As a fan of Anime and Manga for many years, I have used the term 'Japanimation' for many years, but now it appears that word is dead, and the more recent anime fans do not know the origins of the word, and how it relates to the anime that we know today.
Its is not uncommon to find people misusing the word anime. It appears that, especially in the the EU, people have categorised anime as simply being Japanese animation. However, this is actually an incorrect concept, and the word anime in fact, means a variety of things.
The origin of the word anime is interesting, and it is also interesting to see how different, even just the word anime is, between the Engligh and the Japanese.
Despite the rise in interest in anime over the recent years, not many people know that the first ever anime was made in 1907, and that the first ever feature length film was made in 1944. If we look back into the history of anime, we can see why it became so huge in Japan, and eventually the rest of the world.
It's strange to think that anime has been around for so long, but how much do we actually know about it. What are its origins and what exactly does the word 'anime' me?