Anime has an amazing history and it’s a genre that never fails to amaze on so many levels. The following anime and manga trivia may blow your mind, so be prepared!
What’s In a Name?
Anime got its start in 1917 from artists Jun’ichi Kouchi, Seitaro Kitayama and Shimokawa Oten. Its name is the Japanese abbreviation of the word animation.
There is no plural of the word anime as it is Japanese, so you don’t talk about animes.
The word manga in Japanese translates to whimsical pictures.
A True Art
It is not considered a cartoon style, but a form of art.
The most famous anime artist in Japan is Tezuka Osamu.
In Japan, more than 40 new anime are broadcast on TV every single week of the year.
Sci-Fi is the most popular anime genre of all.
To really be considered true mange or anime, the images must be drawn by hand and then digitised if intended for TV or film.
More paper is used for anime than for toilet paper in Japan. Crazy when you consider just how big the population of Japan is (128.6 million).
The most popular manga in Japan is One Piece. It was only supposed to have a 5 year run, but 18 years later it still shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, much like the online casino NZ sites so many players love.
A Culture Of Its Own
In Japan if you are finished with your manga volume you simply leave it somewhere for someone else to find it. You’ll often seen manga comics on park benches or on tables in coffee shops just waiting for their next owner to come along and claim them.
Manga Cafes have become very popular in Japan and readers are invited to read their favourite comics, chat to other fans and swap stories and ideas. There is an entire culture that has sprung up around this, and there is a thriving community of people of all ages and backgrounds who come together over a common interest.
Every resident in Japan spends an average of $30 on manga annually.
A World of Entertainment
The longest running anime is Sazae-san and it was created in 1969. To date the show has more than 7500 episodes.
Spirited Away is the highest grossing anime film ever made and it grossed $275 million worldwide.
The Japanese branch of Pizza Hut sponsors Code Geass. Despite the fact that the series takes place in an alternate reality, there are several scenes in which Pizza Hut makes an appearance, or is ordered.
Death Note was banned in China, as when it became popular kids starting buying notebooks and writing the names of all the people they wanted dead in them.
The legendary phrase Over 9000! from Dragon BallZ was actually an error. It was meant to be Over 8000! But a translation error occurred and the numbers were mixed up.