The Japanese anime and manga

Manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese animation) were formerly virtually totally unknown outside of Japan, but they have since become a global phenomenon, with their popularity rising by the day. Manga novels are often printed in black and white and contain a wide range of genres and subject matter intended at both sexes and all ages, rather than primarily young boys, to whom comic books are typically marketed in the West. Themes include romance, action-adventure, science fiction, humour, and sports, as well as darker subject matter for adults such as horror and more risqué stuff; however, the latter is rarely acknowledged in common life and society. Doraemon (developed by Fujiko F Fujio and originally published in 1969) follows a blue robotic cat that travels back in time from the 24th Century to assist a young schoolboy, Nobita Nobi, in overcoming life’s challenges. Dragon Ball (created by Akira Toriyama and first published in 1984) follows Goku and his companion Bulma as they traverse the legendary earth, practicing martial arts and looking for “dragon balls” that summon a mystical dragon to help them in times of crisis. Once a given manga has shown its value via popularity, an animated TV series is the inevitable next step. However, manga is not the sole source of inspiration for anime. Pokémon, for example, was a worldwide sensation as a video game for Nintendo before being adapted into manga and anime series. The apparent contrasts from manga, such as color, movement, and music, bring anime to life, but there is one other crucial factor: the theme song.