Okay, so I've decided to start out with some definitions...Although I really think this isn't TOO necessary as lots of people know what they are as they got more popular, worldwide.
Something I think people get confused with is the difference between manga and anime. So. What is the difference?
Manga: Manga is the term referring to printed/online graphic novels, a similar concept as western comics, only in Japanese style. When one takes a western graphic novel in one hand and a manga book in another, there is a lot of difference. Usually, a manga novel is black and white rather than in full color, like western books. Artists draw characters, background, objects differently. Characters have a major difference. Also, the size of the book itself might be different as a manga novel is usually much smaller than a western novel. Manga novels are usually in paperback, where western novels might be in hardcover and vary in size.
Take, for example, the western style graphic novel, Rapunzel's Revenge. If you're not familiar with that, then try something like Wonder Woman or Superman. These kind of graphic novels are considered western, I think. (I'm an amateur too, so don't think I'm a total expert in this.) Compare that to any manga in your library. See the difference? In manga, the panels might be distributed differently, in various shapes and sizes. There might be Japanese characters, indicating sound. Usually there is an age level marker on the back cover. And, a major difference here, manga is read from right to left!!
Okay, so I think people pretty much get the idea of what manga is.
Anime: Anime is, in a blunt way, animated manga. Everything, I think (not completely sure) is hand-drawn by hundreds of animators, so basically it's a movie, only drawn. I think most people has seen these before. (This is going to be short as I'm tired from writing all about manga.) Some examples are: Hayao Miyazaki's animations, such as Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, The Castle in the Sky, Ponyo, etc, are animations. Literally. However there are other types of anime, in different forms. For example, anime can be in TV show forms, and to name a few: Card Captor Sakura, Tsubasa Chronicles (by Clamp), Fruits Basket, etc. (All pretty cute ones, except for Tsubasa Chronicles where the final two parts get messed up, confusing. So Tsubasa Chronicles is an example of a shonen (not bothering with accents here) manga/anime.
Yes, on that note, a story can be in both manga and anime. All the animes mentioned after Hayao Miyazaki's animations are both. Which is nice, really. It's too bad that sometimes, in anime, they cut out good scenes from the manga. But then again, you can't really blame them as I can't imagine drawing thousands of scenes just for one episode...
Yeah.
I'll just end here before I sound overly obsessed with this...
I watched _Spirited Away_ just two days ago. That movie seriously creeps me out. Apparently the setting is based on a Japanese mythical afterlife, seeing as most of the characters are dead. I watched the Chinese version, which probably is far from the original Japanese version, but whatever.
ReplyDeleteI've watched both English and Korean versions, but not the Japanese or (obviously) the Chinese version. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteBut the characters are lovable. My favorite is Haku/White Dragon.
ReplyDeleteThough I obviously wouldn't have understood the plot if my dad didn't explain the entire "remember your name or you don't leave" concept.
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