Manga and Anime

961 Words2 Pages

Manga and anime are popular for many people around the world and has been one of Japan’s most lucrative businesses. Manga and anime are misunderstood by some Americans who are unable to recognize the draw to them. To understand both styles, people need to know where they came from and what makes them a preferred interest of so many others.
Japanese scroll paintings called the Animal Scrolls progressed into what today is known as manga and then into anime. Animal Scrolls are from the middle of the twelfth century and are recognized to have been created by Bishop Toba (1053–1140). They were painted using ink and are humorous pictures of birds and animals.
Manga is defined by Oxford Dictionaries; as a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at adults and children. Anime is defined as; a style of Japanese film and television animation, typically aimed at adults and children, by Oxford Dictionaries.
Manga and anime have been around since the early 1900's and over the last forty-eight years anime has been a part of American television. Anime has been altered to fit the American ideal of a 'cartoon.' Oxford Dictionaries defines a cartoon as; a simple drawing showing the features of its subjects in a humorously exaggerated way. Japan has no equivalent and calling an anime a cartoon is insulting. Anime is not a simple cartoon. It is a creation that is more closely identified with animation, but with significant cultural differences. Manga and anime needs to be better understood and taken seriously.

Misunderstandings:

The common misunderstandings that many people have are; that manga and anime haven’t been around very long and that they seemed to have appeared all of a sudden. American comic books...

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