Anime (アニメ) refers to animation originating from Japan. It is characterized by distinctive characters and backgrounds (hand-drawn or computer-generated) that visually and thematically set it apart from other forms of animation. Storylines may include a variety of fictional or historical characters, events, and settings. Anime is aimed at a broad range of audiences; consequently, a given series may have aspects of a range of genres. Anime is most frequently distributed by streaming services, broadcast on television, or sold on DVDs and other media, either after their broadcast run or directly as original video animation (OVA). Console and computer games sometimes also feature segments or scenes that can be considered anime.
Manga (漫画), Japanese for "comics" or "whimsical pictures", are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Manga developed from a mixture of ukiyo-e and Western styles of drawing, and took its current form shortly after World War II. Manga, apart from covers, is usually published in black and white but it is common to find introductions to chapters to be in color and read from top to bottom and then right to left, similar to the layout of Japanese plain text. Financially, manga represented 2005 a market of ¥24 billion in Japan and $180 million in the United States. Manga was the fastest-growing segment of books in the United States in 2005. In 2020, Japan's manga industry hit a value of ¥612.6 billion due to the fast growth of the digital manga market, while manga sales in North America reached an all-time high of almost $250 million.
Anime and manga have a shared iconography, including exaggerating the scale of physical features, to which the reader presumably should pay most attention; the best known being "large eyes". Manga are often adapted into anime, usually with the collaboration of the original author. Light novel series and video games can also be adapted into anime or manga. In such cases, the work's original story is often compressed or modified to fit the new format and appeal to a wider demographic. Popular franchises sometimes include full-length feature films, both animated and live-action, as well as live-action television programs.
Shakugan no Shana, also known simply as Shana (シャナ), is a Japanese light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi with illustrations by Noizi Ito. ASCII Media Works published 27 novels from November 2002 to November 2023 under their Dengeki Bunkoimprint. The story focuses on Yuji Sakai, a high school boy who becomes involved in an age-old conflict between forces of balance and imbalance in existence; in the process, he befriends a fighter for the balancing force and names her "Shana". The series also incorporates fantasy and slice of life elements.
Two manga adaptations were published by ASCII Media Works in Dengeki Daioh and Dengeki Maoh. Between 2005 and 2012, the series was adapted by J.C.Staff into three 24-episode anime television series, a four-episode original video animation (OVA) series, an animated film, and a standalone OVA episode. A PlayStation 2 video game was released in March 2006, which was ported to the Nintendo DS in March 2007. Viz Media licensed the novels and the first manga series for release in North America, but stopped publishing both prematurely. Geneon originally licensed the first television series for release in North America, but the license later transferred to Funimation, now Crunchyroll, who also licensed the remaining anime properties. Critics praised the series for its execution of typical story elements. (Full article...)
The episodes of the 2007 Japaneseanimated TV series Kaze no Stigma are directed by Jun'ichi Sakata and produced by Gonzo. The anime's episodes are based on the light novel series Kaze no Stigma by Takahiro Yamato. The plot of the episodes revolves around the return of Kazuma Kannagi to Japan after being exiled by his clan, and his subsequent interactions with his clan.
The 24 episodes of Kaze no Stigma were aired from April 2007 to September 2007 in Japan on thirteen networks, with Chiba TV, Fukui TV, Tokyo MX TV, TV Hokkaido, and TV Saitama airing the episodes first on 11 April 2007. The remaining networks began airing the episodes later in May, with the exception of Kumamoto Broadcasting, which broadcast the first episode on 14 May 2007. (Full list...)
...that the thirteen episodes of the Rental Magicaanime were shown in a nonlinear order, meaning that the order the episodes were aired in is different from the episodes' chronological order?
... that Firo Prochainezo, a character of the Baccano!light novel and anime series, wears glasses in an attempt to look smarter?
An example of a tsundere character. The word is derived from the terms tsun tsun (ツンツン), meaning "to turn away in disgust", and dere dere (デレデレ) meaning "to become affectionate".
