For those exploring the traditional culture of Japan, fans of this nation's animated films have likely come across anime. However, many anime enthusiasts may not even realize they're enjoying anime. So, what exactly is Anime and what are its popular genres?
What is Anime in English, and what about Manga?
1. What is Anime? What is Manga?
In English, Anime is derived from the word 'Animation.' Translated into Vietnamese, it means animated film. Unlike the term 'Cartoon' used in the United States, Japan uses 'Anime' because anime is often aimed at older age groups. Thus, you can understand anime as animated films produced by Japan.
Japanese Manga series serve as the primary source material for creating these animated films, establishing exclusive brands and becoming a cultural hallmark of Japan unlike any other country.
Anime animated films are highly popular and beloved by many.
In comparison to animated films from other countries, characters in Japanese animated films are often drawn with large, round, adorable eyes, beautiful color schemes, diverse and lively characters. This is why young people adore anime, often imitating drawing styles similar to those in comics, sparking trends like chibi anime drawings.
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2. Most popular and beloved anime genres
In addition to understanding what anime is, don't forget to explore various anime genres to help choose animated films that suit your preferences. Currently, anime genres are incredibly diverse, each bringing impressive themes that cater to and satisfy different viewer demographics.
- Action Anime: Anime series revolving around battles, journeys.... For example, One Piece (The Pirate King)...
One Piece is an animated series with a large viewership.
- Adventure Anime: Anime series depicting the life of the main character, focusing on adventures.
- Bishoujo/Moe Anime: Anime series featuring beautiful female characters.
- Harem Anime: Anime series focusing on a skilled, handsome male protagonist pursued by multiple characters.
- Scifi/Fantasy Anime: Animated series exploring fictional elements, unrelated to magic.
- Anime Ecchi: Animated series featuring attractive, beautiful female characters with a seductive appearance, often dressed provocatively.
- NTR Anime: Animated series with a storyline where the main character steals someone's lover.
- Coming of Age: Animated series focusing on depicting the protagonist's journey to maturity. Iconic examples of this genre include Dragon Ball and Naruto....
- School Anime: Animated series revolving around school life.
- Dementia Anime: Animated series with eerie, mysterious vibes.
- Parody Anime: Anime genre that brings laughter and relaxation.
- Romance: Genre of animated films depicting the love between couples.
- Shounen ai Anime: Anime genre focusing on same-sex love, catering to the LGBTQ+ community.
- Detective Anime: Animated series centered around detective work, investigations like Detective Kindaichi, the renowned detective Conan...
- Gender bender: Anime genre portraying characters with swapped genders, male to female, female to male.
- Vampire: Genre of animated films revolving around vampires.
- Hikikomori: Animated series depicting introverted characters living alone in a room for an extended period, avoiding external contact and only interacting with close relatives.
Hope the answers provided above about what anime is and the various anime genres have brought you the most useful information.
In manga, there are many terms like Loli, Main... and many others. To understand manga, you need to know what Loli, Main... mean.