Anime

Anime (アニメ) refers to Japanese animated cartooning. Anime has many genres and subgenres appealing to different audiences. It can range from high-end serious art film animation, like Masaaki Yuasa's 2004 avant-garde Mind Game, to films for grown-ups (such as Hayao Miyazaki's and Satoshi Kon's films), to television dramas, adventures, space operas, comedies, and stories about giant robots or talking hamsters (Hamtaro). It is even possible in anime for the protagonists to die in the end (e.g., Burst Angel and Neon Genesis Evangelion), a practice very different from U.S. animation intended for children or general audiences.

In recent decades, anime has become increasingly popular outside Japan. In the U.S., popular examples include Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Pokémon, Naruto, and Death Note. Anime differs distinctly in style and characterization from U.S. animation, and, unlike much U.S. animation, is not always meant for children.