(link)
Anime
(アニメ) is a Japanese animation.
When we say “anime,” we usually mean a characteristic graphic style—big eyes, an almost invisible nose, multi-colored hair. But it's not that simple. Character design is far from the only characteristic feature of anime; in addition, there are exceptions to everything: the above-mentioned features are more likely to belong to the mainstream within the genre, and the author’s one-piece things often deviate far from the canon, demonstrating a wide variety of stylization techniques or, on the contrary, gravitating towards realism Images.
Target groups
Anime is produced for the domestic Japanese market. Licensing in other countries (primarily in the USA, although there are also Russian licenses) is rather a bonus that grew out of the wide interest of the audience in these countries. The works that were obviously filmed “for export” can be counted on one hand.
Another feature of anime is that it is primarily differentiated by target audience:
- Kodomo - for children.
- shonen - for teenage boys. Comedy, spectacular fights, spectacular tits in various combinations. However, censorship is on the alert and does not allow nudity to be shown openly in this genre, so it is shown indirectly. A huge number of shonen are coming-of-age novels in the Japanese style. The big three shonen are Bleach, Naruto, One Piece.
- shojo - for teenage girls. Emphasis on the heroine's mental turmoil. Logic in the name of these throwings is chronically sent to hell (the collective cry at the same Orange - “Is it hard to finally read this damn letter-prediction to the end, and not a page at a time?”).
- seinen - for young men 18-25 years old. May differ from shonen by focusing on themes more serious than fighting and tits, such as psychological drama or social conflicts (Akira being the most prominent example). Or it can be performed in the style of “the same cabbage soup, but pour more” (Kenzen Robo Daimidaler - the hero participates in spectacular battles, kneading his partner’s boobs). In the latter case, the rubicon is based on the degree of censorship of explicit scenes.
- josei - for young women 18-25 years old.
Already within each category there is a division according to quite classical genre criteria: comedy, tragedy, drama, and so on. Moreover, for example, a shonen detective may differ from a seinen detective both in the simple abundance of blood and uncensored tits, and in more serious issues. Smaller gradations suggest classification according to plot characteristics, for example calm or fur.
Anime culture of Japan: what is it
The term "anime" arose because the Japanese have difficulty pronouncing the Western word "animation". They replaced it with the easy-to-pronounce “anime,” which has entered all the languages of the world. Translated from Japanese, it means any animation.
Anime is a large layer of Japanese culture. If all over the world animated films and TV series are made, as a rule, based on live-action films, then in Japan anime is the primary genre that influences the others. Movies, videos, and theme parties are based on anime.
Each anime character has a birth date and blood type, which allows the Japanese to judge their character. The creators adhere to a certain color aesthetic when drawing characters. For the Japanese, the color of the hero's eyes, hair and clothing is a message that tells about who he is and how he feels about the situation.
For example, white conveys the divinity of origin and is at the same time considered the color of death. Therefore, negative characters are always depicted with gray hair and white clothes. Also, white is a symbol to denote superpowers and the hero’s belonging to higher beings.
Black for the Japanese means joy and nobility. It portrays the character's calmness, restraint, flexibility of mind and determination. Therefore, most of the positive characters are depicted as brunettes.
Yellow is the color of the goddess Amaterasu. It is used to depict non-standard characters that stand out from the general background.
Red symbolizes the noble origin of the hero. Therefore, most magicians and heroes who are admired are depicted with red hair.
Eyes also have a special meaning in anime aesthetics. They signify the hero’s readiness to perceive and contemplate new things. By color, shape, and degree of openness, the viewer judges the character and age of the hero. Anime cartoons usually depict children and teenagers with shiny, large and open eyes. But villains always have narrow, squinted eyes.
Music plays a special role in anime culture. She sets the tone for every scene. Therefore, in order to obtain high-quality sound, the authors attract famous pop singers or popular groups. Even seiyuu - people who voice anime, are mostly pop performers.
Photo source: kg-portal.ru
More than 400 Japanese studios produce anime. Films target different audiences. So, for example, they distinguish:
- Anime created for children under 12 years old.
They are called kodomo. These are films of an entertaining nature, which differ little in plot from their American or European counterparts.
- For boys aged 12-16 years, there is the shonen genre.
This is an anime with a dynamic plot that contains humor. As a rule, such films talk about rivalry and male friendship. The female characters in them are depicted as beautiful and with clearly visible sexual characteristics.
- Shoujo is intended for girls aged 12-16 years.
These are films about love relationships with handsome male characters. The heroines of such films are often endowed with magical powers.
- Seinen is addressed to men aged 18–40 years.
These are dark and realistic films, anime with erotic elements.
- Josei films are made for female audiences.
This is the name of the genre of paintings that tell about the everyday life of Japanese women and focus on love relationships.
According to directions and plot, they are distinguished:
- Mecha are films about giant robots.
- Cyberpunk - paintings depicting a dark future.
- Steampunk is an anime that tells about parallel universes.
- Fantasy stories about worlds where technology meets sword culture.
- Science fiction and space opera, which tell about travel into space and contacts with extraterrestrial civilizations.
- An apocalyptic story about the end of times.
- Hentai is anime with erotic content.
The most popular anime come in various formats:
- Television series - short episodes up to 20 minutes long, created for broadcast on television channels. Consists of 12–13 episodes, shown once a week.
- Animation intended for distribution on digital media (OVA - Original Video Animation). Episodes up to 20 minutes long, which are released as a special edition after a television broadcast or as a separate publication that has never been broadcast.
- A film is a picture lasting from 60 to 90 minutes, created for showing in cinema halls.
- Internet series (ONA - Original Network Animation) short episodes of up to 10-12 minutes, filmed specifically for distribution on the Internet.
Among anime fans, the following groups are distinguished:
- Passive viewers who watch anime on television or on the Internet.
- Cosplayers are people who act out scenes from anime and wear the clothes of famous characters.
- Kameko are fans who take pictures of cosplayers.
- Magaki are hobbyists who draw their own manga.
- Otkaku are collectors of everything related to anime culture.
Photo source: filmpro.ru
Pareto's Law
Anime is also interesting because, being a product of mass culture, it often offers quite high-quality works. Alas, this is not always the case. The filter is a translation barrier. Since anime is translated either by enthusiastic fansubbers who take on what they like, or who buy anime with an eye on the company’s ratings, something that is obviously bad will simply not be translated.
As one’s horizons grow, the subjective quality bar rises; “this season is no longer good at all” is a standard complaint.
Specifics of anime as an art form
In the culture of the East, the world around us is perceived as something ephemeral, constantly changing. If the world is changing, it is necessary to convey not its elusive form, but its essence. Eastern art is based on this principle, and anime is no exception. From this it follows that not everything in Japanese animation should be taken literally, because it is intended primarily for the Japanese viewer and is filled with symbolism that is understandable to him from childhood. If you've watched Japanese cartoons, you've probably seen something you didn't quite understand. Take, for example, large drops that sometimes appear above the head of a particular character. These drops mean embarrassment, and small, inconspicuous drops on the back of the head or near the temple mean fear and excitement.
The notorious “big eyes with highlights,” which have already been discussed, also carry a certain semantic meaning. Please note that they are typical for children and girls, men have noticeably smaller eyes, and old people have barely noticeable dots or slits-arches. Big eyes mean the character’s openness to the world around him, which is inherent in young people, and if some old man has big eyes, this means “youth in spirit.” The so-called kira - highlights in the eyes - are rather aesthetic and are designed to attract the viewer’s attention to the character’s eyes.
In general, in Japan, the canon of feminine beauty dominates - expressive, languid eyes, long thick hair, which, like the eyes, are always painted with special care, right down to the shine and light shadow they cast on the face. You can also draw a conclusion about the character's character based on the hair color: red means hot temper, blonde means calm. Sometimes characters' hair is an unnatural color - blue, purple, pink - and this does not mean that the character loves to shock the public with his appearance. In this way, the director conveys to us certain information about the hero.
It is interesting that in Japan it is customary to attribute even one blood type or another to cartoon characters: the Japanese are sure that blood type is also associated with a person’s character.
Among the symbolic special effects, we should also mention the frequently encountered “baby proportions” - the character’s huge head and small torso. Usually a completely normal-looking character acquires such proportions unexpectedly, in a certain situation. This is the so-called visual italics, the meaning of which is that a serious character in a given situation behaves like a child.
For those who want to learn more about the history and style of anime, I recommend Boris Ivanov’s book “Introduction to Japanese Animation.” Unfortunately, at the moment this is the only domestic fundamental research devoted to anime.
Might and Magic
Maho-shojo. This is a shoujo anime in which the roles of the main characters are divided between girls with magical skills. A thin thread running through the plot is the problem of girls growing up, as well as romantic relationships with the opposite sex.
Calm down. Such cartoons are quite rare and tell the story of overcoming oneself with the help of willpower. As a rule, the plot revolves around sports.
Fantasy. If we look at the list of anime by genre, this will include all the cartoons whose characters are associated with magic. In such animated films, the action takes place in worlds that are devoid of technology, but are full of magic and warriors who deftly wield bladed weapons. It is in them that elves, orcs, dragons, gnomes and other magical creatures “live”.
Dobutsu. This is a relatively new genre of anime, the main characters are various furry creatures.
Development of masculinity
Shonen are cartoons intended for teenage boys 12-18 years old. As a rule, they have a very dynamic development of events, and the plot revolves around male friendship, sports competitions and martial arts. These cartoons are also literally imbued with humor. Female characters in shonen are drawn deliberately sexual to promote the correct sexual development of adolescents. A striking example of such cartoons are anime such as “Love, Hina” and “Rosary + Vampire”.
Card index of subspecies
The list of anime by genre is impressive and includes the following:
- Comedy.
- Story.
- Drama.
- Science fiction.
- Space opera.
- Fur (emphasis on the first syllable).
- Mecha Sentai.
- Maho-shojo.
- Calm down.
- Cyberpunk.
- Steampunk.
- Fantasy.
- Parapsychology.
- Apocalyptic.
- Post-apocalyptic.
- Romance.
- Soap opera.
- School soap opera.
- Everyday life.
- Psychological thriller.
- Detective.
- Dobutsu.
- Hentai.
- Yaoi.
- Yuri.
- Etty.
As you can see, anime genres are very diverse, and each of them differs from the other in the direction of the plot and the portrayal of characters. In this article we will look at them more closely.
To world glory - through difficulties
The first Japanese anime, as well as the Japanese film industry as a whole, appeared in the early 20th century in the form of films where a picture was drawn with chalk on a blackboard, filmed, then erased to give way to other images and actions. It was a time of silent films, and there were no voiceovers for anime. Initially, they had a commercial or propaganda orientation, aimed at promoting goods or protecting state interests. During the catastrophic earthquake of 1923 in Japan and during the Second World War, many videos of the first anime were irretrievably lost.
The real history of anime begins after World War II, in the 1960s, when film studios were built. One of them is Mushi Production, founded by the famous manga-ga (manga master) Osamu Tezuka, under his leadership and with his participation, released the first anime that became world famous: “Astro Boy” (“Mighty Atom”), “Black Jack” , the first Japanese color animated film, The Jungle Emperor. The Mighty Atom, a fantasy series about the adventures and coming of age of a brave and resourceful robot boy named Atom, was first broadcast on television in 1963 and was an extraordinary success. The genre of the film was defined as shonen anime (movies for boys). The triumphant march of Japanese anime around the world has begun.
Otaku
The term otaku
in Japan it refers to fanatics of anything, but in other countries the term is firmly attached to fans of anime and manga. What do otakus do? For fans of anime and manga, several specialized magazines are published in Russia, among which the most popular are “AnimeMagazine” and “AnimeGuide” (www.aniguide.ru, contains many links). In Moscow, you can buy them at the Gorbushkin Dvor shopping center or order them online. In addition to reading specialized magazines, searching for desired cartoons and then watching them, otaku engage in amateur artistic activities called cosplay. Cosplayers make costumes of existing anime characters. Every cosplayer's dream is to give an interview to a specialized anime fan magazine or perform at a festival, which are held regularly once or twice a year. The performance usually contains a monologue in which the amateur actor must reveal the image of the character being portrayed. Some cosplayers unite, in which the Internet often helps them, and jointly stage scenes from their favorite cartoons. There is even an intercity (“Moscow-Petersburg”) team of cosplayers “Red Arrow”.
Otaku also have their own special jargon, which is based on words borrowed from Japanese, and less often from English.
And, of course, many otaku try their hand at the visual arts, creating doujinshi or even their own manga. Many specialized magazines regularly hold competitions for artists who draw in anime style.
The story about Japanese animation can be continued for a very long time. But, as you know, it is impossible to describe this or that phenomenon in detail in a nutshell, and it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. So if you are interested in anime, go to a store or go to a specialized website on the Internet, buy a video cassette or disk that you like or recommend from friends. Enjoy your viewing!
Vera Kurskaya,
Anime phenomenon
Japan, with its island geographical position and its policy of isolation for several centuries, is destined to be a special country, which is manifested in particular in literature and art. Japanese animated films, often based on manga, reflect the unique traditions and customs of the people, which cannot but arouse the interest of any viewer. Anime can be called an international language that, with the help of visual means, makes Japan closer and more understandable to everyone.
Many anime are films with a full-fledged plot line, which touches on issues that concern many: the consequences of the Second World War, relationships between different generations, life difficulties, romantic relationships, environmental problems, morality and ethics. The fantastic world of anime poses questions that humanity will have to solve in the near future.
In addition, the Japanese are very skillful at promoting their products through advertising: images of anime characters or names can be found in the media and on various products. This is greatly facilitated by the “cosplay” movement (a derivative word from “costume play” - costume game), when fans of one or another anime dress up in the clothes of their favorite character, try to resemble him in appearance, but most importantly, try to match him in the soul.
The world of anime is so diverse that it is difficult to fit it under one definition. It’s better to look and form your own opinion. Moreover, you will enjoy it a lot.
From humor to drama
Comedy. Such cartoons are full of humorous scenes, funny jokes and parodies.
Story. Such pictures reflect real historical events that have ever occurred in a particular country.
Drama. Among anime, this genre is very rare. As a rule, these cartoons are based on a tragic plot and have practically no happy ending.
Image Features
- Big eyes are an unusual and recognizable feature of anime. This is due to the fact that the Japanese consider such appearance a sign of readiness to contemplate the world, openness, gullibility and naivety.
- The hero's emotions are drawn in great detail : when he experiences emotional distress, a drop of sweat appears, he begins to tremble and discolors. Suddenly, he might even turn into a cute animal! Don’t be scared, this is how the character’s “childishness” is expressed.
- Picturesque Japanese landscapes . TV series and films beautifully show the nature of Japan - forests, fields, sunsets and, of course, the symbol of the land of the rising sun - cherry blossoms.
- Bright colors . Most anime uses bright colors in clothing, landscapes, and even in the appearance of characters: strands are painted with all sorts of unusual colors. And for a reason! The color of the hero's hair indicates the characteristics of his character. For example, the owner of red hair is a lover of adventure, and the owner of white hair embodies a connection with space and superiority over people.
1970s
Over the next decade, television slowly but surely replaced cinemas as the most popular entertainment. Toei Animation gradually abandoned creating Disney-style musicals and switched to producing television series. The animators who worked at Mushi Production were scattered to newly created studios like Madhouse or Sunrise after Mushi suddenly went bankrupt. This redistribution of talent generally had a positive effect on the anime industry, as it allowed young animators to take key positions in the studios and subsequently experiment quite freely with the films they produced. An example of this is the 1974 television series Heidi by Isao Takahata. Being a fairly realistic drama aimed at children, the series was initially rejected by many television networks - the producers believed that children would be interested in something more fantastic, with elements of a fairy tale. "Heidi" , however, turned out to be incredibly popular not only in Japan, but also beyond its borders - in many European countries. The unexpected success of the series gave Miyazaki and Takahata the opportunity to create a literary anime, Theater of World Classics .
During these same years, another genre specific to anime emerged, mecha. Early works attributed to him include Muzinger Zed , Gatchaman Ninja Scientist Team , Battlestar Yamato, and Mobile Suit Gundam . The maturation of science fiction in anime led to a shift in the emphasis of the series from the adventures of superheroes to more realistic and elaborate space operas, where the concepts of good and evil were no longer so graphically straightforward. The characters' personalities were developed more deeply, which made it possible to consider the same problems from different points of view.
18+
Hentai. Genre marked “adults only.” This is an erotic or pornographic Japanese cartoon. Hentai is a subset of the ecchi anime genre that contains only subtle hints of eroticism. No vulgarity or explicit scenes - the viewer himself completes the development of events in his imagination. Hentai, unlike the ecchi anime genre, is explicit porn without censorship.
Yaoi. This anime tells the viewer about same-sex relationships between men.
Yuri. This is a cartoon whose plot is based on same-sex relationships between women.
