Anime and Manga MegathreadWhy does this thread exist you ask? Because the original anime and manga megathread is too old. And we should have a place to share our thoughts on anime and manga. But please do not post things in this thread such as "aniem/magna is ghey & retartd" if you dislike it, then you can leave the thread.
And what is anime/manga?Anime is the Japanese term for Animation, although, most fans refer to all animations made in Japan, as anime.
Manga is the Japanese term for comics, again, much like the term anime, fans refer to all comics published in Japan as manga.
Both are often characterized by distinctive character styles and backgrounds (hand-drawn and/or computer-generated)
Many commentators refer to anime as an art form. As a visual medium, it can emphasize visual styles. The styles can vary from artist to artist or from studio to studio. Some titles make extensive use of common stylization: FLCL, for example, has a reputation for wild, exaggerated stylization. Other titles use different methods: Only Yesterday or Jin-Roh take much more realistic approaches, featuring few stylistic exaggerations; Pokémon uses drawings which specifically do not distinguish the nationality of characters.
While different titles and different artists have their own artistic styles, many stylistic elements have become so common that describe them as definitive of anime in general. However, this does not mean that all modern anime share one strict, common art-style. Many anime have a very different art style from what would commonly be called "anime style", yet fans still use the word "anime" to refer to these titles. Generally, the most common form of anime drawings include "exaggerated physical features such as large eyes, big hair and elongated limbs... and dramatically shaped speech bubbles, speed lines and onomatopoeic, exclamatory typography."
The influences of Japanese calligraphy and Japanese painting also characterize linear qualities of the anime style. The round ink brush traditionally used for writing kanji and for painting, produces a stroke of widely varying thickness.
Anime also tends to borrow many elements from manga, including text in the background and panel layouts. For example, an opening may employ manga panels to tell the story, or to dramatize a point for humorous effect. See for example the anime Kare Kano.
Most people use anime and manga styles as art styles. If you like to draw manga and anime characters, but you aren't that good at it, you can look up some good tutorial videos on YouTube or you find some websites that have tutorials, too. There are some good users on YouTube who make plenty of tutorials:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MangaLessonshttp://www.youtube.com/user/markcrilleyMost anime can be be viewed subbed or dubbed online on various websites, one being YouTube, though most anime can be bought on DVD. Similar to Manga, you can read them online or buy them at book/comic stores if they have them.
I've listed some anime/manga sites here.
Anime:
http://www.animefreak.tv/ (subbed and dubbed)
http://www.animeultima.tv/ (subbed and dubbed, I believe)
http://www.lovelyanime.com/ (all subbed)
Manga:
http://www.mangafox.com/http://www.mangareader.net/http://www.onemanga.com/ (you need an account, but it's a good website)
Anime and manga can have a wide array of genres to go with the story. Some of them being, Harem, Magical girl, Mecha, Yaoi, Yuri, Etc. They can also be defined by Demographic groups. (Children, Josei, Seinen, Shōnen, Shōjo.)
Now, you probably think that this is
only for anime and manga, right? Well, it's not just for Japanese cartoons and comics, but other things such as visual novels and games. In case you're wondering what a visual novel is:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_novel Personally my favorite anime/manga genre is Magical girl.
Magical girls (魔法少女 mahō shōjo?, also known as mahou shoujo or majokko) belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic and a transformation (such as Full Moon o Sagastuffe and Sailor Moon). Ojamajo Doremi features magical girls as protagonists, but its plot differs from the standard as the girls use magic for friendship, behavior and achieving goals, rather than for attacking antagonists. The Japanese language identifies magical girls as majokko (魔女っ子?, literally "witch girl"), though this term does not generally apply to modern magical-girl anime. Sally, the Witch (1966) counts as the first magical girl anime. Magical boys occur much more rarely, but one can readily identify them: they operate along similar lines (as with D.N.Angel and Mei no Naisho). Magical girls generally differ from catgirls and from magical girlfriends. Sometimes the catgirl and magical girl character types cross over; the magical girl may have cat-ears and -tail as part of her costume, or a catgirl could have some form of magical powers. Examples of these include Tokyo Mew Mew and Hyper Police. A magical girl and a magical girlfriend typically differ in that the magical girlfriend is not the protagonist.
Poll