Anime, in Japanese the word merely means animation or cartoon. But for non-Japanese the word has greater meaning. It refers to a style so to speak of animation originating in Japan that is able to convey any meaning the author wishes. They are not just action series or simple comedies used to entertain children for a few minutes but with anime the author can create breathtaking romances, grand dramas, or even slice of life series. Whereas in the United States cartoons are still largely seen as only for young children by the general public in Japan anime can be designed and released for any age group.

 

History of Japanese Anime in the States

Anime first started airing in the United States in the 1960’s with shows such as Astro boy and Speed Racer. In the 1980’s many American companies outsourced to animations studios in Asia to such countries as Japan and Korea to help in the animation of their products such as the show Transoformers.

This time period also saw the airing of the first Dragon ball show to be aired in the American Market. The 1990’s saw a major growth in the popularity in anime in the United States. This time period, sometimes called the “anime boo” introduced a number of now famous shows into the US market such as Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Cowboy Bebop, and Ranma ½ to name a few. In 2002 the film Spirited Away was the first Japanese Anime to be nominated and to win an Academy Award. This time period also saw the introduction of a number of famous anime series to the American market such as a 9 different Gundam series, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Full Metal Alchemist along with the big three Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece who’s episode lists number in the hundreds. During the early years of importing anime from Japan people would have to wait to see for the English Dub to be released to see the new shows but today thanks to online streaming sites like Hulu and Crunchyroll the shows can now be seen simultaneously as the shows are aired in Japan. Furthermore there are dozens of new animes added each year for an ever growing audience.

 

American Media in Japan

As a major exporter of media there have been a number of American Television shows released in Japan. Like the United States it is very common for the American TV show to be dubbed prior to being released in Japan. It is also not so rare that popular foreign shows be later remade in Japan. For example the American show bewitched was later remade into the show Okusama wa Majo or Bewtitched in Tokyo although the Japanese version only lasted a single season. American cartoons do have a following as well for example the show Tom and Jerry was easily dubbed due to the lack of dialogue and reliance on slap stick comedy. In fact back in 2005 TV Asahi to a pool on the Top 100 Anime from their consumers and Tom and Jerry ranked 85^th. More recent shows like the super hero show Smallville have also aired there. There is also the popular shows like Glee where the actors’ voices are dubbed but the songs remain the same.

 

Impact of Japanese Anime on American Cartoons

The quality of Japanese animation has inspired countless animators in the States. There have been many shows that seek to immolate the style of anime. Popular shows like Avatar the Last Airbender which not only seeks to follow the anime style of animation but the content as well. This show relies heavily on Asian culture in its creation of its world rather than on Western Culture. Other shows like the controversial but well done The Boondocks is heavily influence by Anime in that its near indistinguishable in style and quality to many Anime. These influences can also be seen in less serious shows such as the series Teen Titans or the recent Transformers Prime.

 

Application of Theory

Ever since the end of the Second World War and the adoption of a more Democratic metric closer in comparison to the United States. Prior to the end of the Second World War Japan followed a more authoritarian approach when it came to its approach in handling media. After Japan was reformed following the shifts in ideologies the press was made into more of a mixture of the libertarian and social responsibility theories. While the private press more closely follows the libertarian model the strong presence of the NHK would suggest a power push for the Social Responsibility. Due to the similarities of these styles the United States, and in turn Japan, the programs are more readily acceptable than other countries media. Russia, for example, is primarily white more so than the US and one would think that we would have more in common with them than that of Asians but the mixture of Authoritarian and Soviet style for the media makes their media incompatible with the US.