Anime

Anime

(from this thread)

Japanese and Anime Background Information

• Anime - any Japanese animation, it really just refers to the fact that its from Japan and is made up of many genres.
• TV Series - most common form of anime is the Series shown on TV. A short season is 12 or 13 episodes, while a full season is 24-26 episodes. Many animes are just one season long, though some enter multiple seasons or a sequal series.
• OVA/OAV - Stands for Original Video Animation for OVA and Original Animated Video for OAV. Both are fine and mean the same thing. It's anime that is straight to video, which usually means it has a much higher production value than a TV series and tends to be shorter (1-6 episodes seems most common). The length of each episodes ranges as well, but most tend to be around 30 minutes.
• Movies - Anime movies tend to have the highest budget. Some are related to a TV Series or OVA while others are stand alone deals.
• Dubbed Anime - Dubs are when voiceovers are added to an anime for the purpose of having a different language. Sadly, many dub jobs are poorly done, but some prefer dubs anyway and there is the occasional good dub.
• Subbed Anime - Anime that has subtitles added in a different language. This allows you to listen to the original Japanese voicetrack while still being able to understand what is being said. There are a few different subs. The subs provided by the company putting out DVDs of an anime in the US might change things a bit to make things fit with the US culture a bit more (I don't think this is too usual). Other DVDs put out decent subs that try to stay as true to the original as possible. There are also fansubs, which are commonly found on the internet. These are sub jobs done by fans of anime and put out free of charge, usually of unlicensed anime currently airing in Japan. Quality depends on the subgroup, but some groups do a very good job. They go as far as putting special notes in during the anime to explain certain Japanese cultural aspects you may not be familiar with and explain some things which may be lost in translation a bit (like puns).

• Common Anime Terms - a useful little list provided by the Anime Academy, especially helpful if you watch subbed anime.
• Culture and History - another offering by Anime Academy, this section provides info about some Japanes cultural aspects, which may help you better understand certain parts in some animes.

Important People Behind Anime

Directors

• Hayao Miyazaki - There is probably no name bigger in the anime world. He is often said to be the Walt Disney of the anime world. His 2001 movie Spirited Away was the first anime to win an Oscar. (ANN profile) (Anime Academy profile)

Composers

• Kanno Yoko - A composer who knows just how to capture the mood, she is well known for her works in various animes. Two good examples are Escaflowne, which featured numerous classical pieces, and Cowboy Bebop, which a unique sound with plenty of Jazz that is not often seen in anime. (ANN profile) (Anime Academy profile)

Seiyuu (Voice Actors)

• Hayashibara Megumi - Known as the Queen of Seiyuu in the '90s, she is one of the more popular seiyuu around. Her list of roles is impressive to say the least, and some of the more notable ones have been Lina Inverse of the Slayers series, Ranma Saotome (female version) from Ranma ½, Ayanami Rei from Neo Genesis Evangelion, and Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop. Along with her seiyuu work, she has done singing for various shows she's worked on and has done some of the more popular anime songs. (ANN profile) (Anime Academy profile)
• The Voice Actor Page - A compiled list of voice actors. While this does include a lot of seiyuu it appears the list covers mostly U.S. actors.

Sites

• Anime Academy - good reviews by the staff there, though you may not always agree with certain reviews.
• Anime News Network (ANN) - for the latest news in the anime world. Also has a very good Encyclopedia of animes, mangas, and everything else related to them.
• AnimeInfo - another good info site for anime, along with reviews from users who have seen the series (read reviews with a grain of salt since anyone can make them)
• Right Stuf - good online anime store.
• Shounen-Anime - A forum Ama made for some of us Basiners to hang out and talk anime.
• IMDb.com - Always a good place to go to when looking for information on ANY show, movie, or actor. Summaries, reviews, and cast for movies and shows are all included.

Titles

• .hack//SIGN - 1 season of 26 episodes
  A player becomes trapped in an online game, unable to logout.
• Aeon Flux
• Akira
  Futuristic. A biker gang stumbles into a top-secret government experiment.
• Armitage III
• Azumanga Daioh
• Battle Angel Alita - 2 episodes
• BECK
• Berserk - 25 episodes
• Black Jack
• Blue Submarine No. 6 - 4 OVA
• Brain Powered
• Cowboy Bebop
  Space cowboys/bounty hunters. The Solar System has become the new Wild West, in 2071 AD.
  • series [1] - 1 season of 26 episodes
  • movie: Knocking On Heavens Door
    Takes place in-between episodes 22 and 23 of the TV series.
• Crayon Shin-Chan
• Crying Freeman
• Demon City Shinjuku
• Dragonball
  • Dragonball - 153 episodes
    • 4 movies
  • Dragonball Z - 291 episodes
    • 13 movies
    • 2 specials
  • Dragonball GT - 64 episodes
    • 1 special
• Duel Masters
• Eat-Man-After the Rain
• Endless Waltz
• EscaFlowne
• Flame of Recca
• FLCL
  Made by Gainax, the folks that did Neon Genesis Evangelion; 6 episodes.
• Full Metal Alchemist [2]
• Gankutsuou
• Ghost In The Shell
  • movies
    • 1 [3]
    • 2
  • series: Stand Alone Complex - 52 episodes
• Grave Of The Fireflies [4]
  About a boy and his younger sister, and how they survive after being orphaned in an air raid during WWII. Pretty powerful stuff.
• Great Teacher Onizuka, a.k.a. GTO
  An ex-gang leader becomes a high school teacher.
• Gundam Wing Full Series
• Iria-Zeiram the Animation (brother & sister hunters)
• Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl
• Kimigure Orange Road
• Legend of Lemnear
• Macross, a.k.a. Robotech
  • Macross Plus
• Magic Knight Rayearth
• Metropolis
• Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: see Hayao Miyazaki
• Neon Genesis Evangelion
  • series - 1 season of 26 episodes
  • movies
    • Death And Rebirth
    • End Of Evangelion
• Ninja Scroll
  • movies
    • 1
    • 2
  • series
• Oh My Goddess
  • movies/OVAs
  • series
• Outlaw Star (pirates & stolen ship)
• Patlabor
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
• Peacemaker Kurogane
• Planetes
• Pokemon
• Porco Rosso: see Hayao Miyazaki
• Princess Mononoke, a.k.a. Mononoke-Hime: see Hayao Miyazaki
• RahXephon
• Rayearth (3 teenage girls)
• Read or Die
• Record of Lodoss War
• Reign
• Rurouni Kenshin, a.k.a. Samurai X
  The tales of a wandering samurai.
  • movie
  • series - 95 episodes
  • OVA
    • Tsuiokuhen, a.k.a. Trust and Betrayal
      This is a prequel to the series itself, but was actually made afterwards.
    • Seisohen, a.k.a. Reflection
      An aftermath to the series.
• Sailor Moon
• Samurai Champloo
• Samurai Jack
• School Rumble
• Scrapped Princess
• Serial Experiments Lain
• Silent Mobius
• Slayers
• Snow Fairy Sugar
• Spirited Away: see Hayao Miyazaki
• Tales of the Wolf-Albatross
• Trigun
• Vampire Hunter D
  • OVA
  • movie: Bloodlust
• Wings of Death
• Yu Gi Oh