Beginning March 22, the Shelton Timberland Library will present five weeks of favorite Japanese animation films. Films will be shown at 2 p.m. each Saturday through April 19 on the library’s large-screen TV. All the films appear on numerous top ten lists and showcase different styles of Japanese animation—or anime.

A warning: topics in anime films cover every conceivable subject, and themes are often complex and adult-oriented. On the surface, anime may resemble your favorite Disney cartoons, but they vary in content as much as live-action movies. According to library staff, the films being shown during the library’s Anime Festival are appropriate for high school through adult audiences.

Anime has enjoyed wild popularity in its home country for decades, appealing to both adults and children. Since the 1960s, anime’s reputation for complex storylines, lush soundtracks, and stunning artwork has percolated through American popular consciousness and captured the imaginations of a growing subculture of fans in the United States.

But anime isn’t found only in the DVD players of obsessive Japanamaniacs or discussed in obscure newsgroups on the internet. If you have fond memories of Speed Racer, Transformers, and Voltron: Defender of the Universe, then you can consider yourself an anime fan. More recently, a new generation of enthusiasts has become passionate about television shows like Sailor Moon and Pokémon, and feature-length movies such as Princess Mononoke.

For more information, people may stop by or call the library at 426-1362.

Film Schedule:

March 22 Cowboy Bebop

March 29 Neon Genesis Evangelion

April 5 Perfect Blue

April 12 Castle of Cagliostro

April 19 Epic feature based on 1949 graphic novel by Osamu Tezuka (contact library for title)