Anime (Japanese: アニメ, IPA: [aɲime] (listen)) is hand-drawn and computer-generated

animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, anime refers
specifically to animation produced in Japan.[1] However, in Japan and in Japanese,
anime (a term derived from a shortening of the English word animation) describes
all animated works, regardless of style or origin. Animation produced outside of
Japan with similar style to Japanese animation is commonly referred to as anime-
influenced animation.

The earliest commercial Japanese animations date to 1917. A characteristic art

style emerged in the 1960s with the works of cartoonist Osamu Tezuka and spread in
following decades, developing a large domestic audience. Anime is distributed
theatrically, through television broadcasts, directly to home media, and over the
Internet. In addition to original works, anime are often adaptations of Japanese
comics (manga), light novels, or video games. It is classified into numerous genres
targeting various broad and niche audiences.

Anime is a diverse medium with distinctive production methods that have adapted in
response to emergent technologies. It combines graphic art, characterization,
cinematography, and other forms of imaginative and individualistic techniques.[2]
Compared to Western animation, anime production generally focuses less on movement,
and more on the detail of settings and use of "camera effects", such as panning,
zooming, and angle shots.[2] Diverse art styles are used, and character proportions
and features can be quite varied, with a common characteristic feature being large
and emotive eyes.[3]

The anime industry consists of over 430 production companies, including major
studios such as Studio Ghibli, Kyoto Animation, Sunrise, Bones, Ufotable, MAPPA,
Wit Studio, CoMix Wave Films and Toei Animation. Since the 1980s, the medium has
also seen widespread international success with the rise of foreign dubbed,
subtitled programming, and since the 2010s its increasing distribution through
streaming services and a widening demographic embrace of anime culture, both within
Japan and Worldwide.[4] As of 2016, Japanese animation accounted for 60% of the
world's animated television shows.[5]

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Precursors
2.2 Pioneers
2.3 Modern era
3 Attributes
3.1 Technique
3.2 Characters
3.3 Music
3.4 Genres
3.5 Formats
4 Industry
4.1 Markets
4.2 Awards
4.3 Working conditions
5 Globalization and cultural impact
5.1 Fan response
5.2 Anime style
5.3 Media franchises
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
8.1 Sources
9 External links
Etymology
As a type of animation, anime is an art form that comprises many genres found in
other mediums; it is sometimes mistakenly classified as a genre itself.[6] In
Japanese, the term anime is used to refer to all animated works, regardless of
style or origin.[7] English-language dictionaries typically define anime
(/ˈænɪmeɪ/)[8] as "a style of Japanese animation"[9] or as "a style of animation
originating in Japan".[10] Other definitions are based on origin, making production
in Japan a requisite for a work to be considered "anime".[11]

The etymology of the term anime is disputed. The English word "animation" is
written in Japanese katakana as アニメーション (animēshon) and as アニメ (anime,
pronounced [a.ɲi.me] (listen)) in its shortened form.[11] Some sources claim that
the term is derived from the French term for animation dessin animé ("cartoon",
literally 'animated drawing'),[12] but others believe this to be a myth derived
from the popularity of anime in France in the late 1970s and 1980s.[11]

In English, anime—when used as a common noun—normally functions as a mass noun.

(For example: "Do you watch anime?" or "How much anime have you collected?")[13]
[14] As with a few other Japanese words, such as saké and Pokémon, English texts
sometimes spell anime as animé (as in French), with an acute accent over the final
e, to cue the reader to pronounce the letter, not to leave it silent as English
orthography may suggest. Prior to the widespread use of anime, the term
Japanimation was prevalent throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In the mid-1980s, the
term anime began to supplant Japanimation;[15] in general, the latter term now only
appears in period works where it is used to distinguish and identify Japanese
animation.[16]

History
Main article: History of anime
Precursors
Emakimono and kagee are considered precursors of Japanese animation.[17] Emakimono
was common in the eleventh century. Traveling storytellers narrated legends and
anecdotes while the emakimono was unrolled from the right to left with
chronological order, as a moving panorama.[17] Kagee was popular during the Edo
period and originated from the shadows play of China.[17] Magic lanterns from the
Netherlands were also popular in the eighteenth century.[17] The paper play called
Kamishibai surged in the twelfth century and remained popular in the street theater
until the 1930s.[17] Puppets of the bunraku theater and ukiyo-e prints are
considered ancestors of characters of most Japanese animations.[17] Finally, mangas
were a heavy inspiration for anime. Cartoonists Kitzawa Rakuten and Okamoto Ippei
used film elements in their strips.[17]

Pioneers

A frame from Namakura Gatana (1917), the oldest surviving Japanese animated short
film made for cinemas
Animation in Japan began in the early 20th century, when filmmakers started to
experiment with techniques pioneered in France, Germany, the United States, and
Russia.[12] A claim for the earliest Japanese animation is Katsudō Shashin (c. 
1907),[18] a private work by an unknown creator.[19] In 1917, the first
professional and publicly displayed works began to appear; animators such as Ōten
Shimokawa, Seitarō Kitayama, and Jun'ichi Kōuchi (considered the "fathers of
anime") produced numerous films, the oldest surviving of which is Kōuchi's Namakura
Gatana.[20] Many early works were lost with the destruction of Shimokawa's
warehouse in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[21]

By the mid-1930s, animation was well-established in Japan as an alternative format

to the live-action industry. It suffered competition from foreign producers, such
as Disney, and many animators, including Noburō Ōfuji and Yasuji Murata, continued
to work with cheaper cutout animation rather than cel animation.[22] Other
creators, including Kenzō Masaoka and Mitsuyo Seo, nevertheless made great strides
in technique, benefiting from the patronage of the government, which employed
animators to produce educational shorts and propaganda.[23] In 1940, the government
dissolved several artists' organizations to form the Shin Nippon Mangaka Kyōkai.[a]
[24] The first talkie anime was Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka (1933), a short film
produced by Masaoka.[25][26] The first feature-length anime film was Momotaro:
Sacred Sailors (1945), produced by Seo with a sponsorship from the Imperial
Japanese Navy.[27] The 1950s saw a proliferation of short, animated advertisements
created for television.[28]

Modern era

Frame from the opening sequence of Tezuka's 1963 TV series Astro Boy
In the 1960s, manga artist and animator Osamu Tezuka adapted and simplified Disney
animation techniques to reduce costs and limit frame counts in his productions.[29]
Originally intended as temporary measures to allow him to produce material on a
tight schedule with an inexperienced staff, many of his limited animation practices
came to define the medium's style.[30] Three Tales (1960) was the first anime film
broadcast on television;[31] the first anime television series was Instant History
(1961–64).[32] An early and influential success was Astro Boy (1963–66), a
television series directed by Tezuka based on his manga of the same name. Many
animators at Tezuka's Mushi Production later established major anime studios
(including Madhouse, Sunrise, and Pierrot).

The 1970s saw growth in the popularity of manga, many of which were later animated.
Tezuka's work—and that of other pioneers in the field—inspired characteristics and
genres that remain fundamental elements of anime today. The giant robot genre (also
known as "mecha"), for instance, took shape under Tezuka, developed into the super
robot genre under Go Nagai and others, and was revolutionized at the end of the
decade by Yoshiyuki Tomino, who developed the real robot genre.[33] Robot anime
series such as Gundam and Super Dimension Fortress Macross became instant classics
in the 1980s, and the genre remained one of the most popular in the following
decades.[34] The bubble economy of the 1980s spurred a new era of high-budget and
experimental anime films, including Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984),
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987), and Akira (1988).[35]

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995), a television series produced by Gainax and directed
by Hideaki Anno, began another era of experimental anime titles, such as Ghost in
the Shell (1995) and Cowboy Bebop (1998). In the 1990s, anime also began attracting
greater interest in Western countries; major international successes include Sailor
Moon and Dragon Ball Z, both of which were dubbed into more than a dozen languages
worldwide. In 2003, Spirited Away, a Studio Ghibli feature film directed by Hayao
Miyazaki, won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy
Awards. It later became the highest-grossing anime film,[b] earning more than $355
million. Since the 2000s, an increased number of anime works have been adaptations
of light novels and visual novels; successful examples include The Melancholy of
Haruhi Suzumiya and Fate/stay night (both 2006). Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the
Movie: Mugen Train became the highest-grossing Japanese film and one of the world's
highest-grossing films of 2020.[36] It also became the fastest grossing film in
Japanese cinema, because in 10 days it made 10 billion yen ($95.3m; £72m).[36] It
beat the previous record of Spirited Away which took 25 days.[36]

Attributes

Anime artists employ many distinct visual styles.

Clockwise from the top left: Dead Leaves, Flag, Serial Experiments Lain, Monster,
Mind Game, Lucky Star, Cat Soup, and Gurren Lagann.
Anime differs from other forms of animation by its art styles, methods of
animation, its production, and its process. Visually, anime works exhibit a wide
variety of art styles, differing between creators, artists, and studios.[37] While
no single art style predominates anime as a whole, they do share some similar
attributes in terms of animation technique and character design.

Anime is fundamentally characterized by the use of limited animation, flat

expression, the suspension of time, its thematic range, the presence of historical
figures, its complex narrative line and, above all, a peculiar drawing style, with
characters characterized by large and oval eyes, with very defined lines, bright
colors and reduced movement of the lips.[38][39]

Technique
Modern anime follows a typical animation production process, involving
storyboarding, voice acting, character design, and cel production. Since the 1990s,
animators have increasingly used computer animation to improve the efficiency of
the production process. Early anime works were experimental, and consisted of
images drawn on blackboards, stop motion animation of paper cutouts, and silhouette
animation.[40][41] Cel animation grew in popularity until it came to dominate the
medium. In the 21st century, the use of other animation techniques is mostly
limited to independent short films,[42] including the stop motion puppet animation
work produced by Tadahito Mochinaga, Kihachirō Kawamoto and Tomoyasu Murata.[43]
[44] Computers were integrated into the animation process in the 1990s, with works
such as Ghost in the Shell and Princess Mononoke mixing cel animation with
computer-generated images.[45] Fuji Film, a major cel production company, announced
it would stop cel production, producing an industry panic to procure cel imports
and hastening the switch to digital processes.[45]

Prior to the digital era, anime was produced with traditional animation methods
using a pose to pose approach.[40] The majority of mainstream anime uses fewer
expressive key frames and more in-between animation.[46]

Japanese animation studios were pioneers of many limited animation techniques, and
have given anime a distinct set of conventions. Unlike Disney animation, where the
emphasis is on the movement, anime emphasizes the art quality and let limited
animation techniques make up for the lack of time spent on movement. Such
techniques are often used not only to meet deadlines but also as artistic devices.
[47] Anime scenes place emphasis on achieving three-dimensional views, and
backgrounds are instrumental in creating the atmosphere of the work.[12] The
backgrounds are not always invented and are occasionally based on real locations,
as exemplified in Howl's Moving Castle and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.[48]
[49] Oppliger stated that anime is one of the rare mediums where putting together
an all-star cast usually comes out looking "tremendously impressive".[50]

The cinematic effects of anime differentiates itself from the stage plays found in
American animation. Anime is cinematically shot as if by camera, including panning,
zooming, distance and angle shots to more complex dynamic shots that would be
difficult to produce in reality.[51][52][53] In anime, the animation is produced
before the voice acting, contrary to American animation which does the voice acting
first.[54]

Characters

Anime character design is diverse, but often incorporates common elements depending
on the target demographic and era. These are representative samples.
Clockwise from the top left: Ashita no Joe (1970), Macross: Do You Remember Love?
(1984), Ghost in the Shell (1995), K-On! (2009), Your Name (2016), The Hidden
Dungeon Only I Can Enter (2021), Fruits Basket (2001), and Rurouni Kenshin (1996).
The body proportions of human anime characters tend to accurately reflect the
proportions of the human body in reality. The height of the head is considered by
the artist as the base unit of proportion. Head heights can vary, but most anime
characters are about seven to eight heads tall.[55] Anime artists occasionally make
deliberate modifications to body proportions to produce super deformed characters
that feature a disproportionately small body compared to the head; many super
deformed characters are two to four heads tall. Some anime works like Crayon Shin-
chan completely disregard these proportions, in such a way that they resemble
caricatured Western cartoons.

Same character portrayed in various anime art styles.

Counting from No. 1 to 9, each art style base: original work, Kyoto Animation,
Naruto, Type-Moon, Case Closed, Sailor Moon, Fujiko Fujio, Studio Ghibli, and
Makoto Shinkai.
A common anime character design convention is exaggerated eye size. The animation
of characters with large eyes in anime can be traced back to Osamu Tezuka, who was
deeply influenced by such early animation characters as Betty Boop, who was drawn
with disproportionately large eyes.[56] Tezuka is a central figure in anime and
manga history, whose iconic art style and character designs allowed for the entire
range of human emotions to be depicted solely through the eyes.[57] The artist adds
variable color shading to the eyes and particularly to the cornea to give them
greater depth. Generally, a mixture of a light shade, the tone color, and a dark
shade is used.[58][59] Cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn argues that Japanese
animators and audiences do not perceive such stylized eyes as inherently more or
less foreign.[60] However, not all anime characters have large eyes. For example,
the works of Hayao Miyazaki are known for having realistically proportioned eyes,
as well as realistic hair colors on their characters.[61]

Hair in anime is often unnaturally lively and colorful or uniquely styled. The
movement of hair in anime is exaggerated and "hair action" is used to emphasize the
action and emotions of characters for added visual effect.[62] Poitras traces
hairstyle color to cover illustrations on manga, where eye-catching artwork and
colorful tones are attractive for children's manga.[62] Despite being produced for
a domestic market, anime features characters whose race or nationality is not
always defined, and this is often a deliberate decision, such as in the Pokémon
animated series.[63]

Anime and manga artists often draw from a shared iconography to represent
particular emotions.
Anime and manga artists often draw from a common canon of iconic facial expression
illustrations to denote particular moods and thoughts.[64] These techniques are
often different in form than their counterparts in Western animation, and they
include a fixed iconography that is used as shorthand for certain emotions and
moods.[65] For example, a male character may develop a nosebleed when aroused.[65]
A variety of visual symbols are employed, including sweat drops to depict
nervousness, visible blushing for embarrassment, or glowing eyes for an intense
glare.[66] Another recurring sight gag is the use of chibi (deformed, simplified
character designs) figures to comedically punctuate emotions like confusion or
embarrassment.[65]

Music
The opening and credits sequences of most anime television series are accompanied
by J-pop or J-rock songs, often by reputed bands—as written with the series in mind
—but are also aimed at the general music market, therefore they often allude only
vaguely or not at all, to the thematic settings or plot of the series. Also, they
are often used as incidental music ("insert songs") in an episode, in order to
highlight particularly important scenes.[67][better source needed]
Genres
Anime are often classified by target demographic, including children's (子供,
kodomo), girls' (少女, shōjo), boys' (少年, shōnen) and a diverse range of genres
targeting an adult audience. Shoujo and shounen anime sometimes contain elements
popular with children of both sexes in an attempt to gain crossover appeal. Adult
anime may feature a slower pace or greater plot complexity that younger audiences
may typically find unappealing, as well as adult themes and situations.[68] A
subset of adult anime works featuring pornographic elements are labeled "R18" in
Japan, and are internationally known as hentai (originating from pervert (変態,
hentai)). By contrast, some anime subgenres incorporate ecchi, sexual themes or
undertones without depictions of sexual intercourse, as typified in the comedic or
harem genres; due to its popularity among adolescent and adult anime enthusiasts,
the inclusion of such elements is considered a form of fan service.[69][70] Some
genres explore homosexual romances, such as yaoi (male homosexuality) and yuri
(female homosexuality). While often used in a pornographic context, the terms yaoi
and yuri can also be used broadly in a wider context to describe or focus on the
themes or the development of the relationships themselves.[71]

Anime's genre classification differs from other types of animation and does not
lend itself to simple classification.[72] Gilles Poitras compared the labeling
Gundam 0080 and its complex depiction of war as a "giant robot" anime akin to
simply labeling War and Peace a "war novel".[72] Science fiction is a major anime
genre and includes important historical works like Tezuka's Astro Boy and
Yokoyama's Tetsujin 28-go. A major subgenre of science fiction is mecha, with the
Gundam metaseries being iconic.[73] The diverse fantasy genre includes works based
on Asian and Western traditions and folklore; examples include the Japanese feudal
fairytale InuYasha, and the depiction of Scandinavian goddesses who move to Japan
to maintain a computer called Yggdrasil in Ah! My Goddess.[74] Genre crossing in
anime is also prevalent, such as the blend of fantasy and comedy in Dragon Half,
and the incorporation of slapstick humor in the crime anime film Castle of
Cagliostro.[75] Other subgenres found in anime include magical girl, harem, sports,
martial arts, literary adaptations, medievalism,[76] and war.[77]

Formats
Early anime works were made for theatrical viewing, and required played musical
components before sound and vocal components were added to the production. In 1958,
Nippon Television aired Mogura no Abanchūru ("Mole's Adventure"), both the first
televised and first color anime to debut.[78] It was not until the 1960s when the
first televised series were broadcast and it has remained a popular medium since.
[79] Works released in a direct-to-video format are called "original video
animation" (OVA) or "original animation video" (OAV); and are typically not
released theatrically or televised prior to home media release.[80][81][better
source needed] The emergence of the Internet has led some animators to distribute
works online in a format called "original net animation" (ONA).[82][better source
needed]

The home distribution of anime releases were popularized in the 1980s with the VHS
and LaserDisc formats.[80] The VHS NTSC video format used in both Japan and the
United States is credited as aiding the rising popularity of anime in the 1990s.
[80] The LaserDisc and VHS formats were transcended by the DVD format which offered
the unique advantages; including multiple subtitling and dubbing tracks on the same
disc.[83] The DVD format also has its drawbacks in its usage of region coding;
adopted by the industry to solve licensing, piracy and export problems and
restricted region indicated on the DVD player.[83] The Video CD (VCD) format was
popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but became only a minor format in the United
States that was closely associated with bootleg copies.[83]

A key characteristic of many anime television shows is serialization, where a

continuous story arc stretches over multiple episodes or seasons. Traditional
American television had an episodic format, with each episode typically consisting
of a self-contained story. In contrast, anime shows such as Dragon Ball Z had a
serialization format, where continuous story arcs stretch over multiple episodes or
seasons, which distinguished them from traditional American television shows;
serialization has since also become a common characteristic of American streaming
television shows during the "Peak TV" era.[84]

Industry
See also: List of anime companies and List of Japanese animation studios

Akihabara district of Tokyo is popular with anime and manga fans as well as otaku
subculture in Japan.
The animation industry consists of more than 430 production companies with some of
the major studios including Toei Animation, Gainax, Madhouse, Gonzo, Sunrise,
Bones, TMS Entertainment, Nippon Animation, P.A.Works, Studio Pierrot and Studio
Ghibli.[85] Many of the studios are organized into a trade association, The
Association of Japanese Animations. There is also a labor union for workers in the
industry, the Japanese Animation Creators Association. Studios will often work
together to produce more complex and costly projects, as done with Studio Ghibli's
Spirited Away.[85] An anime episode can cost between US$100,000 and US$300,000 to
produce.[86] In 2001, animation accounted for 7% of the Japanese film market, above
the 4.6% market share for live-action works.[85] The popularity and success of
anime is seen through the profitability of the DVD market, contributing nearly 70%
of total sales.[85] According to a 2016 article on Nikkei Asian Review, Japanese
television stations have bought over ¥60 billion worth of anime from production
companies "over the past few years", compared with under ¥20 billion from overseas.
[87] There has been a rise in sales of shows to television stations in Japan,
caused by late night anime with adults as the target demographic.[87] This type of
anime is less popular outside Japan, being considered "more of a niche product".
[87] Spirited Away (2001) is the all-time highest-grossing film in Japan.[88][89]
It was also the highest-grossing anime film worldwide until it was overtaken by
Makoto Shinkai's 2016 film Your Name.[90] Anime films represent a large part of the
highest-grossing Japanese films yearly in Japan, with 6 out of the top 10 in 2014,
in 2015 and also in 2016.

Anime has to be licensed by companies in other countries in order to be legally

released. While anime has been licensed by its Japanese owners for use outside
Japan since at least the 1960s, the practice became well-established in the United
States in the late 1970s to early 1980s, when such TV series as Gatchaman and
Captain Harlock were licensed from their Japanese parent companies for distribution
in the US market. The trend towards American distribution of anime continued into
the 1980s with the licensing of titles such as Voltron and the 'creation' of new
series such as Robotech through use of source material from several original
series.[91]

In the early 1990s, several companies began to experiment with the licensing of
less children-oriented material. Some, such as A.D. Vision, and Central Park Media
and its imprints, achieved fairly substantial commercial success and went on to
become major players in the now very lucrative American anime market. Others, such
as AnimEigo, achieved limited success. Many companies created directly by Japanese
parent companies did not do as well, most releasing only one or two titles before
completing their American operations.

Licenses are expensive, often hundreds of thousands of dollars for one series and
tens of thousands for one movie.[92] The prices vary widely; for example, Jinki:
Extend cost only $91,000 to license while Kurau Phantom Memory cost $960,000.[92]
Simulcast Internet streaming rights can be cheaper, with prices around $1,000-
$2,000 an episode,[93] but can also be more expensive, with some series costing
more than US$200,000 per episode.[94]

The anime market for the United States was worth approximately $2.74 billion in
2009, today in 2022 the anime market for the United States is worth approximately
$25 billion.[95] Dubbed animation began airing in the United States in 2000 on
networks like The WB and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.[96] In 2005, this resulted
in five of the top ten anime titles having previously aired on Cartoon Network.[96]
As a part of localization, some editing of cultural references may occur to better
follow the references of the non-Japanese culture.[97] The cost of English
localization averages US$10,000 per episode.[98]

The industry has been subject to both praise and condemnation for fansubs, the
addition of unlicensed and unauthorized subtitled translations of anime series or
films.[99] Fansubs, which were originally distributed on VHS bootlegged cassettes
in the 1980s, have been freely available and disseminated online since the 1990s.
[99] Since this practice raises concerns for copyright and piracy issues,
fansubbers tend to adhere to an unwritten moral code to destroy or no longer
distribute an anime once an official translated or subtitled version becomes
licensed. They also try to encourage viewers to buy an official copy of the release
once it comes out in English, although fansubs typically continue to circulate
through file-sharing networks.[100] Even so, the laid back regulations of the
Japanese animation industry tend to overlook these issues, allowing it to grow
underground and thus increasing the popularity until there is a demand for official
high-quality releases for animation companies. This has led to an increase in
global popularity with Japanese animations, reaching $40 million in sales in 2004.
[101]

Since the 2010s anime has become a global multibillion industry setting a sales
record in 2017 of ¥2.15 trillion ($19.8 billion), driven largely by demand from
overseas audiences.[102] In 2019, Japan's anime industry was valued at $24 billion
a year with 48% of that revenue coming from overseas (which is now its largest
industry sector).[103] By 2025 the anime industry is expected to reach a value of
$30 billion with over 60% of that revenue to come from overseas.[104]

Markets
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) valued the domestic anime market in Japan
at ¥2.4 trillion ($24 billion), including ¥2 trillion from licensed products, in
2005.[105] JETRO reported sales of overseas anime exports in 2004 to be ¥2 trillion
($18 billion).[106] JETRO valued the anime market in the United States at ¥520
billion ($5.2 billion),[105] including $500 million in home video sales and over $4
billion from licensed products, in 2005.[107] JETRO projected in 2005 that the
worldwide anime market, including sales of licensed products, would grow to ¥10
trillion ($100 billion).[105][107] The anime market in China was valued at $21
billion in 2017,[108] and is projected to reach $31 billion by 2020.[109] By 2030
the global anime market is expected to reach a value of $48.3 Billion with the
largest contributors to this growth being North America, Europe, China and The
Middle East.[110] In 2019, the annual overseas exports of Japanese animation
exceeded $10 billion for the first time in history.[111]

Awards
The anime industry has several annual awards that honor the year's best works.
Major annual awards in Japan include the Ōfuji Noburō Award, the Mainichi Film
Award for Best Animation Film, the Animation Kobe Awards, the Japan Media Arts
Festival animation awards, the Tokyo Anime Award and the Japan Academy Prize for
Animation of the Year. In the United States, anime films compete in the Crunchyroll
Anime Awards. There were also the American Anime Awards, which were designed to
recognize excellence in anime titles nominated by the industry, and were held only
once in 2006.[112] Anime productions have also been nominated and won awards not
exclusively for anime, like the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature or the
Golden Bear.

Working conditions
In recent years, the anime industry has been accused by both Japanese and foreign
media for underpaying and overworking its animators.[113][114][115] In response the
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to improve the working conditions
and salary of all animators and creators working in the industry.[116] A few anime
studios such as MAPPA have taken actions to improve the working conditions of their
employees.[117] There has also been a slight increase in production costs and
animator pays during the COVID-19 pandemic.[118]

Globalization and cultural impact

See also: Japanese pop culture in the United States, List of anime distributed in
the United States, List of anime distributed in India, Anime in hip hop, and List
of highest-grossing anime films

Anime Expo – one of the largest fan conventions in the Western world.[119]
Anime has become commercially profitable in Western countries, as demonstrated by
early commercially successful Western adaptations of anime, such as Astro Boy and
Speed Racer. Early American adaptions in the 1960s made Japan expand into the
continental European market, first with productions aimed at European and Japanese
children, such as Heidi, Vicky the Viking and Barbapapa, which aired in various
countries. Italy, Spain, and France grew a particular interest into Japan's output,
due to its cheap selling price and productive output. In fact, Italy imported the
most anime outside of Japan.[120] These mass imports influenced anime popularity in
South American, Arabic and German markets.[121]

The beginning of 1980 saw the introduction of Japanese anime series into the
American culture. In the 1990s, Japanese animation slowly gained popularity in
America. Media companies such as Viz and Mixx began publishing and releasing
animation into the American market.[122] The 1988 film Akira is largely credited
with popularizing anime in the Western world during the early 1990s, before anime
was further popularized by television shows such as Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z in
the late 1990s.[123][124] By 1997, Japanese anime was the fastest-growing genre in
the American video industry.[125] The growth of the Internet later provided
international audiences an easy way to access Japanese content.[101] Early on,
online piracy played a major role in this, through over time many legal
alternatives appeared. Since the 2010s various streaming services have become
increasingly involved in the production and licensing of anime for the
international markets.[126][127] This is especially the case with net services such
as Netflix and Crunchyroll which have large catalogs in Western countries, although
as of 2020 anime fans in many developing non-Western countries, such as India and
Philippines, have fewer options of obtaining access to legal content, and therefore
still turn to online piracy.[128][129] However beginning with the early 2020s anime
has been experiencing yet another boom in global popularity and demand due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max,
Hulu and anime-only services like Crunchyroll, increasing the international
availability of the amount of new licensed anime shows as well as the size of their
catalogs.[130][131][132][133][134] Netflix reported that, between October 2019 and
September 2020, more than 100 million member households worldwide had watched at
least one anime title on the platform. Anime titles appeared on the streaming
platforms top 10 lists in almost 100 countries within the 1-year period.[135] As of
2021, Japanese anime are the most demanded foreign language shows in the United
States accounting for 30.5% of the market share(In comparison, Spanish and Korean
shows account for 21% and 11% of the market share).[136] In 2021 more than half of
Netflix's global members watched anime.[137][138] In 2022, the anime series Attack
on Titan won the award of "Most In-Demand TV Series in the World 2021" in the
Global TV Demand Awards. Attack on Titan became the first ever non-English language
series to earn the title of "World's Most In-Demand TV Show", previously held by
only The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones.[139][140]

Rising interest in anime as well as Japanese video games has led to an increase of
university students in the United Kingdom wanting to get a degree in the Japanese
language.[141]

Various anime and manga series have influenced Hollywood in the making of numerous
famous movies and characters.[142] Hollywood itself has produced live-action
adaptations of various anime series such as Ghost in the Shell, Death Note, Dragon
Ball Evolution and Cowboy Bebop. However most of these adaptations have been
reviewed negatively by both the critics and the audience and have become box-office
flops. The main reasons for the unsuccessfulness of Hollywood's adaptions of anime
being the often change of plot and characters from the original source material and
the limited capabilities a live-action movie or series can do in comparison to an
animated counterpart.[143][144] One particular exception however is Alita: Battle
Angel, which has become a moderate commercial success, receiving generally positive
reviews from both the critics and the audience for its visual effects and following
the source material. The movie grossed $404 million worldwide, making it directors
Robert Rodriguez's highest-grossing film.[145][146]

Anime alongside many other parts of Japanese pop culture has helped Japan to gain a
positive worldwide image and improve its relations with other countries.[147] In
2015, during remarks welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the White
House, President Barack Obama thanked Japan for its cultural contributions to the
United States by saying:

This visit is a celebration of the ties of friendship and family that bind our
peoples. I first felt it when I was 6 years old when my mother took me to Japan. I
felt it growing up in Hawaii, like communities across our country, home to so many
proud Japanese Americans... Today is also a chance for Americans, especially our
young people, to say thank you for all the things we love from Japan. Like karate
and karaoke. Manga and anime. And, of course, emojis.[148]

In July 2020, after the approval of a Chilean government project in which citizens
of Chile would be allowed to withdraw up to 10% of their privately held retirement
savings, journalist Pamela Jiles celebrated by running through Congress with her
arms spread out behind her, imitating the move of many characters of the anime and
manga series Naruto.[149][150] In April 2021, Peruvian politicians Jorge Hugo
Romero of the PPC and Milagros Juárez of the UPP cosplayed as anime characters to
get the otaku vote.[151]

A 2018 survey conducted in 20 countries and territories using a sample consisting

of 6,600 respondents held by Dentsu revealed that 34% of all surveyed people found
excellency in anime and manga more than other Japanese cultural or technological
aspects which makes this mass Japanese media the 3rd most liked "Japanese thing",
below Japanese cuisine (34.6%) and Japanese robotics (35.1%). The advertisement
company views anime as a profitable tool for marketing campaigns in foreign
countries due its popularity and high reception.[152] Anime plays a role in driving
tourism to Japan. In surveys held by Statista between 2019 and 2020, 24.2% of
tourists from the United States, 7.7% of tourists from China and 6.1% of tourists
from South Korea said they were motivated to visit Japan because of Japanese
popular culture.[153] In a 2021 survey held by Crunchyroll market research, 94% of
Gen-Z's and 73% of the general population said that they are familiar with anime.
[154][155]

Fan response
See also: Anime and manga fandom, ACG (subculture), and List of anime conventions

Cosplay of Madoka Kaname and Kyubey from Puella Magi Madoka Magica during Tracon
2013 event at the Tampere Hall in Tampere, Finland
Anime clubs gave rise to anime conventions in the 1990s with the "anime boom", a
period marked by anime's increased global popularity.[156] These conventions are
dedicated to anime and manga and include elements like cosplay contests and
industry talk panels.[157] Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is not unique
to anime and has become popular in contests and masquerades at anime conventions.
[158] Japanese culture and words have entered English usage through the popularity
of the medium, including otaku, an unflattering Japanese term commonly used in
English to denote an obsessive fan of anime and/or manga.[159] Another word that
has arisen describing obsessive fans in the United States is wapanese meaning
'white individuals who want to be Japanese', or later known as weeaboo or weeb,
individuals who demonstrate an obsession in Japanese anime subculture, a term that
originated from abusive content posted on the website 4chan.org.[160] While
originally derogatory, the terms "Otaku" and "Weeb" have been reappropriated by
some in the anime fandom overtime and today are used by some fans to refer to
themselves in a comedic and more positive way.[161] Anime enthusiasts have produced
fan fiction and fan art, including computer wallpapers and anime music videos
(AMVs).[162]

As of the 2020s, many anime fans use social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook,
Reddit[163] and Twitter (which has added an entire "anime and manga" category of
topics)[164][165] with online communities and databases such as MyAnimeList to
discuss anime, manga and track their progress watching respective series as well as
using news outlets such as Anime News Network.[166][167]

Due to anime's increased popularity in recent years, a large number of celebrities

such as Elon Musk, BTS and Ariana Grande have come out as anime fans.[168]

Anime style
Main article: Anime-influenced animation
One of the key points that made anime different from a handful of Western cartoons
is the potential for visceral content. Once the expectation that the aspects of
visual intrigue or animation being just for children is put aside, the audience can
realize that themes involving violence, suffering, sexuality, pain, and death can
all be storytelling elements utilized in anime just as much as other media.[169]
However, as anime itself became increasingly popular, its styling has been
inevitably the subject of both satire and serious creative productions.[11] South
Park's "Chinpokomon" and "Good Times with Weapons" episodes, Adult Swim's Perfect
Hair Forever, and Nickelodeon's Kappa Mikey are examples of Western satirical
depictions of Japanese culture and anime, but anime tropes have also been satirized
by some anime such as KonoSuba.

Traditionally only Japanese works have been considered anime, but some works have
sparked debate for blurring the lines between anime and cartoons, such as the
American anime-style production Avatar: The Last Airbender.[170] These anime-styled
works have become defined as anime-influenced animation, in an attempt to classify
all anime styled works of non-Japanese origin.[171] Some creators of these works
cite anime as a source of inspiration, for example the French production team for
Ōban Star-Racers that moved to Tokyo to collaborate with a Japanese production
team.[172][173][174] When anime is defined as a "style" rather than as a national
product, it leaves open the possibility of anime being produced in other countries,
[170] but this has been contentious amongst fans, with John Oppliger stating, "The
insistence on referring to original American art as Japanese "anime" or "manga"
robs the work of its cultural identity."[11][175]

A U.A.E.-Filipino produced TV series called Torkaizer is dubbed as the "Middle

East's First Anime Show", and is currently in production[176] and looking for
funding.[177] Netflix has produced multiple anime series in collaboration with
Japanese animation studios,[178] and in doing so, has offered a more accessible
channel for distribution to Western markets.[179]

The web-based series RWBY, produced by Texas-based company Rooster Teeth, is

produced using an anime art style, and the series has been described as "anime" by
multiple sources. For example, Adweek, in the headline to one of its articles,
described the series as "American-made anime",[180] and in another headline, The
Huffington Post described it as simply "anime", without referencing its country of
origin.[181] In 2013, Monty Oum, the creator of RWBY, said "Some believe just like
Scotch needs to be made in Scotland, an American company can't make anime. I think
that's a narrow way of seeing it. Anime is an art form, and to say only one country
can make this art is wrong."[182] RWBY has been released in Japan with a Japanese
language dub;[183] the CEO of Rooster Teeth, Matt Hullum, commented "This is the
first time any American-made anime has been marketed to Japan. It definitely
usually works the other way around, and we're really pleased about that."[180]

Media franchises
Further information: Media mix and List of highest-grossing media franchises
In Japanese culture and entertainment, media mix is a strategy to disperse content
across multiple representations: different broadcast media, gaming technologies,
cell phones, toys, amusement parks, and other methods.[184] It is the Japanese term
for a transmedia franchise.[185][186] The term gained its circulation in late
1980s, but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the
proliferation of anime, with its interconnection of media and commodity goods.[187]

A number of anime and manga media franchises such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no
Yaiba, Dragon Ball and Gundam have gained considerable global popularity, and are
among the world's highest-grossing media franchises. Pokémon in particular is
estimated to be the highest-grossing media franchise of all time.[188]