| The Anime and Manga Portal
Anime (アニメ?) refers to the animation style originated in Japan. It is characterized by distinctive characters and backgrounds (hand-drawn or computer-generated) that visually and thematically set it apart from other forms of animation. Storylines may include a variety of fictional or historical characters, events, and settings. Anime is aimed at a broad range of audiences and consequently, a given series may have aspects of a range of genres. Anime is most frequently broadcast on television or sold on DVDs either after their broadcast run or directly as original video animation (OVA). Console and computer games sometimes also feature segments or scenes that can be considered anime. Manga (漫画?) is Japanese for "Comics" or "Whimsical images". Manga developed from a mixture of ukiyo-e and Western styles of drawing, and took its current form shortly after World War II. Manga, apart from covers, is usually published in black and white but it is common to find introductions to chapters to be in color and is read from right to left. Financially, manga represented in 2005 a market of ¥24 billion in Japan and one of $180 million in the United States.[1] Manga was the fastest growing segment of books in the United States in 2005. Anime and manga share many characteristics, including: "exaggerated physical features such as large eyes, big hair and elongated limbs... and dramatically shaped speech bubbles, speed lines and onomatopoeic, exclamatory typography."[2] Some manga, a small amount of the total output, is adapted into anime, often with the collaboration of the original author. Computer games can also give rise to anime. In such cases, the stories are often compressed and modified to fit the format and appeal to a wider market.[3] Popular anime franchises sometimes include full-length feature films, and some have been adapted into live-action films and television programs. Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto?) is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. The series primarily centers around a high school student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it. Death Note was first serialized by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from the first issue in December 2003 to May 2006, with 108 chapters in total. The series has been published in its entirety in 12 tankōbon volumes in Japan and in North America. The series has been adapted into a pair of live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006 and November 3, 2006, and an anime series which aired in Japan from October 3, 2006 to June 26, 2007. Also, a novelization of the series, written by light novelist Nisio Isin, was released in Japan on August 1, 2006. Gaara (我愛羅?) is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Kishimoto designed Gaara as a foil to the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, as the two were born through similar circumstances, but develop vastly different personalities as they deal with their troubled upbringing.[1] Initially introduced as an antagonist and Naruto's rival, the two eventually develop a bond as kindred spirits and become close friends as the series progresses. In the anime and manga, Gaara is a ninja affiliated with Sunagakure, and is the son of Sunagakure's leader, the Fourth Kazekage. As a child, his father attempted to turn him into a human weapon by placing a tailed beast into him, and he was ostracized by the Sunagakure villagers. As a result, he develops into a ruthless killer, slaying others without remorse, and treating his siblings Kankuro and Temari with contempt. His battle with Naruto during the series changes this outlook, and he begins to aid others in order to emulate Naruto. In Part II of the series, he becomes Sunagakure's Fifth Kazekage. Gaara has appeared in several pieces of Naruto media, including the second featured film in the series, the third original video animation, and several video games. The fifth season of the Bleach anime series is named the Bount Assault on Soul Society arc. The episodes are directed by Noriyuki Abe and produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu, and Studio Pierrot.[2] Unlike previous seasons in the series, this season and season four are not adaptations of the Bleach manga by Tite Kubo. Instead, episodes' plot focuses on the invasion of Soul Society, the home of the Soul Reapers, by the Bount, a race of humans that consume human souls to extend their lives. The arc initially ran from August 8, 2006 to January 4, 2007 in Japan on TV Tokyo.[3] The English adaptation of the season is slated to begin airing on December 13, 2008 on Adult Swim.[2] Four DVD compilations of the season were released by Aniplex between January 24, 2007 and April 25, 2007 in Japan.[4][5] The first two DVD compilations contain four episodes of the season, and the last two contain five episodes.[6] |
