Why Anime Is More Popular Now Than Ever为何动漫如今更受欢迎

约翰–迈克尔·邦德　修文乔

For decades anime1 was only the domain of die-hard genre fans or people willing to hunt down rare， imported， VHS tapes to get their animation fix. Today， thanks to expanded licensing that brought more series to American shores， anime is bigger than ever. But what is anime， and how did it get so popular？

In its most basic form， anime refers to animation. Interestingly enough， the name itself isnt an abbreviation of the English word animation. Instead， its how you say “animated cartoon” （written アニメ） in Japanese. To a Japanese viewer， anime is any cartoon， whether its made in Japan or not. Outside of Japan， however， the term anime has come to mean “animation made in Japan，” or more broadly， any animated show or movie that uses signature aspects of Japanese-style animation， like vibrant colors， dramatic panning， and characteristic facial expressions.

In the U.S.， most anime is classified as a niche form of entertainment， especially for adults. Its looped in alongside other fandoms and often left to the wayside of mainstream entertainment. In Japan， however， anime is a culturally accepted and fairly basic form of entertainment for adults. This difference means that anime contains multitudes， with content produced for a wide range of viewers.

How has anime culture taken root in America？

Anime in the U.S. dates back as far as the early 60s with shows like Astro Boy and Gigantor. Other titles slowly made their way into American fandoms from Japan， with Star Blazers and Battle of the Planets hitting U.S. channels in the 70s while Robotech took the cartoon-loving kids of the 80s by storm.

The advent of home video in the 80s opened the anime floodgates， introducing viewers to movies like My Neighbor Totoro and Macross： Do You Remember Love？ As cable television evolved in the 90s， channels like Cartoon Network and Sci-Fi programmed anime blocks. Anime TV movies were aimed at both children and adults， inspiring fans of Akira and Dragon Ball alike. Today， anime is available on most streaming services like Hulu， Netflix， and Amazon Prime. Its impact is hard to quantify， but a glance at pop culture shows animes fingerprints everywhere.

Tumblr and Instagram are full of anime memes. Sites like MakeGirls-Moe let fans generate their own persona-lized anime identity from scratch. Anime characters are popular options for Halloween costumes， regardless of age， and anime remains one of the biggest drivers of the cosplay community， thriving at conventions worldwide.

Even if you arent a regular anime fan， the genre finds ways to bleed into everyday life in the music， video games， and big-budget Hollywood movies people consume day to day. Even well-known American cartoon Adventure Time wears its anime influences on its sleeve. When it comes to animes influence on hip-hop， numerous rap artists over the years have referenced or homaged Dragon Ball Z or its characters in their work， from B.o.B to Soulja Boy.

Anime genres

Anime encompasses a diverse range of storytelling styles， from horror to romance and everything in between. Heres a brief crash course in just a few of the numerous genres that call anime home.

Horror

Japan has a rich history full of monsters and ghosts. Horror anime comes in countless flavors， from action-focused titles like Attack on Titan to the gore-soaked insanity of Tokyo Ghoul. Dont worry， its not just one big bloodbath， thanks to contemplative sci-fi series like Serial Experiments Lain or Dusk Maidens soapy delights.

Romance

Love is a language every culture speaks， and plenty of anime companies have brought their romantic delights to American shores. Romance anime titles usually fall into two categories， comedy， and drama. Some titles， like Toradora！， manage both， drawing laughs while pulling viewers heartstrings. LGBTQ voices are even starting to make an appearance in series like Yuri on Ice.

Mecha

For many Americans， mecha anime was the first taste of the genre， thanks to the Robotech invasion of the 80s. The tradition continues with old-school classics like Mobile Suit Gundam （made initially around the same time as Robotech） while Netflix delivers newer hits in the form of Knights of Sidonia. Dont worry， if your heart lies in watching giant robots blow the hell out of each other， anime still has your back.

Fantasy

Anime is more than just heartbreak， fighting， and melodrama—its a place to explore the boundaries of the imagination. Paprika is a spellbinding tale of scientists investigating human dreams， pushing beyond the imagery live action effects can pull off to build an artistic tour de force. Looking for a story with less chaos and more nuance？ Colorful won the 34th Japanese Academy Prize for Excellence in Animation， by using fantasy to explore humanitys relationship with death. If you give these oddball films a chance， you wont regret it.

Holiday

You dont need to stop watching anime just because its the holidays. While Japan has only celebrated Christmas for a handful of decades， the cheer of the season has already penetrated anime. From special episodes of beloved series like Digimon Adventures and Sword Art Online to full-on features in the form of Tokyo Godfathers， youve got a host of options for celebrating the season.

几十年来，动漫只是铁杆粉丝的专属，或被那些热衷于收藏稀有进口录像带的人用以满足他们的动漫嗜好。时至今日，得益于不断扩大的许可制度，越来越多的动漫作品传至美国，动漫拥有了更多粉丝。但动漫究竟如何定义，它又为何如此流行？

就最基本的拼写而言，anime指的是animation。有趣的是，这一名称本身并非英语单词animation的缩写，它的发音其实与日语中的“动漫卡通”（写成アニメ）一致。对日本观众来说，动漫指任何卡通作品，无论是否产于日本。而在日本以外，动漫这一术语意味着“日产动漫”，或更广泛地说，指任何使用日式动漫特征的动画节目或电影，如使用鲜艳的颜色、激烈的追拍和独特的面部表情。

在美国，大多数动漫被归类为特定人群的娱乐形式，主要针对成年人。它常常和其他粉丝小众的娱乐形式一起被主流娱乐边缘化。然而，在日本，動漫在文化上得到认可，是一种相当基本的成人娱乐形式。这种差异意味着动漫涵盖的内容非常广泛，能满足不同观众群体的需求。

动漫文化何以在美国生根？

最早引进美国的动漫可追溯到1960年代初的作品如《铁臂阿童木》和《铁人28号》。随着70年代的《星光使者》和《星际战役》在美国频道爆红，其他动漫逐渐激起美国人的追捧，而80年代的《太空堡垒》令热爱卡通片的孩子非常痴迷。

1980年代家庭影院的出现打开了动漫的闸门，带领观众走近《龙猫》和《超时空要塞：可曾记得爱》等影片。90年代有线电视逐步发展，卡通和科幻频道播放了大量动漫作品。动漫影视面向儿童和成人两大群体，使《阿基拉》和《龙珠》都收获了自己的粉丝。如今，大多数流媒体如Hulu、奈飞、亚马逊Prime等，都播放动漫作品。它的影响很难量化，但只要看看流行文化，就知道动漫的影响无处不在。

汤博乐和照片墙充满动漫因素。美少女生成器这样的网站帮助动漫爱好者生成全新的个性化动漫身份。万圣节装扮成动漫角色在各个年龄群体中颇为流行。同时，动漫也是角色扮演群体最大的驱动力，风靡全球各大展会。

即便不是超级动漫粉丝，你也会发现动漫已经渗透进音乐、电游、大制作好莱坞电影等人们日常消费的方方面面。甚至美国本土知名动画片《探险时光》也显示出日本动漫的影响。而谈及动漫对嘻哈文化的影响，近年多位说唱歌手，从B.o.B到酱爆弟弟，都在作品中引用或致敬《龙珠》或其中的人物形象。

动漫类型

动漫涵盖多种叙事风格，如恐怖动漫、浪漫动漫，以及处于二者之间的诸多类型。这里仅对其中几种进行简要介绍。

恐怖动漫

日本历史上有很多鬼怪和幽灵形象。恐怖动漫风格不一，既有《进击的巨人》这样的动作片，也有《东京食尸鬼》这类描述血腥、疯狂的作品。但是不要担心，恐怖动漫并非一味地杀戮，还有引人思考的科幻系列作品如《铃音》，以及《黄昏少女》里面的肥皂剧情。

浪漫动漫

爱是所有文化的共同语言，诸多动漫公司也将浪漫作品带到了美国。浪漫动漫通常可以分为两类：喜剧和戏剧。有些动漫作品，比如《龙与虎！》，兼有喜剧和戏剧因素，既能引人发笑，又能牵动观众心弦。而性少数群体剧情甚至开始在《冰上的尤里》系列中出现。

机甲动漫

因1980年代《太空堡垒》引入美国，很多美国人第一次接触机甲动漫这一类型。《机动战士高达》（最初与《太空堡垒》同一时间制作）等老派经典是这一类型的延续。与此同时，奈飞还播出了《希德尼娅的骑士》等新的热门作品。不用担心，如果你爱看巨型机器人互相轰炸，动漫会一如既往地满足你。

奇幻动漫

动漫不仅是充满哀伤和战斗的情节剧，它还是一个探索想象力边界的地方。《红辣椒》的故事引人入胜，讲述了科学家对人类梦境的探究，影片超越了真人实拍所能达到的表现效果，打造了一部艺术杰作。想找一个不太混乱、更加微妙的故事？《意外的幸运签》通过幻想探索人类与死亡之间的关系，获得了第34届日本电影学院最佳动画奖。如果给这些奇幻影片一个机会，它们不会令你失望的。

节日动漫

不必因为节日而停看动漫。虽然日本庆祝圣诞节只有几十年的历史，但这一季节的欢乐气氛已经渗透到动漫界。从深受喜爱的《数码宝贝》和《刀剑神域》系列的特别篇，到《东京教父》这种完整的动漫影片，你可以选择不同的方式来庆祝这个节日。