Anime

What is anime? Most people know that it's another word for japanese cartoons. They however don't understand that they bear little or no resemblance to western style cartoons. Western style cartoons are usually meant solely for kids, usually containing themes appropriate for children and geared to capture the younger audience. This is not so in anime. Although there are many anime series' that are geared for kids, the general spectrum includes the young adults and even adults. Anime series' are often mature and dwell into very adult themes and questions. It's another medium to convey a story, whether the story may be action, comedy, drama or romance.
The obvious reason for the miconception that anime is for children is due to the fact that the story is delivered through an animated medium. Western society isn't accostumed to seeing any story except children stories in an animated work. Another possible reason for this misunderstanding may be due to the poor dubbing qualities of the american translators. Most american translators have the mindset that cartoons are for children and often change the dialogue to fit a younger audience. The original mood and sometimes the message is lost within the translation of the dialogue.
Anime is definetely not geared solely for younger audiences. Series' like darker than black, death note, samurai x, mushi-shi, samurai champloo, evangelion and clannad are a few examples of shows that will have little or no appeal to children. These series' explore controversial topics, the meanings of life, and may contain excessive violence, drug use and sexuality. Anime is just a form of telling a story, may it be one for children or adults.