Anime is an abbreviation of the word "animation" originating in Japan through the roots of manga.Although the term is used in Japan to refer to animation in general, in English usage the term most popularly refers to material originating from Japan, a subset of animation.

Anime is traditionally hand drawn, but computer assisted techniques have become quite common in recent years. It is used in television series, films, video, video games, and internet-based releases, and represents all genres of fiction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime

Some examples of popular anime series,

Basilisk

The story takes place in the year 1614. Two ninja clans, Tsubagakure of the Iga and Manjidani of Kouga, battle each other to determine which grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu will become the next shogun. The deadly competition between 10 elite ninja from each clan unleashes a centuries-old hatred that threatens to destroy all hope for peace between them.

Full Metal Alchemist

The story follows the adventures of two brothers, alchemists named Edward and Alphonse Elric, who want to recover parts of their bodies they lost in an attempt to bring their mother back to life.

Sailor Moon

The story of the various metaseries revolves around the reincarnated defenders of a kingdom that once spanned the solar system, and the evil forces that they battle. The major characters—called Sailor Senshi (literally "Sailor Soldiers"; frequently called "Sailor Scouts" in the North American version)—are teenage girls who can transform into heroines named for the moon and planets (Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, etc).



Basilisk

Cigdem,


I found an interesting website for all things anime' with many related links in the interior sections:

http://www.anime.com/sitemap.html


Among those are a review of Miyazaki and his work:

http://www.anime.com/Hayao_Miyazaki/


I remember reading about Akira in the early '90s, when boy bands were all the rage, but didn't know what any of it was about at the time

http://www.anime.com/Akira/


For us elderly Americans, there are a number of brief reviews here, including "Schoolhouse Rock," "Jonny Quest," "Josie and the Pussycats":

http://www.anime.com/American_Animation_TV/


A similar section on American comics, with more on "Josie and the Pussycats" (I didn't come up with "Moammar and the Pussycats" out of nowhere):

http://www.anime.com/American_Comics/

I found the review there very interesting, saying "Josie" was a precursor to anime' along with breaking racial stereotypes (plus some trivia about the always-fine Cheryl Ladd):

"Best of Josie and the Pussycats -- Graphic Novel Review

"...we *love* Josie and The Pussycats (which is a precursur to all anime — consider that it's a trio of shapely animated women in skin-tight cat outfits — how 'anime' is that?), anime as we know it owes a huge debt to all the Archie Comics (Rumiko Takahashi's smash hit 'Urusei Yatsura' is really just the Archies with a space-princess twist) in general, but Josie and the Pussycats holds a special place in all our hearts because it's just so bizarre and risqué.

"...Valerie is the most intelligent member of the Pussycats.... [her] expertise with all things electronic and scientific is what usually gets the Pussycats out of [trouble]... Valerie is notable as the first African-American cartoon character on a regular animated television series.

"Also notable in the TV series is the fantastic music (including Charlie's Angel Cheryl Ladd as the singing voice of Melody)...."


And here's a section on British Animation, including reviews of "Thunderbirds," "Captain Scarlet" (never heard of him), "Wallace & Gromit," with links to Irish & UK sites:

http://www.anime.com/British_Animation/

Once I tooled around in there, I was happy to find a nice profile of someone I've always admired, Terry Gilliam. The article gives some interesting background I never knew about on the origins of Monty Python's Flying Circus:

http://www.digitalmediafx.com/Features/terry-gilliam.html


Finally, while I try not to push my own art on people , I thought maybe those interested in graphic arts might find my latest blog post of interest, since I'm using the image for my personal photo on my profile.

http://isthedowrising.blogspot.com/

Dan,

Thanks for the links...they're very nice.

Here's another link to Miyazaki and his films.

The Hayao Miyazaki Web
http://nausicaa.net/miyazaki/

Two more examples of fantastic anime series,


Last Exile

Plot Summary: In a world that looks like the 19th century with anti-gravity devices, Claus and Lavie are pilot and co-pilot of a Vanship and act as couriers. They become involved with a mysterious mission after rescuing a little girl from a strange star-shaped killing machine. Not willing to let the girl die, they complete the mission by delivering her to the legendary mercenary ship Sylvana, only to become part of the crew as fighter pilots.Two orphans, Claus and Lavie make a living through delivering messages via their Vanship just like their late fathers. During a Vanship race, they rescue a foreign vanship from attack by a Guild machine. The pilot is seriously injured relinquishes his dangerous 7 star mission to Claus and Lavie - to deliver a little girl - Alvis to a famous ship, the Silvana. To get closer to their dream of crossing the Grand Stream, they enter the Silvana crew with Alvis to perfect their skills as a pilot and mechanic/navigator

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encycloped...ime.php?id=2294

Hellsing

Plot Summary:
Vampires exist. It is the duty of Hellsing, a secret organization sponsored by the British government, to hide that frightening fact and protect the blissfully unaware populace. Along with its own personal army, Hellsing has secret weapons. Alucard, an incredibly powerful vampire, has been controlled by Hellsing for years. It is unclear how he feels about being a servant to the Hellsing family, but he certainly enjoys his job as a vampire exterminator. Seras is a fledgling vampire and former police woman. Although reluctant to embrace her new self, she is a valued member of the organization. Integra Hellsing, the current leader, is usually fully capable of fulfilling her duty, but lately, vampire activity has been on the rise. Unfortunately, the cause is more alarming than anything she could have imagined. A group long thought dead has been plotting in secret since their apparent destruction over 50 years ago. Plotting to plunge England, and perhaps the entire world, into war.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encycloped...ime.php?id=5114

Neon Genesis Evangelion
commonly referred to as NGE, Eva, or Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful, influential, and controversial Japanese anime that began in October 1995.
Evangelion is an apocalyptic mecha action series which centers around the efforts by the paramilitary organization Nerv to fight monstrous beings called Angels, primarily using giant mecha called Evangelions which are piloted by select teenagers, one of whom is the primary protagonist.

Events in the series refer to Judeo-Christian symbols from the book of Genesis and Biblical apocrypha among others.Later episodes shift focus to psychoanalysis of the main characters, who display various emotional problems and mental ilnesses; the nature of existence and reality are questioned in a way that lets Evangelion be characterized as "postmodern fantasy". Hideaki Anno, the director of the anime series, suffered from clinical depression prior to creating the series, and the psychological aspects of the show are based on the director's own experiences with overcoming this illness.



From the start, Evangelion invokes many psychological themes. Phrases used in episodes, their titles, and the names of the background music frequently derive from Sigmund Freud's works in addition to perhaps some Lacanian influences in general. Examples include "Thanatos", "Oral stage", "Separation Anxiety", and "Mother Is The First Other" (the mother as the first object of a child's love is the basis of the Oedipus complex). The scenery and buildings in Tokyo-3 often seem laden with psychological import, even in the first episode^.

The connection between the Evas and their pilots, as well as the ultimate goal of the Human Instrumentality Project, bear a strong resemblance to Freud's theories on internal conflict and interpersonal communication.

The hedgehog's dilemma is a concept described by philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and later adopted by Freud. It is the subtitle of episode 4 and is mentioned in that episode by Misato Katsuragi as descriptive of her relationship with Shinji.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_...analytic_theory

Cigdem, when I was working a long 3 1/2 day shift for some years, in the evening I had the opportunity to watch the show. While I never understood it I found it unusually absorbing. It seemed to have never resolved conflicted Eva pilots that bleakened each episode.

Your post is most helpful. Interesting that someone sought to analyse it in detail.

John,

Most of them are quite absorbing actually. For me, it is Basilisk and Full Metal Alchemist.