Anime is a Japanese artform, it is more than simply japanese cartoons. Often it is refered to as Japanimation. It is easy to identify since most anime's make use of rather big eyes and odd hair colors.

Anime itself is not a genre, it is a name given to a certain style of animation. You can find anime in just about any category and genre as you would find any other movie. Besides the artwork the thing that sets anime apart from its amican counterparts is the way stories are told.

American cartoons usualy tell a different story in each episode, the same is true for most non animated series here. With anime, a 26 episode series usualy takes 26 episodes to unfold. The characters have a lot of room for growth, and the story can take many twists. This makes for much more detailed stories, and gives the writers room to actualy tell a story.

Another big difference is the amount of detail that is used in anime. Characters actualy have five fingers! The scenery and backgrounds are given as much attention as anything else. Ofcourse this isn't true for *all* anime, but I would say about 80% or more conforms to this.

Anime is nothing like the shows kids wake up to every saturday morning. Movies like Mononoke Hime and Akira can be watched a dozen times and every time you pick up something new. Just like your hollywood movies there are hits and flops. Anime can have characters and stories, that if told with real actors, could be in the running for oscars. Anime is merely a means of telling a story, and unlike the western cartoons, they are not merely aimed at little kids and teens.

Adults too can enjoy anime without having their inteligence insulted. Shows like Mononoke Hime, Laputa : Castle in the sky and Lain are both inspiring and will have you ponder the meaning of those shows for days.

The great thing about anime is that it is still animation, so everything is possible, no matter what a story calls for it can be done. Life Action movies with a great story can be ruined by crappy effects, imagine Bladerunner or Star Wars without the awesome effects and settings, i am sure they would not be the classics they are today, regardless of how great of a story they told us.

In short, anime is just like any other form of media, there is something for everyone to enjoy.