Welcome!

Hey there, folks! It’s Christina here, ready to give you all a peek into the colorful world of anime and manga. All are welcome to join in on the fun, both fans and non-fans alike. I’ll be covering a number of anime-related topics including: profiles of the biggest names in the industry, anime and manga reviews, music highlights, new releases, and more.

For all of those unfamiliar with this topic, here is a brief explanation of what anime is and how it differs from Western cartoons.

To put it plainly, the word “anime” is usually used in English specifically in reference to Japanese animation. It’s a spin-off of the graphic novels known as “manga.” Since manga series have always been adapted into anime, and vice versa, the two are very closely related. In fact, anime series tend to be produced nearly simultaneously with their manga counterparts, and thus may contain new storylines. This is done mainly to kill time while the animators wait for the manga artist to get farther along in the story.

Anime seems to be gaining more popularity overtime, especially in North America. This may be due to its use of unique character designs, multilayered storylines that range in depth and complexity, or the array of genres it covers. With so much diversity, viewers of all ages each have a list of titles to choose from. The clean, simple, easy-to-imitate linework gives anime its fluidity and a greater use of editing techniques such as varying camera angles. Such narrative styles and animation techniques are not typically used in Western animation.

Given that anime and manga are part of Japanese pop culture, there are some terms that I’ll need to define before I start blogging:

û  Bishojo – “beautiful girl”

û  Bishonen – (bishie for short) “beautiful boy”

û  Chibi – slang for “child” or “short person”; cartoony, baby-like, super-adorable character designs

û  Dub – voice-over

û  Fanservice – additional material not relevant to the storyline, but for the sole purpose of pleasing the fans. It typically refers to suggestive “eye candy”, and generally includes in-jokes and other material meant to entertain the fans.

û  Graphic Novel (GN) – comic book

û  Josei – women. Anime and manga geared toward adult women ages 18 – 30.
û  Moe - (moh-eh) slang for a particular type of media or pop-culture obsession focused on "cute for cuteness' sake." It can also refer to any passionate fandom.

û  OAV (or OVA) – original animated video. Direct to video anime.
û  ONA - original net animation. 

û  Otaku – geek, nerd, enthusiast.

û  Seinen – young man. Anime and manga for men ages 18-30.

û  Shojo – series targeted for girls around the ages of 10-18. Usually covers romance-related styles.

û  Shonen – series written primarily for boys. Fighting, violence, action, and adventure are typically included. For ages 10-18.

û  Sub – subtitled

Well, for those of you still awake at this point, I hope you will enjoy my blog! As for the rest of you – wake up! It’s time to start talking anime!