BRIANNA VANGELOV staff writer Editor's note: Brianna Vangelov is a member of Nanashi: The Anime Club. What do Pokemon, Naruto, and Dragon Ball Z have in common? They are anime. Simply put, anime is a cartoon, but unlike its American counter parts, anime is a stylized form of Japanese cartoon. Unlike the Amer ican cartoons we normally think of such as Tom and Jerry and Looney Toons, anime has a very unique style. For example, the characters tend to have larger doll-like eyes, the limbs tend to be longer, emo tional responses are over-exagger ated, and they at times use speech bubbles. It is this style that drew in fans like Elizabeth Lukjanczuk. "I like anime because of how it can combine beautiful art with good storylines," she said. One of the biggest differenc es that sets anime apart from most Western animation, how ever, is the actual production. Anime is considered lim ited animation. It basically tricks the eye into believe there is more movement than there really is with cuts and camera angles. WE ARE: OTAKU anime you'll find here in the United States: subbed and dubbed. Subbed anime is when an an ime is in a different language and a fan or company wants to trans late for better mass appeal. Rather than replace the original audio, the dialogue is translated to the desired language and is inserted as subtitles. Dubbed anime is when the audio track of an anime is completely re moved. In some cases, animation is re-timed, and the voice acting is re done in the desirable language for the audience. One of the biggest issues that fac es anime in the western world is the belief that cartoons are for children. This is a trend that still follows an ime around to this day. Behrend freshman Amy McGavin described it as "more kid-oriented" despite the fact that "it's creative and action packed." When asked what series she knew that were anime, she respond ed with anime titles that were aimed at younger kids, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon. While those titles are kid-oriented, there are titles that are teen-oriented and adult-oriented. This just shows that the lack of in formation on the foreign subject of anime creates false interpretations. While most cartoons in the west ern world are for children, anime is for everyone. There are storylines depicting almost anything you can imagine: soldiers, fights, giant ro bots, romance, and high school dra ma. If you are looking for anime ap propriate for young children you can find it. If you want something for the older crowd, you can find it too. Much like in the western world, the Japanese have comics to their anime counterparts, called manga. There are also two very important different types of The characters look much like they do in anime's with big eyes, big per sonalities, and outrageous story lines. They tend to be thick volumes rather than just a few pages, and usually read right to left, instead of left to right. A series can go from one volume all the way to 60 or 70 de pending on the author and what they have planned. The fanbase for an ime and manga is growing, and has spilled out of Japan and around the rest of the world. The fans love the stories and char acters so much, many even gather and hold conventions. This is a place where they can buy and sell manga and anime, meet other fans, meet famous people in the industry, have a chance to market their own work, and most importantly "cosplay." At Club Rush this year, there were a few oddly-clad individuals who caused some students' eyebrows to rise. Those were Otaku, or fans of the Japanese sensation sweeping the nation. They were dressed up as characters from different animes and mangas they enjoyed, some thing fans engage in on wide scale levels called cosplay. At conven tions, they hold competitions from best costume to worst, you get more props for a home-made costume, and the more you look acter, the better. But do not get the fused with simple comi ies or television-obsf There are more to th Most qtaku also end culture. Most Otaku s history and its culture ever wondered what c in Japan, or what band there, chances are an knows. The passion of the fan does not just stop at the car toon or book; it's about understanding the cultural references, and being part of something bigger. When asked what she en joyed about anime, senior com munication major Taylor Acker man said, "it makes you think The complex story lines of the anime's aimed more toward adults are thrilling." If you're reluctant about anime, just start with this list that some of the hardcore Anime fanatics in the club recommend: Shakugan no Sha na, Getbackers, Howl's Moving Cas tle, Death Note, Paranormal Agent, and Samurai Champ loo. Here at Behrend, there is Nanashi: The Anime Club, which exclusively is a club devoted to anime, manga, and Japanese culture. It is filled with fans who meet weekly to ab sorb the media they love the most and have a good laugh with other fans. They meet twice a week and are currently watching four dif ferent animes twice a week ev ery week in order to get a good taste of things out there, and so that all of the members are A satisfied. All are invited to attend
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