The purpose of #AnimeEducation is to take the knowledge of avid anime viewer and give that knowledge to new and casual viewers. The goal is to spread the information to others who enjoy the same entertainment medium. What readers do with the information and what opinions they form is all up to them.
Anime have been defined differently depending on people’s knowledge of anime. I am here to give you different definitions anime has been given from different views and cultures as well as other things to consider.
In Japan, anime is short for animation. This means that any animated series or movie is considered an “anime.” Series like Spongebob Squarepants and Family Guy will be called anime along side series like Naruto and One Piece.
When it comes to the definition of anime, it becomes a little more complicated with the western culture. Many people consider anime as cartoons that come from Japan. Basically traditional anime series such as Naruto, One Piece and Bleach will be considered anime. But western cultures will also call series like Panty, Stocking and Garterbelt anime, which doesn’t have the same art style or characteristics as a traditional anime series.
Many consider anime to be a style or genre in animated television and movies. This would mean that in addition to traditional anime series, they would have to include series like Avatar the Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra and even Torkaizer, a series created in the Middle East, anime. Another fact about Torkaizer is that even though it was created in the Middle East, the series is located in Japan, where they use Japanese voice actors for specific characters.
The last definition used is that anime is created by animation studios in Japan. However, this would also include the Legend of Korra because Studio Pierrot (Tokyo Ghoul, Bleach, Naruto) is one of the studios who created the series.
I’m not here to tell you what is the right and wrong definition. Everyone has their own definition. Many use a combination of definitions and others use one over the others while still putting the other definitions into slight consideration. Now it’s up to you to have your own!