It’s easy to be confused as to what exactly anime is, with all the animation styles that are out there today. To put it simply, anime to the Japanese, is just a shortening of the word animation. Everywhere outside of Japan however, not all animation is anime. That word is reserved for animations that specifically originate in Japan.

Now to be clear, the kind of animation that we are talking about here, derives from the word, animate, which means, to put something into motion. So, in animation, the art is moving, like in a western-styled cartoon, or the movie, Fantasia. Anime, is produced by companies that specialize in this animation, and it is common to see several companies collaborating on different aspects of an anime to produce a well-rounded finished product. They make the majority of their profits through television, box office ticket sales, and also by retail merchandise, commonly through the sale of anime DVD’s. The later, being a rather lucrative, and substantial source of income.

Films, which are usually released in theaters, have the highest production budgets and therefore, the video quality in these are generally the best you can get. Anime movies also rank pretty high in box office sales, and some that have been big money makers and have broken profit-earning records include Akira, Ghost in the Shell, and Spirited Away.

Some anime films only make it to the big screen through film or animation festivals. These are usually shorter anime movies, and their production quality is sometimes lower. Some examples of these are Winter Days, and Osamu Tezuka’s Legend of the Forest. That is not saying that they are bad movies at all, usually, it’s quite the contrary. They just don’t have the big bucks to throw around that the big movies do.

There are also anime films that can be described as a compilation movie. These are television episodes edited together, and shown in theaters to give the fans of these shows a special treat, by condensing the series into a one time, linked viewing experience. These, with many episodes woven together, can be longer than the average movie. There are also theatrical clips taken from existing various television shows, and billed in Japanese theaters together, to form a feature length showing.

Anime that takes the form of a television series is syndicated and broadcasted on a regular schedule. These, again, are generally low quality, compared to OVA (Original Video Animation) and big screen features, because the production budget is spread out over episodes, rather than a single film or a short series. Most of the episodes are about twenty-three minutes in length, to fill a typical thirty-minute time slot, with time added of course for commercials. One full season is twenty-six episodes, while many titles run half seasons, or thirteen episodes. Entire season are also commonly sold as a DVD package, which has it’s advantages, as you can watch the entire season whenever you want. You’ll never miss an episode as well, because you have them all on DVD.

Most TV series anime episodes will have opening credits, closing credits, and often include an eye catcher, which is just a very short scene, often humorous or silly, that is used to signal the start or finish of the commercial break, just like bumpers do in the United States. Eye-catching scenes are often found in TV series anime, and are generally similar throughout the series. The ending credits are often followed by a preview, or sneak peek, of the next episode. This, is done to make sure that the viewers are enticed into watching again next week to see what happens.

OVA, or original video animation anime, is usually in a similar format to that of a television miniseries, and are commonly sold in the DVD format. OVA’s can be any number of episodes in length and one shot can be particularly short, usually less than film’s length. They usually skip theaters, and get released in a “straight to video”or DVD format, meaning, they just skip the theaters, and television, and go right to being sold as a whole product. As a general rule, OVA anime tends to be of a pretty high production quality, and are almost on par to that of films. Titles in the OVA category usually have a continuing plot, rather than ending a plot at the end of a television series. Opening credits, closing credits, and eye-catchers can also sometimes find their way into OVA DVDs, but they’re usually left out.

With all of these different formats, and the many genres of anime, you can pick one out that appeals to you, and enter the world of anime through whichever door you choose. And with many being available on DVD, you can enjoy the experience right in the comfort of your living room.