Anime is a style of animation developed in Japan. Anime art styles range from wild, exaggerated stylization to realistic approaches. The use of lines is also prevalent, although the lines are influenced more by a brush than by a calligrapher’s pen. In a lot of anime, body proportions come from the proportions of the human body, with the height of the head as the base unit of proportion. Most anime characters are 7-8 heads tall, although characters with extreme height are roughly 9 heads tall. The exception to this is the “super deformed” (Chibi) style, where characters are drawn in an exaggerated fashion. In Japanese, “Chibi” means “dwarf” or “small child.”
Large eyes are one of the common traits of anime; however, it doesn’t appear in all anime. Exaggerated facial expressions are also common in anime. Upset characters may have bulging lines appear on their forehead. Sometimes angry women may summon a mallet from nowhere and strike someone with it; this has become known as “hammerspace.” Male characters may develop a bloody nose around female love interests to indicate arousal. Embarrassed characters tend to produce a big sweat-drop; this has become one of the most widely recognized anime stereotypes.
Anime also tends to include non-humanoid characters and hybrid beings. Non-humanoid characters tend to include robots, animals, spirits, and demons. Anime tries to achieve three-dimensional views. There is also an emphasis placed on the changing seasons.
When Japanese animations flourished, countries like China and Korea also adapted the Japanese style of animation.
