The Differences Between Anime and Cartoon

Cartoon is a term that once referred to fine art during the renaissance period. Somehow, though, the term's meaning evolved (or devolved, depending on how you look at it) into humorous and witty illustrations and, finally, into animated programs meant to entertain people, mostly children. For, clarity, the term 'cartoon' in this article shall be referring to the animated programs. Recently, however, a new term has been coined: Anime. And the distinction between these two has caused much confusion.

Strictly speaking though, there should be no distinction between anime and cartoon. Anime is a term used by the Japanese to refer to animated cartoons, from their own country and from others as well. Somehow, though, the world started using the term anime in reference to Japanese cartoons exclusively. Japanese animation was once called japanimation, but this term was aptly discarded when the term 'Anime' was put into use.

Some say that they see absolutely no difference between the two, even going so far as to classify both cartoons and anime as 'childish' because of the nature of how they are presented, much to the woe of anime fans. Technically, there's no official difference and they are somewhat correct. But you only have to watch a single episode of any anime series and you'll see that anime is far more than your usual slapstick comedy man-tripping-on-a-banana-peal early morning cartoons. There is a real and profound difference between the two besides their spellings: Anime is so much more than 'just a cartoon'.

Storylines/Plots

Cartoons usually have a simple and defined plot. And they're usually about the good guys fighting the bad guys. Cartoons rarely go beyond that old cliché. Most Anime series, on the other hand, are also about the same good vs. evil but the plots are rarely simple and rarely predictable. You'll find an element of politics, religion, humanity, and a score of several other abstract concepts within an anime. Whereas cartoons are just about 'evil' cats chasing 'innocent' mice or a hero defending himself and others from a very evil bully. Anime can blur the lines between good and evil so much that you'll be left wondering which side is really right. Look at the plot of Gundam, there aren't any good guys or bad guys. They're both fighting for a cause - a worthy one, and both sides are prepared to do good and evil to achieve their goals. Look at the Wave Country arc of Naruto. Zabuza, evil as he was, had evoked more sympathetic tears than any of the typical Disney antagonists. There are, however, few exceptions to the 'cartoons are simple' rule. There are cartoon series that are far advanced like X-men.

In terms of humor, anime goes beyond the slapstick comedy that cartoons offer. There won't be any corny joke about the chicken crossing the road with anime. There won't even be the quintessential banana peal. Anime humor is deep and witty. However, it is to be noted that cartoons are mostly for kids. Anime can be for an adult audience; it mostly is, actually. There are even times when anime plots are hardly suited for children.

Characters

In cartoons, there's a protagonist, an antagonist, and a damsel in distress. Their roles are well-defined and clear and the characters always act according to their roles. In anime, however, the damsel in distress may very well become the antagonist, leaving the protagonist in distress. There's no knowing what to expect in anime. Anime characters, a lot of times, are developed overtime through trials and growth, while cartoon characters remain the same from when the show started. (Of course, there are exceptions such as Spiderman.) Since there's an ongoing plot, Anime characters actually grow up and may even produce the next generation for the series. Anime fans tend to get into the characters a lot deeper because of the characters' depth and charm. Consider Naruto; viewers see him growing up from an infant to a young powerful ninja, the way he relates to people, the way he learns new techniques, and the way he evolves visually. That is one of the chief reasons for popularities of anime over plain cartoons.

Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla - The Differences Between Fame and Forgotten

I recently saw the movie "The Prestige". The story is about two ferociously rival magicians and is set in the 1890's. A sub-plot in the movie concerns the largely forgotten rivalry between scientists and inventors Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Entrepreneurs today can learn much from the Edison/Tesla saga.

Thomas Edison is one of the most famous and revered Americans of all time, and deservedly so. School children are taught that he harnessed electricity, invented the light bulb and the phonograph. He was awarded 1093 patents during his long and rewarding creative life. His summer laboratory in Fort Myer, Florida is still a major tourist destination. In addition, Edison earned millions of dollars by commercializing his patents and product innovations. To this day we have all benefited from his genius.

Nikola Tesla, on the other hand, is virtually unknown today. He was born in Serbia, moved to America and became one of the most renowned scientists of his day. He was in many ways, the prototype for the "mad scientist" so often depicted in books and movies. His eccentricity and poor business decisions were the stuff of legends. And yet, Tesla's inventions and scientific advances are as important in our contemporary lives as Edison's.

As a young immigrant scientist Tesla actually worked for Edison. Edison held the patent on Direct Current (DC) and was, as always, aggressively pursuing commercialization of his patents. The famous banker J. P. Morgan was an early financial backer of Edison's DC. Edison constructed a generator in New York City that could provide the miracle of light in homes, including Morgan's Murray Hill mansion. It was considered a wonder of the day.

Tesla, however, recognized that DC had serious limitations, specifically in delivery of electricity across a vast grid. He championed Alternating Current (AC). Edison was furious. AC was a direct attack on his patents. He had no commercial claim to AC power generation. Tesla left Edison and the two great scientists became lifelong enemies.

Tesla introduced his theories on AC to George Westinghouse, another foe of Edison. The two became partners and a race between the devotees of AC and DC current commenced. Westinghouse and Tesla believed AC to be superior to DC because of the arc and greater footprint of power the system could deliver.

Edison, an unusual combination of man of science and excellent business- man, conducted an aggressive; some say savage public relations campaign to support his convictions that DC was the better technology. He conducted public electrocutions of animals in an effort to prove that DC was a safer, cleaner source of power. He even allowed DC to be used in the first electrocution of a death sentence criminal. This public display was botched and the criminal was re-electrocuted in a horrible manner. The public was shocked.

Meanwhile, Tesla was tasked by Westinghouse to harness the power of Niagara Falls to generate safe, widely disseminated electricity by utilizing the AC technology. The test and subsequent grid performance confirmed that AC was the superior technology. Morgan and Edison were forced to purchase interests in AC.

Thomas Edison prospered for the rest of his days. His connections with J.P. Morgan lead to the establishment of General Electric, one of the world's great enterprises to this day. He died rich, revered, and famous.

Tesla was an immense contributor to the evolution of our modern power system. The many scientific tasks involved in electrifying the United States and the world would have occurred much more slowly without his inventions and creativity. Tesla was crucial to the perfection and acceptance of AC, the standard used to this day. And yet Tesla died broke, alone, flustered.

Edison invented the light bulb. However, without electricity delivered widely, safely and affordably the light bulb was of little value. A car without the internal combustion engine is a wagon. Similarly, Tesla's perfection of AC was the tool that made the light bulb so valuable. Tesla's success inadvertently affirmed Edison's legacy.

Edison could sell. He was a genius at self-promotion. He could seek and obtain capital based on his reputation. He had charm and charisma. Edison created a legend for himself.

Tesla had none of these qualities. He made poor business choices. His reputation for being difficult closed many promising commercial doors. Tesla was dark and dour. English was his second language and he was never comfortable in a public format. His science has become obfuscated by his many futuristic predictions. Much of modern pseudo-science and today's UFO acolytes rely on morsels of Tesla's preaching.

The ability to commercialize inventions is the key difference between creative types and successful entrepreneurs. We all know people with vibrant imaginations and inventiveness. We all also know how few of these people succeed at successfully converting imagination into reality.

A successful entrepreneur needs a variety of skills and talents in order to cut through the din of our very competitive marketplace. Successful designers and engineers typically make great employees, unless they can communicate, sell, market and strategize. The inventor lacking in these skills has many other potential routes to success. Licensing, partnering and alliances are viable options.

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Bill Gates and Ray Kroc are stellar examples of what it takes to succeed. They are multi-talented, adaptable and visionary. Nikola Tesla was a genius, but in only one area. His science is invaluable. Today, the personal, business and historic legacy of Tesla is mostly forgotten. Every student learns about Thomas Edison. It took an afternoon at the movies to remind me fleetingly of Nikola Tesla's important contributions.