ANIME

Anime (アニメ?, an abbreviated pronunciation in Japanese of “animation”, pronounced [anime] ( listen) in Japanese, but typically Anime-en-US-pronunciation.ogg /ˈænəˌmeɪ/ (help·info) or /ˈænəˌmə/ in English) is animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as “Japanese animation”.[1] Anime originated about 1917.[2]

While the earliest known Japanese animation dates from 1917,[2] and many original Japanese cartoons were produced in the ensuing decades, the characteristic anime style developed in the 1960s – notably with the work of Osamu Tezuka – and became known outside Japan in the 1980s.

Anime, like manga, has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world.[citation needed] Distributors can release anime via television broadcasts, directly to video, or theatrically, as well as online.

Both hand-drawn and computer-animated anime exist. It is used in television series, films, video, video games, commercials, and internet-based releases, and represents most, if not all, genres of fiction. Anime gained early[when?] popularity in East and Southeast Asia and has garnered more-recent popularity in the Western World.[citation needed]