Introduction to Anime

Definition

'Anime' is Japanese hand-drawn or computer-made animation.
This word came form the Japanese pronounciation of the word "animation".
(People usually talk about anime with manga, many mangas become anime. Mangas are Japanese comics.)
It is a really famous form of media that not only teenagers love but also many adults and kids.

Anime is well-known around the world now, some of the most famous anime in North America are:

It is very interesting how the anime that are listed above all belong to the same genre- Shonen. Shonen is Japanese for "boy" and therefore, the audience for shonen anime is expected to be a male audience.
We are gonna introduce _____ of the main genre in anime to you in this website, do you want to take a guess?

Index



Shonen

Shonen, also written as shounen, means "boy" in Japanese. The anime that is targeted towards teenage boys are called 'Shonen Anime', or simply'Shonen'. Usually shonen anime involve a lot of action, adventure, and often sci-fi/fantasy. Some of the longest and most famous shonen series have been playing for decades, for example, Naruto.
The characters of this type of anime mostly are boys, in order to let the readers make connections. And the main characters are usually heroic character.
Anime related to sports are also becoming popular these days, like Yuri On Ice!, Haikyuu!!, and Free.

Shojo

Shojo, also written as shoujo, means "girl" in Japanese. This type of anime/manga genre expects a girl audience. Usually shojo anime are shorter than shonen and revolve around romance, or they're about school life and fitting in. You can find that the main character tends to be a girl, or if the main character is male, there is usually a girl that he revolves around. Generally the main character will have some sort of insecurity or internal problem they are trying to overcome. Popular shojo anime include Fruit Basket , Vampire Knight , and Ouran High School Host Club .

Video Clips

Here are links to the first episodes of some popular anime!

  1. Naruto Shippuden
  2. Bleach
  3. Fullmetal Alchemist
  4. Princess Tutu
  5. List of Recommendations

    We will recommend...

    of our favorite anime for you to watch!

    Game Time!

    Which genre does the anime belongs to? (hover over to see the answer!)