Did you know both American and international anime fans gather at Anime Expo in Los Angeles every year to celebrate the rich history and ongoing legacy of anime culture? To the rest of the world, anime was first viewed as a style of hand-drawn or computer-generated animation that originated in Japan and served as a gateway to Japanese culture and influence.

In fact, the term‘anime’(アニメ) is derived from the English word ‘animation’ and is now synonymous with a wide range of engaging, in-depth storytelling and artistic visuals found in many Japanese animated series and movies.

Whilst, to the rest of the world, anime is something they do in Japan, for the Japanese themselves, this term means something a lot broader. ‘Anime,’ in reality, is just short for ‘animation.’

This means literally any animation production, Japanese or non-Japanese, for kids or for adults. Consequently, anything you might see on Cartoon Network or PBS – regardless of its geographical region – could be called anime.

However, things with this word are a little more complex than this – as not all Japanese animators like the term.

The famed animator, Hayao Miyazaki – known for his work with Toei Animation and, later, Studio Ghibli, with whom he made the hit films, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke – is one of these. His argument is that this shortened term, ‘anime,’ really expresses the decline of the animation form.

Each to their own; it’s not the place to have these conversations here. However, this attitude suggests that not everyone is over the moon about the state of Japanese manga and anime.

Discover Why Japanese Anime Is So Popular

The history puts into context the developments in – and the growing popular awareness of – this art form known as anime. But does it explain its enduring popularity? No, we suppose not. It is not a monolithic thing, but rather the name we give to a very broad category of different products. These, if not the history, are the things that explain its success.