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Anime is defined as animation originating from Japan. While it has a long and prolific history in its native country (Japanese studios produce hundreds of thousands of cartoons each year), it only gained global prominence with the rise of the Internet. As international audiences outside of Japan began to learn of the unique qualities of Japanese animation, anime fandoms began to develop. Anime fandom refers to the worldwide community of Japanese anime fans. The actual word for an ardent fan of anime is “Otaku” which was originally derogatory (equivalent to being called a geek in English). However, anime fans began to adopt the term Otaku as a positive form of self-identification. In the United States, the market for Japanese anime continues to grow annually with thousands of fans attending anime conventions every year. Moreover, many Japanese anime shows are aired on mainstream American television channels, creating more interest in the genre. Prior to the rise of the Internet, Japanese anime was an obscure art form that was not widely available for consumption in the United States. However, with the advent of the Internet, fans were able to communicate with one another more easily, which improved the exchange of fan-subtitled anime videos. By 1994, growing interest in anime spread to television networks as more anime shows were translated into English and shown to mainstream audiences. In the United States, anime video has a strong appeal for certain fans because of the unique quality of its artwork. Many fans claim its visual quality is superior to that of any American cartoon, and many choose to ignore all non-Japanese animation. Other fans appreciate the unique storylines and colorful characters that define the genre, while others have spoken of the psychological depth many anime characters seem to possess. Hence, mutual interest in Japanese anime has created an international community that uses the Internet and cyber chat fora as platforms to exchange ideas and share information. Media studies have shown that 68% of fans obtain anime from downloading or viewing anime video from the Internet. Consequentially, anime fans have made some of the most sophisticated peer-to-peer software to make searching and downloading quality anime much faster. More positively, interest in anime has created a strong interest in Japanese culture among fans. In fact, many tour companies have created tour packages for anime video fans.
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