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It's a common memory for practically all children: sitting on the couch on Saturday morning, curled up in a blanket and watching Bugs Bunny on television. However, a lot of today's animes (or Japanese animated programs) are a far cry from that cartoon rabbit. Ranging from adorable kids' shows like Hello Kitty and Pokemon, to dark and twisted thrillers like Perfect Blue, there is something that will appeal to anyone. A select few cartoons like Astroboy (and later, Sailor Moon) helped to introduce anime to North American audiences, and now its popularity is here to stay. The select few that are seen on television are a tiny fraction of what's out there; people shouldn=t be so hasty when dismissing anime as "kids' cartoons." Anime is so much more than just a simple cartoon, though what gets most people interested is what they see on North American television. While everyone fondly remembers the first anime they saw, there was also the time when they discovered there was more out there to see; that discovery has helped to develop one of North America's hottest entertainment industries.

Anime has slowly introduced itself into our television programming line-ups, not to mention our culture. Today, some of the most popular children's shows are imported from Japan. Programs like Inuyasha, Yu-gi-oh, Bleach, Naruto, Dragonball Z, and of course forerunners like Pokemon and Sailor Moon have created a phenomenon among elementary school-aged children. With characters that children can relate to - not to mention some that are just adorable and cuddly - as well as the bad guys everyone loves to hate, it's easy to see how anime has gained its popularity. While not every anime has a fantastic plot, a good deal of them do have storylines that captivate the audience. Some of them are so captivating that one can't help but lose themselves in it. Episodes that feature a character's death or departure can often bring tears to the eyes of young and old alike; they are a mainstay of any long-running anime series. When Sailor Moon first debuted in North America, many viewers shed tears when Darien, her true love, died protecting her from the evil Queen Beryl. Those who remember this moment may also remember Samurai Pizza Cats, an anime that aired about fifteen years ago. (It was about cats who worked in a pizza place and fought evil.) This was one of the first animes to grace North American airwaves in the 90's, when anime was regaining popularity. Before this, anime in North America

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