Anime is a Japanese word borrowed from French, and is used to mean "animation". Outside of Japan, anime refers specifically to Japanese animation or animation that mimics Japanese animation. Anime has its roots in manga or Japanese comics. Manga developed over hundreds of years, starting as pictures drawn on temple walls, then on wooden blocks, and finally as woodblock prints with captions collected in books. In time, the captions became stories and the art became sequential. By the early 20th century, manga had become the main form of literature for most of Japanese society.

Anime's history began at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese graphic artists began to feel the influence of two very powerful Western inventions and when Japanese filmmakers began trying out new animation techniques that were being used in the Western world. The oldest Japanese animation is from about 1907. Only three seconds long it showed a young boy in a sailor suit writing out the words in Japanese for "Moving Pictures," turns to the audience, takes off his hat and salutes. From this beginning animation in Japan continued to develop. By the 1930's animation had taken a place among the burgeoning film industry of Japan. In 1914, cartoonists were among the first Japanese artists to experiment with animated motion pictures. Japan's first world-wide success was Kitayama Seitaro's short film Momotaro(1918). The last pre-war milestone was the short film Chikara To Onna No Yononaka, which appeared in 1932.

In the 1930's the largest influence on Japanese anime was Walt Disney. With the invasion of Manchuria and the war, all art in Japan at this time was used to enforce the official line of nationalism, and this can be seen in Japanese animation throughout the 1930's and 1940's.

The first full-length anime feature in Japan was one of these propagandistic nationalistic efforts: Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors, released in 1945. The film portrays Japanese victory on Sulawesi Island and how their efforts are liberating Asia. It was directed by Mitsuyo Seo, who had been greatly inspired by seeing Walt Disney's Fantasia.

The popularity and influence of Disney and the Fleishers' animated films were not limited to the United States. Before World War II, much of their work was seen by receptive audiences in Europe and Asia. These works also inspired the dreams of a young man who would go on to alter the direction of Japanese graphic story-telling forever.

Disney influences can be seen throughout Japanese animation in the 1940's and 50's.

The success of both the anime and manga industries in Japan is connected with name of one man: Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka became a cartoonist after World War II. He was only 20 years old whne his first significant work, the novel-length Shintakarajima or "New Treasure Island", appeared in 1947. In just a few years, he became Japan's most popular manga artist, eventually earning the title "God of Manga." What Tezuka was doing was telling stories in the manner of a filmmaker. In the process, he was also teaching an entire generation of artists how to visualize and compose a story kinetically. Successive generations of manga and anime artists discovered the flexibility of Tezuka's character designs and adapted them into their own diverse works. Eventually, Tezuka's great success as a manga artist led to a more direct impact on the post-war animation industry.

One of the important leaders after the end of World War 2 was the Japanese film company Toei Animation. Hiroshi Okawa was the president of Toei, his dream was to create and Asian film studio that would produce animated features similar to those put out by Walt Disney Studios in America. Toei produced the first color anime feature film: Hakujaden, in 1956. It was later released in the United States under the name Panda and the Magic Serpent.

Tezuka, the undisputed giant of manga, formally entered the anime filed in 1958 when he started working on the storyboards, screenplay, and chracter designs for a Toei feature based on Wu Cheng-en's the Pilgrimage to the West. Tezuka founded the Osamu Tezuka Production Animation Department or, as it was eventually called, Mushi Productions. His goal was to produce animated theatrical features as well as episodic series for the fledgling Japanese television industry. Tezuka created the first Japanese TV animation studio and produced his first and most popular work: Astro Boy in 1963, which became an immediate success.

During the 1970's a new subfield of anime hit the market: mecha, a field of science fiction where the main characters were not people, but robots. This continues to be an extremely popular field in Japan, and has influenced many American works.

Anime reached mainstream status in the 1980s, and since then it has blown up not only in Japan, but around the globe. Television and film producers scrambled to keep up with the increasing demand for more sophisticated and exciting animated programming. Now Japanese fans could actually buy copies of their favorite animated TV shows and movies. Production companies even started to bypass the traditional entertainment media and release original animated features straight to video.

The end of the 1980's saw the ending of the Golden Age of Anime. Projects began to be more and more detailed and costly, while their popularity was waning. In 1988 the artist and director Katsuhiro Otamo ushered in an entirely new style of anime with film Akira. It was the most expensive anime feature film ever released and also a huge disappointment in the Japanese box office. At the same time it was gaining success world-wide, especially in the United States; the film became a huge international hit. Akira became a symbol of the medium and greatly increased anime's popularity in the west.

As the '90's wind down, optimism comes easily to the anime fan. Osamu Tezuka's influence was still being felt in recent films based on his earlier manga works. International audiences were also enjoying a growing influx of popular anime. Japanese artists could explore the boundaries of space and examine the complexities of the human condition - it has made anime dynamic and appealing. This same quality promises to keep anime a vital artistic option for filmmakers in the 21st Century.

What is it that makes Japanese animation popular, not only to the young but to adults as well?

Part of the draw that anime possesses is the fact that they can target wide ranges of viewers. This is due to the fact that animes are not confined to one category, but run the entire gamut of genres, including action, sci-fi, drama, romance, horror, and yes, even erotica. Many animes do not limit themselves to one particular genre and mix genres together.

Animation itself allows anime creators to convey just about any storyline they desire. It is much easier to make a cartoon about large robots featuring huge action and destruction sequences than it is to produce a live-action film including the same things. With recent advances in CGI animators have even more power to transfer their wildest imaginations on to a screen. Storylines, characters, and settings are limited only to what creators can conjure up in their minds.

Though animes seem to be simple cartoons on the surface, many of them have deeper storylines and character development. This may be conveyed through the use of character-based flashbacks, which portray part of a character's past to the viewer, allowing them to understand why they act a certain way or say the things they say. Juvenile humor may be thrown in sporadically in drama-based animes, but do not be surprised if you see poignant and profound character development in humor-based animes as well.

In the west, animation has long been limited to children's subjects, and comics not only to children's or young adult subjects, but specifically to "superhero" stories. However, in Japan, anime and manga are used for every type of story imaginable and are watched or read by all types of people at every level of society. Most anime series find their foundations in manga. These mangas are usually a few episodes ahead of the actual television series and have become popular among international audiences as well. In Japan, manga and anime can cover very serious topics, depict situational comedy or soap opera, involve police or detective drama, mystery, or pornography. In other words, Japanese do not view anime or manga as limited to any particular market or genre. Western attitudes about comics haven't reached the level of Japan, where a popular comic's sales can rival those of major magazines and an animated film can become the top-grossing film in national history, but the trend towards greater acceptance and greater availability of anime and manga in the west is very encouraging to fans.

American Anime is the most recent trend in the modern animated cartoon. Shows like Avatar and Martin Mystery and Teen Titans blend the American style of using proper body proportions while adding elements of traditional anime as well. Common features of the traditional version include oversized eyes and extreme exaggeration of emotion in facial expressions.

Needless to say, not all animes are just cartoons for kids. In fact, the majority of animes feature violence, sexual innuendos, and language that may not be suitable for children. This is likely a major reason why anime's popularity has exploded in the past few years across the world. With animes, cartoons are no longer just for kids, and even adults can find themes of romance and drama that they might otherwise find only in real-life television shows. The unique blend of animated characters with more mature themes is undoubtedly an enticing combination for adult-viewers.

When animes are released in theaters, on television, or on DVDs in countries outside of Japan, distributors must decide whether they want to use subtitles or dubbed voices. There are pros to both sides of the issue, and there are strong proponents of both. Some viewers enjoy watching their anime without having to read words on the bottom of the screen, which they say take away from the visual pleasures of the anime. Others prefer to hear the original voice acting and enjoy reading the more literal translations. DVDs offer both sides a satisfying medium, as they allow for either subtitles or English voice tracks.

There are countless resources on the Internet that give recommendations and reviews of numerous anime series, many of which are readily available on DVD and even on television stations. Pick a genre, read up on reviews and summaries of shows that you are interested in, and enjoy.

Kiwi! so sad animation

One of Master's Thesis Animation, The School of Visual Arts, MFA Computer Art, in New York City.
Created using Maya, After Effects, and rigged using The Setup Machine by Anzovin studios.
Credits: www.donysanimation.com

Usavich season3: Episode 27

Season 3

Episode 27 - The First Floor (1 階)

Putin and Kirenenko, in their damaged car from the previous episode, stop at a large shopping complex. The shopping complex is birefly revealed to have 12 floors and an attic. Kirenenko enters the sneakers shop, showing the shopkeeper the advertisement on his magazine. The horrified shopkeeper points to the specially designed display box, indicating that particular pair of sneakers costs a hundred thousand rubles (The animation used a fictional unit of "Rur"). Kirenenko swiftly presents the vast amount of money in his suitcase, causing the shopkeeper to phone his boss upstairs, on 12th floor (who's playing video games with his mistresses). The boss sees the money through CCTV and triggers a trapdoor, making Kirenenko fall into a spiked pit. Putin manages to evade all subsequent trapdoor triggers, making the frustrated boss open the entire floor, from which only Leningrad manages to jump away. Meanwhile, Kirenenko sees the spikes below, grabbing one of them and rebound to the surface, bringing Putin back on the way and crashing the shopkeeper through the ceiling. While Putin is passed out because of fright, Kirenenko discovers the CCTV camera and shows his raged face to the boss through it.

Usavich season2: Episode 21-26

Episode 21 - Watch your Speed (スピード注意)

The engine overheats, and Putin gets out to look, noticing a jet flying overhead. Kirenenko throws a boulder at it, and the jet crashes right next to them, causing Putin to faint. Kirenenko pulls him along the road and wakes him up next to the jet's engine. Putin attaches the engine to the back of the car and starts it up, but it goes right through the car, with the rabbits in front of it. Pieces of Kirenenko's head start flying off until he eventually dies, with a halo appearing above him.

Episode 22 - Watch for Tanks (戦車注意)

Putin drives along with Kirenenko's corpse beside him, his head bandaged up. A tank appears in front of them and fires on the car, which swerves around the tank before they get fired on again. The tank turns around and continues shooting, causing damage to and eventually shatters the car, which Putin quickly fixes. He then presses a button on the dash to pop out bigger tires and the jet engine, and they get away from the tank. The previously dead Kirenenko reanimates and takes the bandages off to reveal that his eye is now in the wrong place.

Episode 23 - Watch for Mods (改造注意)

Putin works on the car and gets back in to test the new functions, including armor and a machine that brushes the driver's teeth. Putin looks back to see the toothbrush has made a second hole in Kirenenko's magazine. Kirenenko gets back in the car, having been on the side of the road, and notices the hole. Before he can do anything, however, Putin pushes the ejector seat button, temporarily getting himself out of harm's way, until Kirenenko drives up below where he was landing.

Episode 24 - Watch for Fakes (偽物注意)

The car pulls up to a roadside kiosk, and Putin gets out to buy food, which he eats, then runs into the outhouse, which explodes. Kirenenko walks up to the stand and sees a row of sneakers. He picks up a pair of them, which also explodes. The "shopkeeper" is then revealed to be a painting on a tank with the police inside. They repeatedly fire on Kirenenko, driving him into the ground. Kirenenko burrows into the tank and fires both of the police into the ground.

Episode 25 - Watch for Inspection (検問注意)

Putin stops at the end of a long line of cars at a roadblock set up by the police force to try to find Kirenenko and him, and pushes a button which disguises both rabbits. The police pull Putin out and frisk him, while other officers find Kirenenko and drag him out into the road. Boris and Copuchief arrive and begin firing. Putin gets back in the car and pushes a button to grab Kirenenko and jump away from the scene. He looks back to see a bunch of police cars chasing after them, even driving on the hills on both sides of the road.

Episode 26 - Watch for General Offensive (総攻撃注意)

Continuing from the previous episode, the police start firing on them. Putin activates the armor while the police cars surround them and fire, ripping off the front armor panels and ripping Kirenenko's magazine. Kirenenko becomes enraged and runs toward the police, smashing their cars one by one, causing the police to flee. Boris and Copuchief start firing everything they have, but Kirenenko remains unfazed. Putin wakes up in the car (now with the top torn off) and looks over to see the police and their cars buried in the ground. Kirenenko gets in and they drive off as the sun sets, heading toward a city.

9 Nine Shane Acker Short Animation

9 Nine Shane Acker Short Animation
Uploaded by FrFKmeron

Usavich season2: Episode 16-20

Episode 16 - Watch for Uphill Traffic (坂道発進注意)

Continuing from episode 15, Putin stands on the roof, looking up and trying to figure out how to get back up the cliff. He eventually ties a string to Komanech and gets her to fly up, which is thwarted by Leningrad eating her, which causes them to drop, with Putin now holding on to a small ledge. He hears the car being started below him, and looks down to see Kirenenko backing out of the cliff, dropping for a moment, then driving straight up, catching Putin and the others in the process. Putin lands in the car, and sees Kirenenko in the back seat again.

Episode 17 - Watch for Snipers (狙撃注意)

Putin stops the car at a roadblock, which is a trap by the police to kill them with sniper rifles. Boris fires at Kirenenko, and they celebrate until realizing the bullet only made a hole in Kirenenko's magazine. He notices the hole and becomes enraged, throwing the boxes and barrels that make up the roadblock and even his own car at the police, causing an explosion that rains down car parts on them, as well at Kirenenko's suitcase, which he catches.

Episode 18 - Watch for Dancers (ダンス注意)

Putin drives along the road with Leningrad beside him and Kirenenko in the back seat. Like episode 5, this episode is an exploration of music created from sounds in their environment, including the police firing on their car. At the end of the episode, Leningrad defecates out Komanech.

Episode 19 - Watch for Missiles (ミサイル注意)

Kirenenko shines his sneakers until Komanech reveals herself to be inside the sneaker, which causes him to stick her head out the window and rolling it up until she's trapped. The police arrive, armed with a missile launcher. They fire it, carrying Kirenenko out the front of the car. The missile eventually runs out of fuel, causing him to crash on top of the police car and detonate the missile. The explosion propels Kirenenko back toward his own car, but carries Putin out of the car, which now chases after them.

Episode 20 - Watch for Punctures (パンク注意)

One of the tires goes flat, and Putin stops the car to fix it. Kirenenko takes this opportunity to get out and lay on the hill next to the road. Putin quickly replaces the tire, but before he can put the lugnuts back on, the new tire also goes flat. The police drive up in an armored tank and fire on Kirenenko, which blows him onto the road. He rips the top off the tank and forces them to pull his car along the road, while Putin chases holding a tire.

Usavich season1&2: Episode 11-15

Episode 11 - Time for Execution (処刑の時間)

The executioner arrives to carry out Kirenenko's sentence. At first he tries to behead Kirenenko with a guillotine, but the blade shatters against Kirenenko's neck. The executioner seals the cell and fills it with poison gas, causing Putin to jump into the toilet for safety. Kirenenko inhales the poison gas, then exhales it directly into the executioner's gas mask, killing him. Putin lifts his head out of the toilet, and Kirenenko farts poison gas in his face.

Episode 12 - Time for Torture (リンチの時間)

In the middle of the night, five prison guards sneak into the cell and beat Kirenenko. Eventually they realize Kirenenko has disappeared in the midst of their beating, and look to up to see him above them, with a demonic look on his face. The guards pull out machine guns and begin firing, while Kirenenko jumps to the ground and crushes one of them, and catches bullets being fired by the rest. They fire a rocket at him, which Kirenenko swallows. Their final attack involves a tank being brought in and fired, which does not faze him at all. He crushes the four remaining guards and throws them out of the room. Some time later, Putin wakes up (having slept through the events of this episode) and sees the cell door covered with a brick wall.

Episode 13 - Time for Release (出所の時間)

Putin realizes that he is one day from release and starts packing his belongings, as well as Leningrad and Komanech. Kirenenko is reading his magazine when he notices a pair of sneakers he wants. He pounds a hole around the cell window and walks out, then pounds a hole in the prison wall. Putin cautiously follows him, dodging bullets. Kirenenko stops a car with his foot, then gets in the driver's seat. Putin joins him as a passenger, and they head down the road.

Season 2

Episode 14 - Watch for Aggressive Drivers (乱暴運転注意)

Putin sticks his head out the window while Kirenenko is driving down the road, narrowly avoiding being hit by road signs and various vehicles, with most of the vehicles swerving out of the way and crashing. This attracts the attention of the police (militsiya), Boris and Copuchief. They begin ramming the car the rabbits are in, which riles Kirenenko to jump out of the car and stand on the trunk, grabbing the police car when they try to vault toward him, and pounding the car on the ground until the car flies off and Kirenenko is left holding a small piece of metal.

Episode 15 - Watch the Road (脇見運転注意)

Similar to the previous episode, Putin is nearly hit by a truck passing by. The police return, aiming guns at the car, but hitting the side of a tunnel the rabbits' car is driving through. Exiting the tunnel, Putin notices a hen crossing ahead of them. The hens begin to panic before the car plows into them, causing Komanech to blush along with the hens. Putin then sees a cliff ahead of them, and Kirenenko in the backseat reading his magazine. He moves over to the driver's seat before the car goes over the cliff, embedding the car in the other side.

Usavich season1: Episode 6-10

Episode 6 - Time for Visitors (面会の時間)

Putin is hopping on his bed when the boarded-up door slides aside to reveal a window with a stool. Putin sits on the stool, and looks around for a moment before Leningrad's mother, Sharapova, is raised up toward the window on the other side. Putin carries Leningrad to the stool. Leningrad and Sharapova croak at each other, and Leningrad returns to the closed toilet seat. The window with Sharapova slides away to reveal another window, this time with Komanech's mother behind it. Putin and Leningrad both turn and look at Komanech before he realizes who the visitor is and runs toward her. Just before reaching the window, however, Komanech is eaten by Leningrad again. Komanech's mother bursts through the window to rescue him. Her abrupt entry upsets Kirenenko and he is shown eating her at the end of the episode as Putin sobs while holding a portrait of the dead hen.

Episode 7 - Time for Exercise (体操の時間)

Putin is again jumping on his bed as the guard's visor slides open and his arms stick out holding a whistle and a billy club. Putin eagerly runs up to begin his exercise. The guard starts blowing the whistle, going at a quicker pace with each exercise, causing Putin to move faster until he passes out on the floor. The guard then notices Kirenenko laying on the bed reading his magazine, and starts blowing his whistle and beating the billy club on the floor to get his attention, but does not notice Kirenenko has already walked over to in front of the door. Kirenenko grabs the whistle and club and starts blowing on the whistle, forcing the guard to start exercising instead. Like Putin, the increasingly strenuous exercise causes him to pass out.

Episode 8 - Time for Gambling (ギャンブルの時間)

Putin and a guard are playing a card game. Putin plays a card showing a rabbit walking out of his jail cell, which is countered by a card with a noose on it. Putin then plays a card showing a rabbit digging out of jail, which is countered by an electric chair, a guillotine, and a rabbit facing a firing squad. The firing squad card causes Putin to be knocked back to the floor as if shot in the chest. The guard celebrates his victory for a moment before Kirenenko sits down at the table to play. This time, the guard makes the first move: the firing squad card from the previous game. Kirenenko responds by entering a rage and playing four Joker cards, showing rabbits holding an axe, a spiked club, a chainsaw, and a shotgun, respectively. The guard slumps backward in defeat, and Kirenenko counts his winnings while Putin shivers in the corner, his genitals blocked by Komanech.

Episode 9 - Time for a Snack (おやつの時間)

This episode begins in much the same way as Episode 1, but with sugar cubes on the plate instead of fish. Putin sits down and starts licking the cubes while Kirenenko gets up, knocks on the door, and flicks the sugar cubes into the guard's eyes, which causes him to close his visor again. Kirenenko knocks on the door again, and the guard gives Kirenenko a bomb disguised as a pastry. Kirenenko eats it without hesitation, and surprises the guard when the bomb explodes without killing him. Kirenenko burps smoke, then enters a rage and crushes the guard, causing the door to be boarded up again. The episode ends with Kirenenko eating cake and tea while Putin begins to eat another disguised bomb.

Episode 10 - Time for Toilet (トイレの時間)

Putin is dancing on his bed when he suddenly needs to use the toilet. Looking over to the toilet, he sees Kirenenko already using it. He looks anxiously at the guard, but the guard is indifferent and knocks him toward the toilet. Kirenenko bats him back to the door, and the guard hurriedly moves aside to let Putin use the guard toilet. Putin finally relieves himself, but he accidentally drops the toilet paper. Kirenenko kicks it off to the side, causing Putin to panic again.

usavich season1: Episode 1-5

Episode 1 - Time for Food (食事の時間)

A prison guard gives Putin and Kirenenko each a live fish to eat. Putin is unable to eat his fish as it slaps him in the face. Kirenenko is dissatisfied and throws his fish in the toilet while the guard watches. The guard taunts him by giving him a fishbone, which Kirenenko shoves into the guard's mouth. The guard beats Kirenenko, and he becomes angry and beats the guard back. The episode ends with Kirenenko eating a gourmet carrot while the guard serves wine. Putin's fish continues slapping him in the face.

Episode 2 - Time for Work (労働の時間)

The work boss arrives and Putin eagerly goes to work. He easily completes his first task of assembling Matryoshka dolls, and then is given chicks to identify as male or female. When he comes across Komanech he pauses, then throws her into the female slot. The boss snaps the whip on him and leaves. The paymaster then arrives and flips a coin over Putin's head toward Kirenenko, who is sitting on the toilet. As Putin dives for the coin, Kirenenko moves aside and Putin lands in the toilet.

Episode 3 - Time for Shower (シャワーの時間)

The guard hoses Putin down with a fire hose, scrubs him, rinses him off, and hangs him by his ears to dry. The guard then looks at Kirenenko, who is lying in his bed. Kirenenko jumps on top of the water stream and rides it. The guard cuts off the water abruptly and Kirenenko lands in the toilet. Kirenenko angrily pulls both the door and the guard into the cell, slamming them down head-first behind him. Komanech flies into the cell before the other guards board up the doorway. The episode ends with the guard (still behind the door) giving Kirenenko a proper shower.

Episode 4 - Time for Pleasure (娯楽の時間)

Kirenenko makes the captured guard serve as a pool table, using Komanech and the Matryoshka dolls as balls. He breaks and immediately wins by making the guard swallow all of the dolls. Next, he turns the guard into a ping-pong table and plays ping-pong with Putin. The ball comes to a rest just under the guard's nose and the guard sneezes, blowing the ball into the toilet. Kirenenko beats up the guard, then ties the door around him and uses him as a seat while he goes fishing in the toilet (using Komanech as bait). He feels a tug on the line and pulls up the frog, Leningrad.

Episode 5 - Time for Dancing (ダンスの時間)

The door is still tied up and leaning against one side of the cell. Leningrad is crouching on the closed toilet seat while Putin and Kirenenko lay on their beds, Kirenenko reading his usual magazine advertising sneakers. This episode is mainly an exploration of music created from incidental sounds in the environment. At the end of the episode, Leningrad defecates out Komanech.

Usavich animation

Usavich (ウサビッチ) (from Japanese うさぎ "usagi", rabbit, with "vich" giving it faux Russian flavor) is a series of animated short films being produced for MTV Japan by Kanaban Graphics since 2006. It's about an odd couple of rabbits imprisoned in a Soviet prison. While the first season shows the absurd everyday occurrences of the two rabbits' prison life, the second season tells the adventures of their escape and life on the run. Season 3 is currently running.

Credit: wikipedia.org