to legal content, and therefore would still turn to online piracy.[174][175] However beginning with the 2020s anime has been experiencing yet another boom in global popularity and demand due to theCOVID-19 pandemic and streaming services like Netflix,Amazon Prime Video,HBO Max,Disney+,Hulu and anime-only services like Crunchyroll andHidive, increasing the international availability of the amount of new licensed anime shows as well as the size of their catalogs.[176][177][178][179][180]Netflix reported that, between October 2019 and September 2020, more than100 million member households worldwide had watched at least one anime title on the platform. Anime titles appeared on the streaming platform's top-ten lists in almost 100 countries within the one-year period.[181]As of 2021, anime series are the most demanded foreign-language television shows in the United States accounting for 30.5% of the market share. (In comparison, Spanish-language and Korean-language shows account for 21% and 11% of the market share, respectively.)[182] In 2021 more than half of Netflix's global members watched anime.[183][184]In 2022, the anime seriesAttack on Titan won the award of "Most In-Demand TV Series in the World 2021" in the Global TV Demand Awards.Attack on Titan became the first ever non-English language series to earn the title of "World's Most In-Demand TV Show", previously held by onlyThe Walking Dead andGame of Thrones.[47][185] In 2024, the anime seriesJujutsu Kaisen won the award of "Most In-Demand TV Series in the World 2023" in the Global TV Demand Awards.[186]
Various anime and manga series have influencedHollywood in the making of numerous famous movies and characters.[190] Hollywood itself has producedlive-action adaptations of various anime series such asGhost in the Shell,Death Note,Dragon Ball Evolution andCowboy Bebop. However most of these adaptations have been reviewed negatively by both the critics and the audience and have becomebox-office flops. The main reasons for the unsuccessfulness of Hollywood's adaptions of anime being the often change of plot and characters from the original source material and the limited capabilities a live-action movie or series can do in comparison to an animated counterpart.[191][192] One of the few particular exceptions to this includesAlita: Battle Angel, which has become a moderate commercial success, receiving generally positive reviews from both the critics and the audience for its visual effects and following the source material. The movie grossed $404 million worldwide, making it directorRobert Rodriguez's highest-grossing film.[193][194]
Anime and manga alongside many other imports ofJapanese pop culture have helped Japan to gain a positive worldwide image and improve its relations with other countries.[195][196][197] In 2015, during remarks welcoming Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe to the White House, PresidentBarack Obama thanked Japan for its cultural contributions to the United States by saying:
This visit is a celebration of the ties of friendship and family that bind our peoples. I first felt it when I was 6 years old when my mother took me to Japan. I felt it growing up in Hawaii, like communities across our country, home to so many proud Japanese Americans... Today is also a chance for Americans, especially our young people, to say thank you for all the things we love from Japan. Likekarate andkaraoke.Manga and anime. And, of course,emojis.[198]
In July 2020, after the approval of a Chilean government project in which citizens ofChile would be allowed to withdraw up to 10% of their privately held retirement savings, journalistPamela Jiles celebrated by running through Congress with her arms spread out behind her, imitating the move of many characters of the anime and manga seriesNaruto.[199][200] In April 2021,Peruvian politicians Jorge Hugo Romero of thePPC and Milagros Juárez of theUPP cosplayed as anime characters to get theotaku vote.[201] On October 28, 2024,The Vatican unveiled its own anime-styled mascot, "Luce", in order to connect with Catholic youth through pop culture.[202]
In April 2023, theJapan Business Federation laid out a proposal aiming to spur the economic growth ofJapan by further promoting the contents industry abroad, primarily anime, manga andvideo games, for measures to invite industry experts from abroad to come to Japan to work, and to link with thetourism sector to help foreign fans of manga and anime visit sites across the country associated with particular manga stories. The federation seeks on quadrupling the sales of Japanese content in overseas markets within the upcoming 10 years.[203][204]
A 2018 survey conducted in 20 countries and territories using a sample consisting of 6,600 respondents held byDentsu revealed that 34% of all surveyed people found excellency inanime and manga more than other Japanese cultural or technological aspects, which makes this mass Japanese media the third most-liked "Japanese thing", belowJapanese cuisine (34.6%) andJapanese robotics (35.1%). The advertisement company views anime as a profitable tool for marketing campaigns in foreign countries due to its popularity and high reception.[205]
Anime plays a role in driving tourism to Japan. In surveys held byStatista between 2019 and 2020, 24.2% of tourists from the United States, 7.7% of tourists from China and 6.1% of tourists from South Korea said they were motivated to visit Japan because ofJapanese popular culture.[206] In a 2021 survey held by Crunchyroll market research, 94% ofGen-Z's and 73% of the general population said that they are familiar with anime.[207][208]
Anime clubs gave rise toanime conventions in the 1990s with the "anime boom", a period marked by anime's increased global popularity.[209] These conventions are dedicated to anime and manga and include elements likecosplay contests and industry talk panels.[210] Cosplay, aportmanteau of "costume play", is not unique to anime and has become popular in contests and masquerades at anime conventions.[211] Japanese culture and words have entered English usage through the popularity of the medium, includingotaku, an unflattering Japanese term commonly used in English to denote an obsessive fan of anime or manga.[212] Another word that has arisen describing obsessive fans in the United States iswapanese meaning 'white individuals who want to be Japanese, or later known asweeaboo orweeb, individuals who demonstrate an obsession with Japanese anime subculture, a term that originated from abusive content posted on the website4chan.org.[213] While originally derogatory, the terms "Otaku" and "Weeb" have beenreappropriated by the anime fandom overtime and today are used by some fans to refer to themselves in a comedic and more positive way.[214]Anime enthusiasts have producedfan fiction andfan art, including computer wallpapers, andanime music videos (AMVs).[215]
Many fans visit sites depicted in anime, games, manga and other forms of otaku culture. This behavior is known as "Anime pilgrimage".[216]
According to Crunchyroll's research data from 2023 to 2024 provided by its President Rahul Parini, revealed that there are approximately 800 million people globally (outside of China and Japan) who are either highly aware of anime, show interest in anime or currently watch anime and identify as fans.[224][225][226]
According to a 2024 survey conducted on anime fans byPolygon, 65% of the surveyed anime fans said that they find anime more emotionally compelling than other forms of media and more than 3 in 4 ofMillennial and Gen-Z fans use the medium as a form ofescapism. Almost two-thirds of the anime-watching Gen Z audience said they emotionally connect better with anime than they do with traditional media. Over 50% of surveyed Gen-Z anime fans said that anime influences their identity, fashion and social understanding.[227]
Due to anime's increased popularity in recent years, a large number of celebrities such asElon Musk,BTS andAriana Grande have come out as anime fans.[228]
One of the key points that differentiated anime from a handful of Western cartoons is the potential for visceral content. Once the expectation that the aspects of visual intrigue or animation are just for children is put aside, the audience can realize that themes involving violence, suffering, sexuality, pain, and death can all be storytelling elements utilized in anime just as much as other media.[229]
"Japanese animation is so different from what airs here. It's far edgier, more adult and violent."
Traditionally only Japanese works have been considered anime, but some works have sparked debate about blurring the lines between anime and cartoons, such as the American anime-style productionsAvatar: The Last Airbender andAvatar: The Legend of Korra.[231] These anime-styled works have become defined asanime-influenced animation, in an attempt to classify all anime styled works of non-Japanese origin.[232] Some creators of these works cite anime as a source of inspiration, for example the French production team forŌban Star-Racers that moved to Tokyo to collaborate with a Japanese production team.[233][234][235] When anime is defined as a "style" rather than as a national product, it leaves open the possibility of anime being produced in other countries,[231] but this has been contentious amongst fans, with John Oppliger stating, "The insistence on referring to original American art as Japanese "anime" or "manga" robs the work of its cultural identity."[13][236]
While some anime will depict non-Japanese characters with specific ethnic features, such as a pronounced nose and jutting jaw for European characters,[73] there are some styles that deliberately forgo any identification of its characters with real-world ethnicities or nationalities, termed in criticism asmukokuseki (statelessness).Mukokuseki characters can significantly impact the reception of a property outside of Japan.[237][238]
AU.A.E.-Filipino produced TV series calledTorkaizer is dubbed as the "Middle East's First Anime Show", and is currently in production[239] and looking for funding.[240][needs update] Netflix has produced multiple anime series in collaboration with Japanese animation studios,[241] and in doing so, has offered a more accessible channel for distribution to Western markets.[242] Similar initiatives have been enacted by the US-based streaming service Crunchyroll,[243] producing titles such asHigh Guardian Spice and an adaptation ofTower of God.
The web-based seriesRWBY, produced byTexas-based companyRooster Teeth, is produced using an anime art style, and the series has been described as "anime" by multiple sources. For example,Adweek, in the headline to one of its articles, described the series as "American-made anime",[244] and in another headline,The Huffington Post described it as simply "anime", without referencing its country of origin.[245] In 2013,Monty Oum, the creator ofRWBY, said "Some believe just like Scotch needs to be made in Scotland, an American company can't make anime. I think that's a narrow way of seeing it. Anime is an art form, and to say only one country can make this art is wrong."[246]RWBY has been released in Japan with a Japanese language dub;[247] the CEO ofRooster Teeth,Matt Hullum, commented "This is the first time any American-made anime has been marketed to Japan. It definitely usually works the other way around, and we're really pleased about that."[244]
InJapanese culture and entertainment, media mix is a strategy to disperse content across multiple representations: differentbroadcast media, gaming technologies, cell phones, toys,amusement parks, and other methods.[248] It is the Japanese term for atransmedia franchise.[249][250] The term gained its circulation in late 1980s, but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the proliferation of anime, with its interconnection of media and commodity goods.[251]
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^"What is anime?".ANN. July 26, 2002.Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. RetrievedAugust 18, 2007.
^"Aaron McGruder - The Boondocks Interview".Troy Rogers. UnderGroundOnline. Archived fromthe original on October 30, 2007. RetrievedOctober 14, 2007.We looked at Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop to make this work for black comedy and it would be a remarkable thing.
^Bîrlea, Oana-Maria. “Soft Power: ’Cute Culture’, a Persuasive Strategy in Japanese Advertising.” TRAMES: A Journal of the Humanities & Social Sciences, vol. 27, no. 3, July 2023, pp. 311–24. EBSCOhost viaWikipedia Library,https://doi.org/10.3176/tr.2023.3.07.
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Le Blanc, Michelle; Odell, Colin (2017).Akira. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-1844578108.
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