Glossary Entry: Anime

Anime refers to animated shows and movies originating from Japan. These are distinct from animated works made in America as they reflect their cultural background in a number of ways - the most important of which is that Japan views animation as a medium, and therefore creates animated works for all ages, where many Americans view animation as strictly children's programming.

In other words, just because anime happens to be animated doesn't mean it's safe for children. As an example of this, consider the works of Studio Ghibli - while they are popularly known for family entertainment like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, they also produced Grave of the Fireflies, which is a brutal story of a war torn family.