The Anime invasion: More than just cute faces?

The Anime "Porn" Market

What is Anime?
There is a general awareness today that the market for anime is growing in the U.S. However, there is less awareness--or agreement--as to exactly what "anime" is.

"Anime" or "animé" is the Japanese word for cinematic animation, taken from the English word "animation." To the anime enthusiasts in America, "anime" means any animation produced in Japan, no matter the intended audience--whether a TV cartoon series for young children (Samurai Pizza Cats and Sailor Moon are two recent examples, and there was a Japanese TV animated serialization of Heidi, Girl of the Alps in 1974, eight years before Hanna-Barbera's Heidi's Song feature), an animated adult cultural feature (there have been two feature-length animated productions of The Diary of Anne Frank), or an action-adventure thriller filled with violence and sexual situations.

However, since the main American market for anime consists of teens and adults looking for light entertainment, th...