The first thing that you should know when it comes to Japan is that we love it due to numerous cultural factors and aspects of uniqueness that appeal to the Western world. Since they have the long tradition that stood the test of time with the tea ceremony, geishas, and other ancient festivals.
That could also apply to various types of behaviors that are unique by people from other parts of the world such as cramming onto packed trains, loudly slurping noodles or giving children money during the New Year’s Eve.
There are numerous Japanese tour packages that will make it a perfectly exciting place for a visit where you will share unforgettable memories. Japan has made lots of contributions to the world of the years with developments in numerous fields such as fashion, video games,and cars.
However, the fundamental and most significant contribution Japan made to the Western world is the thing we all call anime. Even though this particular term originally came from an English word animation, has created a significant effect on people that live all across the world.
What Is Anime?
Anime is the term used to name and describe the specific and unique style of Japanese animation that started in the early 20th century. Today, anime, as well as manga, are one of the most successful Japanese brands,and it was worth approximately 15 billion dollars.
We are not talking here only about cartoons for children, but it features adult TV shows and movies that are made in a similar style and fashion. A few examples are anime movies such as Spirited Away (2001) that became a worldwide hit.
The drawing style is specific and in most cases depends on artists, but they feature some recognizable patterns such as colorful hair, large eyes, small mouth,and nose. In Japan, people of all ages are watching some form of anime because that is the part of their modern culture.
Anime series feature interesting characters and great stories that will make viewers enjoy, cry or laugh with them. At the same time, anime offers a wide array of genres such as horror, romance, drama, science fiction, and some of them are using specific criteria such as mecha or cyberpunk.
How Did Anime Affect Japan?
One of the first few things we think when we say Japan is anime and that is a fact. High schools are similar to ones that are in real life as well as characters that are included are in traditional ryokan inns and eating with chopsticks.
Favorite anime characters are all over Japan where you can find them on stationery, accessories,and t-shirts. Some restaurants created their anime characters so that they can promote themselves to a younger audience.
Anima also was the main inspiration of HatsuneMiku, who is a cartoon girl that makes pop music. Even though she is not the real person, she has live concerts and a huge following. Apart from that, most companies and businesses are using anime-style characters and mascots so that they can promote their brand.
Check this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime if you want to learn more on anime and its historical significance.
How Did Anime Influence The Western World?
Anime is one of the best ways to tell some captivating story by using the animated form because you will get a sense of expression. It doesn’t matter which genre you choose, because you will be able to create contrast when compared with traditional children animation.
Anime started gaining recognition after series such as Dragonball, Slam Dunk, Sailor Moon,and Astro Boy. People that were interested in Japanese culture started watching those shows, and even some of them decided to learn Japanese as a result.
That was the main reason why institutes created Japanese Language Proficiency test in 1984. The anime boom was during the ‘90s, and anime culture evolved to the point of making anime conventions, which were large gatherings with hundreds of anime fans.
During those moments, people that created favorite anime, as well as voice actors, could talk with the audience and share the opinions. At the same time, fans would try to cosplay and to purchase merchandise which increased the value of the entire industry.
The cosplay was derivative of costume lay, and that was the moment when fans decided to dress up as their character and to impersonate them throughout the convention. Even though it is not based only for anime fans, it started with them.