I think what I like about anime is the "arc" story telling. In the USA, it's hard to find animation where more than 2 episodes have anything to do with each other. In Japan, it's not uncommon to find anime arc stories with more than 50 episodes. It can be very addicting. Sort of like watching soap operas or seasons of "24".

thanks for the correction... I know a lot of the Cartoon Network original stuff is done here, probably licensed stuff like the Simpsons and Futurama are animated elsewhere...

and totally agreed on the japanese storytelling style... they made popular de "decompressed" storytelling mode, and specially with manga, where they replaced the classical american comics infoboxes "meanwhile, 20 miles away from where our hero is standing" with actual images of where the hero is standing, showing you and make you understand somehow where the action is taking place, rather than explicitly shoving it on your face by detailing it with every single word.

but again, it's just a matter of tastes, I would not want to turn this into an "american comics versus japanese comics" thread by no means...

Power Puff Girls is animated in Korea also. It's not completely finished there. There are folks in the US that design the characters write the story and so forth and so on(I looked it up). But it cannot be said that it's completely 100% made only in the USA. It's just like you can't claim a Ford is completely 100% made in the US now days when parts on it say they are made in Canada or Mexico or Japan or where ever else. I know because I fix my own stuff. It's assembled here and Canada sometimes. Thats the way things work global market trading these days. Some things are more American than others. Most products are tainted with parts made someplace else other than in the US.. America doesn't even make a television anymore. They're all made in other countries now. Culture shock from globalization effects everyone and I'm not really trying to pitch one place against another as being better or worse or anything else. I like old American made stuff. I can certianly understand why somebody from Japan would feel that way about the stuff they make there. More power to ya. We have a lot of good things going on here still and hope you do also. Where is western infuence coming from when a large portion of it is manufactured in the East? Everybody's culture is changing. Everybody's responcible.

The majority of cereal animation is a combination of the native countries work (US for instance) and South Korea.

Generally the pre-vis, a kind of simple animated story-board, is done in the US. The bulk of the animation is then done in South Korea. There may be some basic post-work done back in the US before airing.

Incidentally, it was this thread that lead to the discovery of PoserClub (for me). Great stuff!

Note: I believe the company that animates The Simpsons (and previously Futurama) is called Rough Draft.

Ohm, maybe I hit a nerv here - maybe not. But splitting it up and saying Americans have these style, Japanese prefere that way ... ehr, well it is so fragging ignorant in my oppinion. I'm neither japanese nor american. But I am heavily influenced by both cultures. I collect Marvel and Dark Horse-Comics, have tons of Mangas filling my bookshelves and my favorite movies are Blade Runner, Sent to Chihiro and Sin City. Japanese Art isn't only cute as well as Americans not only produce the Friday Night NViTwS :) It's the same thing like saying all Germans eat Weiurst and Beer all the time (and I know what I am talking about - I am German, NOT from Bavaria and never have been to Neuschwanstein ^.^ ... and I HATE Weiurst) For sure there are different influences - and a certain mainstream in both countries. And you find on each side of the pacific tons of crap as well as astonishing great stuff.