Monthly Archives: April 2011

There’s a good reason that many people mistake Avatar: the Last Airbender for an anime, and it’s not just the stylized character designs and facial expressions (though those are a big part of it). In the last ten years, a number of Western cartoons have emerged that emulate those aspects of anime, but more often than not, they ultimately have more in common with other Western cartoons than Japanese ones. That isn’t true of Avatar—the series shows its influences proudly, and without a doubt, those influences are mostly anime. Continue reading →