Anime
Definition
Anime is an abbreviated pronunciation in Japanese of "animation."[1] It is animation produced in Japan for the Japanese market. [2]
Visual characteristics
Anime has distinctive visual characteristics. Body proportions typically come from the proportions of the human body, using the height of the head as the base unit or proportion. The eyes are often drawn large to show emotion, and the facial expressions are used to denote moods and thoughts.
How Anime is released
Anime is released three different ways. It is released as television shows and movies, which are often re-released on video, and as OVA, which stands for "Original Video Animation." OVA is Anime released directly to video, and is sometimes spelled OAV.
Re-releases with a different number of discs, different arrangement of content, or different selection of content are common. See the new record guidelines for videorecordings and the multivolume record vs. multiple records guidelines to help decide when a new record is needed or when an existing record can be used.
Cataloging guidelines
Subject headings
Anime is neither a Library of Congress subject heading nor genre heading. Use as appropriate for the item:
655 _7 Anime.‡2local (form heading for anime films and TV shows) 655 _7 Animated films.‡2lcgft (form heading for anime films, in addition to the local heading above) 655 _7 Animated television programs.‡2lcgft (form heading for anime TV shows, in addition to the local heading above) 650 _0 Animated films‡zJapan (topical heading for works about anime films) 650 _0 Animated television programs‡zJapan (topical heading for works about anime TV shows) 650 _0 Animation (Cinematography)‡zJapan (topical heading for works about anime)
Note that ANIME is a legitimate value for Sirsi item category 1, so if that is used, holdings can be found in a Workflows search.
Resources
Anime News Network is to anime what IMDB is to movies. This source is useful in determining if something is anime. Other types of useful information found at the web site include a general plot summary, useful in creating multi-volume records, the number of episodes and DVDs in the story arc for closing multi-volume records, and information on the Japanese cast that is useful for authority work.
The Librarian's Guide to Anime and Manga