What Parents Need to Know About Anime

Anime, one of the most often misunderstood art forms out there, has recently received a bad reputation from parents that don't understand it. Most parents mistakenly assume that anime is simply some detailed form of cartoon animation, however it is far from that. Anime is in fact a term created for Japanese animation, which is younger then our American cartoons, but much more complex.

Japanese animation tends to feature various differences compared to cartoons from other parts of the world. For one, characters are often more detailed or have over exaggerated features. Anime is a limitless form of art, and thus can be created to tell a story of pretty much any genre possible. Parents themselves may come to enjoy anime, as there is basically a series for everyone.

Compare to it American movies, we have movies for every style and genre. Japanese animation is the same way, perhaps even better seeing as animated figures can do anything the imagination can create leaving humans stuck to Earth and CGI editing. The only pitfall of defining anime by it's style, is that some choose not to have stereotypical anime features, thus things can get very confusing.

Is it safe for children to watch?

This is the most common question you can hear from an adult that has seen even a glimpse of violent anime. Yes are is anime that you will want to keep from your children, but on the other hand there is also anime that your child/teen may learn from to become a better person. Though not scientifically proven, it's fairly obvious that being introduced to other cultures will give your child an open mind about how the world works.

When your child wishes to watch some anime, do your research on it to see if there is anything that may be too much for your child. Generally, anime your child should stay away from are broadcast on cable very late at night, though they can get much worse then that. Remember the Pokemon television series? That was also an anime, and is released in Japan far earlier then the United States.

If it's from Japan, why isn't in Japanese?

This is usually another question that is raised when parents are trying to discover what anime is. The reason that Japanese isn't spoken in anime when it's broadcasted on television is because the shows are all edited. Hardcore anime fans often watch their favorite series online with subtitles, and are usually by that time totally engulfed in the Japanese culture and language.

American publishers all take their pick at anime from Japan, and license then from their company for distribution in the states. Other countries have similar systems, but when happens after licensing is always the same. Each publisher edits the voices in their anime to their nations language, and often time's things from the anime are censored to make sure they don't offend people.

I heard some Anime contain nudity, is that true?

Surprisingly enough, that is true. Don't let that fool you though, there is even cartoon porn out there on the Internet, and even more real porn. Just because some animes drift into adult entertainment doesn't mean they aren't enjoyable for the right age groups. If you only allow your children/teen to view anime on television, you have nothing to worry about as all cable anime shows are censored.

What is Manga and how does it relate to Anime?

Basically, manga is to anime what comic books are to cartoons. Still confused? Manga is comic book style drawings from Japan, there aren't many differences between the two besides for the drawing styles and the fact that manga often comes in hard cover format. Just like some Hollywood movies being based on comic books, some anime are based off a manga series.

What do terms such as Yuri or Yaoi mean?

This is where it may get a little weird to some people, but these sub genres of anime are worth mentioning. Both Yuri and Yaoi are terms for love between same sex partners in Japanese media. For example, Yuri is love between two females, and Yaoi is between two males. For more information on Yuri you may want to check out this Wikipedia page on the subject. For more information on Yaoi, check out another Wikipedia page.

What is Fan Subbing?

Fan Subbing is done by devoted groups of anime fans that take time out of their lives to subtitle anime straight from Japan so that people around the world can enjoy it. Due to possible copyright violations, they always post these episodes for free, and even cease subtitling a certain anime when an American publisher jumps into the picture and starts licensing.

Can adults enjoy anime?

Yes adults can enjoy anime just like any teenager or even children. There are a number of anime out there besides those with sexual situations, which could be enjoyed by adults. Anime can sometimes have very gripping and complex storylines that rival almost any literature. For example in a Sci-Fi based anime named Code Geass, a young exiled prince named Lelouch gains a power called Geass which allows him to control people.

Only thing is, Lelouch has to make eye contact before using this power, and can only use it once. His main goal in the anime is to topple Britannia, a fictional country who's King is his father. Lelouch believes that his father did nothing to save his mother who was murdered in front of his very own sister. After asking why his father didn't protect his mother, the King exiled his son to live in Japan, which had been taken over by Britannia.

Sources And Useful Links

Wikipedia: Anime

Anime News Network

Adult Swim

Anime.com

Code Geass