Anime 101: The Basics

I love anime. It has even gotten so far as to me preferring it over live-action movies and TV shows. The thing is that among my family and friends, I am the only one who truly appreciates it. After a while, I realized that almost all of them have misconceived notions about anime being solely for kids, and so I decided to write this post. :)

Definition of Anime
Anime is commonly defined as "animation originating from Japan". In English-speaking countries, it is also referred to as "Japanese animation". Just like its live-action counterpart, anime is also divided into many different genres such as romance, comedy, action, suspense, horror, drama, etc. This categorization is called "genre by topic".

Anime By Demographic
Another way to categorize anime is by demographic, meaning its intended audience. This is also a helpful tool for finding which anime would suit your taste. The basic anime genres by demographic are:

Darker Than Black Anime Wallpapers

These are all the Darker Than Black wallpaper that I have collected from various websites. Click on each image to view full size. To save, right-click and select Save Image. Resolution is 1024x768 unless specified otherwise. Enjoy!

P.S. Hei is amazing, isn't he? I really, really hope there'll be a season 3 of Darker Than Black. :D

Resolution: 800x600

Resolution: 1280x960

Resolution: 900x720

Resolution: 1680x1050

Resolution: 1280x800

Hellsing Anime Wallpapers

Oh, I just love Alucard, don't you? ;D Enjoy these Hellsing anime wallpapers that I have collected from different websites and have used on my computer at some point in time. Click on the images to view full size. Full size resolution is 1024x768. To download, right-click and select Save Image.

Code Geass Anime Wallpapers

There was a time when I was completely obsessed with Lelouch vi Brittania and Code Geass. Naturally, I collected quite a few Code Geass wallpapers from various websites to use on my own computer. Here are some of my favorites: (All of them are in 1024 x 768 resolution except for the fourth one which is 1152 x 864.)

Click on the images to view full size. Right-click and select Save image to download.

Gungrave Anime Summary and Review

(Warning: This post may contain spoilers.)

I finished watching Gungrave today, and I liked it. Oh, the ending was beautiful... so heartbreakingly beautiful I brushed away tears from my eyes and forgave the gaudy outfit and ludicrous name of Beyond The Grave, the anime's main protagonist. I also found the final episode of the anime quite artistic, almost poetic. And then there was the fact that almost all of the characters were men, with the two main ones being hot as hell. Oh, I liked it indeed!

The story of Gungrave begins in the middle, with the resurrection of Brandon Heat whose name is now Beyond The Grave and his fight with his best friend Harry MacDowell who is also the current leader of the crime syndicate known as Millennion. Then the story goes back to Brandon's youth and follows him and Harry as they rose from being petty thieves to the top of the biggest crime syndicate of all, and details the events that led to their falling out and Harry's eventual betrayal.

There were some instances in the anime where I would get annoyed at Brandon for being such a loyal obedient puppy. But in the end, that was what made him stand out. I would have preferred him to talk more though. He was always so silent. Well, I guess it was supposed to make him seem mysterious and sexy... and it kind of worked to some degree.

The fight scenes were good, although at times I wondered how so little people could get hit with so much gunfire going on. There was blood and violence, but not so much as to make you want to puke. Overall, I would recommend giving Gungrave a look over. It was quite entertaining.