tony7531's Journal: Anime History

Anime is the Japanese term for animation. Anime originated about 1917.

Anime, like manga or Japanese comics, is extremely popular in Japan and well known throughout the world. Distributors can release anime via television broadcasts, directly to video, or theatrically, as well as online. Both hand-drawn and computer animated anime exist. It is used in television series, films, video, video games, commercials, and internet-based releases, and represents most, if not all, genres of fiction.

Anime began at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers experimented with the animation techniques also pioneered in France, Germany, the United States, and Russia. The oldest known anime in existence was screened in 1917, a two minute clip of a samurai trying to test a new sword on his target, only to suffer defeat. The first talking anime was Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka, released in 1933.

The success of The Walt Disney Company's 1937 feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs influenced Japanese animators. In the 1960s, manga artist and animator Osamu Tezuka adapted and simplified many Disney animation techniques to reduce costs and number of frames in the production. He intended this as a temporary measure to allow him to produce material on a tight schedule with inexperienced animation staff.

The 1970s saw a surge of growth in the popularity of manga, which were often later animated, especially those of Osamu Tezuka, who has been called a legend and the "god of manga". His work and that of other pioneers in the field, inspired characteristics and genres that are fundamental elements of anime today.

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Body proportions emulated in anime come from proportions of the human body. The height of the head is considered as the base unit of proportion. Head heights can vary as long as the remainder of the body remains proportional. Most anime characters are about seven to eight heads tall, and extreme heights are set around nine heads tall. A common approach is the large eyes style drawn on many anime and manga characters.

A common approach in anime is the large eyes style drawn on many anime and manga characters. However, not all anime have large eyes.