Anime (アニメ) refers to the animation style originating in Japan. It is characterized by distinctive characters and backgrounds (hand-drawn or computer-generated) that visually and thematically set it apart from other forms of animation. Storylines may include a variety of fictional or historical characters, events, and settings. Anime is aimed at a broad range of audiences; consequently, a given series may have aspects of a range of genres. Anime is most frequently distributed by streaming services, broadcast on television, or sold on DVDs and other media, either after their broadcast run or directly as original video animation (OVA). Console and computer games sometimes also feature segments or scenes that can be considered anime.
Manga (漫画) is Japanese for "comics" or "whimsical images". Manga developed from a mixture of ukiyo-e and Western styles of drawing, and took its current form shortly after World War II. Manga, apart from covers, is usually published in black and white but it is common to find introductions to chapters to be in color and read from top to bottom and then right to left, similar to the layout of a Japanese plain text. Financially, manga represented 2005 a market of ¥24 billion in Japan and $180 million in the United States. Manga was the fastest-growing segment of books in the United States in 2005. In 2020, Japan's manga industry hit a value of ¥612.6 billion due to the fast growth of the digital manga market, while manga sales in North America reached an all-time high at almost $250 million.
Anime and manga share many characteristics, including exaggerating (in terms of scale) of physical features, to which the reader presumably should pay most attention (best known being "large eyes"), "dramatically shaped speech bubbles, speed lines and onomatopoeic, exclamatory typography..." Some manga (a small percentage) are adapted into anime, often with the collaboration of the original author. Computer games can also be adapted into anime. In such cases, the work's original story is often compressed or modified to fit the new format and appeal to a wider demographic. Popular anime franchises sometimes include full-length feature films. Some anime franchises have been adapted into live-action films and television programs.
Black Cat (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was originally serialized in publisher Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 2000 to June 2004, with the chapters later collected into twenty tankōbon (bound volumes) by Shueisha. The story centers on a man named Train Heartnet who withdrew from an elite group of assassins called the Chronos Numbers to become a bounty hunter.
The series was adapted into a twenty-four episode anime television series by studio Gonzo, which originally aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) from October 2005 to March 2006. The manga was licensed for English-language publication in North America by Viz Media and in Australasia by Madman Entertainment. Funimation Entertainment licensed the anime for an English dub and North American broadcast on their own Funimation Channel, with Madman releasing it in Australasia and MVM Films in the United Kingdom.
The episodes of Asu no Yoichi!anime are based on the manga of the same name written by Yū Minamoto. The episodes were directed by Rion Kujo and produced by Anime International Company. The general animation director was Ishii Yumiko and Morishima Noriko was the character designer. The screenplay was written by Hideyuki Kurata. Composed by Kikuya Tomoki, the music was produced by Lantis with Jin Aketagawa as the sound director. The plot follows the adventures of a teenage samurai named Yoichi Karasuma as he lives in with the Ikaruga family, after being ordered by his father, to live with them in order to learn more martial arts. As Yoichi struggles to live in the city and starts going to school, he meets students of the Saginomiya clan, martial art rivals to the Ikaruga family and their Ukiha Divine Wind Style Swordplay school of martial arts.
The anime's twelve episodes were broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System between January 8, 2009 and March 26, 2009. The anime was broadcast on Sun Television from January 25, 2009 to March 2009. Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting and BS-i both aired the first episode on January 29, 2009. BS-i aired the anime until April 11, 2009. Geneon Entertainment released the twelve Asu no Yoichi! episodes in six Region 2 DVD compilations from March 25, 2009 to August 21, 2009. The first opening theme song of the anime was "Egao no Riyuu" (笑顔の理由) by Meg Rock while its ending theme was Life and proud by Aki Misato. (Full list...)
