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Anime/Manga

Here we have a list of my favorite manga and animes, although only my close favorites will have summaries, pictures or links to accompany them and I wish I had more time to give them all more credit to the works.


What Is Anime?: 
If you are like most people you are probably asking that question right now.  If you ask ten different people 'What is Anime?', you would probably get 5 different answers and 5 blank stares. Anime is a term for Japanese Animation, sometimes known as Japanamation. Anime is a diverse art form with a rich history. It often contains references to Japanese culture and other classic anime shows. These references can be very intimidating to new viewers who are unfamiliar with the anime genre. Anime has appeared occasionally in the past on American TV and even currently and distantly you may be familiar with some such as those translated and edited for certain ages such as on Fox tv, Cartoon Network and so forth. (Examples: Adult Swim has seen many such as Inuyasha, Wolf's Rain, Ruroni Kenshin) Some have even begun to sweep through the boxoffices and into homes for children or all ages through a business deal between disney and a famous animation company from japan named "Ghibli", giving us veiwing rights to Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away.

The important thing to be aware of is that anime is not just for children. A great deal bigger portion of anime deals with adult subjects. This is especially true of anime movies and films. (By adult, I am not referring to sexually explicit films. Those unfortunately do exist but they are a very small percentage of the anime market). Anime often deals with serious issues such as relationships, the trials of life and humanity, war, the environment, and death. Read reviews and summaries carefully to find anime that you can enjoy.
Take for instance Grave of the Fireflies. This is a beautiful film that showcases the death of a young boy and his sister after world war II in a war inflicted Japan. It is a great kleenex film, but it is not suitable for young children.
However that does not mean that there is no animes that will suit both children, youth and adults, for example Princess Mononoke; kids will enjoy the gist of the story, while adults and youth can enjoy the complex characters and moral issues that go on to be debated.

What is Manga?:
According to a Japanese dictionary Daijirin, manga is:
1. caricature, 2. story (monogatari) made of pictures, or pictures and words, 3. pictures that one draws freely.
 
Basically, manga is often confused with ordinary comic books of the west, but in fact "Graphic Novels" would suit the discription more accurately being that the stories are far more deeper and complex then you would find superman dealing with. Like anime, there more often is much more content suited to adults rather than children, for example it would be hard to explain to a child about  why a person acts the way he does after being abused as a child. More often, popular series go on to become anime but generally that many changes between the anime and manga are not made, it really just depends on the creator of it all.


My Favorite Series

tohru and the sohmas
Fruits Basket
The enigmatic Sohma family shares a great secret, every two generations, 12 of it's members are possessed by spirits of the Chinese Zodiac!
Tohru Honda was an orphan, living with her grandfather, when one day fate kicked her out of the house and she was forced to take up residence in a tent in the forest. Little did she know that the land she was staying on belonged to the Sohma family, a clan of beautiful and mysterious people. After stumbling upon the teenage squatter, the Sohmas invite Tohru to stay in their house in exchange for cooking and cleaning. Everything's going well until she discovers the Sohma family's greatest secret: when hugged by members of the opposite sex, they each turn into their Chinese Zodiac animal!
Links:  Dai Bouken's Fruits Basket








Priestess of Suzaku and Suzaku Seven
Fushigi Yuugi

The story of Fushigi Yuugi and The Universe of the Four Gods begins when a student studying for her high school exams, Miaka and her best friend Yui go to the Tokyo library after school. Near a drink machine, Miaka witnesses a beautiful red bird fly up the stairs and into a dark room of ancient books reserved for staff....

Miaka and Yui go into the room, where they discover an ancient Chinese book called "The Universe of the Four Gods". Yui; who can read the language, opens the book with Miaka and begins:

This is the story of a girl
who single-handedly gathered the Seven Stars of Suzaku
and gained the power to make all of her dreams come true.
The story itself is an incantation
and whomever reads it gains the main character's power
to have their wishes granted.
As soon as the page is turned,
the story will become real and begin.


Thus begins the adventure as Yui and Miaka are sucked into the world of anicent china within the Universe of the Four Gods. Here, Miaka will soon meet Tamahome, and the emperor of the Konan Empire, Hotohori. She is told the legend of The Universe of the Four Gods, and accepts the role of Suzaku no Miko.(Priestess of Suzaku) She must collect all seven of Suzaku's celestial warriors to summon their god Suzaku to save Konan from disaster and make all of her dreams come true.

Fushigi Yuugi is a story filled with humor, tragedy, courage, and hope. But most importantly, it's about friendship, love, and the preservation of these relationships you share with others.


Links:    SuzakuSeishi.com
             
The End of Aquarian Age
Aquarian Age: Juvenile Orion

Sixteen year old Mana returns to her hometown to unite with her childhood friend after 7 years. But Kaname seems to have changed during his years apart.

Mana's presence sets off a chain of events that changes the lives of Kaname and his best friend Naoya forever. Their classmates Isshin and Tsukasa, and their teacher Tomonori find themselves drawn to her as well.

They soon discover that they are all a part of the Aquarian Age - a secret war raging for thousands of years.

Now the fate of the world hangs in balance as one girl meets her destiny.

Links:   Broccolli Books  (Sells the Manga Books)



Nausicaa the movie
Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wind
Is it the world of an alternative future? Or is it our future?

Technology has ruined mankind. People developed large destructive machines  that stomped over the world leaving behind them an Earth destroyed and nearly dead. Harmful chemicals and technology infested our Earth and strange creatures had started to grow.  Different tribes of humans are scattered across the lands, and colonies of new creatures and plant life now dominate the earth known as the Poisonous Forest and the giant insects that now inhabit it. Nausicaa is the Princess of the Valley of the Wind and she leads a peaceful life with her people and seems to understand and see the new world differently than everyone else. One day, a large plane crashes into her homeland, and Nausicaa's journey begins to unveil the truths of legend, her world and what will become of all humanity....

Created by the moving director Hiyao Miyazaki, Nausicaa of the valley of the Wind, created so much controversy that it has been banned in several countries, but continues to endure as a deeply moving graphic novel and movie as us as humans, continue to question our possible future..

Links:   Nausicaa.net

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles



japan
SAKURA AND SYAORAN RETURN!

But they’re not the people you know. Sakura is the princess of Clow—and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father’s life years before. They reside in an alternate reality . . . where whatever you least expect can happen—and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered—which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds, all in the name of savng Sakura; asking the powerful Witch of Worlds to make it all possible by granting his wish to travel between worlds--But every wish must come at a price...

BY the Acclaimed Manga-Ka group CLAMP
Links:  Fanring

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