Anime Anime ( Japanese : アニメ , IPA: [aɲime] ( listen ) ) is hand-drawn and computer animation originating from Japan . In Japan and in Japanese, anime (a term derived from the English word animation ) describes all animated works, regardless of style or origin. However, outside of Japan and in English, anime is colloquial for Japanese animation and refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. [1] Animation produced outside of Japan with similar style to Japanese animation is referred to as anime-influenced animation . The earliest commercial Japanese animations date to 1917. A characteristic art style emerged in the 1960s with the works of cartoonist Osamu Tezuka and spread in following decades, developing a large domestic audience. Anime is distributed theatrically, through television broadcasts, directly to home media , and over the Internet . In addition to original works, anime are often adaptations of Japanese comics ( manga ), light novels ,