Japanese Anime 101

I am sure that you have that bunch of Asian kids in your school that talk about Anime all the time. It seems like that they are having so much fun but unfortunately, even though they are speaking English (sometimes they would not be), you may still feel like you don’t understand a word they say–if you don’t watch Anime. Well, here comes the rescue–a list of the most popular Japanese Animes you need to know before you can understand the fun conversations between these Anime fans.

1. Naruto

Naruto (NARUTO—ナルト— NARUTO) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and dreams to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of all. The series is based on a one-shot comic by Kishimoto that was published in the August 1997 issue of Akamaru Jump.

2. Bleach

Bleach (ブリーチ Burīchi) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper (死神 Shinigami, literally, “Death God”) —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. His newfound powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife.

3. One Piece

One Piece (ワンピース Wan Piisu) is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes byShueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 68th volume released as of November 2012. One Piecefollows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young man whose body gains the properties of rubber after unintentionally eating a Devil’s Fruit, and his diverse crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy explores the ocean in search of the world’s ultimate treasure known as One Piece in order to become the next Pirate King.

Naruto, Bleach and One piece are three of the biggest and most popular Japanese Animes. Conan is big as well, but kind of in a different way.

4. Detective Conan

Case Closed, known as Meitantei Conan (名探偵コナン^?, lit. Great Detective Conan, officially translated as Detective Conan) in Japan, is a Japanese detective manga series written and illustrated by Gosho Aoyama. The series is serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday since January 19, 1994, and has been collected in 78 tankōbon volumes as of December 2012. The story follows the adventures of Jimmy Kudo, a prodigious young detective who was inadvertently transformed into a child after being poisoned.

5. Natsume’s Book of Friends

It is one of the shorter and lesser known series and with completely different themes than the ones mentioned above. This is my favorite Anime of all times.

Natsume’s Book of Friends (夏目友人帳 Natsume Yūjin-chō) is a Japanese fantasy manga series by Yuki Midorikawa. It began serialization by Hakusensha in the shōjo manga magazine LaLa DX in 2005, before switching to LaLa in 2008. Chapters have been collected in fourteen bound volumes as of July 2012. The series is about Natsume, an orphaned teenage boy who can see spirits, who inherits from his grandmother the notebook she used to bind spirits under her control. Natsume’s Book of Friends was a finalist for the first Manga Taishō award in 2008.

6. The Basketball Which Kuroko Plays (KnB)

The TV version of KnB just got released last year, so it is pretty new, but very popular in Asia. It is often criticized for being too similar to Slam Dunk, but in my opinion they are two quite different things. KnB is quite interesting and funny, but with the exciting spirit of sports, as well as friendship.

Kuroko no Basuke (黒子のバスケ), also known as The Basketball which Kuroko Plays, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki. It began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in December 2008. Kuroko no Basuke tells the story of a high school basketball team trying to make it to the national tournament. An anime adaptation by Production I.G began airing on April 7, 2012, and ceased airing on September 22, 2012.

Of course, these names mentioned above do not cover all the Animes out there. The Prince of Tennis, Ouran High School Host Club, K…Even the good old Pokemon belongs to the broad category of Japanese Anime. The wonderful thing about Anime is that it is different than cartoons (like Max and Ruby, the ones for kids); it talks about dreams, friendship, love, hope…all the things that not only need to be learnt by kids, but also adults. And plus they are beautifully drawn and produced, which makes them more pleasant to watch.

Hope this article has helped you a bit if you did not know anything about Anime at all. Have fun!

(Pictures from google, and info from wiki as hyperlinked)