Anime, short for animation in Japanese, is a popular animated or cartoon style of art dating as far back as 1917. The anime style we know today was developed most notably by the works of Osamu Tezuka in the 1960s and gained worldwide exposure in the 1980s. The first talkie anime released was called Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka (Within the World of Power and Women) and focused on a family with four children whose father has an affair with his typist as a way to escape the nagging of his wife.
After the success of Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka was influenced and simplified many of the animation techniques and styles of Disney artists in order to reduce overall costs temporarily to enable the production of anime on a tight budget and schedule. His work in anime has heavily influenced other artists in anime and inspired genres and characters that are essential to anime even now. Dubbed the “god of manga and anime,” Tezuka revolutionized and gave life to the anime done later on that became extremely popular in Japan and Asia, and later the world.
In Japan, anime is considered a form of art. Many different styles and genres exist today, but many employ the use of exaggerated body proportions, large eyes and the use of exaggerated facial expressions to express emotion. Modernly, anime exists in all shapes and forms including serious dramas, comedies, fantasy and sci-fi genres, and more. In fact, anime is seemingly watched by most people in Japan, not just children or young adults as is the case with anime in other places in the world. Anime can be taken completely serious with extensive and complicated storylines or written as a comedy with light-hearted plots that make little sense.
In other parts of the world, anime has been dubbed in many different languages including English, French and German. Different versions of popular Japanese anime have been huge successes in other countries, especially American television and cinema. In American cinema, it has gained positive reviews and industry respect with Oscar nominations in the animated feature category since the 1980s. In American television, dubbed versions of popular anime have been extremely popular among children and young adults. Anime conventions are held worldwide in the Americas, Asia and Europe. While it is argued in American culture as to whether or not anime is considered art, it is commonly accepted as such in Japan and is gaining popularity and recognition with the world’s audiences more and more over time.