Anime & Japanimation

Anime (sometimes referred to as Japanimation) is an abbreviation of the word "animation" (animēshon in Japanese). The term popularly refers to animation originating in Japan, though in Japan it quite obviously just refers to animation in general. To the Western world, not all animation is considered anime.

While anime was originally hand drawn, computer assisted animation has become far more common in recent years. The story lines of anime fall into a broad spectrum of fiction. Anime is broadcast on television, distributed on DVD and VHS, and included in computer and video games. Some are even produced as full length motion pictures. Anime quite often draws influence from Japanese manga and light novels. Some storylines have even been adapted into live action films and television series based off an anime or even simply the concept of the original series.