Anime refers to the animation work produced in Japan. Over the years, anime industry has grown significantly and anime has made it’s way all across the globe. With fans all around the world, anime is one of the greatest achievements of Japan.
Anime uses traditional style of animation. It is basically like a flipbook animation where each frame is drawn by hand. Even after the rise of computer generated animation, the anime industry still sticks to the traditional method of animation. Although CGI is used for special effects but the vast majority of animation is done traditionally. Because of this, anime has a distinct animation style, it somehow looks different, far more detailed and feels like an artwork.
The stories they animate are generally taken from the Japanese comics called ‘manga’. Usually a manga is released first after which it is adapted as an anime but this is not always the case. Some anime are original i.e. without any manga source material while others are released prior to their respective mangas.
Anime originally has Japanese audio. It can be watched with subtitles. Anime is often dubbed in different countries in the language they prefer, mostly it dubbed in English.
Another great feature of anime is the variety of genres and content it offers. Since anime is an animation, most people confuse it as ‘children’s cartoon’ or a ‘kids show’ but this is a very wrong belief as it undermines the content that anime offers. It is true that anime has content for children too but it’s not entirely that. It offers content for teens, young adults and adults. In fact the mainstream anime is targeted for an older audience. Taking about the genres, it has a lot to offer. Action, adventure, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, slice of life and what not. Each single genera offers a ton of different animes to watch.
The music in the anime is also very appealing. The opening an ending songs are usually taken from the j-rock or j-pop bands. The soundtracks used in the episodes can generate hype real quick and makes the overall experience fun.
Anime is a great source of entertainment and can teach valuable life lessons as well. One can learn a lot about the Japanese culture through anime. Here are some of the greatest anime out there which are worth checking out:
• Death Note:
Genre: mystery, thriller, supernatural
The story revolves around a boy named Light who finds a book which has the ability to kill the person whose name is written in it. Using that book he starts killing criminals to build a better world. This is however considered as serial killing and the investigators with the assistance of a detective named L try to apprehend the culprit.
This anime is a delight for thrill seekers and mystry lovers. It questions what true justice is and presents different perspectives of it.
•Naruto series:
Genre: adventure, fantasy
The series tells the story of an orphaned ninja named Naruto who has a demon sealed inside him. He seeks acknowledgement from his peers and dreams of becoming the leader of his village.
This anime is a classic and teaches many life lessons the most important being never giving up.
• Your Name
Genre: romance, fantasy, drama
This movie revolves around two teenagers who share a magical connection of switching bodies. Things get complicated when they decide to meet in person.
This anime has a breath-taking animation and has a very different take on love.