Anime-influenced animation refers to non-Japanese works of
animationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways...
that emulate certain aspects of the visual style of
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
. Due to Western culture, the term
anime has been coined to explicitly refer to Japanese animation. These works are created in North America, Europe, and non-Japanese Asia. With the rise of anime's popularity in Western civilization, it has become an integrated part of western animation produced.
In the West, particularly in the United States, the term
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
has been generally accepted to describe animation produced explicitly in Japan.
Anime-influenced animation refers to non-Japanese works of
animationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways...
that emulate certain aspects of the visual style of
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
. Due to Western culture, the term
anime has been coined to explicitly refer to Japanese animation. These works are created in North America, Europe, and non-Japanese Asia. With the rise of anime's popularity in Western civilization, it has become an integrated part of western animation produced.
Background
In the West, particularly in the United States, the term
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
has been generally accepted to describe animation produced explicitly in Japan. As anime became increasingly popular, Western animation studios began implementing some visual stylizations typical in anime-- such as exaggerated facial expressions and "
super deformedSuper deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children....
" versions of characters. In particular, works like
Teen TitansTeen Titans is an American animated television series based on the popular DC Comics characters. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003...
,
Batman BeyondBatman Beyond, also known as Batman of the Future, is an American animated television series created by The WB Television Network in collaboration with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation as a continuation of the Batman legacy. It began airing on January 10, 1999, and ended its run on December18,...
and
Spiderman Unlimitedhttp://www.spiderfan.org/shows/tv_unlimited/index.html displayed some characteristics of anime. Particularly for Batman Beyond, some of its production processes were outsourced in Japan.
The advent of anime stylizations appearing in Western animation questioned the established meaning of "anime."
There are several Western animators who collaborated with anime creators while producing Western animations. For example, production on
The AnimatrixThe Animatrix is a collection of nine animated short films released on June 3, 2003, and set in the fictional universe of The Matrix series.-Production:...
began when the Wachowski brothers visited some of the creators of the anime films that had been a strong influence on their work, and decided to collaborate with them.
Avatar: The Last AirbenderAvatar: The Last Airbender was a American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon and the Nicktoons Network. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz...
is another example of a Western animation influenced by anime. Though not considered an
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
because of its American origin, one review has commented that "
Avatar blurs the line between anime and (US) domestic cartoons until it becomes irrelevant." In addition, Avatar has many features of anime such as having a different color palette from other animated shows.
Avatar creators
Bryan KonietzkoBryan Konietzko is the co-creator and executive producer of the popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has also worked as a character designer at Film Roman for Family Guy and as Assistant Director for Mission Hill and King of the Hill. He was a Storyboard Artist and Art Director...
and
Michael Dante DiMartinoMichael Dante DiMartino, born in Point Place, Wisconsin is an American animation director, best-known as the co-creator, executive producer and story editor of the hit TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nickelodeon...
confirmed a particular anime influence in a magazine interview; that of "
Hayao Miyazakiis a prominent Japanese filmmaker of many popular animated feature films. He is also a co-founder of Studio Ghibli, an animation studio and production company....
, especially
Spirited Awayis a 2001 Japanese animated film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film views a sullen ten-year-old girl in the middle of her family's move to a new town and her adventures in a world of spirits and monsters.The film received many awards, including the...
and
Princess Mononokeis a 1997 Japanese animated historical fantasy feature film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. It was first released in Japan on July 12, 1997 and in the United States on October 29, 1999 in select cities and on November 26, 1999 in Canada....
" as well as
My Neighbor Totoro, is a 1988 Japanese anime film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film follows the two young daughters of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan. The movie won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1988. The...
.
Avatar also draws inspiration from the anime works of
Shinichiro Watanabeis a Japanese anime filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for directing the popular anime series Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.Watanabe is noted for blending together multiple genres in his anime...
's
Samurai Champloois a Japanese animated television series consisting of twenty-six episodes. It was broadcast in Japan from May 20, 2004, through March 19, 2005, on the television network, Fuji TV. Samurai Champloo was created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, whose previous work, Cowboy Bebop, earned him renown...
, as well as
FLCLis an original video animation series written by Yōji Enokido, directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records....
(
Fooly Cooly) of
Gainaxis a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with award-winning anime...
. Other various studios from which inspiration was drawn include Studio 4 °C, Production I.G, and
Studio Ghibliis a Japanese animation film studio, and previously was a subsidiary of Tokuma Shoten.The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro....
.
The producers of the French
Code LyokoCode Lyoko is a French animated television series featuring both conventional animation and CGI. It premiered on September 3, 2003 on the France 3 network, and was produced by Antefilms during the first season, MoonScoop Group during the second and third season, and by Taffy Entertainment during...
, one of most successful European animated series, explicitety stated in their introductory document that:
[...] Influenced by the poetry and the visual impact of Japanese animation, the series proposes a graphic universe that's particularly original and strong.
See also
- Original English-language manga
Original English-language manga or OEL manga is the term commonly used to describe comic books or graphic novels in the "international manga" genre of comics whose language of original publication is English...
- La nouvelle manga
Nouvelle Manga is an artistic movement which gathers Franco-Belgian and Japanese comic creators together. The expression was first used by Kiyoshi Kusumi, editor of the Japanese manga magazine Comickers, in referring to the work of French expatriate Frédéric Boilet, who now lives in Japan...
- Limited animation
Limited animation is a process of making animated cartoons that do not follow a "realistic" approach. One of its major trademarks is the stylized design in all forms and shapes, which in the early days was referred to as modern design...