Animé

Abstract

Animé (animated cartoons) and manga (comics) are multicultural creations, a fusion of traditional Japanese visual arts and Western cultural influence. When Japan opened for trade in 1853, a long-standing popular culture of woodblock-print picture-novels, forged from more than two centuries of isolation, was met with the caricatures in British political cartoon magazines such as Punch and later the social-satire and slapstick of American newspaper comic strips. Such key films as Spirited Away (2001), Prince Mononoke (1997), Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Grave of the Fireflies (1988), and My Neighbor Totoro emblemized this new genre, which quickly spread around the world to become a highly influential international with a dedicated fan base all on their own.