Anime (アニメ) refers to the animation style originating in 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) is Japanese for "comics" or "whimsical images". 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 a 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 at almost $250 million.
Anime and manga share many characteristics, including exaggerating (in terms of scale) of physical features, to which the reader presumably should pay most attention (best known being "large eyes"), "dramatically shaped speech bubbles, speed lines and onomatopoeic, exclamatory typography..." Some manga (a small percentage) are adapted into anime, often with the collaboration of the original author. Computer games can also be adapted into anime. 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 anime franchises sometimes include full-length feature films. Some anime franchises have been adapted into live-action films and television programs.
Sonic X is a Japanese anime television series created by TMS Entertainment and based on Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Sonic X initially ran for 52 episodes, broadcast in Japan from April 6, 2003 to March 28, 2004; a further 26 were aired elsewhere from 2005 to 2006. The show's American localization was done by 4Kids Entertainment. The plot follows a boy named Chris and a group of anthropomorphic animals from another planet, including Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Cream, who repeatedly scuffle with Dr. Eggman and his robots over the Chaos Emeralds. The final story arc sees the friends return with Chris to their world, where they meet a plant-like creature named Cosmo and fight an army of robots called the Metarex in outer space. Sonic X received mixed reviews; writers criticized its localization and some characters, but were more generous toward its story and aesthetics. Merchandise included an edutainment game for the Leapster, a trading card game, and a comic book series. The phrase "gotta go fast", the title of the show's North American theme song, has been a Sonic catchphrase for over a decade. (Full article...)
The televised series aired on the TV Tokyo Japanese television network between January 11, 2006 and March 29, 2006 comprising twelve main episodes. Four pieces of theme music were used in the anime, one opening theme, two ending themes, and one insert song used in episode twelve. The episodes were released on seven DVD compilations released between April 26, 2006 and October 27, 2006, each containing two episodes. The seventh DVD also contained an original video animation episode entitled "A Girl Falls in Love with a Girl" (少女は少女に恋をした, Shōjo wa Shōjo ni Koi o Shita). Produced by the same production team of the anime series, this one-off episode is set four months after the events of the anime series during the Christmas season. (Full list...)
