Anime is fast becoming a mainstream popular art and Sydney, like other Australian cities will play host to conventions and festivals celebrating the Japanese animation art that has taken the world by storm. Christina Zhou reports.

Anime hit the mainstream with the Hayao Miyazaki film Spirited Away, which won an Academy Award for the best animated feature in 2003. (Image: Walt Disney Pictures)

When the Art Gallery of NSW held an exhibition of work by manga artist Tezuka earlier this year, 30,000 visitors flocked to see it.

Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga, showcased the work of this influential Japanese artist who is best known in the West for cartoons like Astroboy and Kimba the White Lion.

According to gallery spokesperson Claire Martin, the popularity of the exhibition not just reflected a renewed interest in manga art, but was also very successful.

“It was very popular across a number of generations and also the older generation who remember the original,” she added.

Anime, or Japanese animation, is a rapidly growing trend that has taken stakes all over the world, including Australia.

Together with manga, or Japanese comics, anime has been translated into many languages and has been promoted through various anime conventions in Australia.

David Tran, an anime fanatic and volunteer at the Animania festival in Sydney earlier this year, describes the growth of anime in Australia as a virus.

One such ‘virus’ took place in Sydney in May.

Sydney’s Kinokuniya bookstore was celebrating its second year as the host for the Free Comic Book Day along with fellow comic retailer, King’s comics.

Chew Chan, comic consultant at Kinokuniya, says that 25,000 comics were distributed on the day, including Shonen Jump manga, comprising of excerpts from leading manga titles such as Naruto and Bleach.

“Every level of the industry helps to get the comics produced but on the day we give it away free to customers,” he said.“It’s an effort, an initiative by the comic industry.”

Most people have been introduced to Anime via television shows such as Cheez TV, now known as toasted TV or through friends. Others, who harbour a passion for drawing find themselves drawn to the Japanese trend.

Queenie Chan is a leading Australian manga artist and writer. She says people read manga and watch anime for the enjoyment of the art and stories.

“Manga is a story-telling medium like any other – you might as well ask why people enjoy reading books, playing video games or watching movies,” she said.

“It’s usually people who are outside the sub-culture that … question why people read it. It’s entertainment. It’s entertaining,” she added.

Others gathered at the gaming convention Gen Con held in Brisbane show their anime-ted colours. (Image: N Leit)

The differences between anime and Western animation are smaller than they may appear. The biggest difference lies in the broadness of the genres that are explored by anime and event occasional “perversity”.

Sydney Morning Herald art critic John MacDonald says anime is a contemporary manifestation of the popular prints made during Japan’s Edo period, where wood block prints of motifs of landscapes and tales from history dominated.

“What you see in these is the continuity of Japanese culture,” he said.

Dominic Argente, secretary of the UTS Anime Club said that fans of the genre find that anime offers a different experience in terms of style, stories, themes and approaches than is usually present in western entertainment media.

“They are attracted to the sometimes extreme and stylish violence, the quirky humour, the personalities and characterisations, the unique storylines and themes, and most importantly, the fun of it all,’ he added.

The anime subculture appears to be catching on in Australia, even amongst non-Asian Australians.

It flourishes in chat rooms, forums, websites and five major anime conventions held across the country each year. Campus clubs such as Anime@UTS and SMASH at UNSW are also spreading the manga message, while creating a community where anime fans can immerse themselves in the popular culture.

Event Organiser for SMASH, Juliet Tran said: “For an idea of just how popular anime is, you simply have to attend any anime convention. I attribute some of the growth to the welcoming community of anime fans.”

The Animania Festival, a major anime convention held at the Citigate Hotel in Sydney on the March 29, revisits Sydney again on August 23 and 24.

For volunteer Mr Tran, such festivals help to spread anime culture. “People have heard of it but don’t know what it really is,” he added. “Anime reflects Japanese culture, which all ages can share and enjoy.”

Supanova Pop Culture Expo, another major anime convention, is also due in Sydney later this year, having toured Melbourne and Brisbane.

Supanova, like other anime conventions it also hosts costume play contests, or cosplay, where contestants are judged in categories such as role play and costumes.

Neil Leit, a cosplay participant at the Supanova Expo, described it as “an awesome experience” – and one that even led to romance.

“This was my first year at it,” he said. “It’s a great way to meet people who love the same things you do, without been criticised about the things you love.”

“I’ve met the most awesome girl at Supanova this year, and I’m sure without me going I would’ve never have met her,” he added.

Anime is also influencing movies, computer and video games such as Final Fantasy and Pokemon series.

Supernova spokesperson Drew Tran added: “Anime serves as a diverse source of entertainment for Australians to watch. It also inspires a multi-faceted range of hobbies such as figure collecting, model making, fan art and fan fiction.”

Anime hit the mainstream with the Hayao Miyazaki film Spirited Away, which won an Academy Award for the best animated feature in 2003.

And for Drew Tran, this popularity is set to escalate in Australia.

“The growth of anime awareness and fandom has fuelled the creation of anime events and conventions that have been running in Australia for several years,” he said.

He added: “[They are] not as big as their overseas counterparts, but getting bigger and better every time.”