By Gilles Poitras
In Japan the term anime is used to indicate any sort of animation, but outside Japan it has come to mean Japanese animation. The American market for anime and related products has been growing by leaps and bounds: in 1999 it was estimated to be a $10 million a year business, in 2000 it passed $100 million, and in 2002 it reached $500 million. In 2001 an all anime cable channel hit the airwaves. The current number of releases range from 20 to 450 videos a month.
Most anime are based on manga, Japanese comics, which may also be available in English translation. Be aware that anime is not to be equated with kid's cartoons. There are as many genres in anime as there are in cinema and fiction, with plenty of material for all ages. With titles for teens or adults, the content is no more extreme than what would be in an American video for the same age group. However, as animation is perceived by many to be for children, librarians must be prepared to explain that animation is a medium, not a genre.
Anime is released in three ways in Japan: theatrical features, TV series, and OVA (Original Video Animation). OVA is direct-to-video distribution, which has proven to be a successful way to release titles to niche markets. The quality is usually quite high, better than TV and often as good, or better, than theatrical features. Features are single video products, an OVA may be one or a few videos, a TV series is several videos--usually 15 or 26 episodes, occasionally longer. Any labeling should indicate which volume a video is within a set as the only other indication may be the description on the package.
Today, anime in the United States and Canada is mainly released on DVD and usually but not always bilingual, i.e., in Japanese with subtitles or dubbed in English. In some cases there may also be subtitles or a dub track in French or Spanish. Much to my amazement, many children prefer the subtitled version. Luckily, this is also a good way to encourage reading skills.
