by Matt Remley

Created on: February 11, 2009

In the past few years North American and European countries have seen an increase in a particular art style. As it turns out that art style is straight from Japan, and can be seen in different forms. Two of these different forms are manga and anime, there are also slight differences between them

However both of these Japanese forms of media are unlike those seen in western cultures. For example one is printed on paper and can be compared to comic books, and the other one is comparable to cartoons. As these art forms increase in popularity, many of the aspects that make them different merge with the cultures they come in contact with.

Manga

This form of Japanese art is similar to comic books that we see in other parts of the world, especially North America. Manga is typically released in black and white form, but can also be printed in color. Just like comic books, characters in a manga series speak through voice bubbles.

In addition, a manga series can tell the story of almost any genre and is not limited. Manga has been extremely popular with people of all ages in Japan for years. This art form has been around since the 20th century but its modern form was created some time after World War 2.

Though there are many differences between American style comic books and their Japanese counter parts, one of them is the fact that manga series are typically printed in novel forms. Unlike reading in many parts of the world, someone reading a manga starts at the right side and goes left from what most of us know as the back of the book.

Anime

This form of art is similar to manga, only this one is much more comparable to American cartoons. Anime is typically shown on TV or distributed on DVD in episodes or seasons. Usually anime is drawn with much more detail then other animation forms around the world, and is taken very seriously in Japan.

Furthermore, much like manga this animation style can be used to create series of many different genres. Many series of anime have already become popular in America, such as Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z, however there are many more that make it to the states.

Most of the time when an anime series is created, it is based on a manga. This is similar to American film studios recreating cartoons into live-action films. Usually when a company distributes an anime or manga outside of Japan, they gain liesences from the companies that created them.

One such company is Funimation, which distributes many popular anime series in America. Each year companies in and out of Japan involved in the process of creating these art forms, make billions of dollars in sales. While both forms of media are much harder to find in North America, there are hundreds of stores that sell them.

Both anime and manga are beautiful forms of art, and using either of them anyone could find a series they enjoy. If you're wanting more information on the subject of manga and anime, there are thousands of websites on the Internet devoted to the pair of Japanese art forms.

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