In Japan, animation is considered a viable art form for all ages. Some anime (derived from 'animation') is clearly meant for children, such as Poke'mon or Digimon. Then there is shojo (girls') anime, which includes Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura. Mecha (robots of all kinds) also figure heavily in many anime series, such as the groundbreaking Robotech series and the Mobile Suit Gundam (0080, 0083, 08th MS Team, Gundam Wing, etc) series. There is anime to suit every taste and interest, from horror to comedy, drama to mystery (some series, like the wildly popular Dragonball Z, have all those elements!). There are even anime series for more mature audiences--but we'll leave those to your imagination.
Here in America, most of the 'cartoons' you see on TV are mainly directed at children. Most American cartoons are just 1/2 hour long ads for toys and merchandise, with a few stellar exceptions (Gargoyles one of the best examples of such). Many Japanese shows, deemed too 'mature'--containing adult situations, strong language, or excessive violence--were heavily edited before being shown on American TV. Today, more production companies are releasing uncut versions of popular anime series, many with their original soundtracks and Japanese dialogue intact. With anime such as Battle of the Planets (AKA Gatchaman/G-Force) and other 'old school' shows coming back for those of us who grew up in the 70's and 80's, anime is slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
LMH and I are longtime 'otaku'--a word that leans toward "fanboy" (as in someone who takes their devotion to unhealthy levels) in Japan, but simply means "devoted fan" in America--and we are happily riding the wave of anime popularity here in the US.
Here in our corner of the Internet, LMH and I have cooked up a page dedicated to the anime series that, like their American counterparts, have sent our imagination soaring. Domo arigato (thank you very much!) for stopping in!
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