Today anime is what most of the world calls Japanese Animation. Even though it means animation, anime is not what Americans usually think of when they hear the word. In Japan, anime is marketed towards every segment of the population. From pre-school programs to sports to cooking shows to pornography, anime covers a wide spectrum of topics. Anime can be compared to the Hollywood film industry in that it produces something for everyone.
Japan has a deeply artistic culture that dates back for thousands of years.
This culture has lead to one of the largest animation and comic industries in the world. They seem to have a strong desire to express their thoughts and ideas through film and animation is a popular medium no matter what the subject. Many of them have fan clubs, concerts, and books written about them. Closely related to anime is manga, which can be roughly translated to Irresponsible Pictures and is used to describe what we would call comic books. As with anime, there are manga for just about anyone.