MANGA, standing for Madison Anime Newtype Great Association, is a very strange acronym for a fairly new organization at JMU. Its purpose is to "create a place for people who enjoy anime or [who] are interested in learning more about it to meet, share ideas and enjoy watching [anime]," according to MANGA President Adam Strawn, a sophomore.

Anime can be defined as animated features imported to the United States from Japan which typically have a different style than American cartoons.

While many people view anime as merely Japanese cartoons, a great deal of anime content tends to be directed primarily at older audiences. Series and movies cover a wide range of genres, ranging from children's shows and hilarious slapstick comedies to psychological dramas and martial arts action.

Settings for series and movies can be as varied as deep space in the distant future, post-apocalyptic Earth, medieval Japan and present-day suburbia. And while much of the content easily could be sifted into the sci-fi or fantasy genre, the underlying stories often are universally appealing and powerfully moving. Many of the overarching themes are as thought provoking and plot-driven as the best of American cinema.

Because anime is created mainly in Japan, the stories and themes offer insights into Japanese culture in the same way that our television and films showcase American culture. One of the highlights of anime for MANGA secretary and junior Benjamin Lundy, is the chance to "submerge yourself into an entirely different culture, with different ideas, conventions and philosophies."

Shows such as Pokemon, which originally stemed from the Nintendo game, illustrate the high interest in video games throughout Japan. Other shows depict technology and the Internet as important parts of every-day life. Even in shows that take place in fantasy settings, you can see the importance of honor and hard work that are ingrained in Japanese culture.

Much of anime evolved from graphic novels, called manga, which are popular not only with children and teenagers but also with adults. The conversion from graphic novel into animation allows the artists to sculpt an even more intimate view into the world of each story. As opposed to most American cartoons, anime series often follow a timeline where characters change as the series continues.

"As you watch an anime series, you watch the character grow and learn more about themselves or overcome obstacles in their life and in turn you begin to connect with them on a deeper level," Strawn said.

It's precisely this intimate connection that can make the series hard to enjoy initially until viewers have learned more about the characters, but this quality also sets anime apart from most American animation.

Character development and extended plots aren't the only elements that set anime apart from mainstream animation. The quality of the art in most anime is much higher because the artists want to ensure that their purposes are clearly understood and enjoyed. "Anime has higher production standards with far more attention to the artistic possibilities of animation than the run-of-the-mill Saturday morning cartoon," Lundy said. Because of the high production standards that accompany much of anime, many series are shorter, running between 10 and 50 episodes total.

It's easy for new viewers of anime to misunderstand or dislike anime when they first view it because it is fundamentally different from traditional American animation. Very often the themes and philosophy behind stories can be hard to understand on the first viewing because of its roots in Japanese culture. However, if viewers approach anime with an open mind and try to learn from the experience, it can be extremely rewarding and enjoyable.

MANGA holds meetings every Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. in Taylor 404. It also has special events on the weekends such as marathons, creative exercises and discussions about animation, art and writing. For more information on the club, check out http://orgs.jmu.edu/manga/ or e-mail manga.