When did the term “Japanimation” started to become “anime” and what was the cause of that?

I kinda miss calling it Japanimation. Saying that now feels like someone would call you racist for it...

@Lhundrup Actually I would point out that you are being racist. You see, anime is not just exclusive to Japan anymore. It is a global phenomenon with creators and fans all over the world. Using Japanimation could be seen as limiting or even be negative of the contributions from other countries. China for instance, has its own animation industry, producing a wide range of anime content that rivals even some of Japan most renowned works. South Korea has emerged as a key player in the animation industry, with studios like Studio Mir and Madhouse Korea producing top notch anime series and films. Using terms like "Japanimation" may unintentionally diminish the rich diversity of animated content produced worldwide.

@Gashadokur0 Is this bait? Please tell me this is bait.

@LenRea of course it is, you can even see it is clearly written by AI.

@velvetnyan yeah. dumb question i guess, sorry.

@LenRea Lol the only part that was meant to bait was when I said 'you are racist.' Everything else I mentioned is based on facts. You can look it up on Wiki.

It wasn't originally called anime in Japan. It went by terebi manga (TV manga). The term anime ironically came from the West calling it Japanese animation so Ive heard. So the word "animation" was ported to Japanese as "anime" for short. This eventually made it's way back full circle.

@traed I've heard that the word "anime" was a loanword from French.

@Lhundrup Actually I would point out that you are being racist. You see, anime is not just exclusive to Japan anymore. It is a global phenomenon with creators and fans all over the world. Using Japanimation could be seen as limiting or even be negative of the contributions from other countries. China for instance, has its own animation industry, producing a wide range of anime content that rivals even some of Japan most renowned works. South Korea has emerged as a key player in the animation industry, with studios like Studio Mir and Madhouse Korea producing top notch anime series and films. Using terms like "Japanimation" may unintentionally diminish the rich diversity of animated content produced worldwide.

@Gashadokur0 lmao. No. Anime means Japanese and only Japanese animation in the west. It was always like this. Stop forcing your nonsense.

@rsc-pl True, but have you ever wonder about how most people don't live in the West? In lots of places, anime is a more inclusive term used for all kinds of animation, not just Japanese.

@Lhundrup Actually I would point out that you are being racist. You see, anime is not just exclusive to Japan anymore. It is a global phenomenon with creators and fans all over the world. Using Japanimation could be seen as limiting or even be negative of the contributions from other countries. China for instance, has its own animation industry, producing a wide range of anime content that rivals even some of Japan most renowned works. South Korea has emerged as a key player in the animation industry, with studios like Studio Mir and Madhouse Korea producing top notch anime series and films. Using terms like "Japanimation" may unintentionally diminish the rich diversity of animated content produced worldwide.

Japanimation contains seven syllables. Americans didn't commonly use the word, and it was too long for Japanese speakers.

There is an article that a man looked up about Japanimation.
https://note-com.translate.goog/sudotadashi/n/ne5b7c88873b7?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ja&_x_tr_pto=wapp&_x_tr_hist=true

@GinIonSui
How are you getting 7? It is closer to four syllables in American English and more like five if enunciated more like British English.

@traed It seems to be called a "mora". Japanimation is written in katakana as "ジャパニメーション", and it contains seven morae: "ジャ", "パ", "ニ", "メ", "ー", "ショ", and "ン".

The only place I know like this is Japan, where they call "Bug Bunny" Anime simply because anything animated to the Japanese is Anime regardless if it's domestic or not (the use of the word has two meanings where one is just to describe any animation while the other is a specific name for their own Domestic Medium). To the Japanese, Anime as a word is a Homonym. It's the equivalent in the English language of the use of words such as Bark, Right, Bat, Novel, and even the word Medium, etc... You go to South Korea, they don't call their domestic animation Anime, they call it Aeni. In China they call their own domestic animation Donghua.

Anime is part of Japan's culture regardless if it's a global phenomena and it belongs to no one else. Reminds me back in the 70s and 80s when Ninjas started becoming hip in the West for the 1st time, where you started to see movies being made like "American Ninja". When basically all a ninja really was in Japan was a 12th century assassin. Even Ninja wasn't really what they truly were called to begin with, they were known as shinobi. The word ninja actually came from just one of many feudal Japanese societies, so it was more of an identifying name for just a particular group of mercenary assassins during this time period. Just the name Ninja was easier for westerners to grasp even though there were technically many kinds of shinobi. So it's weird how the word Ninja got so over used when it basically just amounts to just a name referring to two clans (Iga and Koga). Even the word Ninja isn't even Japanese by origin, it's actually Chinese.

@ColourWheel I Know that In South Korea, they don't refer to their domestic animation as anime, instead, it's known as Aeni. Likewise, in China, their own domestic animation is called Donghua. However, in many countries, including where I'm from, there isn't such a clear distinction, and we simply use the term "anime" regardless of its origin. While "anime" strictly refers to Japanese animation, some people may employ it more broadly to encompass animated works from other countries, including China or South Korea. It's a matter of cultural specificity and interpretation, with "anime" holding a specific connotation for Japanese animation but occasionally extending to include animation from other regions as well. You know, it is fascinating how language evolves and changes based on cultural context.

In Japan, anime is a broad term that encompasses all forms of animation, both domestic and foreign. It's like how we might use the word cartoon in English. But outside of Japan, anime has become synonymous with a specific style of animation characterized by colorful artwork, fantastical themes, and vibrant characters.

@Gashadokur0

So just because some random unnamed nations around the globe call anything that look like Japanese Animation "Anime" that it should no longer culturally belong strictly to Japan? This is just my opinion, but this country where you are are from probably couldn't tell the difference between K-pop and J-pop. Why should the entire world look to where you are from as some authority of what Anime is or not?

Anime being a global phenomenon is irrelevant. Not just anyone can simply create animation and simply pass it off as Anime no matter how much it might look like something Japan would create. Culturally, Anime belongs to Japan and no other country. Anything else that look like Japanese Anime is simply just animation that is inspired by Japanese Anime and nothing more.

@ColourWheel Sure, anime started in Japan and it’s a massive part of Japanese culture. Firstly, it is important to recognize that language and definitions evolve over time and across cultures. While anime traditionally refers to Japanese animation, the term has broadened in many places to include various styles of animation that resemble the Japanese style. This doesn't necessarily strip it of its cultural origins, rather, it shows how influential and beloved Japanese animation has become globally. Who gets to be the gatekeeper of what anime is? Culture is shared and appropriated, and it’s a compliment that anime’s influence is so huge. I bet even in your country, people who casually watch anime are calling Chinese and South Korean animations "anime." Why? Because they look pretty similar in art style and vibe, and not everyone is a hardcore fan who knows all the technicalities. Now, saying that anything outside of Japan is just "animation inspired by Japanese anime" is a bit of a stretch. Secondly, defining anime strictly based on its cultural origins can be limiting and exclusionary. The lines between different animation styles have become increasingly blurred in the age of globalization. Chinese and South Korean animation studios have produced works that closely resemble Japanese anime in terms of art style, themes, and storytelling techniques. These similarities make it understandable for people from diverse regions to use the term "anime" to describe such animations, as they share many common characteristics with Japanese anime. Also cut the crap and stop assuming you know what others are aware of.

@Gashadokur0

I have lived in South Korea, Japan, and North America. In South Korea I have never heard anyone refer to animation broadly as Anime unless it was actually Japanese Animation. In a place like North America people mistaken anyone who is Asian as Chinese, so I wouldn't put it past them to simply call anything Anime as long as it look like Anime just like they call anyone Chinese as long as they look Chinese (I have been called Chinese so many times in my life living in North America and I am not Chinese). The actual gate keepers should be Japan. If they don't recognize animation as part of their own culture, people shouldn't culturally mix animation produced by some random country as Anime simply because it might look like it. The Tokyo Anime awards even has their own international category for foreign animation and never in history have they ever recognized anything as Anime simply because it just look like Anime.

Culture can be shared but not broadly appropriated, No more than any foreign country trying to appropriate something culturally important to your own country no matter how global it might have spread. So you should cut the crap too.

@ColourWheel LOL, you basically handed me the answer on a silver platter.



Have you ever thought that this generalization might extend to other regions as well. That's what I've been trying to explain to you. Thank you genius.

@Gashadokur0

You have completely missed my point by quoting me out of context. Calling any animation as Anime as long as it looks like Anime is basically like calling someone Chinese simply because they look Chinese. It either went over your head or you simply just ignored it. Either way if the Japanese people don't recognize animation as part of their culture it's technically not Japanese Anime. Simply producing Animation in some random country that look like Japanese Anime is just as fake as buying a Japanese katana produced in Mexico.

@Gashadokur0

Not playing some stupid game where you're trying to direct some narrative. If you want to point something out just come out and say it.

I will simply go back to your original statement here...



Even if there are people who can't tell the clear distinction between animation produced in one country over another just makes people in that country just as dumb as people who live in North America who can't tell the difference between someone who is Korean over someone who is Chinese. Even if people in your country are simply just using a broad brush over anything that looks like Japanese animation as Anime that doesn't mean they are right about it. It just means those people have no clue what they are actually watching to begin with. It's like someone going into a restaurant and ordering the Atlantic Cod but since the customers can't tell the difference in fish the restaurant prepares them cheaply caught Groupers. Either way your not making any type of compelling argument to me.



I will say this again. The only reason why anime is a broad term in Japan is because they use anime as a short term for animation but it is also the name for their own domestic animation. Anime is a Homonym, much like the word "Medium" in the English language means several things too.

@Gashadokur0

At this point you are just obviously trolling or you are just extremely absent minded.



really?



China's domestic animation is called Donghua. China has never produced Japanese Anime and even if one might think their animation rivals animation produced in Japan that doesn't automatically make it Japanese Anime simply because one might think it's better.

@ColourWheel And where in your example did I say it was okay to call Chinese animation "anime"? I know it's called Donghua, but I still call it anime (we just had this debate). I never said that the correct way to refer to Chinese animation was anime.

@Gashadokur0

Right here in this quote you out right claim China is producing "Anime". Simply using the term so casually says all one needs to know.

@ColourWheel You are just trolling, YES I CALLED IT ANIME. But where did I say it was right to call it anime? The correct term is Donghua. Just show me the proof. Are you genuinely not understanding, or are you just trolling? I hope you're just trolling.

@GinIonSui
Mora is a little different from syllables and not used in English. Also Japanimation was not a Japanese originating term. For one thing they call their country Nippon or Nihon way more often than Japan.