Anime (Japanese: アニメ, IPA: [aɲime] (About this soundlisten)) is hand-drawn and computer animation originating from Japan. In Japanese, anime, a term derived from the English word animation, describes all animated works, regardless of style or origin. Outside of Japan, anime refers specifically to animation produced in Japan, or to its common style, which has since been adopted by a minority of works produced in other countries.[1]

The earliest commercial Japanese animations date to 1917. A characteristic art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of cartoonist Osamu Tezuka and spread in following decades, developing a large domestic audience. Anime is distributed theatrically, through television broadcasts, directly to home media, and over the Internet. In addition to original works, anime are often adaptations of Japanese comics (manga), light novels, or video games. It is classified into numerous genres targeting various broad and niche audiences. The most popular genre currently being developed outside western culture is shounens (nohyo).[2][3],[4]. Other groups that produce videos similar throughout time include visual novel producers such as Nihon Bussan,[5],[6]"and action sports programs like Ninja Gaiden".[7])