History in Japan

• The first known anime dates back to 1917 in Japan, with a clip of a samurai testing a new sword on a target. The samurai suffers defeat. In the 1930s animation became a more widely used format for Japanese storytelling, but suffered from competition with other production companies and animators. Animation was often used in education and government propaganda in Japan.
  
  

Anime Categories

• There are different ways to categorize anime, such as by genre, demographic, and main themes presented in the story. For instance, categorization of genre may include adventure or action, drama, game based, horror, and science fiction. Some types of anime are more stylized and do not fit into one specific genre. Anime may also be described based on the demographic that the anime is produced for, such as teenagers or children.
  
  Themes present in anime may include fighting teams, robots, magical stories, sports, sex, romance, aliens etc.
  
  

Influence in the U.S.

• Anime started to have an influence on United States television and animation shows in the 1960s and has become increasingly popular because of shows like "Hello Kitty," which was introduced into the United States in 1976 and "Naruto." Hello Kitty has become a trademark in the United States and has targeted young children, particularly girls, with products like purses, jewelry and clothing. As people from other countries begin to watch anime, many also start to study the culture that gave birth to anime. Japan has influenced America's animated movies and comics, so much so that Americans often watch subtitled anime from Japan.
  
  

Modifications for Demographics

• Some Japanese anime series, like Naruto have been modified when they come to the United States and are often introduced under a different name. U.S. companies also try to domesticate shows so that they appeal to the audience in the U.S. This has caused a trend in producing marketing material for younger audiences, such as plush dolls, games, and costumes.
  
  The Japanese producers of some anime have become frustrated by the change in anime when it is produced for the U.S. The broadening of the demographic in regards to age has become common in the U.S., making it so children and young teens watch anime initially intended for adults.