Define: Anime

[Savia]

Anime: (noun, mass noun) Japanese film and television animation, typically having a science-fiction theme and sometimes including violent or explicitly sexual material. Compare with MANGA.

So, stereotyping reaches the world's best dictionary. Largely true, perhaps, but does that matter?

Discuss.

[UncleMilo]

Well... while we all know that the term "anime" is just the word for animation, I think it's rather apparent that in the United States, the term anime is used when talking about Japanese animation.

Dictionaries tend to put definitions in to reflect the word's usage. After all...Xerox is a company... but enough Americans have started using the word xerox as in "to make a copy" so now xerox is in the dictionary defined as "to make a copy."

Personally, I think it's odd when I hear people talking about American made animations and then hearing people call it anime.

For me... I call animation here in America "animation" or "cartoon" depending on the nature of the show... Also call animation from Canada (like Rock'n'Rule) or England (like Watership Down) "animation"

and animation from Japan "Anime"


-Uncle Milo

[kthulhu]

Seems accurate, for a start, but it needs to be expanded. Perhaps a better definition would be:

"Japanese film and television animation, encompassing a broad range of genres and themes, and sometimes including violent or sexual content."

[Savia]

Seems accurate, for a start, but it needs to be expanded. Perhaps a better definition would be:

"Japanese film and television animation, encompassing a broad range of genres and themes, and sometimes including violent or sexual content."

Agreed. I like that definition a lot better.

Oh, and in case anyone's curious, the definition of manga is pretty much the same, only with the addition of 'comics' to the list of genres and the replacement of all instances of the word 'anime' with 'manga', and vica versa.

[kthulhu]

I suppose that, in my mind at least, one could also use anime as a term for "Eastern" animation, made in Asia for mainly Asian audiences. Written, designed, and animated in Asian countries.

This doesn't cover the contract animation done in places like South Korea for Western productions, as the finished product is not really intended for the Asian market. It is written by Westerners, designed by Westerners, and the grunt work is done by the Asian animators.

One could say the cultural imbuing is what defines it. Like pottery - a pot is a pot, in general terms, but it can be VERY different, depending on what culture (and the influence said culture had on the sculptor) made it.

[Feria]

The problem with the current definition is that it seams to make Anime sound like its for certain types of people, there are Many forms of anime that aren't reconised by the general public even if they may like it because theyre put of definitions like that.

[Otohiko]

Stereotyping indeed.

It's something that'll take a while to get rid of, since this IS the way most people in our society see it.

As for anime -

the textbook definition I always gave it is "2D animation made IN Japan, FOR the Japanese audience."

But, as you can see, all three of the above criteria are being stretched quite a bit lately, so... go figure.

But, I'd definitely not go into stereotyping.

[J-0080]

Anime (AH-nee-may or AN-nee-may)
n. -Short for "animation". Refers to "Japanese Animation", a genre/medium that has its roots in the 1960's when the Japanese began making television versions of their version of comics (manga). Unlike the "cartoon", America and other culture's counterpart to anime, much of the Japanese animation shown is one of deeper, sometimes more mature themes, including developed storylines, linear plots, and aspects of violence, sex, drama, and comedy (not unlike live-action films in the States). There are different kinds of anime and each kind embraces adifferent age group or group of people. In Japan, the medium is as much respected as the "live-action" genre of movies. In other cultures, anime has achieved a mostly cult following, though with the mainstream acceptance and awareness of such anime as Pokemon, Dragonball Z, Tenchi Muyo, and Perfect Blue, the anime movement continues to gain in strength and visibility.
ex. - "Did you watch that new Evangelion? It's the epitomy of what anime is.
see also: Japanimation

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I much would of rather seen this definition in, but I doubt they'd want to waste the ink on it.

J-0080.

[Savia]

Anime (AH-nee-may or AN-nee-may)
n. -Short for "animation". Refers to "Japanese Animation", a genre/medium that has its roots in the 1960's when the Japanese began making television versions of their version of comics (manga). Unlike the "cartoon", America and other culture's counterpart to anime, much of the Japanese animation shown is one of deeper, sometimes more mature themes, including developed storylines, linear plots, and aspects of violence, sex, drama, and comedy (not unlike live-action films in the States). There are different kinds of anime and each kind embraces adifferent age group or group of people. In Japan, the medium is as much respected as the "live-action" genre of movies. In other cultures, anime has achieved a mostly cult following, though with the mainstream acceptance and awareness of such anime as Pokemon, Dragonball Z, Tenchi Muyo, and Perfect Blue, the anime movement continues to gain in strength and visibility.
ex. - "Did you watch that new Evangelion? It's the epitomy of what anime is.
see also: Japanimation

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I much would of rather seen this definition in, but I doubt they'd want to waste the ink on it.

J-0080.

Did you write that?

[J-0080]

no =(