Anime and Manga 101 for the rest of us .
An exploration of the world of Manga and Anime.
Because you or someone you know is probably watching!
*Transcript lightly edited for clarity*
Have you heard of Manga? What about Anime?
Host: Hey there, anime rookies and curious minds! Welcome to “Anime 101: A Crash Course for Dummies.” I’m your friendly guide Albert, here to demystify the colorful and exciting world of anime for you.
If you are Gen z or a Millennial chances are you have heard about or are watching the Anime. According to an article on the website the verge about 42 percent of Gen z and 25% of millennials watch anime regularly. This is according to a survey that they did. For the rest of us, anime is still a mystery
Host: I am doing a podcast on anime for the rest of us so we can understand what the fascination with anime is?
That would be helpful for me because all i do is watch them but i do not know the background stories, histories and what happened in the beginning..
I interviewed some anime enthusiasts and here are some of the responses i got:
History of Anime
Host: What is Anime?
Its a Japanese cartoon. So like we have our cartoons like Rick and Morty and all of those, that’s their(Japanese anime) cartoon so an anime would be a cartoon made by a Japanese artist.
Anime is a style of animation that originated in Japan and has become a global phenomenon. It covers a wide range of genres, from action and romance to fantasy and slice of life.
According to author Robert Henderson in the book a quick guide to Anime and manga, Japanese artists started producing modern-day manga during the mid-1900s. The word manga means Whimsical Pictures vibrant and playful style of art that is childlike and carefree. Commonly associated with children’s book illustrations and fairy tale art. The word MANGA was first used in 1814 by the famous Japanese artist katsushika Hokusai.
Manga refers to all Japanese comics. Like all Japanese books, manga books read from right to left, the reverse of English and re usually printed in black and white.
Host: Its been out for quite some time, but why has it been so successful.
Social media has helped and its also the uniqueness of the story. My experience getting into anime was from watching cartoon network and in the late night it would switch to the anime and they were action packed with fun fight scenes, but It was different, it wasn’t your standard, you know how in every country , you fall into your standard roles where you would start seeing the same thing over and over again. So then they put in the Japanese anime and you have a whole different mind set, a whole different culture writing the stories and i think that’s where the interest comes in. Its not something you are used to, so people got really into it and then it just blew up!
Different Styles and Genres
There are many genres of anime and manga , including science fiction, romance , horror actions and more. Once a manga series becomes popular it is usually adapted into an anime. Anime is not just for kids. Much of it is also aimed at older audiences. What is now considered modern manga began to emerge after world war 2 largely because of a single manga artist and animator named Osamu Tezuka.He created one of manga and amines most iconic characters Astro Boy. The manga was so popular that Tezuka turned it into an animated television show. .For many Fans outside japan, Dragon ball was their introduction to anime. Around the same time anime began to make an impact on the big screen with the 1988 film Akira.
Host: Is martial arts an integral part of anime? do you have to have a type of martial arts?
The action ones . A lot of the popular ones have martial arts. Then there are fantasy ones where they create whole magic systems just for this one show. Then another show will be a completely different kind of system.
Host: so you said there are different genres of anime?
Like the one we are watching Horimaya , they call it slice of life. Its like a rom-com, its highschoolers being highschoolers and there is comedy. Then there is some others which are about fighting and becoming the worlds greatest ninja. There is others where its a mix of it where there is fighting but its also funny.
Recurring themes in anime you may note include power ups nosebleeds, chibi characters and dramatic monologues. They are all part of the anime charm. Anime and manga often features characters whose identities literally transform, often through magic . Characters seem ordinary on the outside , but they hide secrets superpowers that can be activated by a command or phrase
Anime comes in all shapes and sizes. Shonen for action-packed adventures, Shojo for romance and drama, Seinen for mature themes, and Kodomo for the kiddos. There’s something for everyone!
Host: So i guess in japan what is their rating system?
Most streaming platforms if you just look before each episode, it will tell you, this may have violence, suicide per episode.
Interestingly enough i don’t know if there is a rating system on their side. I have seen a warning that says these characters are made up characters , they are not people you know, but i don’t think i have ever seen a warning like this is M for mature. I don’t know about that.
While they are watching it, as they go through make sure to read the summary. Because anime genre, it is like hollywood. So it can go from PG all the way to R and It can go from horror to comedy. Cruncyroll and all these sites, they usually sort of lean toward children so you are going to see a lot of the PG stuff , but it is still where the cover looks innocent but when you read you are like nope. Some of them you can press play and you will get five minutes in and be like this is for adults.
KODOMOMUKE: which means directed at children. It has cute simple and imaginative stories for young children and sometimes offer a moral lesson. this includes the popular Pokemon and hello kitty
SHONEN ( BOYS AGES TEN TO EIGHTEEN)- Shonen means a few years and is manga aimed at a young male audience. The stories are filled with lots of action , adventure and comedy and often deal with friendship and overcoming adversity. This genre included one piece the best selling manga series in history as well as NARUTO.
SHOjO (GIRLS AGES TEN TO EIGHTEEN) – shojo means young girl in Japanese and is the manga female counterpart to shonen, Shojo titles are full of drama, emotion and idealized romance. They may also contain action adventure and comedy. Titles in this genre includes fruit basket
Seinen ( Men ages Eighteen and Older)- Targets adult men. It features adult content , sexual situations, graphic violence and foul language. The title included golgo 13.
josei (Women ages 18 and older) -features realistic narratives exploring romantic and personal relationships, work, infidelity and other aspects of adult life. Titles in this series include Honey and clover
Manga is mainly categorized by audience first and then genre. For example if you wanted to find something for a boy who likes adventure, you search for a shonen adventure.
Slice of life stories – tend to be slow and meditative, inviting readers and viewers to linger on the small moments in life that are often overlooked,
I think Cruncyroll is probably the safest one mainly because they sort of cater towards the PG stuff but as you start venturing of, cause i had free reign in the anime world cause Dad was just seeing it as cartoons, i fell into a lot of stuff that i should probably bee watching.
Host: That’s my point exactly, you have to know!
There is one on hulu thats called , undead unluck- very gory, lighthearted but lots of gore. So you have to filter through still. Goblin slayer is another one.
But its also by the time it gets to us, we are not watching it on their platform, its been filtered through hulu and whoever is on the other side of hulu is thinking its a cartoon. Sometimes it comes up as you just watched that show, watch this and its not the same.
Many anime fans like to watch simulcasts of their favorite new shows. This means they like to watch their shows on the eact same day as the original Japanese broadcast( a simultaneous broadcast). On steaming sites such as crunchyroll, the lag behind japansse broadcasts is usually by a few hours because it takes time to translate and add subtitles to the episodes. It involves a highly coordinated effort wit employees working at all hours of the day and night to finish episodes. Simulcasting is one of the reasons why crunchyroll is popular with anime fans.
So they are not in English when released in Japan, who is doing the subtitles?
They Hire people, translators.
It use to also be like a student field. So if you were studying Japanese, you would practice by taking anime and translating it , writing it over and then you would put it up on whatever streaming site you have. So that why some of the translations are different depending on where you were watching it. It use to just students that would translate as they learn. I doubt they do that on Cruchyroll, they are the big guys so they probably hire someone.
One debate that has been going on for ages is subtitles (Subs) or English Dubs (dubs).Its all about personal preference. Some love the authenticity of the original Japanese voices while others enjoy the convenience of dubs.
Host: So if you had to do an anime, what would your character be, or what would your story line be?
Respondent #1 Thats a good question. There are so many!
What Genre lets start there?
I am really into horror. I like the scary stuff
What kind of horror?
Respondent #1 I like the Japanese folklore . They have the Kappa which is like the lochness monster but from japan. I like to studying those types of creatures.
Host: What would your character do? Are you trying to save the world, destroy the world?
I hope to save it.
Host: It depends, maybe the world is just messed up and you are like lets go start another one elsewhere
Host :What about you?
Respondent# 2 I would probably go with action and comedy together. Maybe a deadpan main character.
Host: do you want like an all powerful character or one that goes in between?
Respondent# 2 I really enjoy the one where the main character is over powered super powerful, but is very casual about it. Its like if they were just messing around they would accidentally blow someone’s head off.
Escapism is where people turn to entertainment or fantasy to distract themselves from reality. One of the popular genes is isekai which means another world. The main character is transported from the real world into a new more exciting world.
Host: So where to watch Ready to take the plunge? You can find anime on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll and Netflix. Just hit play, and you’re on your way to anime bliss!
[Background music builds excitement]
Conclusion:
Host: And that’s a wrap on “Anime 101: A Crash Course for Dummies.” Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to enjoy anime—just have fun exploring the fantastic worlds and stories it has to offer. Thanks for joining us today, and until next time, happy anime watching!
See beyond anime101 for the second part of this episode.