The Different Styles Of Anime Series

What makes Japanese anime series different from those produced in North America? Both can be richly colorful and take great animation skills to produce. Clearly, the actual styles are different, with many people being familiar with the larger eyes and slightly exaggerated features of the characters in anime.

But apart from the often more lush visual quality of this type of animation, when you watch anime episodes you begin to discover a certain depth, both of plot and character, that you don't see nearly as often in North American animations.

This complexity isn't always visible at first glance, for some anime series. For example, in the Sailor Moon series, the main character was often very silly. Yet Sailor Moon, probably the most beloved anime girl in the world, also had moments of nobility and strength.

The plot of this anime frequently veered between rather fluffy episodes and scenarios where this character or her companions might need to make deep personal sacrifices to save the world. This is a strong feature of anime; extreme silliness in one episode followed by heart-wrenching drama in the next.

Fullmetal Alchemist is another of the anime series with lighter moments, yet the thrust of this popular title is sober and dramatic. Two young brothers must undo the results of committing a terrible taboo of alchemy, while becoming involved with saving their country from destruction at the hands of unnatural alchemical forces.

Series like this and others are among the top anime titles precisely because they know how to balance the lighter, more ridiculous moments with more complex and dramatic plot elements. This intensity and complexity sets much anime apart from other styles of animation.

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