What are Manga and Anime?

Many people might say "Manga are Japanese comics, and Anime is the Japanese version of animation. Anime is usually, but not always, the animated version of popular manga." That's partially true, but it can be misleading.

Anime in Japan technically means any animated film, and Manga is any printed cartoon.

First of all, though an outsider might think Japan "stole" comics from China, this is not true. Japan has been making cartoons art for a very long time. It may be that Chinese art had more influence than Japan.Also, speaking of China, I should note that Anime is now a general Asian phenomenon, not just Japanese. I understand there are many fine works of manga and anime being produced in many places around the world. However, as far as I understand, the roots are in Japan, and Japan is still considered, the center of the anime world.

Secondly, Japanese manga and anime come in all types, for all sorts of people. Unlike the U.S., which generally seems to believe that "comics are for kids".Japanese manga-ka write for everyone from innocent young children to perverted sex-starved men. But even the kiddie stuff tends not to be as simple-minded as the American versions

Children's manga and TV anime shows in Japan will sometimes depict death --- while the U.S. seems determined to run away from such realities of life. And, not surprisingly, much of Japanese manga and anime includes scenes of students in class or doing homework, or of people working in their offices. The work ethic seems omnipresent in the background. Manga and anime also tend to protray technology sympathetically, while some U.S. comics seem almost to avoid it, or revile it, or simplify it as much as possible.

Pituca...