Anime, The Japanese Comic Sub-Culture!
Anime, The Japanese Comic Sub-Culture!
By Dave Gieber
What is anime? For all intents and purposes, this is a style of
cartoon animation that has its beginnings in Japan. This
particular genre has a distinctive character and aesthetics
background that visually sets itself apart from other forms of
animation.
While some anime is entirely hand-drawn, computer assisted
animation techniques appear to be quite common. Story lines are
typically fictional. Examples can be found in most major genres
of fiction. Story lines can be found on television, distributed
on media such as DVDs, or included in console and computer
games. Anime has been influenced by Japanese comics known as
manga.
The English word “anime” is a transliteration of the
abbreviated version of this Japanese term. It appears there are
two accepted ways of pronouncing this word. It can be pronounced
as “ANN ih may” or many may also verbalize it as “AH nee may”.
The history of anime got its start at the beginning of the 20th
century. Japanese filmmakers started experimenting with the
animation techniques that were being explored in the West.
During the 1970s, further development was seen as the genre was
separating itself from its Western roots. Unique genres such as
mecha were coming into being. In the 1980s, anime became widely
accepted in the mainstream in Japan and therefore, experienced a
boom in production. The 1990s and 2000s saw an increased
acceptance of this form of expression in overseas markets.
At one time, the genre was also known as Japanimation, but this
term has fallen into disuse. More usage of this term was seen
during the 1970s and 1980s. This was the time period, which saw
the first and second waves of anime fandom.
In more recent years, anime has been referred to in Europe as
manga. This practice may have stemmed from the Japanese usage:
In Japan, manga can refer to both animation and comics (although
the use of manga to refer to animation is mostly restricted to
non-fans). Among English speakers, manga usually has the
stricter meaning of “Japanese comics”.
About the Author: Dave Gieber is the owner and editor of a
website built around one of his childhood passions. Discover
more about Anime and while you are at it pick up your free 5-day
course on comic book collecting!
http://www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com/anime.
Source: http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link:
http://www.isnare.com/?aid=51891&ca=Entertainment
Comic Book Collecting 101
Collecting comic books is a source of joy for many comic book and graphic novel enthusiasts. However, many collectors have trouble finding comics that they feel would be worth collecting and don’t really know what to do with them when they do. There are a number of ways that collectors and comic enthusiasts can find out where to buy, sell and trade collectible comics and other memorabilia.
You can find comic books and other collectable memorabilia in a number of places. Comic conventions are an excellent way to find collectible comics, meet comic insiders and hear the latest comic industry news. One of the best places to find comic books is on the internet. You can find people selling comic books on different websites all over the web. One way to find comic books is in an online market place such as Amazon.com. Ebay is one of the most popular places on the net to find auctions for collectible comic books. Not only can you bid and buy comics but you can also sell your comic books through Ebay as well. Another place to find comics is from an online comic book store such as Things From Another World or SuperHeroStuff.com.
You can also find collectible comic books online in comic collecting forums. One of the sites that I would recommend is Planet Bugle (www.planetbugle.com). Planet Bugle provides a comic forum, a comic wiki, comic news, comic collecting faq’s and other information on collecting comic books and more. Comic forums and message boards allow you to connect with other collectors who are selling, buying and trading comic and can provide you with information and insight on collecting comic books.
As you start to accumulate more and more comic you will need to find ways to keep track of your comic book collection. One effective method is to use a database software such as Collectorz.com’s Comic Collector. This will allow you to catalog your comic collection automatically.
Free Comic Book Day
The first Saturday in May is the official day for comic books. What is so great about this day is that comic books are given away for free. For the past seven years, participating stores have been giving out free comics; but only on this one Saturday a year. The purpose behind this day is to promote comics to kids. To keep the industry alive, we need the newest generations getting hooked on comics. Kids as young as two and three years old become interested in comics, even though they can’t read, because they are familiar with the action hero figures. More than likely, most kids have a superman or batman action figure and they can relate to the comics from looking at the pictures.
The comics given out are special issues. They are printed especially for Free Comic Book Day. They are printed differently than normal comics, and they don’t have a barcode on them. Also, most of the comic books handed out have Free Comic Book Day printed somewhere on the cover. At one store participating in the event, they have more than ten different comics to choose from that will be given out for free. This is made possible because each major comic publisher produces a free edition comic. For a comic book enthusiast, this once a year even is like Christmas for them. As many as twelve million comic books will be given out on Saturday.
William Shatner, one of the most memorable Star Trek actors, is taking part in the event. He has plans to announce the release of his own comic book series. He will be doing a comic book signing at a store in Los Angeles where they will be giving out free comics. William Shatner partnered with Bluewater Productions to create a 32 page comic to be given away for free in support of Free Comic Book Day. His series of science fiction comics is called Tek War, and the free comic given out is a prologue to the issue. Hugh Jackman, leading actor in the X-men series, is also promoting Free Comic Book Day. He is starring in the new release X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He believes that comics have the power to get kids to read. They are playing a large part in fighting illiteracy in our country.
Without comic book retailers, this world wide event wouldn’t be possible. They pay anywhere from 12 to 50 cents for each free edition comic book, and give them out to free for anyone who walks through their store.