The Culture

The Society of the Promotion of Japanese Animation exists to promote the culture, art, history and related inspiration and derivatives involved with Japanese Animation and Manga.

Anime

Anime, a shortened Japanese version of the word "animation", refers to animation produced and created in Japan. Anime is renowned as a visual medium for its emphasis on visuals, unique presentation, and immersive storytelling style.

In America, cartoons are considered a form of entertainment meant for children, but in Japan, people of all ages watch anime. Most shows and movies are centered for kids, adolescents, or young adults, but there are also many anime series made for older audiences. Many anime series deal with deep, thought-provoking themes, presenting complex characters who change as the plot progresses.

Anime is distributed via many channels: television broadcasts, direct DVD sales, theatrically, and online. According to the Japan External Trade Organization, the anime market in the United States is valued at $4.35 billion.

Manga

Japanese for "comics", manga consists of comics and print cartoons from Japan, in the unique style developed in Japan after World War 2. The genre includes a broad range of subjects, including action-adventure, romance, sports and games, historical drama, comedy, science fiction and fantasy, mystery, and horror. In the United States, manga is gradually gaining acceptance as a genre of comics, with hundreds of titles now available in English. As of 2006, the United States manga market was estimated to be in the range of $175-200 million. Many works of anime are based on, or inspired by, manga. 		In this section:
Anime
Manga

Related Links
Wikipedia: Anime
Wikipedia: Manga