Anime Essay -- essays papers

Anime Anime is the Japanese take on the word "animation". It represents the Japanese style of animating cartoons. However, not all anime is for children. Majority imported to America is aimed at an adult audience- containing deep storylines, graphic violence, gore, as well as nudity and adult situations. This cinematic genre is a fast growing trend in the west and can now possibly be considered the most popular phenomenon among children, considering the success of the much-in-demand anime series "Pokà ©mon". Anime art is known for it's characters' big round eyes, abnormal shaped hair, and it's unique exaggeration of physical reality. Since anime is basically movies translated into animation, it contains as many subgenres as there are actual genres. However, the majority of anime contains some type of action or martial arts, so I chose to discuss the action/horror subgenre and will be using Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll to aid in describing its basic elements. Action anime contains titles such as: Street Fighter II, Tekken, and Battle Royal High School. Some titles I've come across that would fit horror anime are: Shutendoji- the Star Hand Kid, Devilman, Biohunter and Vampire Hunter D. I chose Ninja Scroll as my model not only because its animation is "top-notch" and its storyline, in my opinion, is excellent, but it fits both the action and horror subgenre. Action/horror anime has three main character types: "the hero", the "damsel-indistress", and "the enemy". The protagonist of the story, usually male, is nothing short of a "superhero". He's smart, strong, brave, and extraordinary, usually having some type of supernatural or uncanny power or is extremely mastered in some type of martial art. He's a mysterious, isolated character, a lot of the time a wanderer, and is different from all other characters in the story. We start off knowing little or nothing about him, and as the story progresses, we learn more about his history and powe rs. In Ninja Scroll, the hero of the story is Jubei, a mercenary ninja hired for money. He proves in many confrontations to be extremely skilled in using a sword, and through combining skills, brains, and the help from his trusty blade usually comes out on top, no matter the number or strength of his adversaries. The characters of the story are familiar with his skills and he is known as a master sw... ...e capture Kagero several times, and in the end, Gemma takes her life. The hero then must find and rescue the damsel. Jubei saves Kagero every time she's captured. After, the hero journeys to confront the main antagonist. On the way, he defeats the last of the henchmen and lower division enemies. When it comes time for the climax, the hero usually has a score to settle with the enemy. Here, Jubei not only tries to stop Gemma's reign of evil, but also seeks vengeance for the death of Kagero. There's a long and brutal confrontation, favoring the almost invincible enemy. Jubei is beaten close to death, but in the very end manages to find a weakness and kill Gemma. This scenario is similar in most action/horror anime. Finally, the resolution shows the direction each character is headed- Jubei continues wandering the earth with his memory of Kagero and his experiences with Gemma and the Eight Devils of Kimon.Although there is an extremely large selection of anime, even within the action/horror subgenre, they share similar qualities and patterns in the plot and characters. The genre keeps its diversity through differences in its animation and storyline of each individual movie.