Anime: A Global Cultural Bridge

Anime (Team, 2023) is a varied entertainment form popular worldwide. Japanese animation (A Short History of Anime, 2019) is one of modern Japan's most important cultural facets. It is used to refer to any animation in Japan. Everyone can watch them on social media platforms, advertisements, and other channels. At the same time, anime is a diverse medium that brings characters and worlds to life through moving images. It can also convey emotion, stories, and concepts in various ways. Anime has a wide range of styles and genres, attracting audiences of all ages, from children to adults.

A significant part of anime is animation, a style that originated in Japan and has become popular worldwide. The earliest commercial Japanese animation was in 1917. Then, cartoonist (CareerExplorer, 2023) Osamu Tezuka (Tezuka Osamu Official, n.d.) created a characteristic art style in the 1960s and spread from Japan worldwide gradually in the following decades.

The anime's history began in 1907 when Japanese artists were inspired by Western animation and started creating content specifically for Japan. In the 1940s, Japan had its first animated film, which the government supported. After World War II, anime became popular and helped people find comfort and distraction from the difficulties they faced during the post-war period (A Short History of Anime, 2019). Nowadays, anime has mature product chains, and their unique characters and worlds are great for making and selling products like toys, books, and clothing. The money from selling these items helps make more new animation and creates a profitable cycle of investing in and producing more animation.

In addition, Japanese animation is so recognizable because of its incredibly distinctive style. In anime, the eyes and hair can help people distinguish easily between Japanese anime and other anime. Firstly, the characters' eyes are one of the most important features. They are usually large or narrow and play a key role in expressing emotions. They are also dynamic and change constantly in different scenes. Hair is another distinctive feature of anime characters. It is usually colourful and styled uniquely, sometimes with spikes or unusual movements. Different colours of hair often have symbolic meanings.

Besides, animation (Maio, 2024) often discusses deep and realistic social themes in fun ways that children and adults can enjoy. For instance, the leading actor of "Tokyo Ghoul", Kaneki Ken, experiences a transitive process from a human to a half-ghoul, which forces him to struggle with his identity and the concept of humanity. The animation explores the meaning of human existence and how one's experiences and choices shape identity.

Anime becomes a bridge between countries for sharing culture, stories, and traditions with people worldwide.