Some people watch anime for the art style. These individuals are more likely to have creative pursuits of their own. They may make visual art by sketching, painting, or using digital 3D models. They may also engage in creative hobbies like writing and creating video games.
On that note, it’s also common for anime fans to identify as “gamers.” The types of games they like have a huge variety, though.
Some people might enjoy visual novels, which allow you to make different choices to experience a text-based story. Some might enjoy action-based combat games or strategy games.
Cosplay is another big interest for anime fans. Cosplaying a character involves creating their outfit, dressing up as the character, and socializing with other people or taking photos in-character.
There are a ton of skills involved in cosplaying. Many people sew and craft their garments and accessories themselves. They may also purchase and style their own wigs. A lot of people also become very skilled with makeup, and there’s an element of theater to the interactions with others.
Anime is animated. Manga is drawn on paper. An anime adaptation of a manga is an animated version of the book. The strictness to which adaptations adhere to their manga varies, but many actually stick to this link the manga on nearly a frame-by-frame basis. Dialogue tends to be almost unchanged.
You can find a manga section in most bookstores. As with all Japanese books, manga volumes are meant to be read right-to-left rather than left-to-right. There are also websites and online libraries that host manga volumes for people who can’t get a physical copy of the book.
One of the biggest differences is visual. Of course, there will always be exceptions to the rule, so these observations are about the most common elements seen in anime and cartoons.
Anime art styles tend to be very focused on distinguishing characters through their eyes, hair, and other physical features. They tend to have less exaggerated anatomy, and they don’t focus as much on noses or mouths. Large and detailed eyes are staples of anime, as are colorful and gravity-defying hairstyles.
The movement of characters also tends to be a little more limited in anime. Another reason is that Western cartoons are less concerned with adhering completely to physics in their movement.
In the past, Western cartoons were mostly thought of as children’s media. Adult media was all filmed with live-action people. But adult-oriented cartoons have become more common over the past ily Guy, Bojack Horseman, and Archer gaining huge popularity.
Similarly, anime content has subject matter that’s geared toward a variety of age groups
One huge difference is genre, though. Western cartoons are mostly geared toward comedy, while anime spans comedy and drama. Some horror and drama anime can get incredibly dark and tragic.
Typical anime genres are differently categorized than Western genres. They aren’t divided into horror, romance, children’s, comedy, et cetera. The genres have developed independently of Western categorization.
Part of this is because the higher level of detail makes it difficult to create fluid animation within a similar budget as a Western cartoon
Shonen anime is the genre most people in the US are familiar with. Shows like Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, and My Hero Academia are all shonen. Shonen basically just means “for boys,” so it’s more about the audience demographic than the content.
On the flip side, shoujo anime is “for girls.” This is where shows like Sailor Moon and Fruits Basket end up. Magical girl stories and most stories involving heroines are shoujo.